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Vietnam analysis
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Vietnam Controversy
It’s January 27th, 1973 and the Vietnam War is over. Peace agreements were signed in Paris by the South Vietnam Communist forces, North Vietnam, South Vietnam and the United States. The meeting lasted for several hours and in that time they agreed on many objectives, including: that U.S. troops would gradually withdraw from Vietnam and all prisoners of war would be released, South Vietnam had the right to choose their own future (whether or not to unite with North Vietnam), and North Vietnamese troops were given the right to remain in South Vietnam with idea that the troops could not be reinforced (“Vietnam War”).
Even after the peace talks, fighting continued between the North and South Vietnamese. After the majority of American soldiers had left, North Vietnam went against all that was agreed on at the peace talks. On December 13, 1974 North Vietnam had started the invasion on the south. By April 30th, 1976, North Vietnamese tanks had occupied Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, with no trouble, and an evacuation began (see picture 1 & 2). On July 2nd, 1976, the country was united as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (“Vietnam War”). If the U.S. had stayed to finish the Vietnamization, there might have been a South Vietnam today.
I feel that the U.S. should have never been involved in the war in the first place, however, under the unavoidable circumstances we should have stayed in South Vietnam and helped the country defend themselves on something we made them believe in. We poured so many resources into the war fighting for a cause that many Americans and people in general did not believe in, and to retreat from the South Vietnamese when they needed America’s help the most was very unfair.
The Perspectives
By comparing the views of Von Don’s Our Endless War Inside Vietnam and some views of “In Our Times”, I was able to conclude that some of the views from the 1970’s and some of the views of the 1990’s are very alike. Von Don saw differently than the average American, and had incredible insight as to what went wrong towards the fall of South Vietnam. The book seemed to back up everything that Von Don seemed to have a perspective on. I can at least say that the two statements did not conflict.
Personal Conclusions
Through reviewing both perspectives I came up with several conclusion about t...
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... learn.
Works Cited
Brigham, Robert K. “The Fall of South Vietnam.” American Journey. Online. 15 March 2000.
“Debate Between Sen. William Proxmire (D-Wisc.) And Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-Ariz.) over Aid to South Vietnam.” U.S. Congress, 1974. American Journey. Online. 15 March 2000.
“Part Six: Vietnam.” In class handout.
“Protest note from the Government of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) to the government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam).” Embassy in Washington Press. Washington Press. Release No. 15/73, September 10, 1973.
Rosenberg, Norman L. & Emily S. In Our Times: America Since World War II. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. 1999.
Van Don, Tran. Our Endless War Inside Vietnam: Memoir of South Vietnamese General. 1978.
“Vietnam War.” Encarta 1998. CD-ROM. Redmond, WA: Microsoft, 1993 – 1997.
Anderson, D. (2002). The Columbia guide to the Vietnam War. New York: Columbia University Press.
The Vietnam War: A Concise International History is a strong book that portrays a vivid picture of both sides of the war. By getting access to new information and using valid sources, Lawrence’s study deserves credibility. After reading this book, a new light and understanding of the Vietnam war exists.
Fussell, Paul. "Vietnam." The Bloody Game: An Anthology of Modern War. Ed. Paul Fussell. London: Scribners, 1991. 651-6.
“Here’s a little riddle for you. What's the difference between the army and the Cub Scouts? Cub Scouts don't have heavy artillery!” Adrian Cronauer tried to bring a kind of relief to the people of the war through his radio show. Cronauer was a United States Air Force sergeant and radio broadcaster who inspired the movie Good Morning, Vietnam. The Vietnam War, which was by far the longest war the United States has participated in, went on from 1945 until 1975. Even though the United States was involved with the war since the 50’s, by aiding France, they did not send troops until 1965. The Vietnam War began because North Vietnam wanted to combine both parts of Vietnam into one big country, but South Vietnam did not want this. The United States helped South Vietnam from keeping the countries separate and keeping communism out of their country. The war seemed like it would never end so a cease-fire was arranged in January 1973; although the war did not officially end until April 30, 1975. In this war, almost 60,000 Americans died and about 2 million Vietnamese died. The United States only got involved because they wanted to prevent communism from spreading throughout the rest of the world. Good Morning, Vietnam is not historically accurate because it did not portray Adrian Cronauer or the Vietnam War in the correct way.
Should the United States have participated in the Vietnam War? Some people felt that the US should have been there for two reasons. The first reason was the US was attempting to establish a stable democracy. The second reason was that our participation in Vietnam helped the US win the Cold War. Others believed the US should not have participated for two reasons. One reason was that the South Vietnamese government was a brutal dictatorship. Another reason was our strategy for winning the war was inept. While it appeared that we were trying to spread democracy and win the Cold War., in truth we were supporting a mini-Hitler, and our war strategy had little chance of success.
Jeffries, John. Wartime America: The World War II Home Front. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 1996. Print. American Way.
The United States and World War II. New York: Harper & Row, 1964. Print. The. Feis, Herbert.
Chafe, William H. The Unfinished Journey: America Since World War II. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
This book would be an excellent source for anyone wanting to understand this period of the entrance into the Vietnam War. It is a great look into the character of each of the participants. It also would benefit those who are studying and learning how to develop strategy and policy for future wars that the United States may involve itself.
- Dougan C. & Lipsman S. 1984 The Vietnam Experience: A Nation Divided. Boston: Boston Publishing
Wagaman, J. Brian. "Antiwarriors: The Vietnam War and the Battle for America's Hearts and Minds." The Journal of Popular Culture 37, no. 4 (2004): 746-748.
In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam, Times Books, New York, 1995: 72, 76, 218, 219, 220, 240.
Gilbert, Marc Jason. "Vietnam War." World Book Student. World Book, 2010. Web. 21 March 2010.
Willbanks, James H. "The Real History of the Vietnam War." ARMCHAIR GENERAL Nov. 2007: 54-67. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 3 Apr. 2014.
Vietnam was a struggle which, in all honesty, the United States should never have been involved in. North Vietnam was battling for ownership of South Vietnam, so that they would be a unified communist nation. To prevent the domino effect and the further spread of communism, the U.S. held on to the Truman Doctrine and stood behind the South Vietnamese leader, Diem.