The Vietnam war, which occurred November 1, 1955 – April 30, 1975, was a major loss for the American armed forces. Under the presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and finally Nixon; we fought alongside South Vietnam against North Vietnam and the Viet Cong, the communist regime. Though some may believe that through the strategy of Vietnamization that the United States escaped the blunder of defeat, American blood was lost in this war and the United States, while they were trying at the beginning, lost the steam to power through the war as the public began to strongly protest the war that some believed we had no business in. These protests, the Pentagon papers and, the Tet Offensive lead to the fact that yes; America did lose the Vietnam …show more content…
Protests of Anti-war among other ones, like those organized by the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), started to bring in more people into the cause. Widening their sphere of influence and power they held against the choices of the government to press on. This battle helped even more when the civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. publicly spoke out against the war. Their cause peaked in influence during 1968 after the Tet Offensive showed the American people that the United states was nowhere near close to ending, and that the end of the war was not coming soon for the American people. The Pentagon Papers, the name given to a secret study done by the Department of Defense, showed the military and political involvement of the United States in the Vietnam war between the years of 1945 to 1967.As the war continued and dragged on, the U.S. presence in a militaristic aspect grew to be 500,000 troops by 1968, as this continued and lives were lost the military analyst Daniel Ellsberg (worked on the study as well) started to go against the war. …show more content…
Even though North Vietnam sustained heavy loses within their forces, they achieved a strategic victory with this aggressive Tet Offensive. It showed the American people that we were nowhere close to winning and served as a turning point in the Vietnam War. Which would be followed by the slow withdrawal of American troops from the region. All of things considered, it should be evident that the American military and people suffered a loss in the form of the Vietnam war. With public protest withering away the support for the war, the Pentagon Papers revealing the truth of the war to the American people, and the Tet Offensive serving as a decisive victory for North Vietnam and the Viet Cong. The proof is overwhelming for the fact that America did lose, and though we did withdraw our troops we still lost many, and if the Vietnam war did not end in a victory for these troops then it was a defeat, a loss, we were vanquished. Those who oppose this must have forgotten the American blooded spilled to, in the end, withdraw our troops. So yes, the Vietnam War was a defeat for
The 1968 Tet Offensive was a series of battles which took place during the Vietnam War where the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and the National Liberation Front (NLF) attacked the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and U.S. Forces in South Vietnam. This major offensive by the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) forces which were initiated on January 30th of 1968 in coordination with Tet, the Vietnamese New Year. The offensive is historically labeled as a military defeat for the DRV forces while ultimately being a strategic victory through it’s ability to turn major American public opinion against support of the war effort in Vietnam. “Johnson’s decision to halt escalation after the Tet Offensive marked a crucial turning point in American participation in the Vietnam War.” (History.com Staff 2009)
For the sake of conciseness, and in order to focus the bulk of the content on the main topic, this essay will make certain assumptions. Most importantly, the essay assumes that the conflict in Vietnam was, indeed, lost by the US. It also presupposes that � due to the political climate in the US � the war itself was unavoidable. Finally, the essay takes for granted
Many soldiers have been lost in the different wars that the United States has been involved. Although there have been many wars only one is unique from the others, it is known as the war that was never won or lost. The Vietnam War started out as a conflict but soon escalated into a full-fledged war. Many soldiers have been lost in the Vietnam War. The United States sent many soldiers into the jungles of Indochina trying to stop the spread of communism from the North Vietnamese. It all seems clear-cut, with the motives and sides easily seen but as the war lagged on, it seemed that the United States became involved, and essentially needed a draft. The United States involvement in the Vietnam War became
The increasing number of troops and military efforts involved with Vietnam and the seemingly optimistic reports reported by the government were the primary factors that caused the Tet Offensive and Counteroffensive. The American government had become increasingly involved with the Vietnam war. From 1965 to 1967, over 400,000 soldiers were sent to help the South Vietnamese forces. This massive increase in the amount of soldiers was frustrating to the American people. Johnson’s approval rating fell to a mere 40%, half of what it had been in 1965. (“Vietnam War (1959-1975)” ; Axelrod 1). When the American soldiers returned home from Vietnam, it was often heard that they were spit on, and
The Tet Offensive had a major impact upon the outcome of the Second Indochina War, particularly due to the fact that it powerfully swayed public opinion in America of the Vietnam War. The American publics' option of the Vietnam War beforehand had been strongly leaning toward their involvement in favor of conscription. However after the devastating loss of the Tet offensive much exposure was not put onto the war effort and the losses incurred. Many stated that Tet was fruitless and futile, this is also partly due to the fact that there had been increased opposition to the use of conscription in the American mainstream media.
