The Vietnam War

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  the vietnam war: The Vietnam War Geoffrey C. Ward, Ken Burns, 2017-09-05 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Based on the celebrated PBS television series, the complete text of an engrossing history of America’s least-understood conflict, “a significant milestone [that] will no doubt do much to determine how the war is understood for years to come.” —The Washington Post More than forty years have passed since the end of the Vietnam War, but its memory continues to loom large in the national psyche. In this intimate history, Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns have crafted a fresh and insightful account of the long and brutal conflict that reunited Vietnam while dividing the United States as nothing else had since the Civil War. From the Gulf of Tonkin and the Tet Offensive to Hamburger Hill and the fall of Saigon, Ward and Burns trace the conflict that dogged three American presidents and their advisers. But most of the voices that echo from these pages belong to less exalted men and women—those who fought in the war as well as those who fought against it, both victims and victors—willing for the first time to share their memories of Vietnam as it really was. A magisterial tour de force, The Vietnam War is an engrossing history of America’s least-understood conflict.
  the vietnam war: The Vietnam War DK, 2025-01-02 This revised and updated guide to the Vietnam War charts the unforgettable story of America's longest and most controversial conflict, 50 years on from its end. Hundreds of insightful images and a compelling narrative combine to chronicle this catastrophic war. From 1955, the communist government of North Vietnam fought against South Vietnam and its main ally, the US. Over the course of two decades of hostility, the number of casualties reached an incomprehensible three million people. Detailed descriptions of every episode, including Operation Passage to Freedom and the evacuation of the American embassy in Saigon, tell the stories in iconic photographs and eyewitness accounts. Discover the real people behind the conflict, with gripping biographies of key figures, including Henry Kissinger, General Thieu, President Nixon, and Pol Pot. This incredible visual record is supported by locator maps, user-friendly timelines, archive photography, and evocative quotes, giving readers an all-encompassing experience. The Vietnam War is an essential historic reference to help humanity learn the lessons of suffering and sacrifice from one of the bloodiest conflicts of the 20th century.
  the vietnam war: What Was the Vietnam War? Jim O'Connor, Who HQ, 2019-05-07 Learn how the United States ended up fighting for twenty years in a remote country on the other side of the world. The Vietnam War was as much a part of the tumultuous Sixties as Flower Power and the Civil Rights Movement. Five US presidents were convinced that American troops could end a war in the small, divided country of Vietnam and stop Communism from spreading in Southeast Asia. But they were wrong, and the result was the death of 58,000 American troops. Presenting all sides of a complicated and tragic chapter in recent history, Jim O'Connor explains why the US got involved, what the human cost was, and how defeat in Vietnam left a lasting scar on America.
  the vietnam war: The Columbia Guide to the Vietnam War David L. Anderson, 2002-07-10 More than a quarter of a century after the last Marine Corps Huey left the American embassy in Saigon, the lessons and legacies of the most divisive war in twentieth-century American history are as hotly debated as ever. Why did successive administrations choose little-known Vietnam as the test case of American commitment in the fight against communism? Why were the best and brightest apparently blind to the illegitimacy of the state of South Vietnam? Would Kennedy have pulled out had he lived? And what lessons regarding American foreign policy emerged from the war? The Columbia Guide to the Vietnam War helps readers understand this tragic and complex conflict. The book contains both interpretive information and a wealth of facts in easy-to-find form. Part I provides a lucid narrative overview of contested issues and interpretations in Vietnam scholarship. Part II is a mini-encyclopedia with descriptions and analysis of individuals, events, groups, and military operations. Arranged alphabetically, this section enables readers to look up isolated facts and specialized terms. Part III is a chronology of key events. Part IV is an annotated guide to resources, including films, documentaries, CD-ROMs, and reliable Web sites. Part V contains excerpts from historical documents and statistical data.
  the vietnam war: The Vietnam War Mitchell K. Hall, 2014-07-22 The Vietnam War examines the conflict from its origins through to 1975 and North Vietnam’s victory. This new revised edition is completely up-to-date with current academic debates and includes new source material. Mitchell Hall explores all the key elements of the conflict, including: · US motivations for entering the war and the military strategies employed · The role of the media · The rise of domestic opposition · The war’s impact in the US and Vietnam. Mitchell Hall provides numerous insights into the political decisions of the Vietnamese communists, and Vietnam’s relations with other major powers, particularly China and the Soviet Union. The main text is supported by a comprehensive documents section, and a range of study tools, including a Chronology of events, Who's Who, a Glossary of terms and a Further Reading section. Concise yet thorough, the book provides students with an accessible and stimulating introduction to the war.
