Throughout history, political ideologies have created wars that have forced countries to take a side in the fight for what they believe is politically correct. American intervention on behalf of Southern Vietnam and the French was no exception. Although American intervention may have had the best intentions, their involvement in Vietnam created one of the most controversial conflicts in modern history. With the defeat of Soviet Russia in the cold war, the defeat of Hitler in World War II era, fears of communist expansion wrecked havoc on the United States administration. President Harry Truman started the initiative to contain communism and three presidents later, the war on communism was still ravaging the globe with Vietnam at it 's
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180). In addition to the monetary cost, there were hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese lives lost and thousands of American soldiers. The conflict took a toll on all sides. SDS, the Students for a Democratic Society, heavily protested the draft and the war. Making a great point of “What kind of America is it whose response to poverty and oppression in South Vietnam is napalm and defoliation? (Isserman & Kazin, p. 164)” Opinions and animosity ran high, protests, sit-ins and outright civil disobedience became a daily occurrence. The American population may not have been fully informed on the situation and depending on who you asked, it was either a “right” or a “wrong” perception of the conflict and American …show more content…
72).” The British were appalled at such actions, and other European allies were extremely critical of American involvement. Support from Australia and South Korea was minimal and it was left mainly an American endeavor. Some would argue that Vietnamese Independence from the French was reminiscent of our own American Revolution, and that we had no right to impede the Vietnamese obtaining their freedom. After all, American 's themselves fought for the rights to be free from an oppressive Monarchy for some of the same reasons as the Vietnamese
180). In addition to the monetary cost, there were hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese lives lost and thousands of American soldiers. The conflict took a toll on all sides. SDS, the Students for a Democratic Society, heavily protested the draft and the war. Making a great point of “What kind of America is it whose response to poverty and oppression in South Vietnam is napalm and defoliation? (Isserman & Kazin, p. 164)” Opinions and animosity ran high, protests, sit-ins and outright civil disobedience became a daily occurrence. The American population may not have been fully informed on the situation and depending on who you asked, it was either a “right” or a “wrong” perception of the conflict and American …show more content…
72).” The British were appalled at such actions, and other European allies were extremely critical of American involvement. Support from Australia and South Korea was minimal and it was left mainly an American endeavor. Some would argue that Vietnamese Independence from the French was reminiscent of our own American Revolution, and that we had no right to impede the Vietnamese obtaining their freedom. After all, American 's themselves fought for the rights to be free from an oppressive Monarchy for some of the same reasons as the Vietnamese