January 31, 1968 North Vietnamese attacked over 100 cities throughout South Vietnam on thirty-five of forty-four province capitals, thirty-six district towns, and many villages and hamlets. Dubbed the “Tet Offensive” because it coincided with the Vietnamese New Year’s holiday, Tet, was a turning point in the Vietnam War. Most historians agree that the Tet Offensive was the turning point in the Vietnam War as events shifted the role of United States involvement in Southeast Asia as the shock it produced was the catalyst that led to the reevaluation of U.S. policy. While intelligence failure contributed to the shift in the Vietnam War, most historians have disagreed on the role of the media in aiding the American public’s views against the war.
The Vietnam War was the first major war American’s had suffered defeat. The Vietnam war was a war of confusion, competition and biasness. The outcome of the war was far greater than an upset American nation, but a severe breakdown of the Vietnamese culture, economy, environment and government. It also had a tremendous impact on American society even up to present day. It was unclear from the beginning of the war if the American’s should even be involved. It was a war between Northern and Southern Vietnam but the U.S saw it as an indirect way to challenge the USSR’s sphere of influence in Southern Asia and to prevent the domino effect and the further spread of communism. The Vietnam War completely changed the way the United States
The Powerful country’s winning streak was broken. During 1954–1973 the United States went to war in Asia with the country Vietnam. This was a really tough battle for both Vietnam and the United States. After the fearsome battle Vietnam came out victorious. This was the first loss for the United States and it left a big impact that still stands today.
The USA was extremely vain when going to war in Vietnam. They had extreme firepower. With a few weeks notice at the time, had the power to turn Vietnam into a region of radioactive glass. The US’s strategy of search and destroy conflicted directly with the Vietnamese’s strategy of hanging onto their belts (caplan,2012). Unlike previous American victories against
On January 30th 1968 over 80,000 Vietcong soldiers launched a surprise attack on over 100 towns and cities in South Vietnam. This is known as the Tet Offensive. The US army and South Vietnamese Army (ARVN) launched a counter-attack which regained all lost territory and crippled the military capabilities of the Vietcong. Some historians argue Tet was not as important as it appears to be. However, it is widely considered to be a pivotal turning point in the Vietnam War, causing the US military to change strategy to Vietnamisation, turning US public opinion against the war, and resulting in President Johnson not standing for re-election. It it provided a catalyst
public a different view on the war (7). Now, not only had attacks been made on the Army
Despite, the difficulties the United States won the War. But the American people still believe that the Vietnam War meaningless, because Americans who lost their beloved ones in that War never appreciated the Government policies at that time. Today, the Vietnam War Veterans are highly respected throughout the United States, and very generation in American history will never forget how did U.S win that War. The legacy of this country is known throughout the World, even long before the Vietnam War but for many Americans the Vietnam War was nothing comparative to it in their history. Today, U.S. and Vietnam have a strong
“The war in vietnam is but a symptom of a far deeper malady within the American spirit.” Martin Luther King, Jr. once said. The Vietnam War was considered one of America’s greatest defeats of all time. Not only did the US failed to stop the spread of communism, but they also embarrassed this country as a whole with the outcome of this war. The overall outcome from this war will be remembered for years to come. In this essay, I will be talking about how the United States would have won the Vietnam war if the home front was for the war, if the the US was more familiar with the land, and the U.S.’s goal was not successful.
To what extent can the Tet Offensive of 1968 be described as a key turning point in the Vietnam War in the Years 1963-73? (30 marks)
They strongly emphasized individual rights and freedoms and felt that Americans needed to break free from the bonds of true self expression. This breaking away from the traditional American beliefs and values created a generation gap, between those in the younger generation who actively protested the war and those in the older generations whose conservative views held that Americans should support their troops regardless of their own political and moral feelings, and held fast to their conservative beliefs. The major rift in society was caused solely by the Vietnam War and the effects it had throughout the country. The Vietnam War brought about a gradual, yet defining, change in American values: from a sense of patriotism and pride in ones country, towards a heavy emphasis on pacifism, love and the unbounded freedoms and rights they believed Americans were entitled to.