What was the price of the Vietnam war?

Answer 1

The real cost? For thousands of men, more than you would think. Hundreds of thousands of lives? The hope of ever coming home to see your wifes and children? Waking up in the middle of the night, still seeing that scene of your best friends and brothers being killed before your eyes? being drafted away from everything you know? The real cost, more than $113,000,000,000. So much more.

Answer 2

The Vietnam War had several effects on the U.S. economy. The government's military spending caused several problems. The Defense Department reported that an estimated $173 billion was spent on the war. Military expenditures, combined with domestic social spending, created budget deficits which fueled hyper-inflation. President Lyndon B. Johnson's decision to finance a major war and the Great Society simultaneously, without a significant increase in taxation, launched a runaway double-digit inflation and mounting federal debt that ravaged the American economy and eroded living standards from the late 1960s into the 1990s. This "Great Society" was the most ambitious set of reforms since the New Deal. Escalating by stealth in Vietnam, Johnson was able to have "guns and butter" without increasing taxes to pay for both projects. This irresponsible decision had a profound impact on the American economy. The escalation of the war, by fueling inflation, also increased food prices. Johnson finally asked Congress for a tax increase in 1968, but Congress insisted that the "surcharge" would be implemented only if Johnson cut $6 billion from domestic spending. Many Great Society programs were cut, and the tax increase slowed the U.S. economy. Anti-war sentiments and dissatisfaction with government further eroded consumer confidence whilst Interest rates rose, restricting the amount of capital available for businesses and consumers.

The requirements of the war effort also strained the nation's production capacities, leading to imbalances in industry. Factories that would have been producing consumer goods were being used to make items from the military, causing a deficit of consumer items, and a controversy over the government's handling of economic policy. The Vietnam War was an important factor in bringing down the American economy from the growth and affluence of the early 1960s to the economic crises of the 1970s. Even after the costly war was over, the US continued to send millions of dollars (that they could barely afford) in economic aid to South Vietnam. These funds were going overseas, which contributed to an imbalance of payments and a weak dollar, since no corresponding funds were returning to the country. Veteran's benefits and interest would add another $250 billion to the ever growing Federal budget deficit.

Answer 3

See: Vietnam War & Statistics about the Vietnam War

Answer 4

See website: Statistics about the Vietnam War

Answer 5

See: Vietnam War statistics

Answer 6

173 Billion dollars