• One of the most brutal wars of the 19th century
  • It was a gorilla war “war that was not fought traditionally”
  • It was fought using hit and run tactics and traps
  • Also the first televised war.
  • South Vietnam civilian casualties- 195,000-450,000
  • North Vietnam and Vietcong civilian casualties 50,000-65,000
  • Both sides had 1,000,000 + military casualties
  • War lasted officially 19 years (1955-1975)
  • Because this war was televised and at this time many people had televisions they experienced the horror of actual war
  • This had a lasting effect on society at that time now that everyone could see what really happens during war.
  • Now that teenagers could see the realities of war they decided to protest it instead of joining the war effort.
  • The movement against the involvement of the United States in the Vietnam War began in the U.S. with demonstrations in 1964 and grew in strength in later years. The U.S. became polarized between those who advocated continued involvement in Vietnam and those who wanted peace.
  • Many in the peace movement were students, mothers, or anti-establishment hippies. Opposition grew with participation by the African-American civil rights workers. Additional involvement came from many other groups, including educators, clergy, academics, journalists, lawyers, physicians, civil Rights Movement leaders and military veterans.
  • American opposition to the Vietnam War fell into several main categories: opposition to the draft; moral, legal, and pragmatic arguments against U.S. intervention; and reaction to the media portrayal of the devastation in Southeast Asia.