Impact of the Vietnam War on American Culture Annotated Bibliographies Alvah, Donna. "Civil Rights Movement." Dictionary of American History. Ed. Stanley I. Kutler.
Dizzi’s Week Five Assignment Vietnam Dizzi Sturdivant March 27, 2011 HIS 135 Douglas Habib Dizzi’s Week Five Assignment Vietnam Vietnam caused uproar throughout the United States. This war, or as it is officially called police action, managed to do one thing that many other wars before or even after has not done. Vietnam managed to tear and divide a country based on being one nation. The effects of this military action were felt by students, politicians, military servicemen or women as well as the future generations. The student unrest that was seen throughout the Vietnam Conflict, I believe has to do with the draft.
I believe that the Vietnam War had a major impact on foreign policy and that it still has lasting and valuable lessons almost 40 years later. Background and Prelude to War with the US Long before the US and Vietnam went to war there had been a history of violence and aggression in Indochina, the name of the region given by the French and comprised of Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. After World War II there was a push for independence from France in Indochina, but unlike most countries after World War II the French refused to grant independence to the region. They were determined to maintain their control and dominance and resorted to the use of military force to maintain it. This resulted in the bloody First Indochina War that resulted in the French granting independence to Indochina and the creation of two Vietnams, North and South.
The Anti-Vietnam war moment in the untied states prove that there were people who cared about peace not war, with protesting, sit ins, and the communication to boycott drafting of soldiers so they wouldn’t go to war. The struggle of the Vietnamese workers, student, and peasants against the U.S. were the worse times. Long lasting moments happen especially the impact it had the growth of anti-imperlism, anti-racism, communism and the PLP. Ho Chi Minh, struggled to drive the French out of Vietnam but when they did leave the U.S. took over or tried to like if they needed to protect something. The untied states where being self-fish and not understanding at all.
Call no. : X Located at: TESC Government Documents Microfilm Declarations of War by the United States to: • Japan. (Public Law 77-328, a.k.a. S.J. Resolution 116; 55 STAT 795) • Germany.
They lost power, control, and respect as a nation, and the tensions between and with foreign countries and those within America itself persisted long after military attacks were made. Although the economic policies improved under the successes of Kennedy and Johnson, this war was crucial to the downfall of the economy that came in the 1970s. The social tensions still remain prominent today, and it is still a difficult topic of discussion and reflection for most. Politically, the pressures made people more aware and conscious of their decisions. Vietnam helped Americans draw from experience new lessons that drastically reformed the society during the 1960 and 1970s, and called to attention the questioning of beliefs and morals.
The hippie movement was very influential to the American music and art culture. The movement showed most of its effects in the areas of government, music, and different clothing style. The War in Vietnam is what began to make the Hippie movement more noticeable. People involved in the movement felt the War that was going on in Vietnam had no true cause. All previous wars that Americans were part of could actually be traced back to the actual cause of the war in the first place (Peter).
As the Cold War continued, the American public grew discontent with the handling of the disputes . They grew restless of the ongoing conflict and the injustices that were being committed by the American military towards these countries and the abuse that our American troops were experiencing at home. The Civil Rights movement again saw this as an opportunity to insert their agenda along with other injustices into the national picture. With the sentiment swaying against the established institution it was easier to gain public support for civil rights. The Cold War was fought to end the oppression and maltreatment of other countries citizens.
According to ABC-CLIO American History Database, the fighting between the United States and the North Vietnamese began on December 22, 1961. The fighting then continued on for fourteen long and violent years, with both sides winning important battles and the advantage switching off between sides often. However in the end the North Vietnamese came out on top and handed America its first ever defeat in a war. The Vietnam War had many important effects that still influence us today. Although most of the effects from Vietnam are negative they can be viewed in a positive light because we learned many valuable lessons (Willbanks).
This evidence shows that the way people saw the war was changing. The people didn’t want to see their husbands, kids, friends, or their neighbors fighting in such a horrifying war. The media coverage changed the way people saw the war because it made them realize that there were thousands of Americans dying overseas in a war that they didn’t need to be involved in. The Vietnam changed people’s view about the war, “The Vietnam War was the most extensively covered war in history. This coverage was thought to have had a powerful influence on public opinion and therefore on political decision making”.