The Pros And Cons Of The Vietnam War
analytical Essay
1255 words
As history shows, every war comes some sort of public opposition. There will always be pro-war and anti-war men and women across the country. In World War I, there was a major rift between the two sides. Not until civilians were being killed did President Wilson give in and join the war. Similarly, not everyone wanted to get into World War II until the Pearl Harbor bombings. The Vietnam War went differently than the previous two wars. This time, there was a huge majority public opposition to President Johnson and President Nixon’s decisions. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, the Tet Offensive, and the Kent State Shootings all undermined American public support for the Vietnam War and impacted government decisions, ultimately bringing the Vietnam …show more content…
In this essay, the author
- Explains that every war comes some sort of public opposition. the gulf of tonkin resolution, the tet offensive, and the kent state shootings all undermined american public support for the vietnam war.
- Explains that the vietnam war had been relatively quiet in terms of american participation. president johnson claimed the attack was unprovoked, even though it may have been provoked. the gulf of tonkin resolution authorized the president to utilize all necessary means.
- Explains that president johnson won a landslide victory in the election of 1964, but he lost the trust of americans with the gulf of tonkin incident.
- Explains that the tet offensive was the peak of us involvement in the war, but public support decreased due to the number of casualties and struggle to win the offensive.
- Explains that many anti-vietnam americans were college students who protested the war on college campuses. the kent state shooting undermined public support for the vietnam war and president nixon.
- Analyzes how the rapid change in public opinion about the vietnam war affected the decision-making of the government.
1968, the year of the Tet Offensive, was the peak of US involvement in the war. The Tet Offensive was a series of battles between the Communist and Anti-Communist forces in South Vietnam. Although it was a victory for the United States, public support decreased due to the number of casualties and struggle to win the offensive. President Johnson, in his comments on the Tet Offensive, bashed the public opinion (doc 4). He pointed out that in terms of numbers, the US and South Vietnamese had a huge victory. His point of view was simply from a statistical standpoint. But the public saw that many Vietnamese civilians were harmed and affected by the war. The Tet Offensive was the beginning of the decline of public support for the war, as well as decline in US involvement in the war due to the public opinion. In addition, President Johnson was losing support because of his stubborn foreign policy outlook. Robert Kennedy, the Senator of New York, was contemplating a presidential run to oppose the President 's Vietnam policy. In addition, Johnson was losing democratic primaries to Senator Eugene McCarthy, who also opposed Johnson’s Vietnam policy. The public support for McCarthy showed that the American people were now against participation in the Vietnam War. Soon after the Tet Offensive, President Johnson announced a slow decrease in bombings of North Vietnam, started to …show more content…
The end of the Vietnam War was not the end of the issues that the war brought up within the United States. The 1970s became a period of violence and distrust of government. The Watergate Scandal was the peak of the speculation of government and ended in the impeachment of President Nixon. This mistrust has spilled into the current state of American society and politics, where the people constantly feel they are being cheated and lied to by government officials. In addition, there is a huge separation between those who are for or against government intervention in other countries. Public support for operations in the Middle East is divided, much like during the middle years of the Vietnam War. One can only speculate about whether the public and government will rally around one stance like Americans did during the Vietnam
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- Vietnam War And Politics Essayanalytical essayWar is a huge event in any country’s history. The United States has been experiencing this since the first major war with the American Revolutionary. The United States has been known to help out our allies when they are fighting, and intervened when countries have been at war to try and end it. The Vietnam War started in December of 1954 and ended on April 30th of 1975. The Vietnam War was a long and costly battle over communism between North and South Vietnam. The Vietnam War was a failed attempt for the United States to bring peace to South and North Vietnam because it affected our country’s history, the way politics can influence a war, an economy downfall, and how affected protest and media can be used.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the united states has been experiencing war since the first major war with the american revolutionary. the vietnam war was a failed attempt to bring peace to south and north vietnam.
