Vietnam Dbq

The Vietnam War of 1954 - 1975 was the longest and one of the most unsuccessful wars in U.S history. It took place in countries such as South Vietnam, North Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. The war was a huge blow to the United States’ pride and military, so much that there were lotteries for soldiers. There were five presidents in office during the war, but the main presidents that had a big impact on being involved were Dwight Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon. Although the objectives of the U.S being involved were good intentioned, there are many reasons to support that it was an Unjustifiable war due to the casualties. While looking at present information about the war, it was not needed for America to step into the territorial

During the Vietnam War, United States involvement was for personal reasons and fear of communism. Neither the United States or the Soviet Union should have been involved. The War was just used as a cover up for the actual silent, passive aggressive war between the United States and the Soviet. The Vietnam war was started by the North “Viet Cong” and their desire to unify Vietnam under communist rule. The South was against communism, making tensions grow until eventually, a war broke out on November 1, 1955. Five years later in the 1960s, the war was escalated with the involvement of foreign countries. While the North was supported by its communist allies such as China and the Soviet Union. The South was supported by the United States of America. The Americans wanted to halt or prolong the spread of communism. The “domino theory” compelled the U.S. to get involved as soon as possible because if not, the rest of Asia would fall to communism like “dominoes”. The U.S. involvement only started with Eisenhower administration when Vietnam split in half. This action of the United States was only for their own well being and their main goal was not for the good of Vietnam. During this time period the Vietnamese had just united and established the state of Vietnam. The war ended up lasting 9 years with long periods of bitter guerrilla warfare in the rugged jungles of Vietnam which would eventually result in the victory of the North and longed unification of Vietnam

According to Lawson, external factors such as the declining national sympathy and the escalation of the Vietnam War resulted in it becoming more difficult to pass legislation, hence resulting in most of Johnson’s bills being passed in a ‘short span of years’ and normally in response to a particular event. After 1965, there was a breakdown in the civil rights consensus as a result of the riots and black militancy. This can be seen as between the years 1964-66, the percentage of white Americans who felt that Black Americans were asking for too much rose from 34% to 85%. This would have had a negative impact on Johnson’s civil rights effort because it would have made it harder to push civil rights bills through Congress as it meant that there was less of a national pressure, forcing Congress to pass it.

The economy was in trouble because the United States had poured in some 168 billion into the war. During 1962- 1965 there was low inflation, almost full employment, and a favorable balance of trade. President Johnson declared a “War on Poverty” through his “Great Society” programs while escalating the war in Vietnam at the same time. However, his decision to finance both “guns and butter” – a major war and the Great Society simultaneously, without a significant increase in taxes unleashed an acceleration of inflation, when Nixon came into office. Although the real reason for inflation was the high military spending for the Vietnam war, the stall of economic growth had produced a more important matter, economic recession, and high unemployment. Though he did act upon them, his policy

For many in the United States "Vietnam" is a term which conjures up visions of war, anarchy, and finally defeat and humiliation. It was a war that many felt the U.S. should never have gotten involved in, and was a waste of more than 50,000 American lives. And for many years after the war ended the prevailing wisdom remained that the U.S. had failed. But as years turn to decades, and Vietnam is fading into the recesses of history, one can begin to look at the war in an objective manner; as just one part of the larger "Cold War." When viewing Vietnam as part of the larger Cold War, one can see that the United States should not only have been there, but it was necessary as part of the overall strategy to defeat Communism world wide.

Over thirty years ago the Vietnam War ended, and the U.S. came back home with their tails between their legs and nothing to show for other than a high number of casualties, and a huge pile of debt. The U.S. underestimated the North Vietnamese army, and it was costly. Many believe that the Vietnam War was none of the U.S. business, but on the contrary, many believe we should have tried to stop the spread of communism. The long-lasting Vietnam War was unnecessary for the U.S. to be a part of; it put many people through unneeded stress and hard times.

