The Effects of the Vietnam War

The Effects of the Vietnam War

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The Effects of Vietnam War

Introduction

The US experience in the Vietnam War is still the subject of numerous authors from many different fields . One of the reasons for this great interest in an event that occurred about a two generations ago , is the apparent far-reaching impact it had on almost all facets of American society . It is these implications that provide the basis for this essay This will analyze the consequences and effects of this unique

conflict . However , the focus of this is not to examine any particular aspect of the Vietnam War itself . Instead , this essay will attempt to look at the war as a whole and discuss how it affected governmental and military decision-making , along with the domestic and cultural effects that the war had on America

Vietnam was such an influential event in American military , political and social history , it is possible that it was just the perception that this affects United States . Fears of "another Vietnam " constrained actions to support El Salvador 's government against communist subversion . The Gulf Wars was hailed as proof that we had shed the "Vietnam syndrome " of reluctance to fight overseas . The deployment to Yugoslavia , Terrorism and War in Iraq again raised fears of "another Vietnam " The likelihood of more such interventions makes studying the effects of Vietnam War imperative , to learn what we can about what to do and what to avoid

The Effects of the War in Perspective

If one seriously examines all the aspects and events that have possibly contributed to the rancor that resulted from the Vietnam experience within American society , there seems to be four principal aspects that represent the major effects of the War itself . First , there was the fact that the United States lost the war . The US was essentially forced out as they could not achieve victory when the political will was present and therefore when the war became politically , economically , and socially too costly they were forced to withdraw . America 's military victories had always been a source of national pride since the war of independence , therefore , for many Americans , the experience of losing was a source of embarrassment and shame . This was the first and only major military defeat for the US (Olson and Roberts 18-9

To add to the thought of Vietnam as a black mark in American history was the realization that in the eyes of many Americans , the US intervention in Vietnam was not on the side of right . Americans have almost always seen themselves as the nation always able to possess the moral authority . It was present in the War of independence , and on the Union side of the Civil War . In the twentieth century it was once again present in the defense of democracy against tyranny in both World Wars and to some extent in Korea . In Vietnam , this no longer appeared to be the case . To many people , both domestically and internationally...