  the vietnam war: Vietnam Michael Lind, 2013-07-30 Michael Lind casts new light on one of the most contentious episodes in American history in this controversial bestseller. In this groundgreaking reinterpretation of America's most disatrous and controversial war, Michael Lind demolishes enduring myths and put the Vietnam War in its proper context—as part of the global conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States. Lind reveals the deep cultural divisions within the United States that made the Cold War consensus so fragile and explains how and why American public support for the war in Indochina declined. Even more stunning is his provacative argument that the United States failed in Vietnam because the military establishment did not adapt to the demands of what before 1968 had been largely a guerrilla war. In an era when the United States so often finds itself embroiled in prolonged and difficult conflicts, Lind offers a sobering cautionary tale to Ameicans of all political viewpoints.
  the vietnam war: Voices from the Vietnam War Xiaobing Li, 2010-06-11 The Vietnam War's influence on politics, foreign policy, and subsequent military campaigns is the center of much debate and analysis. But the impact on veterans across the globe, as well as the war's effects on individual lives and communities, is a largely neglected issue. As a consequence of cultural and legal barriers, the oral histories of the Vietnam War currently available in English are predictably one-sided, providing limited insight into the inner workings of the Communist nations that participated in the war. Furthermore, many of these accounts focus on combat experiences rather than the backgrounds, belief systems, and social experiences of interviewees, resulting in an incomplete historiography of the war. Chinese native Xiaobing Li corrects this oversight in Voices from the Vietnam War: Stories from American, Asian, and Russian Veterans. Li spent seven years gathering hundreds of personal accounts from survivors of the war, accounts that span continents, nationalities, and political affiliations. The twenty-two intimate stories in the book feature the experiences of American, Chinese, Russian, Korean, and North and South Vietnamese veterans, representing the views of both anti-Communist and Communist participants, including Chinese officers of the PLA, a Russian missile-training instructor, and a KGB spy. These narratives humanize and contextualize the war's events while shedding light on aspects of the war previously unknown to Western scholars. Providing fresh perspectives on a long-discussed topic, Voices from the Vietnam War offers a thorough and unique understanding of America's longest war.
  the vietnam war: The Vietnam War Chris McNab, Andrew Wiest, 2012-07-18 The Vietnam War is an account of the 6,000-day conflict in Southeast Asia. The lucid, authoritative text includes eye-witness accounts of the battles and incidents of America’s undeclared war, and provides a graphic and compelling account of one of the most brutal conflicts of modern history.
  the vietnam war: The Vietnam War Edward Miller, 2016-01-19 The Vietnam War is an outstanding collection of primary documents related to America's conflict in Vietnam which includes a balance of original American and Vietnamese perspectives, providing a uniquely varied range of insights into both American and Vietnamese experiences. Includes substantial non-American content, including many original English translations of Vietnamese-authored texts which showcase the diversity and complexity of Vietnamese experiences during the war Contains original American documents germane to the continuing debates about the causes, consequences and morality of the US intervention Incorporates personal histories of individual Americans and Vietnamese Introductory headnotes place each document in context Features a range of non-textual documents, including iconic photographs and political cartoons
  the vietnam war: The Vietnam War Mark Atwood Lawrence, 2010-08-27 The Vietnam War remains a topic of extraordinary interest, not least because of striking parallels between that conflict and more recent fighting in the Middle East. In The Vietnam War, Mark Atwood Lawrence draws upon the latest research in archives around the world to offer readers a superb account of a key moment in U.S. as well as global history. While focusing on American involvement between 1965 and 1975, Lawrence offers an unprecedentedly complete picture of all sides of the war, notably by examining the motives that drove the Vietnamese communists and their foreign allies. Moreover, the book carefully considers both the long- and short-term origins of the war. Lawrence examines the rise of Vietnamese communism in the early twentieth century and reveals how Cold War anxieties of the 1940s and 1950s set the United States on the road to intervention. Of course, the heart of the book covers the American war, ranging from the overthrow of South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem to the impact of the Tet Offensive on American public opinion, Lyndon Johnson's withdrawal from the 1968 presidential race, Richard Nixon's expansion of the war into Cambodia and Laos, and the problematic peace agreement of 1973, which ended American military involvement. Finally, the book explores the complex aftermath of the war--its enduring legacy in American books, film, and political debate, as well as Vietnam's struggles with severe social and economic problems. A compact and authoritative primer on an intensely relevant topic, this well-researched and engaging volume offers an invaluable overview of the Vietnam War.
