Reasons For The Failure Of The Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was one of the most deadliest wars in America, many were killed and even more injured. The war began because of America’s efforts to stop the spread of communism. The Vietcong may of won the war but America showed that we will not let communism spread, the domino theory come into effect, and America’s faults in our war program and way to attack the Vietcong. The war was lost but from a overview of the war America learned from their lose.

During the time the United States was in a war, the American public was sharply divided creating another war among its people. The war had transformed America to a different place with its defeat. It had far-reaching consequences and impact on most aspects of American life from the economy, culture to domestic politics and foreign policy. The Vietnam war created a time of uncertainty because so many had lost their trust in the government. With the end of the Vietnam war, the United States left with a humiliating defeat and shockingly high casualties.

Problem that the Vietnamese war veterans faced was the psychological effects which was very common for Vietnam veterans to have. The main cause of this is because it was different compared to other wars in the past like the condition that the soldiers were in. Studies has shown that a World War II soldiers experienced up to a total of 60 days under combat like conditions. A Vietnam infantryman endured on a comparable basis 300+ days therefore Vietnam veterans have more likely to develop psychological problems than a World War II veteran. (POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD), 2001)

The Vietnam war was an absolutely brutal time in American history. The war lasted for the majority of the 1960s and left many young men dead. The short story “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien and the film Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam give us just a glance into the war by giving using the three themes of fear, pressures, and blame/guilt to embody the concept of war and how it absolutely changes a person. War not only destroys countries, but it destroys people.

     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.

The War not only affected those in Vietnam, but those still at home in America. Americans had split into two groups, known as the hawks and the doves. The hawks were people who supported the war and wanted the country to be victorious in its fight with Communism. The doves were the people that disagreed with the war. These were traditionally students, and people of the younger generation. Many veterans when they would return home, would join in these mass protests. One popular protest, which took place at Kent State University, resulted in 9 wounded people with 4 dead. The police at Kent State took action against a mass protest by opening fire. This is the evil that is created through war. Without the Vietnam war, there is no protest at Kent State. Without the Vietnam war, the college kid’s lives are spared. Without the Vietnam War, thousands of lives could have been saved. Neil Young said it best in his song Ohio. Ohio discussed the brutality of war but mainly the police brutality against the kids at Kent State. Vietnam was a tragic stain in American history.

The impact of the Vietnam War upon the soldiers who fought there was huge. The experience forever changed how they would think and act for the rest of their lives. One of the main reasons for this was there was little to no understanding by the soldiers as to why they were fighting this war. They felt they were killing innocent people, farmers, poor hard working people, women, and children were among their victims. Many of the returning soldiers could not fall back in to their old life styles. First they felt guilt for surviving many of their brothers in arms. Second they were haunted by the atrocities of war. Some soldiers could not go back to the mental state of peacetime. Then there were soldiers Tim O’Brien meant while in

“For the first time in modern history the outcome of a war was determined not on the battlefield but on the printed page and, above all, on the television screen”

It doesn't just stop at physically injuries, many were also affected by mental disorders.. Over 10 thousand people was affected with some kind of mental disorder during vietnam, with one of the most common ones being PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder). PTSD affects the way people experience life after experiencing dramatic events, like war. It affects people differently, and our triggered by different things. Loud noises, flashing lights, are just a couple examples of things that can trigger people that have

To begin, one of the main things that the United States lost in Vietnam was our trust in the government. A lot of Americans protested the war, a lot more than others in the past. They didn't understand why we were over there, and didn't believe it was our war to fight. There was a draft to make men go to war when they didn't volunteer, which led to even more protesting and angry citizens. Americans also lost trust when President Johnson lied about what actually happened in the Gulf of Tonkin. During this time in August of 1964, the attacks by the Vietnamese have been proven to be provoked by the United States, and was all planned. It was overheard during a phone conversation between the President and Secretary of Defense McNamara what had actually happened. They tried lying and

Between the years 1973 and 1975, the United States evacuated their military arsenal from Vietnam, finally ending the war that began in 1955. However, when American soldiers returned home, they were not exonerated as heroes, proclaimed in fact, as quite the opposite. The conflict itself had fallen out of favour with the general public (notably in the USA and Australia) and had receded into a vein of controversy, arising as a war without any perceived justice; a symbol of American imperialism. Furthermore, early political failings and blunders had surmounted a general distrust from major politicians of the time, and had ultimately proved an unsuccessful military operation. American and allied soldiers had fought a long and arduous war, but to

Up until this point, Americans still foolishly believed in the government, the soldiers and in the presidential speeches. Along with the Tet Offensive, another event that changed the minds of Americans was the invasion of the U.S Embassy in Saigon, which later became known as the US Embassy: Fall of Saigon. The Fall of Saigon was also an invasion by the North Vietnamese on South Vietnam, and consequentially, the South fell to the North, effectively, ending the Vietnam War. But more importantly, this tragedy ended the trust of Americans in their government and in their political leaders. These images of the Tet Offensive and the invasion of the U.S Embassy were burned into the memories of Americans and they understood that the war was going to drag on, with it 's bloody, massive murders. And up until that point, the majority of the U.S population foolishly believed that we were winning the war. In a 1968 newscast with famous anchorman, Walter Cronkite, often referred to as “America 's most trusted man”, he states, “For it seems now more certain than ever, that the bloody experience of Vietnam is to end in a stalemate. To say that we are closer to victory today is to believe in the face of the evidence, the optimists who have been wrong in the past”(Walter Cronkite Broadcast). After Cronkite made this commentary acknowledging that the Vietnam War was a hopeless one that we could not win, a massive uproar began in the United States. It is obvious that television coverage

“Defeat in Vietnam has left the United States deeply divided” (Hallin, 1986:3). The Vietnam War became a major Cold War conflict in the 1960s period. This essay will evaluate the following question; what are the main reasons for the United States (US) defeat in the Vietnam War? The research was done through the qualitative research method which included books, journals and articles. This essay will argue that the main reasons for the US defeat in the Vietnam War was because of their inefficient tactics, inexperienced soldiers, and both international and home pressure. This research is important because the question has not been answered to its fullest extent. Additionally, it provides evidence that countries with powerful nuclear weapons and

The People was against the war for many reasons. One of those reasons are because young men tossed in the war. They were being forced into a job and was drafted in the military. Many young men in the US who were already in college, so tried to stay at university as long as possible to avoid being drafted. Most of the draftees in the US were high school drop-outs or African Americans. But mostly, soldiers fighting in infantry units in Vietnam were African Americans. Many of them didn’t want to go to a foreign country and fight to have a pointless death. Not to mention the massive amount of casualties of the war.

The United States intervention in Vietnam is seen by the world as America’s greatest loss and longest war. Before the start of the war in Vietnam, the thought of the United States losing this war was unheard of because America was technologically superior, no country in south East Asia could contend with them. Lyndon B. Johnson announced that he would not be the president to allow South East Asia to go Communist . Why the United States lost the war has been a huge debate since the end of the war, because there were so many factors affecting why they lost; the war was a loss politically, after losing support from not only the American public but also the South Vietnamese and losing a political mandate for the war by 1973, when the last