- Explains that the war between north and south vietnam continued until april 30, 1975 when the drv forced the capture of saigon, now renamed ho chi minh city.
- Analyzes how the vietnam war was a hot topic in the united states and around the world.
- Explains that the vietnam war caused a few issues for the u.s. economy, such as the dollar value weakened, interest rates rose, and inflation.
- Explains that the vietnam war was the first war where the media had competed freedom of the press. the news of tet offensive shocked the u.s. public.
- Explains that the antiwar protests were huge during the vietnam war. the largest protest in american history took place in washington, dc on november 15, 1969.
- Explains that the media was anti-war during the vietnam war, and that john lennon's song "all you need is love" was a non-violent protest song.
- Opines that the vietnam war taught the united states a lot of what to do and what not. it affected our history, political standpoints, economic, media coverage, and the way we can protest.
1144 wordsRead More - The USA Should NOT Have Entered the Vietnam Waropinion essayThe Vietnam War took place in between 1947- 1975. It consisted of North Vietnam trying to make South Vietnam a communism government. The United States later joined this conflict because of the stress North Vietnam was putting to South Vietnam to become a government that America did not want. The main reason why America joined was because of a theory called the Domino Effect. America and Russia were going through what has been dubbed the Cold War. The Domino Effect is the theory that communism will spread form one country to another. United states does not want this because our government is a democracy and communism opposes everything we stand for. America fearing communism was growing, stepped into Vietnam with America’s interest in mind, instead of Vietnam’s. There are several reason why American should have not gotten involved with this war. The most important reason was that America government officials made to much of a big deal about communism. This might sound cynical, but America to a certain degree did over react. Let it be said that it is much easier to say this after the fact. By looking back at McCarthyism, we can see the silliness of this fear. There is a serious side though. Thousands of people dies for a government that has no impact of their daily life. What regime Vietnam was going to change over to had no effect on the every day cycle of the United States. So truly, one can say, this can not one thing to do with America, its government and people.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the united states' involvement in the vietnam war is a gigantic change from prior wars.
- Explains that america joined the vietnam war because of the domino effect, which is the theory that communism will spread from one country to another.
- Opines that vietnam never should have involved the united states because of the death toll.
- Explains that the u.s. government recognized their mistakes in the first place and made laws that "fixed" or prevented chaos from happening again.
- Opines that there have been fair arguments against the theories presented here. they might disagree with the way of just ignored the conflicts going on aboard.
- Opines that the question of why we did not fight in vietnam was a necessity.
945 wordsRead More - History Of The Vietnam Waranalytical essayThe Vietnam War (1954-1975) was, and continues to be, a contentious issue around the world. Many analysts of the war attribute it to Lyndon B. Johnson, who was president of America from 1963 until 1969, because under his administration, the American Army became involved in combat in Vietnam. Although there were many facets that lead Johnson to make his decision and there were three other presidents, in power during the course of America’s involvement in Vietnam, who also played key roles, it was Johnson who made the decision to escalate US intervention in Vietnam.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that many analysts attribute the vietnam war to lyndon b. johnson, who was president of america from 1963 until 1969, because the american army became involved in combat in vietnam.
- Explains that the vietnam war was the second of the two indochina wars, where the first was fought and lost by france.
- Explains that american exceptionalism is the theory that america is a unique and superior nation, and has the obligation to promote and extend american ideals around the world.
- Explains that johnson launched a sustained bombing campaign against the drv after the tonkin gulf incident, which won him an overwhelming victory against barry goldwater in the elections.
- Explains that the us secretary of defense proposed an increase of us troops to 175 000 by mid-1965, but the communist leaders decided to win a quick victory.
- Explains that the tet offensive was a military disaster for the viet cong, but it was still 'political and psychological defeat' for america.
- Argues that the failure of the us in vietnam stems from johnson's cautious approach to military campaigns because of his logical fears of chinese or soviet involvement or an uncontrollable conflict.
- Analyzes how johnson and nixon failed to factor in vietnam's bitter history of opposition to chinese domination and the growing rift in sino-soviet relations.