  the vietnam war: A Companion to the Vietnam War Marilyn B. Young, Robert Buzzanco, 2008-04-15 A Companion to the Vietnam War contains twenty-four definitive essays on America's longest and most divisive foreign conflict. It represents the best current scholarship on this controversial and influential episode in modern American history. Highlights issues of nationalism, culture, gender, and race. Covers the breadth of Vietnam War history, including American war policies, the Vietnamese perspective, the antiwar movement, and the American home front. Surveys and evaluates the best scholarship on every important era and topic. Includes a select bibliography to guide further research.
  the vietnam war: The Vietnam War Tom Pendergast, 2007 Provides users with a detailed and authoritative overview of this event, as well as the principal figures involved in this pivotal episode in U.S. history.
  the vietnam war: Patriots Christian G. Appy, 2004-09-28 Intense and absorbing... If you buy only one book on the Vietnam War, this is the one you want. -Chicago Tribune Christian G. Appy's monumental oral history of the Vietnam War is the first work to probe the war's path through both the United States and Vietnam. These vivid testimonies of 135 men and women span the entire history of the Vietnam conflict, from its murky origins in the 1940s to the chaotic fall of Saigon in 1975. Sometimes detached and reflective, often raw and emotional, they allow us to see and feel what this war meant to people literally on all sides: Americans and Vietnamese, generals and grunts, policymakers and protesters, guerrillas and CIA operatives, pilots and doctors, artists and journalists, and a variety of ordinary citizens whose lives were swept up in a cataclysm that killed three million people. By turns harrowing, inspiring, and revelatory, Patriots is not a chronicle of facts and figures but a vivid human history of the war. A gem of a book, as informative and compulsively readable as it is timely. -The Washington Post Book World
  the vietnam war: A Vietnam War Reader Michael H. Hunt, 2010-02-15 An essential new resource for students and teachers of the Vietnam War, this concise collection of primary sources opens a valuable window on an extraordinarily complex conflict. The materials gathered here, from both the American and Vietnamese sides, remind readers that the conflict touched the lives of many people in a wide range of social and political situations and spanned a good deal more time than the decade of direct U.S. combat. Indeed, the U.S. war was but one phase in a string of conflicts that varied significantly in character and geography. Michael Hunt brings together the views of the conflict's disparate players--from Communist leaders, Vietnamese peasants, Saigon loyalists, and North Vietnamese soldiers to U.S. policymakers, soldiers, and critics of the war. By allowing the participants to speak, this volume encourages readers to formulate their own historically grounded understanding of a still controversial struggle.
  the vietnam war: The Vietnam War Andrew Mason, 2006 Learn how the war and its effects back home changed Americans' attitude toward combat and how the experinece caused changes in the United States.
  the vietnam war: Looking Back on the Vietnam War Brenda M. Boyle, Jeehyun Lim, 2016-06-17 More than forty years have passed since the official end of the Vietnam War, yet the war’s legacies endure. Its history and iconography still provide fodder for film and fiction, communities of war refugees have spawned a wide Vietnamese diaspora, and the United States military remains embroiled in unwinnable wars with eerie echoes of Vietnam. Looking Back on the Vietnam War brings together scholars from a broad variety of disciplines, who offer fresh insights on the war’s psychological, economic, artistic, political, and environmental impacts. Each essay examines a different facet of the war, from its representation in Marvel comic books to the experiences of Vietnamese soldiers exposed to Agent Orange. By putting these pieces together, the contributors assemble an expansive yet nuanced composite portrait of the war and its global legacies. Though they come from diverse scholarly backgrounds, ranging from anthropology to film studies, the contributors are united in their commitment to original research. Whether exploring rare archives or engaging in extensive interviews, they voice perspectives that have been excluded from standard historical accounts. Looking Back on the Vietnam War thus embarks on an interdisciplinary and international investigation to discover what we remember about the war, how we remember it, and why.
