What was the major political consequence of the Vietnam War?

Answer 1

What was a major political consequence of the Vietnam War

Answer 2

In the United States, a generation of Americans struggled to absorb the lessons of military intervention without clear motives or objectives. As General Maxwell Taylor, one of the principal architects of the war noted, "First, we didn't know ourselves. We thought that we were going into another Korean war, but this was a different country. Secondly, we did not know our South Vietnamese allies … And we knew less about North Vietnam. Who was Ho Chi Minh? Nobody really knew. Therefore, until we know our enemy and our allies and know ourselves, we had better keep out of this kind of dirty business. It is very dangerous."

As the number of troops in Vietnam increased, the financial burden of the war grew. One of the rarely mentioned consequences of the war was the budget cuts to President Johnson's Great Society programs. As defense spending and inflation grew, Johnson was forced to raise taxes. The Republicans, however, refused to vote for the increases unless a $6 billion cut was made to the administration's social programs.

Almost 3 million Americans served in Vietnam. Between 1965 and 1973, the United States spent $120 billion on the war. This resulted in a large federal budget deficit. The war demonstrated that no power, not even a superpower, has unlimited strength and resources. However, perhaps most significantly, the Vietnam War illustrated that political will, as much as material might, is a decisive factor in the outcome of conflicts.

Another political & social outcome of the War in Vietnam was that the draft was soon on its way out of the "American way". This indeed was a drastic change in US society.

Another political & social aspect of the end results of this war was that due to the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, the President was in fact allowed to conduct a war without declaring one. The War Powers Act was deemed to be constitutional by the US Supreme Court. Each party not in power sometimes seeks to change this law, but it has not been changed. A serious outcome was the invasion of Iraq. It was done via the War Powers Act and Congress funded this war.

Finally, but certainly not all inclusive, the US Military image was now seen in many quarters in a bad light. Many Vietnam War Vets believed they were ostracized for their participation in the war.

As an aside, the United States began its involvement in South Vietnam, when President Kennedy began sending in military advisers to the South Vietnamese government.

And it was no secret that the Coup' there was accomplished with the knowledge of the White House. Because of this, the US government has been walking on eggs when the participation in foreign rebellions is discussed. Therefore this also may be considered an outcome of this war. It however, does not mean the US government has stopped this type of activity, but this war certainly has given the US more caution flags when contemplating a foreign intervention.

Answer 3

Aftermath of Vietnam WarThe Vietnam War cost American taxpayers about $150 billion. Over 2 million men and women served during the war and about 58,000 were killed as a result of the war. Many soldiers came home disabled for life, some lost limbs and others were poisoned by chemicals like Agent Orange. Others returned from the war addicted to drugs and many suffered mental problems as a result of their participation in the war. Veterans of Vietnam were often ignored, shunned, and even discriminated against by the public and their government, until recently. Both hawk and dove politicians did not vote money for governmental programs that would help the vets. A memorial to the Vietnam vets was not erected until 1982, almost ten years after the war ended. Many considered the Vietnam War a loss for American prestige and influence in the world. Many people became disenchanted with a civilian government that interfered with the military operations of the war. Future presidents would learn the lessons from the Veitnam War. The anti-war demonstrations against the war seemed to cause a rift between generations. In some, there was a definite loss in patriotic feeling for the United States. Many felt the government did not handle the situation wisely and even lied to the American public. The Vietnam War was a very costly war, socially, economically, and politically.

MrV

Coming out of Vietnam the country suffered financial loss. After President Johnson had spent so much on a war that many considered lost he offered up no way to pay for the war. In WWII America gained by increased productivity during war time and increased education in post war America. These elements were not present during Vietnam to help boost the American economy. America went into a recession and was effected by many other factors including crisis in the Middle East which increased the price of oil greatly.

Congress passed the the War Powers Act in 1973 in response to the Vietnam War in an effort to keep anything like it from happening again.

Answer 4

1. The first & only major communist victory on the battlefield during the cold war.

2. Todays 21st century jet fighter aircraft still retain guns (mostly 20mm cannons) thanks to the Vietnam War.

Answer 5

Adults are now 18 instead of 21. The draft was eliminated. $167 billion spent on the Vietnam war by Johnson. This was the only war the US ever lost. Because of this, people lost faith in their government, they felt insecure (America was always seen as invincible), and they shuned American soldiers who fought in this war.

Answer 6

Communist N. Vietnam won the war. So whatever political & social aspects are contained in "communism" that was the outcome.

Answer 7

the outcome was that the us helped the south vietnamese win the war and the north and south came together