- Explains that the vietnam war was a difficult experience for the us military as well as its foreign policy. johnson's decision to go to war was made from hard thought-out reasoning but he did not factor in the environment in vietnam or the opinion of the american public.
1977 wordsRead More - In doing this, the Antiwar Movement successfully changed the entire public’s perception towards the government and war. Before the Vietnam War and The Draft, many Americans were uneducated and uninterested in the role of government and foreign policy. The Antiwar Movement forced Americans to acknowledge the major mistakes that the United States government was committing through The Draft and the Vietnam War. Through constant protest and public display of American mistakes, such as the Tet Offensive, the Antiwar Movement successfully changed the public opinion on government and influenced future decision making. After the Tet Offensive was publicly displayed, “American public opinion shifted dramatically with fully half the population opposed to escalation” (Barringer 10). While many Americans were dissatisfied with government actions and the Vietnam War, they had no voice to rally behind and remained silent. The Antiwar Movement gave the public the voice it needed and allowed American opinions to be
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the american counterculture revolution, which lasted between 1956 to 1974, completely transformed both politics and culture. the antiwar movement consisted of strong protest and outrage towards the vietnam war and america's military actions abroad.
- Explains that the antiwar movement in america arose due to the disapproval that millions of americans possessed towards united states intervention in the vietnam war.
- Opines that the antiwar movement would have never achieved the success it did without many of its key activists.
- Analyzes how the antiwar movement affected the public perception of government, policy, decision makers, and foreign policy. the movement impacted presidents nixon and johnson towards adopting pacifist policies.
- Explains that the antiwar movement made a significant impact on politics and the role of government in wars. the movement has been adopted in every foreign policy and has influenced decision makers.
- Explains that the antiwar movement provided a foundation for peace seeking organizations and studies across the world and in america.
- Analyzes how the antiwar movement of the 1960s shifted the public perception on the american government and war at the time.
- Explains how the antiwar movement changed the public's perception of the government and war.
2123 wordsRead More - The Government Denial of Agent Orange Claimsanalytical essayUnited States involvement in Vietnam has been surrounded by controversy since the 1960s. Many felt that controversy would end with the withdrawal of US troops in the 1970s. The troops came home and were not welcomed with the fanfare that surrounded veterans of previous wars. Was the controversy surrounding Vietnam a “dead” issue now that the troops were home? The answer is no. The controversy continues to this very day. The issue of whether or not the US should have gotten involved with Vietnam is still undecided. The even larger issue, on the other hand, is that of exposure to Agent Orange.
In this essay, the author
- States that the temporary commission on dioxin exposure submits the following recommendations to the governor and the legislature.
- Opines that the state should require testing for dioxin residues and emissions at all sites where the substance was manufactured, used, stored, transported, deposited or disseminated, and corrective or remedial action as needed.
- Argues that the state should investigate the legal issues and social responsibilities associated with dioxin exposure and issue annual reports on its findings to the governor and the legislature.
- Argues that the state should advocate for the federal government re-evaluate its position opposing the payment of compensation for health disorders associated with dioxin exposure.
- Argues that the state should advocate strongly for the federal government to develop regulations to minimize exposure to dioxin-contaminated foodstuffs.
- Argues that the state should mandate identical deadlines for veterans and non- veterans to file claims for damages secondary to dioxin exposure.
- Argues that the state should require revision of the new york city death certificate to include veteran status.
- Argues that the state should maintain its membership in a coalition of state dioxin agencies to exchange information, to resolve common problems, and to monitor federal programs.
- Opines that the commission's responsibilities and function should be transferred to the state health department when its term expires on september 30, 1983.
- Argues that the department should expand the commission's fact-finding, public education and outreach programs, and other activities, to encompass exposure to all isomers of dioxin, not merely phenoxy herbicides.
- Argues that the department should continue its existing research, but broaden its study of department of transportation maintenance workers to include similar employees of railroads in the state and other potentially affected public and private workers.
