The
War in Vietnam
US involvement in Vietnam stretched from 1956-75, under four different
presidents. It was the USA's most costly and longest lasting war. It cost the
USA $161 billion, 58,156 American lives and an estimated 400,000 Vietnamese
lives.
What
went wrong?
The USA originally went into Vietnam to help maintain the pro-western
government. However, as popular opposition to the government escalated into
war, the USA found itself being sucked into the conflict, anxious not to
'lose' another country to communism.
Peace
protesters
Anti-war protests began to erupt over America. Many turned violent. in 1970,
four students at Kent State University were killed by nervous members of the
National Guard who had been mobilised to control the situation. America had
become divided and opposed to one another over the issue of the Vietnam war.
A
student lies dead at Kent State University
Thousands of students became 'draft dodgers', by going into hiding or
studying abroad. Some became 'drop outs and bums', opting for the alternative
lifestyle of the hippy age.
Public opinion began to shift, especially among the youth. By 1969, Nixon's
first year in office, 48% of Americans expressed opposition to the war.
Parents were horrified that their children might have to become soldiers and
die in a foreign land.
The worldwide media exposed the horrors of modern warfare, with methods such
as carpet bombing and use of napalm high on the list of public revulsion.
There were also several instances of mistreatment of the Vietnamese by
American soldiers.
