Why the United States Withdrew Its Forces From Vietnam

Why the United States Withdrew Its Forces From Vietnam

The U.S withdrew its forces from Vietnam in 1973 for many reasons, one

being the highly effective method of Guerilla Warfare used by the

Vietcong. Another reason why the U.S withdrew its forces was because

of the involvement of the media and the protests that followed. The

final reason that I am going to talk about is the cost of the war for

America, not only in terms of the amount money that it spent on the

war, but the lives that were lost and the respect that it lost as a

nation. In my opinion, these reasons are strangely interlinked and in

my essay, I aim to prove this.

Guerilla Warfare was used by one side when it was greatly outnumbered

by the opposition in terms of weapons and troops. This was the case in

Vietnam, as the Vietcong employed this method in an attempt to evade a

potentially heavy defeat by the U.S.A. According to Mao Zedeong, the

leader of communist forces in China, guerrillas should be the people

in the same way 'as fish are of the sea'. In perspective, this was the

first tactic used by guerrillas in Vietnam - to ensure that they

didn't alienate the people of Vietnam.

In order to do so, they made an effort to get to know the peasants,

whom Diem, the President of South Vietnam, had overlooked in order to

support the landlords of Vietnam. The Vietcong treated them with

respect - they damaged neither houses or crops, they never stole from

them and they helped with housework and farming. In taking so much

care to behave properly, the peasants were more than willing to help

them in their battle.

Once the Vietcong became established in South Vietnam, the...

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The Cost of the War for America was huge. In terms of money, the war

was costing $66m per day by the end of 1968. The president of the

U.S.A, President Johnson, who increased income taxes to pay for it.

This infuriated the American taxpayers who took part in various

protest movements to voice their disapproval.

American prestige was also badly damaged. After the defeat, it seemed

to the rest of the world that it was safer to be an ally of the

Communist powers than that of the U.S.A. The war also provoked a more

cautious America - they did nothing to stop Communists taking control

of several African countries (i.e Angola and Ethiopia). The American

people would not tolerate another conflict like Vietnam.

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