Although, the Vietnam war was a very unpopular war in America the domino theory was a useful reason for joining. However, it was still not enough to make the war popular. Although the war was highly unpopular, there were a couple of reasons that argued going into the war was the right thing to do. One of the main political factors was the domino theory (Document 9), The Domino Theory was based

The Cold War era proxy war known as the Vietnam War wrecked global havoc during 1955-1975. Although the destruction on the ground occurred in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, the bloodshed of the war was just one part of a much larger worldwide communism versus capitalism battle headed by the United States and the Soviet Union. For the U.S., diplomatic and military policies had never before been so tightly intertwined with domestic policies. The war in Vietnam had such an impact on the home front in America that the term, “The Vietnam Syndrome” is still repeated to this day. The war, which is sometimes seen as a part of the larger anti-communist policy of ‘containment’, is largely to blame for the near destruction of three presidencies, as well as causing numerous political and social divides, a detrimental effect on the U.S. economy, and a credibility gap that caused distrust between government and the people. The focus on the war meant that many domestic issues such as the civil rights movement, the war on poverty, and Johnson’s ideology of the ‘Great Society’, were neglected by the government and therefore limited in their progress. The overall domestic impact of the war in Vietnam was largely negative and extremely divisive.

Mintz and McNeil of Digital History state that Vietnam, like Cambodia and Laos, was a French colony until it gained its independence after the First Indochina War. The Northern supporters and Southern dissenters of communism divided Vietnam during this time. The Geneva Accords, created after the war in 1954, required Vietnam to hold an election between the leaders of the North and South after two years. The US was afraid of what would follow if the North were to win, and decided to intervene in the hopes of stopping the spread of communism. With help from the US, South Vietnam avoided the agreement's orders and cancelled this election; power went to the South Vietnamese prime minister instead.

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.

Vietnam during the 1950s through the 1970s was a horrifically dangerous war zone that one would not even wish involvement upon their worst enemy. The Vietnam War was not like any other war that the United States had been a part of in the past. It was horrendous and unsafe for anyone involved, whether it be troops of either side, or innocent children who could not help but be caught in the middle of a war zone. For the United States, Vietnam was an expensive involvement, but not only solely for monetary reasons. Many lives were lost on all sides, combative and noncombative, young and old. As the war progressed, a strong anti-war, anti-violence attitude began to formulate and grow in the United States. Groups like the VVAW, the Vietnam

Vietnam was the site of one of the most brutal and destructive wars and America’s self-proclaimed liberators and protectors of democracy. Fighter of liberty and equality both at home and abroad is the reason why American intervenes. President Johnson Administration thought that United States authority in Vietnam was the way to make sure and prevent the spread communism to Vietnam and any other nation states to. To show that United States is will to go to war to communism at all cost. The Vietnam War had cost United Sates so much, untold billions of dollars spent as well, but what make matter worse is the thousands of American lives taken by 1967 growing numbers of Americans were becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the war, the increasingly

The Vietnam War greatly changed America forever. It was the longest war fought in America’s history, lasting from 1955 to 1973. The Vietnam War tarnished America’s self image by becoming the first time in history the United States failed to accomplish its stated war aims, to preserve a separate, independent, noncommunist government. The war also had great effects on the American people. It was the first war ever broadcast on television. The public was able to see what happened on the battlefield. One of the chief effects of the war was the division it caused among the people. Not since the Civil War had America been so divided. This war would have lasting affects on the United States.

The Vietnam War is one of the most traumatic episodes in the history of the United States. Not only because it ended with a defeat for the United States Army, but because unleashed the largest wave of protests in the country, in which the government lost support. Extended over more than a decade, between 1959 to April 30 of 1975, although the US intervened in 1965, in which American soldiers experienced in firsthand scenes of destruction and death. During the Vietnam War clashed nationalist forces and communist court, against anti-communist forces supported by the United States.

The Vietnam War has ended for many years, but to some extent it never ends. People still talked about it, and it became a symbol and a metaphor in the minds of the world (especially the Americans), and the shadows still emerge from time to time. It proclaimed the advent of a new era after World War II. Since then, military sometime ccould not solve the problems, and sometimes even counterproductive. War had become a political issue of the whole world. The main purposes of the United States to launch the Vietnam War were to suppress the expansion of communism; to show their military power to build up its international position; to tell their allies and enemies of the United States fight to protect its allies. However, the result of the Vietnam War was just the opposite. South Vietnam fall, the whole of Vietnam was controlled by the Communist Party. They did not stop the expansion of the Communist Party. My Lai Massecre in Vietnam and other non-humanitarian acts also gave the Soviet Union and other forces against the United States the evidences. The internaltional standing and prestige was demaged. Not to mention the United States round after round of war against the demonstrations, to a certain extent, split the original unity of the United States. Vietnam war’s conculusion could be various ambiguity, new type war civilians’ supportive, limitation of this war.