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The War Of The Vietnam War

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The Vietnam War came at a time of great social and political unrest in America. It was right in the middle of the Cold War, a fierce worldwide battle between Eastern communism and Western democracy. There was already division going on in America at the time, with events like the red scare in Washington creating a growing fear of worldwide communism. The U.S. involvement in Vietnam began with Harry Truman aiding the French in an imperial war from 1946-1954, which the French eventually lost to the Vietminh. The U.S. once again entered Vietnam in 1965, this time involved in a civil war between the democratic South and the communist North. What ensued was one of the most controversial wars in American history, which had a lasting impact that is still felt today.
The Vietnam War created numerous tensions across the United States. On the social side, there was race tension due to the legal segregation at the time. There was also class tension that was shown through the biased draft process. Generational tension also existed, as the young people of the nation were in a battle with the older generations of the purpose of the war itself. In terms of political tensions, the war created a severe credibility gap between the government and the people. The war was also viewed as a threat to constitutional democracy. Lastly, the war lacked justification in the minds of many Americans, which caused the rise of an anti-war movement. Therefore, from 1964-1975, the Vietnam War divided the

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