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How did the Vietnam War

lead to radicalization in
1960s America?

Why did the US get stuck in


Vietnam?
Hard to tell friend from
enemy; Vietcong were
farmers by day, soldiers by
night
Patient, willing to accept
many casualties
US misunderstood the resolve of the Viet Minh and Viet
Cong
US unable to recognize that this was first and foremost a
NATIONALIST war (NOT a war for communism)

Cuchi Tunnels show revolve of Vietnamese to survive

Declining Public Opinion


TET OFFENSIVE 1967:
Surprise coordinated attack on S.
Vietnam
Impact: Anger, disbelief,
disillusionment toward LBJ admin,
who had indicated that the war was
going well for the US

Living Room War


Body counts on television every night
Footage of the aftermath of
the My Lai Massacre

My Lai Massacre

Anti-War Demonstrations
Columbia University
1967

LBJ decides not to


run for reelection in
1968
Hey, hey LBJ, how many kids
did you kill today?

During student
protests at
Kent State
University, 4
students are
shot dead; at
Jackson State,
2 are killed

Nixon and Vietnamization 19681974


Runs on promise of secret plan to end the war
Vietnamization - transition to aerial war
Actually expands the war secret bombing of
Cambodia
Pentagon Papers leak leads to further public
cynicism
Former defense analyst Daniel Ellsberg

leaked govt. docs. regarding US role in


Vietnam to the New York Times.
Indicated that govt misled Congress and the
public re. intentions during the 50s and 60s

How does the war finally end?


Ceasefire b/w North and South
Vietnam 1973
Peace treaty signed in 1975
US removed all troops by 1973
N. Vietnam could leave troops
already in SV
N. Vietnam promises not to
attack S. Vietnam
War is resumed within two years
N. Vietnam conquers S. Vietnam
in 1975 uniting under a
communist party

If we have to fight, we will fight. You will kill ten


of our men and we will kill one of yours, and in
the end it will be you who tires of it.
- Ho Chi Minh
The unyielding determination of the enemy...
wore down the American commitment which
proved to be far less resolute.
- Historian James Paterson

Legacy of the Vietnam War


Provoked deep cynicism toward government and
efforts to check the powers of government
War Powers Act: president must notify Congress
within 48 hours of sending soldiers overseas to
gain
approval (w/in 60 days)
Large numbers of Vietnam vets with psychological
issues, ie. PTSD and health issues, ie. cancer clusters

RADICALIZATION
1968: A Year of
Turmoil
Tet Offensive
MLK, Jr.
Assassination
RFK Assassination
Violence at the
Democratic National
Convention (Chicago)

RADICALIZATION
STUDENT MOVEMENTS LEAD TO THE NEW LEFT
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) called for a
participatory democracy
- Led the Free Speech Movement on college campuses,
demanding the right to express political ideas on
campus
- protest racism, the military industrial complex, Vietnam,
the draft
A generational culture emerged: disillusionment by the
Vietnam War, the assassinations, and with Cold War
culture generally
Created a culture that ran counter to dominant values;
rejected materialism and violence and embraced
experimentation and expression

The Counterculture/The New Left


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