Economic Impact of the Vietnam War Essay

Vietnam War

A Short Analysis of the Economic Impacts of a War that Changed a Generation

The Vietnam War is a very recent conflict. It is remembered not just by grandparents, like World War Two, but many still have living parents who recall with horror the ordeals of this war upon this country, many of which were emotionally exhausting, as well as financially and economically depleting. Many individuals, especially veterans, do not like to discuss the war, for it was not only an embarrassment for this country, but also a painful ordeal through which to live, as countless numbers of young Americans died. This, then, is where the emotional part comes in; the Vietnam War pictures alone, many of the award-winning, for instance, show the horrors of the war firsthand, and are often difficult to look at. One could say, however, that this is the price of war.

He would be wrong. This particular war changed a generation and urged a short period of peace upon this country because of its victims, whether they were soldiers laying in the fields in a faraway jungle, or a family starving in the aftermath of a war that left many shell shocked emotionally and thereby unable to provide for their families upon their return.This paper will thus discuss the consequences of an unnecessary war, and will focus specifically on the economic standpoint before, during and after this conflict.

The United States truly entered the Vietnam 'situation' in the late 1940's, when it began providing aid to the Vietnamese. According to historical data, "Between 1945 and 1954, the Vietnamese waged an anti-colonial war against France and received $2.6 billion in financial support from the United States." (Digital History, 2012) Further according to this source, the French were defeated at Dien Bien Phu, mainly due to this aid from the U.S., and this ensured independence for the former colony. Yet any hope for peace was short-lived, as Vietnam became temporarily divided between an anti-Communist South and a Communist North. By the mid-1950's, however, the South of the country, due to continued American aid and military backing, refused to give in to the Communist north and hold elections. It was then that the South Vietnamese began to battle the North, known as the Viet Cong. Due to this situation, the U.S. sent in both military advisers and troops. (Digital History, 2012)

It is interesting to note this 'before' period of the true conflict that so deeply immersed the United States. For a country that had just.....