  the vietnam war: The Vietnam War in American Childhood Joel P. Rhodes, 2019 A sort of nebulous sad thing happening forever and ever : childhood socialization to the Vietnam War -- Why couldn't I fight in a nice, simpler war? : comic books and Mad magazine -- Who bombed Santa's workshop? : militarizing play with commercial war toys -- One of the most agonizing years of my life : knowing someone in Vietnam -- Mom tried to make it for us like he wasn't even gone : father separation and reunion -- God bless dad wherever you are : POW/MIA -- How come the flags around town aren't flying at half-mast? : Gold Star children -- Yes, I am My Lai, but My Lai is better than Viet Cong! : Vietnamese adoptees and Amerasians.
  the vietnam war: American Reckoning Christian G. Appy, 2016-01-05 Christian G. Appy explores how the Vietnam war was managed, reported, packaged, and consumed; the myths that were created; why decisions were made; who (if anyone) got left behind; America's accountability for atrocities and how the real 'Vietnam syndrome' has played out in popular culture and our foreign policy. He reports across newspaper accounts, TV coverage, Pentagon stats and position papers, memoirs, movies, novels, and more to create a completely fresh account of the meaning of the war, asking the hard questions.
  the vietnam war: Armed with Abundance Meredith H. Lair, 2011 Popular representations of the Vietnam War tend to emphasize violence, deprivation, and trauma. By contrast, in Armed with Abundance, Meredith Lair focuses on the noncombat experiences of U.S. soldiers in Vietnam, redrawing the landscape of the war
  the vietnam war: The Real History of the Vietnam War Alan Axelrod, 2013 Examines the history of Vietnam leading up to the war, investigates the reasons for the conflict, looks at the war's escalation and progression (or lack thereof), and explores its repercussions then and now--Provided by publisher.
  the vietnam war: Bloods Wallace Terry, 1985-07-12 A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK • The national bestseller that tells the truth about the Vietnam War from the black soldiers’ perspective. An oral history unlike any other, Bloods features twenty black men who tell the story of how members of their race were sent off to Vietnam in disproportionate numbers, and of the special test of patriotism they faced. Told in voices no reader will soon forget, Bloods is a must-read for anyone who wants to put the Vietnam experience in historical, cultural, and political perspective. Praise for Bloods “Superb . . . a portrait not just of warfare and warriors but of beleaguered patriotism and pride. The violence recalled in Bloods is chilling. . . . On most of its pages hope prevails. Some of these men have witnessed the very worst that people can inflict on one another. . . . Their experience finally transcends race; their dramatic monologues bear witness to humanity.”—Time “[Wallace] Terry’s oral history captures the very essence of war, at both its best and worst. . . . [He] has done a great service for all Americans with Bloods. Future historians will find his case studies extremely useful, and they will be hard pressed to ignore the role of blacks, as too often has been the case in past wars.”—The Washington Post Book World “Terry set out to write an oral history of American blacks who fought for their country in Vietnam, but he did better than that. He wrote a compelling portrait of Americans in combat, and used his words so that the reader—black or white—knows the soldiers as men and Americans, their race overshadowed by the larger humanity Terry conveys. . . . This is not light reading, but it is literature with the ring of truth that shows the reader worlds through the eyes of others. You can’t ask much more from a book than that.”—Associated Press “Bloods is a major contribution to the literature of this war. For the first time a book has detailed the inequities blacks faced at home and on the battlefield. Their war stories involve not only Vietnam, but Harlem, Watts, Washington D.C. and small-town America.”—Atlanta Journal-Constitution “I wish Bloods were longer, and I hope it makes the start of a comprehensive oral and analytic history of blacks in Vietnam. . . . They see their experiences as Americans, and as blacks who live in, but are sometimes at odds with, America. The results are sometimes stirring, sometimes appalling, but this three-tiered perspective heightens and shadows every tale.”—The Village Voice “Terry was in Vietnam from 1967 through 1969. . . . In this book he has backtracked, Studs Terkel–like, and found twenty black veterans of the Vietnam War and let them spill their guts. And they do; oh, how they do. The language is raw, naked, a brick through a window on a still night. At the height of tension a sweet story, a soft story, drops into view. The veterans talk about fighting two wars: Vietnam and racism. They talk about fighting alongside the Ku Klux Klan.”—The Boston Globe
  the vietnam war: Fighting the Vietnam War Brian Fitzgerald, 2006 Presents a look at the history of the Vietnam War, examining the reasons the United States became involved in the conflict, how the fighting was conducted. Includes real-life stories and photographs.