- Opines that the department should maintain cooperative relationships with the division of veterans affairs, the department of labor, and other concerned state agencies.
- Opines that the federal government should monitor the environment for dioxin levels, develop techniques for screening large populations for clinical markers and develop improved diagnostic, analytical and therapeutic procedures for such conditions.
- Argues that the federal government should reconsider its policies and attitudes regarding the awarding of compensation for damages secondary to dioxin exposure.
- Opines that the federal government should correct existing inadequacies in our laws which do not permit provision of medical examinations or care to civilians who voluntarily served in vietnam or other combat areas.
- Argues that the federal government should sponsor research into the effects in women of dioxin exposure.
- Argues that the veterans administration's "agent orange" physical examinations should be expanded to include targeted examination of organ systems likely to reveal toxicologic insults, such as liver, blood, kidneys and skin.
- Summarizes the summary of findings in occupational, environmental, and veterans studies regarding the association between specific health outcomes and exposure to herbicides.
- Concludes that evidence is sufficient to conclude that there is a positive association between herbicides and the following health outcomes.
- Opines that there is limited/ suggestive evidence of an association between herbicides and the following health outcomes.
- Explains that the available studies are of insufficient quality, consistency, or statistical power to permit a conclusion regarding the presence or absence of an association.
- Concludes that there is limited/ suggestive evidence of no association between exposure to herbicides and the following health outcomes.
- States that the institute of medicine, veterans and agent orange: update 2000 (washington, d.c.: national academy press).
- Explains that the majority of these sources came from the "big blue binder" at the erie county department of veterans affairs.
- States vietnam veterans of america, agent orange, "vva sues va over ao comp. rules".
- Explains that the controversy surrounding vietnam is still undecided, but the issue of exposure to agent orange has motivated them to learn more.
- Describes how the us government used herbicides in operation ranch hand during the vietnam war.
- Opines that it is critical that the legislature provide necessary funds to the department to permit effective performance of the above functions and other designated functions.
- Concludes that a national dioxin control policy is essential. the commission urges new york state officials to expand research into the effects and provide improved medical examinations and care to victims of exposure.
- Argues that the federal government should authorize and direct the veterans administration to review and analyze its medical care system, and to add whatever services are required to meet the medical needs of vietnam veterans and their families.
- Cites the institute of medicine, veterans and agent orange: health effects of herbicides used in vietnam.
- Explains that va approves compensation for non-hodgkin’s lymphoma based on vietnam service. doyle, larry, "researchers say federal agent orange study "dead wrong."
- Cites news releases from the department of veterans affairs and the new york state temporary commission on dioxin exposure.
5830 wordsRead More - American Invovment in Vietnamexplanatory essayIn American History, the nineteen sixties and the nineteen seventies were extremely turbulent and controversial times. Protest rights were being tested and occasionally suppressed, new moral and political values began to develop, and the Vietnam War dominated the twenty-year period. Vietnam invited many young activist people to begin a huge movement of anti-war protesting denouncing the war, the government, and even the soldiers who were picked against their will to fight. Reasons for American entry into the Vietnam War are controversial, and everyone has a different opinion on why we got into the conflict. Multiple reasons contributed to the entry in Vietnam from support of allies who were fighting their battles, to the fact that the American Government felt that they were responsible to stop the spread of communism led America to fight a war that would define an era.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the vietnam war dominated the twenty-year period, and that many reasons contributed to america's entry into the conflict.
- Explains that in order to rally support for a war, sometimes something has to happen to get the american people behind the government.
- Explains that the incident was a form of propaganda, but it served its purpose as the public's reason for supporting the war.
- Explains the reason for american entry into the vietnam war was the commitment that had formerly been made by the french and the american's to a cause in vietnam.
- Analyzes how eisenhower's domino theory helped support the fight against communism in the cold war.
- Explains that the gulf of tonkin incident was used to rally support for the war.
