Essay about Effects & Aftermath of the Vietnam War

Secretary of State John Kerry once said “I saw courage both in the Vietnam War and in the struggle to stop it. I learned that patriotism includes protest, not just military service.” The Vietnam War was a conflict that lasted from 1956-1975 which the United States participated in along with the South Vietnamese who fought against the Communist North Vietnamese. Many Americans strongly disapproved of the war which caused many protests and riots. The war lasted 25 years killing many people and eventually the North Vietnamese won. The Vietnam War was important to Americans back home because it tested the citizen’s right to free speech, effected future foreign policy, and created many issues for returning veterans.

The Vietnam war destroyed american life as we know it. More than 58,000 men and women made the ultimate sacrifices; billions of dollars spent on the conflict in an attempt to “contain” Communism. America went into the war as the world’s largest allied superpower, following a victory during WWII against the axis powers. Despite being the world's largest military power, America left Vietnam with a humiliating defeat, with high casualties. The nation’s longest war, the only war the U.S. ever lost, it had many consequences and impacts on most aspects of American life, from the economy, politics, the american people, and veterans of the Vietnam war.

Vietnam was the longest war in American history and the most unpopular American war of the 20th century. This is probably the war that caused the most dilemmas for policymakers, and American citizens. The War caused many people to lose their lives over fear and unnecessary destruction. The war caused problems within the United States as well. Many American people did not want this war to happen, and so they protested it when the soldiers would return home from Vietnam.

A terrible conflict left a mark on American History that had never been seen before. For the first time in the countries’s history people were not proud of their governments role in a war. Protest engulfed the Nation as people were disgusted with choices made by their leaders and the subsequent actions carried out by their soldiers. When the soldiers came back home they were not greeted with the praise that prior generations had gotten. They were given little attention and in some cases hated. This conflict of course was the Vietnam War.

Changes in societies have occurred since the very first civilizations and continue to occur today. Each society is a reflection of the art and music, as well as the people and their values and beliefs of the people of the time. The social structure of the people is very much shaped by the events that occur during that particular generation. Often in history major events such as wars and natural disasters are the defining factors that influence and shape that particular society. Here in the United States our society is certainly no exception. It has been constantly changing since the very early days of the Pilgrims. One such event that shaped

America has faced many hardships, and one of those hardships was the war in Vietnam. Vietnam was a war created from the fear of communism, therefore resulting in America's intervention. With this being said, with the war it had brought in negative effects not only to the economy, but to US troops as well. Therefore, with the tragic experiences that American soldiers had to face, the war on Vietnam resulted with damaging effects.

For many Americans it is common knowledge to know about the Vietnam War; however, for some Americans the Vietnam War is ancient history, dishonorable, but irrelevant nonetheless. If people do not physically see the many horrors of war it is easy to forget; although maybe it is something we try to forget. However, there are some who may be able to forget there will be some, like politicians, that will not forget. The Vietnam War had a terrible impact on both the United States and Vietnam, and more importantly it would affect foreign policy for many years to come.

The Vietnam War had a tremendous effect on the world, especially the United States. Not only did the war affect people in battle, but also left permanent effects on people all over the world. Over 57,000 U.S. citizens died and over 140,000 injured in battle. Multiple Americans were impacted by the war, vast amount of people died but more were injured. North Vietnam won the battle against South Vietnam and their allies. The Fall of Saigon in 1975 was the end of a gruesome war. The war had multiple long-term effects on the soldiers who fought for America.

Although the Vietnam War was supported by a small number of Americans, it was the first war in American history that was not supported by the majority of Americans, for good reason. The Vietnam War had imperfect goals from the beginning. The execution of the war was flawed as well. The Vietnam War damaged America’s reputation, as it was the first war that America had not emerged from victorious. The Vietnam War also caused a shift in the way that the American population viewed war. This war changed both the physical ways people learned about events happening in the war and their overarching opinions of war in general. Finally, the Vietnam War hurt the home front of the

The united front had long and historic roots in Vietnam. Used earlier in the century to mobilize anti-French forces, the united front brought together Communists and non-Communists in an umbrella organization that had limited, but important goals. On December 20, 1960, the Party' s new united front, the National Liberation Front (NLF), was born. Anyone could join this front as long as they opposed Ngo Dinh Diem and wanted to unify Vietnam.The character of the NLF and its relationship to the Communists in Hanoi has caused considerable debate among scholars, anti-war activists, and policymakers. From the birth of the NLF, government officials in Washington claimed that Hanoi directed the NLF's violent attacks against the Saigon regime. In a

The Vietnam War was a conflict, which the United States involved itself in unnecessarily and ultimately lost. The basis of the conflict was simple enough: Communism vs. Capitalism, yet the conduct of the Vietnam War was complex and strategic, and brought repercussions which had never been seen before. The struggle between North and South had an almost inevitable outcome, yet the Americans entered the War optimistic that they could aid the falling South and sustain democracy. The American intentions for entering the Vietnam conflict were good, yet when the conflict went horribly wrong, and the resilient North Vietnamese forces, or ‘Viet Cong' as they were known, refused to yield, the United States saw they were fighting a losing battle.

While war of any size has the potential to produce global implications, the Vietnam War perpetuated unprecedented effects of civil unrest and political discourse across America. While there are several aspects of American life touched by the Vietnam War, this post is going to focus on the effects it had on the presidency and the population between 18 and 35 years old during the time period of 1961 to 1975. It is this time period of American History that many consider to be the most unsettled and important.

Before entering the Vietnam War, President Kennedy had been warned by Charles De Gaulle, a French general, that war in Vietnam would trap America in “a bottomless military and political swamp” (Source A). Just a few years later, entrance into this very swamp resulted in a wide variety of changes in American life. The Vietnam War affected cultural aspects of American life by giving rise to the counterculture movement of the 60s and 70s, it affected economic aspects of American life by depleting resources in a long and drawn out war, and it began to tear society apart. The changes brought on by the Vietnam War had both positive and negative impacts that affected our country for years to come.

The Vietnam War's Effects on American Society Abstract The Vietnam War had a profound effect on American society. It changed the way we viewed our government, the media, and our Constitutional rights. Because of this shift in perspective, the country was torn apart and yet still came together in new and different ways. The Vietnam War's contraversiality 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.

     The Vietnam War was one of the most influential wars in American History. The United States did not actually lose, but ending with a cease fire was considered a loss. When all of the troops returned they were looked upon by the American public scornfully. This caused both the troops and the American citizens to dislike the government. Many riots took place and many public displays happened. "...in response to a drive by the North Vietnamese forces into the South, President Richard M.