  the vietnam war: America, the Vietnam War, and the World Andreas W. Daum, Lloyd C. Gardner, Wilfried Mausbach, 2003-07-14 Publisher's description: This book presents new perspectives on the Vietnam War, its global repercussions, and the role of this war in modern history. The volume reveals 'America's War' as an international event that reverberated all over the world: in domestic settings of numerous nation-states, combatants and non-combatants alike, as well as in transnational relations and alliance systems. The volume thereby covers a wide geographical range-from Berkeley and Berlin to Cambodia and Canberra. The essays address political, military, and diplomatic issues no less than cultural and intellectual consequences of 'Vietnam'. The authors also set the Vietnam War in comparison to other major conflicts in world history; they cover over three centuries, and develop general insights into the tragedies and trajectories of military conflicts as phenomena of modern societies in general. For the first time, 'America's War' is thus depicted as a truly global event whose origins and characteristics deserve an interdisciplinary treatment.
  the vietnam war: The Vietnam War David L. Anderson, 2005-04-16 This book is an examination of military, political, diplomatic, social, and economic issues of the Vietnam War. It adheres primarily to what historiographers term a liberal-realist critique of the US war, an approach which contends that policy makers magnified the strategic importance of Southeast Asia and underestimated the strength of the Vietnamese communist movement. --pref.
  the vietnam war: Ending the Vietnam War Henry Kissinger, 2003-02-11 Now, for the first time, Kissinger gives us in a single volume an in-depth, inside view of the Vietnam War, personally collected, annotated, revised, and updated from his bestselling memoirs and his book Diplomacy. Many other authors have written about what they thought happened—or thought should have happened—in Vietnam, but it was Henry Kissinger who was there at the epicenter, involved in every decision from the long, frustrating negotiations with the North Vietnamese delegation to America's eventual extrication from the war. Here, Kissinger writes with firm, precise knowledge, supported by meticulous documentation that includes his own memoranda to and replies from President Nixon. He tells about the tragedy of Cambodia, the collateral negotiations with the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China, the disagreements within the Nixon and Ford administrations, the details of all negotiations in which he was involved, the domestic unrest and protest in the States, and the day-to-day military to diplomatic realities of the war as it reached the White House. As compelling and exciting as Barbara Tuchman's The Guns of August, Ending the Vietnam War also reveals insights about the bigger-than-life personalities—Johnson, Nixon, de Gaulle, Ho Chi Minh, Brezhnev—who were caught up in a war that forever changed international relations. This is history on a grand scale, and a book of overwhelming importance to the public record.
  the vietnam war: The Hidden History of the Vietnam War John Prados, 1995 Focusing on key strategies, crucial issues, battle actions, and personalities in the Vietnam conflict, John Prados draws from a broad range of evidence to illuminate the high points of the war and puncture its popular and enduring mythologies. A model of lucid writing and fair judgment which tells us things we need to know.--Thomas Powers. A sophisticated, eye-opening text that anyone interested in the disputes surrounding the war should read.--Peter R. Farber, War in History. Thought-provoking, enlightening...a fascinating book.--James C. Ruehrmund, Jr., Richmond Times-Dispatch.
  the vietnam war: Twenty Years and Twenty Days Cao Kỳ Nguyễn, 1976 This book tells how and why America lost its first war against China and the Soviet Union.
  the vietnam war: Vietnam Joe Allen, 2008 As the United States now faces a major defeat in its occupation of Iraq, the history of the Vietnam War, as a historic blunder for US military forces abroad, and the true story of how it was stopped, take on a fresh importance. Unlike most books on the topic, constructed as specialized academic studies, The (Last) War the United States Lost examines the lessons of the Vietnam era with Joe Allen's eye of both a dedicated historian and an engaged participant in today's antiwar movement. Many damaging myths about the Vietnam era persist, including the accusations that antiwar activists routinely jeered and spat at returning soldiers or that the war finally ended because Congress cut off its funding. Writing in a clear and accessible style, Allen reclaims the stories of the courageous GI revolt; its dynamic relationship with the civil rights movement and the peace movement; the development of coffee houses where these groups came to speak out, debate, and organize; and the struggles waged throughout barracks, bases, and military prisons to challenge the rule of military command. Allen's analysis of the US failure in Vietnam is also the story of the hubris of US imperial overreach, a new chapter of which is unfolding in the Middle East today. Joe Allen is a regular contributor to the International Socialist Review and a longstanding social justice fighter, involved in the ongoing struggles for labor, the abolition of the death penalty, and to free the political prisoner Gary Tyler.
  the vietnam war: The Vietnam War Bernard C. Nalty, 1998