- Explains that the replacement of the french in south vietnam was to prevent the election of a communist leader, and to train an army to fight communism.
- Cites chambers, ed whiteclay, 'the causes of the vietnam war.' modern american poetry.
878 wordsRead More - It is quite important to note that there was a time where the majority of Americans did not see involvement in Vietnam as a mistake. According to a Gallup poll conducted in August of 1965, 24% of Americans believed it was wrong to have US combatants in Vietnam. These numbers steadily rose throughout the years. It was not until August 1968 did a majority of Americans, approximately 53%, feel we made a poor decision. What caused this discontent with our involvement? Overall, the American public was seeing many young men die for a cause that they could not articulate. The futility of these losses was frustrating. There were other specific events that added to hatred of the War in
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the us saw how unpopular diem was and it is speculated that america played a role in his shady assassination.
- Explains that the draft required anyone from the age of 18-25 to sign up for the selective service. this is obviously a biased system.
- Explains that people avoided the draft legally and illegally by voluntarily joining the military. they feared being drafted and being made an infantryman.
- Analyzes how the use of deferments is used in phil ochs' anti-war song draft dodger rag.
- Analyzes tim o'brien's semi-autobiographical novel the things they carried, where the main character is faced with the decision of fleeing to canada or going to vietnam.
- Explains that 1969 marked the first year the draft was done through lottery. the army was composed of mainly lower and working class males, many of whom were ethnic minorities.
- Explains that the vietnam war left a stained legacy of pain and loss in the american public's mind.
- Explains that the tet offensive was a major military attack on south vietnam by north vietnamese forces that took place in early 1968.
- Explains that one of the most public and popular ways of protesting the vietnam war was to partake in marches or large gatherings discussing the conflict.
1141 wordsRead More - The Anti-Vietnam War Movementexplanatory essayThe Anti-Vietnam War Movement ended in 1975, the end of the Vietnam War, and a humiliating loss for the United States. The Vietnam War was the longest in US history, the most expensive during the Cold War era, and arguably, one of the least popular wars in America. In culmination with the Pentagon Papers and the Watergate Scandal, the American people had deepened suspicions and mistrust in the federal government. Since then, American’s have never had the same level of faith in the government, and fear that another war like Vietnam will happen—if it hasn’t already. As for the anti-war movement, it no longer exists.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the anti-vietnam war movement in united states was a collection of unrelated groups opposed to us involvement in the vietnam war.
- Explains that the vietnam war began as a skirmish between north vietnam and south vietnam, based on the anti-communist hysteria.
- Explains how the draft was reinstated by president kennedy, but included selective service, a law prioritizing who would be drafted first. in 1963, president johnson replaced kennedy and revoked selective service.
- Explains that many americans did not support the use of the rainbow agents, a series of toxic herbicides named after colors.
- Explains that the vietnam war was expensive, costing $900 billion and claiming 58,220 soldiers’ lives. the economy fell because factories focused production toward military equipment rather than consumer goods.
- Explains that the anti-vietnam war movement ended in 1975, the end of the vietnam war, and a humiliating loss for the united states.
652 wordsRead More - The Vietnam War Controversiesopinion essayWe strongly appeal to most Americans when we declare that the Vietnam war was excellent for the economy. We were able to show those Communists what they had coming alright. Unfortunately, some of the nation's more conservative leaders do not always agree so. This is quite annoying for our campaign that such problems continually occur. As the war drags on with no clear winning in sight, it does give some an anxious feeling, do not get me wrong (Newman 410). People seem to have given up at this point in the war, choosing to back down and allow Communism free reign in such a country as Vietnam. But I tell you this, if it does not end here, then where will it end? Europe? Heaven forbid it spreads all the way to America and we have a Communist threat there again.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the tiny, unremarkable word "nam" can give one a variety of feelings such as sorrow, disgust, anger, embarrassment, regret, and confusion. many would rather forget, especially those viewing this war as one of the worst moments in american history.
