The Disillusionment of the Vietnam War Essay - 982 Words

President Dwight Eisenhower conditionally pledged to support South Vietnam’s new nation in 1955. In the time period between 1955-1961 the United States pumped seven billion dollars in aid so that Vietnam would not â€Å"go over quickly† like a â€Å"row of dominoes† (McNamara 31). In the next 6 years Vietnam would cost America billions of dollars, thousands of lives, and the disaffection of much of the United States public. Yet in the end, South Vietnam would fall to the North less than 2 years after the United States military involvement ceased. From the year 1955 when the United States vowed to help support the South Vietnamese fight off the Northern communist, a total of about 60,000 soldiers dead and 300,000 wounded. The soldiers who offered†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"In August of 1964, in response to the American and GVN espionage along its coast, the DRV launched a local and controlled attack against C. Turner Joy and the U.S.S. Maddox , two Ameri can ships on call in the Gulf of Tonkin† (Brigham 2). This resulted in the United States government giving Lyndon Johnson the ability to make war under the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. President Johnson then gave orders to perform air raids on Northern Vietnam pushing the United States further into the war. Compared to 1962 when only 9,000 soldiers supported the South Vietnamese, by June 1965 82,000 soldiers occupied the country. The number only continued to rise exponentially, and by 1966 370,000 soldiers had been sent in to prop their South Vietnam allies. President Richard Nixon withdrew American soldiers from Vietnam and as part of the â€Å"vietnamization† of the war. Over and 60,000 American soldiers had been lost in a war to preserve the status quo, not to win. The United States spent more than 120 billion dollars on the Vietnam War in efforts to stop the spread of communism. How much of this money ended up in the private accounts of the series of presidents that r uled South Vietnam will never be brought to light. Corruption was rife in the government and military of South Vietnam. This immense amount of money was merely squandered away on the war effort that was brought to an inconclusive end. ThisShow MoreRelatedThe 1950s : A Decade Of Prosperity, Conformity, And Consensus1470 Words   |  6 PagesKylie Suitum Hist 406 Final Paper 12/11/15 Historians tend to portray the 1950’s as a decade of prosperity, conformity, and consensus, and the 1960’s as a decade of turbulence, protest, and disillusionment. Do you agree or disagree with this view? Show evidence to support your argument. With the overwhelming amount of Levittown houses, the obsession to obtain the perfect American â€Å"ideal family† as seen on TV and the unspoken agreement to fear any and all foreign ideas and values, the 1950s wereRead MoreDisillusionment In Literature1616 Words   |  7 Pagesenlightened, a band-aid is ripped off to reveal the frightening world people live in. They begin to see the gory inner workings of systems meant to keep the blanket of naivete over their eyes. In a world of uncertainties, disillusionment is this blanket of protection. Disillusionment is â€Å"a feeling of disappointment resulting from the discovery that something is not as good as one believed it to be.† (Merriam-webster) An unwelcome/traumatic event usually spurs this blanket of disappointment to be pulledRead MoreWhy Did The Tet Offensive Affect America s Societal Opinion On The Involvement Of The Vietnam War1739 Words   |  7 PagesIn january, 1968 the Tet Offensive of the Vietnam war was launched. The Tet Offensive was a carefully planned military campaign composed of surprise attacks on the republic of Vietnam by the communist parties of North and South Vietnam during the vietnamese holiday, Tet. The Tet offensive, militarily was a massive defeat for the communist parties of Vietnam, however it led to mass disillusionment within the U.S., diminishing public support for the war, inevitably forcing a withdrawal of U.S. troopsRead Moreâ€Å"Today It Is Becoming Increasingly Apparent To Thoughtful938 Words   |  4 Pagesabroad and maintain any form of imperialism at home. The war has done this to our thinking.†(Willkie). After a war, a responsible superpower would provide the ideals of a democracy, such as popular sovereignty and limited government. However after the second world war, the United States acted opposite of its highest standards, instead keeping in mind only of expansionism and corrupted ways to be the best. In its world interventions in Vietnam , Nicaragua and Afghanistan, the US behaved more as an empireRead MoreMedia and American Withdrawal From Vietnam Essay1745 Words   |  7 PagesMedia and American Withdrawal From Vietnam The history of Vietnam is characterised by struggles for independence since French rule in 1859 after the French took Saigon, and a great ability in warfare and continual determined resistance to foreign domination. Major military involvement by American armed forces came after events such as Russian communist revolution in 1917 and the Korean War in the 1950s; these events put the America people in a period of moral panic Read MoreNovel Without a Name1090 Words   |  5 PagesNovel without a Name Novel without a name by Duong Thu Huong provided a real insight on war from the Vietnamese point of view. Readers are able to contemplate with the themes that reoccur, what the war truly is like, and the effects it causes on the people, society, and the individual. Three main reoccurring themes of this novel were disillusionment of the war, betrayal, and the loss of innocence that the war causes on a human being. â€Å"How proud were we of our youth! Ten years ago the day we leftRead More06.07 Dissilusionment Essay930 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿06.07 Disillusionment: Assignment Question: Explain how events such as the Vietnam War and Watergate affected the American public’s opinion of the U.S government. Part I: Read the question above and write down what you think the question is asking in your own words. I think that this question is asking for the American public perception of the US government and their elected officials during both of these events. Both the Vietnam War and Watergate events had big impacts on American societyRead MorePort Huron Statement Analysis956 Words   |  4 PagesIn 1962 America was going through a tough period, marked by the Cold War, against USSR and its communism. This was also the time of the Vietnam War and the Arms Race, with the possession of the nuclear weapon, and the president of the time, John F. Kennedy was a fervent believer in the â€Å"Domino Theory† and intended to contain communism. This situation was one of the elements that would lead to people’s dissatisfaction and fear, and to many contestations through popular means, like music, for exampleRead MoreThe Origins Of The War967 Words   |  4 Pagesbefore we can talk about President Johnson’s decision to escalate the war in Vietnam we need to go back a little further . According to Bill Moyers at PBS the origins of the war started in 1945 when the British chose to ignore Ho Chi Minh’s declaration of independence and restored French rule to the country. After a long drawn out conflict with Ho Chi Minh’s forces and a massive defeat at Dien Bien Phu, the French finally left Vietnam in 1954. (Moyers, B.) Before Johnson took office Eisenhower and KennedyRead MoreEssay on Protest Songs Throughout the Vietnam War1445 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout all the anti-war protests and marches during the Vietnam War, it is interesting to note the changes in the music of that time. From the beginning of the war, where support and loyalty from Americans was present in songs, to the end of the war, where anger and distrust was evident in musical lyrics, American’s opinion changed about the war. This change in opinion was easily recognized by the altering of musical lyrics about the war when Americans grew tired of the constant sending of U