  the vietnam war: South Vietnamese Soldiers Nathalie Huynh Chau Nguyen, 2016-03-21 Published on the 40th anniversary of the end of the war in Vietnam, this book brings to life the experiences and memories of South Vietnamese soldiers-the forgotten combatants of this controversial conflict. South Vietnam lost more than a quarter of a million soldiers in the Vietnam War, yet the histories of these men-and women-are largely absent from the vast historiography of the conflict. By focusing on oral histories related by 40 veterans from the former Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces, this book breaks new ground, shedding light on an essentially unexplored aspect of the war and giving voice to those who have been voiceless. The experiences of these former soldiers are examined through detailed firsthand accounts that feature two generations and all branches of the service, including the Women's Armed Forces Corps. Readers will gain insight into the soldiers' early lives, their military service, combat experiences, and friendships forged in wartime. They will also see how life became worse for most in the aftermath of the war as they experienced internment in communist prison camps, discrimination against their families on political grounds, and the dangers inherent in escaping Vietnam, whether by sea or land. Finally, readers will learn how veterans who saw no choice but to leave their homeland succeeded in rebuilding their lives in new countries and cultures.
  the vietnam war: The Tragedy of the Vietnam War Van Nguyen Duong, 2014-07-15 What Americans call the Vietnam War actually began in December 1946 with a struggle between the communists and the French for possession of the country--but Vietnam's strategic position in southeast Asia inevitably led to the involvement of other countries. Written by an officer in the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces, this poignant memoir seeks to clarify the nuances of South Vietnam's defeat. From the age of 12, Van Nguyen Duong watched as the conflict affected his home, family, village and friends. He discusses not only the day-to-day hardships of wartime but his postwar forced relocation and eventual imprisonment. A special focus is on the anguish caused by the illusive reality of Vietnamese independence. The political forces at work north and south, the hardships suffered by RVNAF soldiers after the 1975 U.S. withdrawal, and the effects of reunification on the Vietnamese people are discussed.
  the vietnam war: Dirty Little Secrets of the Vietnam War James F. Dunnigan, Albert A. Nofi, 2014-11-04 James F. Dunnigan and Albert A. Nofi's Dirty Little Secrets of the Vietnam War allows us to see what really happened to American forces in Southeast Asia, separating popular myth from explosive reality in a clear, concise manner. Containing more than two hundred examinations of different aspects of the war, the book questions why the American military ignored the lessons taught by previous encounters with insurgency forces; probes the use of group think and mind control by the North Vietnamese; and explores the role technology played in shaping the way the war was fought. Of course, the book also reveals the dirty little secrets, the truth behind such aspects of the conflict as the rise of the Montagnard mercenaries--the most feared group of soldiers participating in the secret war in Laos-and the details of the hidden struggle for the Ho Chi Minh Trail. With its unique and perceptive examination of the conflict, Dirty Little Secrets of the Vietnam War by James F. Dunnigan & Albert A. Nofi offers a critical addition to the library of Vietnam War history.
  the vietnam war: A Short History of the Vietnam War DK, 2021-05-04 A gripping and informative visual guide to one of the bloodiest conflicts in US and world history Journey through the Vietnam War; exploring detailed accounts of the men and women that were there. Explore their stories of struggle, sacrifice, and bravery through the iconic events that defined this conflict. This visual guide is the perfect read for any military history enthusiast. Inside the pages of this retelling of America's bloodiest conflict, you'll discover: - A vivid, moving, and informative read, written in an engaging style - Offers a clear and compelling account of the conflict, in short, self-contained events from the Battle of Ia Drang to the Tet Offensive and The Khmer Rouge Biography spreads highlight major military and political figures - Features on everyday life in the war offering additional context - Stunning image spreads display weapons, spy gear, and other equipment that defined the war - Maps and feature boxes provide additional information on major events during the conflict A carefully constructed, in-depth guide to Vietnam This definitive history of the Vietnam War was written in conjunction with the Smithsonian. SI A Short History of the Vietnam War showcases every aspect of the fighting and the wider political landscape from both the side of the Viet Cong and the US military. Compelling text, diagrams, and maps show exactly how decisive moments and battles unfolded to help the reader to visualize the conflict. Eyewitness accounts and iconic photographs bring events to life - from the creation of the Ho Chi Minh Trail to Operation Passage to Freedom and the evacuation of the US embassy in Saigon. From weapons and aircraft to armored vehicles and spy gear, explore the machinery used in the war through breathtaking photography. Lastly, biographical entries give a fuller insight into the minds of key figures and the decisions they made and include Henry Kissinger, President Nixon, Pol Pot, and more. More in the series Combining expert historical insight, eyewitness accounts, and archive photography, A Short History series seeks to summarise key historical events and provide a wider context to what was happening around these events. Titles include SI A Short History of World War II, SI A Short History of the American Civil War, and SI A Short History of Flying and are the perfect addition to any history enthusiast's library.
