History 2710
The Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was the longest military conflict in U.S. history. The hostilities in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia claimed the lives of more than 58,000 Americans. Another 304,000 were wounded. The Vietnam War was a military struggle fought in Vietnam from 1959 to 1975, involving the North Vietnamese and the National Liberation Front (NLF) in conflict with United States forces and the South Vietnamese army. From 1946 until 1954, the Vietnamese had struggled for their independence from France during the First Indochina War. At the end of this war, the country was temporarily divided into North and South Vietnam. North Vietnam came under the control of the Vietnamese Communists who had opposed France and who aimed for a unified Vietnam under Communist rule. The South was controlled by Vietnamese who had collaborated with the French. In 1965 the United States sent in troops to prevent the South Vietnamese government from collapsing. Ultimately, however, the United States failed to achieve its goal, and in 1975 Vietnam was reunified under Communist control; in 1976 it officially became the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. During the conflict, approximately 3 to 4 million Vietnamese on both sides were killed, in addition to another 1.5 to 2 million Lao and Cambodians who were drawn into the war.
 

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Discussion Topics:

  1. How were "organized human beings" able to defeat "organized modern technology"? Is it surprising to you that they did? Why or why not?
  2. What evidence and arguments does Zinn give to support his thesis the the U.S. involvement in Vietnam was not a response to the demands of the American (or even South Vietnamese) people? What is the relationship of U.S. government conduct of the Vietnam War to democracy?

Project #12: Viet Nam Generation: A Journal of Recent History and Contemporary Issues was founded in 1988 by Kalí Tal. It has been the journal of record in Sixties and Viet Nam war studies since its inception. Do to lack of funds and understaffing there have been no new issues of the journal produced since 1996. However the issues are on line  as part of The Sixties Project. Read an article, summarize and comment.