- Opines that the vietnam war was excellent for the economy, but some of the nation's more conservative leaders don't always agree with it.
- Opines that america has faught too hard to allow communism to gain an even greater hold in the world.
- Opines that it is up to us to put an end to this tyrannical government and its ideals. america is the best and should be acting so.
- Opines that communism is far away from our borders with this conflict yet look at cuba, which is becoming more corrupt as we speak.
- Explains that the vietnam war was the first to be televised to the american people while they sat in their homes, experiencing, as a family, what it means to truly be in the war.
678 wordsRead More - Public Sentiment Regarding the Vietnam Waranalytical essayMany of the democrats within the legislative branch turned against Johnson’s war. Scholar’s conflict on the reason why Johnson’s own party turned against him, some scholars attribute it to the growing number of antiwar constituents, while other scholars such as E.M. Schreiber, Burstein and Freudenburg cite the numerous deaths of American soldiers in combat. One democrat by the name of Eugene McCarthy labeled the entire Vietnam War as an “error” and describes the Johnson administration as “misguided.” McCarthy decides to run for President, but loses in the primaries by a slim margin to Johnson, further indicating that the antiwar movement was gaining significant momentum. Things were only beginning to get even worse as the Tet Offensive and the Mai Lai massacre overshadowed the propaganda speeches from Westmoreland and President Johnson. The media was once a key ally to the Johnson administration during the early stages of the war, now turned completely against American involvement. Media outlets such as Life magazine began to show pictures of dead Americans in almost every issue. In February of 1968, influential CBS News anchorman Walter Cronkite, who returned from Saigon, informs Americans during his nightly broadcast that the Vietnam War could not be won. Leaks from within the White House did not help Johnson’s strategy either; the New York Times broke the news of General Westmoreland’s request of 206,000 additional troops. In August 1968, during the Democratic national convention in Chicago, 10,000 antiwar protesters gathered and were confronted by an equipped police force. The crackdown on the protesters was broadcasted on live TV. The protests indicated that the U.S. was experiencing a profound degree of social unrests. T...
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how many democrats in the legislative branch turned against johnson's war. some scholars attribute it to the growing number of antiwar constituents.
- Analyzes how the protests indicated that the u.s. was experiencing a profound degree of social unrests.
- Explains that foreign conspiracy theories were considered heavily in the johnson administration to minimize the damage from the antiwar demonstrators.
- Analyzes how the elite demographic, including doctors, lawyers, and other professionals, flooded into washington to display their opposition to the war and the increasing domestic violence.
- Analyzes how the american movement against the vietnam war was perhaps the most successful in history. the domestic antiwar sentiment played a major role in restricting, deescalating and ending the war.
- Cites kifner, john, and ernst in "the war that never ends: new perspectives on the vietnam war."
1127 wordsRead More - Pros and Cons of the Vietnam Waranalytical essayThe Vietnam War was the most publicized war during its era; moreover this was the most unpopular war to hit the United States. All over the country riots began to raise, anti-war movement spread all over the states begging to stop the war and chaos overseas. This truly was a failure in the political side of things. For the public, all they saw was a failed attempt in a far away country. Events such as the Tet Offensive where the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong established an all out attack on key locations around Vietnam, and although the Viet Cong was virtually wiped out, this still had a large affect psychologically on the troops as well as the populist back in the United States. Another atrocity that occurred during this war was the My Lai Massacre. This was the mass murder on unarmed civilians in South Vietnam during March 16,1968. Around November 1969, the world saw this and was outraged with the killings of innocent civilians prompting and giving the public more reasons to stop the war. Although the war was very unpopular, men and women were still fighting and dying for America. Heroes such as Captain John W, Ripley of Dong Ha, Medal of Honor recipients, and overall troops that gave the ultimate sacrifice were forgotten for a brief period. As unpopular as the war was, the American people should still know the stories and good that some of these troops had done for the United States.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that the vietnam war was the most publicized and unpopular war to hit the united states.
