Vietnam War (jan 1, 1954 – dec 5, 1975)

Description:

-US became deeply involved
-communist north vs capitalist south
-financial aid to the French was not enough to defeat the Vietminh
-JFK increased military aid to South Vietnam
-South Vietnam's corrupt and repressive regime (Diem) set up by the US was losing popularity
-revolutions powerfully illustrated the dilemmas of US policy is Vietnam
-public opinion about the war was declining -> credibility gap
-high taxes, military spending, high casualties
-antiwar movements, intervention was unethical, defeating communism in Vietnam was impossible (civil rights groups, college students, clergy, etc.)
-campus unrest because of antiwar protests
-no quick victory
-the youth rebellion, Tet Offensive, Johnson, and the Democratic Party radicalized antiwar activists

consequences:
-Vietnamese casualties
-intensive bombing
-communism in Cambodia
-Americans dead
-financial cost
-lost confidence in American political leaders

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