  the vietnam war: A Time for Peace Robert D. Schulzinger, 2006-08-15 The Vietnam War left wounds that have taken three decades to heal--indeed some scars remain even today. In A Time for Peace, prominent American historian Robert D. Schulzinger sheds light on how deeply etched memories of this devastating conflict have altered America's political, social, and cultural landscape. Schulzinger examines the impact of the war from many angles. He traces the long, twisted, and painful path of reconciliation with Vietnam, the heated controversy over soldiers who were missing in action, the influx of over a million Vietnam refugees into the US, and the plight of Vietnam veterans, many of whom returned home alienated, unhappy, and unappreciated. Schulzinger looks at how the controversies of the war have continued to be fought in books and films and, perhaps most important, he explores the power of the Vietnam metaphor on foreign policy, particularly in Central America, Somalia, the Gulf War, and the war in Iraq. Using a vast array of sources, A Time for Peace provides an illuminating account of a war that still looms large in the American imagination.
  the vietnam war: The Vietnam War James Edward Westheider, 2007-09-30 The Vietnam War was different from most previous U.S. wars of the twentieth century. It was an undeclared and limited war. The draft to supply the soldiers and serious problems in the Selective Service system meant that the burden of the war was carried disproportionately by minorities and working class whites, many of whom did not want to serve. While many Americans saw service in Vietnam as their patriotic duty, others opposed the war. This is the story of the men and women who served in that war, whether overseas in active combat or in support roles in Viet Nam and stateside.
  the vietnam war: Soldiers in Revolt David Cortright, 1975-01-01 Examines the evidence of increasing discontent within the U.S. armed services during the Vietnam War, discusses what has happened to the military establishment since the war's end, and proposes still further changes to bring the military in line with modern society.
  the vietnam war: Hanoi's War Lien-Hang T. Nguyen, 2012 While most historians of the Vietnam War focus on the origins of U.S. involvement and the Americanization of the conflict, Lien-Hang T. Nguyen examines the international context in which North Vietnamese leaders pursued the war and American intervention ended. This riveting narrative takes the reader from the marshy swamps of the Mekong Delta to the bomb-saturated Red River Delta, from the corridors of power in Hanoi and Saigon to the Nixon White House, and from the peace negotiations in Paris to high-level meetings in Beijing and Moscow, all to reveal that peace never had a chance in Vietnam. Hanoi's War renders transparent the internal workings of America's most elusive enemy during the Cold War and shows that the war fought during the peace negotiations was bloodier and much more wide ranging than it had been previously. Using never-before-seen archival materials from the Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as materials from other archives around the world, Nguyen explores the politics of war-making and peace-making not only from the North Vietnamese perspective but also from that of South Vietnam, the Soviet Union, China, and the United States, presenting a uniquely international portrait.
  the vietnam war: The Vietnam War: History in an Hour Neil Smith, 2012-04-05 Love history? Know your stuff with History in an Hour.
  the vietnam war: The Vietnam War: Vietnamese and American Perspectives Jayne Werner, Luu Doan Huynh, 2015-02-18 This volume derives from an unprecedented seminar held at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs in November 1990. At the seminar, leading Western diplomatic and military historians and Vietnam scholars met with prominent Vietnamese Communists to reflect on the Vietnam War. The book contains four parts: The Vietnamese Revolution and Political/Military strategy; the war from the American side; the war in the South and Cambodia; and retrospective and postwar issues. In addition to Jane Werner and Luu Doan Huynh, the contributors are Mark Bradley, William Duiker, David Elliott, Christine White, George Vickers, James Harrison, George Herring, Ronald Spector, Paul Joseph, Jeffrey Clarke, Ngo Vinh Long, Benedict Kiernan, Marilyn Young, Keith Taylor, and Tran Van Tra. General Tra was Commander of the People's Liberation Armed Forces of South Vietnam from 1963 to 1975. His eye-opening analysis of the Tet Offensive has never before been available in English.
Vietnam War - Wikipedia
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 [A 1] – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and …