- Describes how captain john w. ripley, assigned to overlook and advise south vietnamese troops, did not foresee himself doing such a heroic act to stop further advancement from the north.
- Describes how the combined action platoon was assigned by the united states marine corps to protect small vietnamese villages from the viet cong insurgents terrorizing civilians.
- Analyzes how the public opposed the vietnam war, believing that it was unwinnable. the tet offensive shook the american people, and the scandal of my lai caused an uproar.
884 wordsRead More - How Americas Views On War Changed Over Timeanalytical essayEngaging in the war in Vietnam brought a whole different set of "American Views" to the topic of war. This time the country did not support the war like we've seen in the past. Mostly by young people, the war effort was criticized and Americans staged massive protests. The Vietnam War's controversy spurred a great many sources of protest, against our government's use of power, how far we could stretch the rights of free expression, and primarily against the violence of the war itself.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the vietnam war brought a different set of "american views" to the topic of war.
- Analyzes how television, movies, and the media have given us a new understanding of how things happen.
- Explains that even though our perception of war has become negative, the world we live in is hostile. the threat of terrorism, chemical, biological, and weapons of mass destruction becomes larger each year.
- Explains that war affects everyone in society, whether they are fighting in a foreign country or waiting at home. american society's view on war has changed as well.
1143 wordsRead More - Why Is The Tet Offensive So Important In The Vietnam Waranalytical essayAfter the Tet Offensive, more protests occurred demanding the withdrawal of US troops from Vietnam. The protestors used it as fuel and began expanding their ideas to the rest of the United States. Even Johnson’s opposing party saw it as his lack of leadership with the army. The media was able to shift the opinions of the people one way or another. With the new information from the Tet Offensive, most people switched to the side of the anti-war
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the vietnam war was one of the most prolonged wars in us history. the tet offensive changed the us's attitude towards the war by leading to further anti-war protests.
- Analyzes how the tet offensive led to more protests demanding the withdrawal of us troops from vietnam. even johnson's opposing party saw it as his lack of leadership with the army.
- Analyzes how president johnson used a technique called the "success offensive" to trick people into believing that the war was being won.
- Explains that president johnson was disappointed in himself and the army and decided to call for a negotiated peace after the tet offensive.
- Concludes that the tet offensive changed the us's attitude towards the vietnam war by leading to further anti-war protests, a credibility gap in america, and president johnson to negotiate peace.
796 wordsRead More - The Vietnam War: Communist Containment and the Cold Warcomparative essayVietnam was in a state of turmoil during the mid 20th century; after gaining independence from imperialist France, the country was torn between nationalist political parties in the South and Communist ones in the North. Even though the United States had made efforts to support france during the revolution, it was inclined to back the nationalist South Vietnamize after the coup rather than the communist North. In doing so the United States made an unwise political commitment to Vietnam, which would lead to the longest and most unpopular war in the Nations history. Vietnam represents an important chapter in American history, due to its symbolic meaning of the times in an era where the slogan "make love not war" was prominent, its direct relevancy to internal political conflicts during the cold war; and the amount of commitment the United States was obliged to undertake during that time concerning the spread of communism.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that vietnam was in turmoil during the mid 20th century after gaining independence from imperialist france. the united states backed the nationalist south vietnamize after the coup rather than the communist north.
- Explains that the soldiers who fought the vietnam war were the least celebrated warriors of american history. anti-war music illustrated the way the people felt at that time.
- Explains that the vietnam war was the most televised war in u.s history, showing the atrocities of the kill zone. civil rights leaders such as martin luther king jr. expressed their feelings through speeches to the public.
- Explains that the cold war was a competition between capitalism and communism between the soviet union and the united states.
- Explains that the united states' commitment to halt the spread of communism in the world was exemplified by the republican platform in 1952 called the "new look foreign policy".
- Concludes the vietnam war represented the chaos that the cold war bestowed on the world; similar "communist containment" efforts were administered in latin american countries to try and halt the "red tide".
970 wordsRead More