Causes Of The Anti-Vietnam War

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This paper is about the various strategies that were both adopted by the Anti Vietnam protesters and government leaders that had gained national attention in 1960 through 1970.
The same issues that initiated the Cold War eventually lead into the beginning of the Vietnam War; to prevent Communism from spreading. Following World War II; the Soviet Union or (USSR) surfaced as a heavy weight nation. They had a firm influence over Eastern Europe, and parts of Asia. The U.S and our Western allies regarded Communism as an absolute rival and post war threat to our democracies and capitalism. Anti-Vietnam war protesters began to emerge all over the country. Lyndon B. Johnson secured from Congress a functional (not actual) declaration of war: the Tonkin …show more content…

Initially, protesting began with destroying ones draft papers. Also the individuals that had financial security had the ability to draft dodge. One obvious occurrence was that of Muhammad Ali. His defiant act brought world wide notoriety to America’s brewing issues with the draft. This was not an option for the lower class working man. Protesting picked up momentum when troops were returning home in caskets.
Protesting began with direct action- public marches were conducted by anti-war participants, picketing, sit-ins, rallies, petition drives, and teach-ins at colleges—to win converts to their causes and change public policies at the local, state, and federal levels. Protesters ranged from mostly students, prominent artists, intellectuals, members of the hippie movement, and a growing number of young people who rejected authority and embraced the drug culture. They sacrificed their time, energy, and passion with views of making a better, more just society for the …show more content…

Nixon’s war policies divided the nation still even further. Nixon sent troops to gradually strengthen the South Vietnamese military until they could successfully stand against the National Liberation Front (NLF) and the North Vietnamese Army. The drawdown of troops would lessen the stateside war. The foreign policy of rapprochement with both China and the Soviet Union had the effect on limiting their assistance to North Vietnam. Success was short lived as two notorious events took place. The 1968 My Lai massacre; several hundred Vietnamese women, children and a village were burned to the ground. The bombing of Cambodia; it was intended to destroy NLF safe houses. Mass demonstrations and violence caused friction among the stateside public; following the bombing of Cambodia. Kent State University four students were shot and killed by National Guard

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