Vietnam War | Facts, Summary, Years, Timeline, Casualties ...
4 days ago · The Vietnam War (1954–75) was a conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam and its allies in South Vietnam, the Viet Cong, against South Vietnam and its …

The Vietnam War: Facts & Info About the Most Controversial US ...
In 1973 a “third” Vietnam war began—a continuation, actually—between North and South Vietnam but without significant U.S. involvement. It ended with communist victory in April 1975. The …

The Vietnam War: An Overview - The Wars for Viet Nam | The ...
America's war in Vietnam ended over four decades ago, yet a number of significant and important questions remain unanswered: Why did America intervene in Vietnam? Was the conflict a civil …

Vietnam War Timeline - HISTORY
Sep 13, 2017 · See the Vietnam War unfold through the gripping firsthand accounts of 13 brave men and women forever changed by their experiences.

The Vietnam War [ushistory.org]
The Vietnam War was the second-longest war in United States history, after the war in Afghanistan. Promises and commitments to the people and government of South Vietnam to …

Vietnam War – A Timeline with Facts & Dates - Vietnam Retreat
The Vietnam War, spanning over two decades from the 1940s to the 1970s, was a complex and highly consequential conflict that emerged from Vietnam’s struggle for independence from …

The Vietnam War - The Vietnam War - National 5 History ... - BBC
The USA became involved in Vietnam because it feared the spread of communism. The USA were unable to defeat the Vietcong and were met with growing opposition to the war back …

A Brief History of the Vietnam War: Combatants, Casualties ...
The Vietnam War was a 19-year conflict involving Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. Other allies later joined the war. It was fought from early November 1955 to the end of April 1975. As the …

What were the causes and consequences of the Vietnam War?
For the United States, the fiercest fighting lasted between 1965-1973. But America's involvement stretched back decades. For Vietnam, the war — often referred to as the Second Indochina …

Vietnam War - Wikipedia
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 [A 1] – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and …

Vietnam War | Facts, Summary, Years, Timeline, Casualties ...
4 days ago · The Vietnam War (1954–75) was a conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam and its allies in South Vietnam, the Viet Cong, against South Vietnam and its …

The Vietnam War: Facts & Info About the Most Controversial US ...
In 1973 a “third” Vietnam war began—a continuation, actually—between North and South Vietnam but without significant U.S. involvement. It ended with communist victory in April 1975. The …

The Vietnam War: An Overview - The Wars for Viet Nam | The ...
America's war in Vietnam ended over four decades ago, yet a number of significant and important questions remain unanswered: Why did America intervene in Vietnam? Was the conflict a civil …

Vietnam War Timeline - HISTORY
Sep 13, 2017 · See the Vietnam War unfold through the gripping firsthand accounts of 13 brave men and women forever changed by their experiences.

The Vietnam War [ushistory.org]
The Vietnam War was the second-longest war in United States history, after the war in Afghanistan. Promises and commitments to the people and government of South Vietnam to …

Vietnam War – A Timeline with Facts & Dates - Vietnam Retreat
The Vietnam War, spanning over two decades from the 1940s to the 1970s, was a complex and highly consequential conflict that emerged from Vietnam’s struggle for independence from …

The Vietnam War - The Vietnam War - National 5 History ... - BBC
The USA became involved in Vietnam because it feared the spread of communism. The USA were unable to defeat the Vietcong and were met with growing opposition to the war back …

A Brief History of the Vietnam War: Combatants, Casualties ...
The Vietnam War was a 19-year conflict involving Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. Other allies later joined the war. It was fought from early November 1955 to the end of April 1975. As the second …

What were the causes and consequences of the Vietnam War?
For the United States, the fiercest fighting lasted between 1965-1973. But America's involvement stretched back decades. For Vietnam, the war — often referred to as the Second Indochina …