Assess the impact of American involvement in Indochina on the United

States
The Indochina War had profound effects on the United States, ranging from a near
meltdown of the US military to the publics loss of confidence in its leaders.
At a military level, the wars impact was devastating. As the conflict dragged on, the
number of volunteers dried up, meaning conscripts had to be sent. Many of these were
reluctant soldiers at best, and reacted in unexpected ways. Some aligned themselves with
the anti-war movement, and openly displayed the symbols of the protestors. Others
turned to drugs as a means of escape. By 1971, it was estimated that 30 percent of all GIs
had tried or were using opium or heroin. A more worrying development was the
increasing incidence of fragging the killing of officers by their men, using
fragmentation grenades. In 1970, over 200 such attacks were reported. Such behaviour
was unprecedented in the US army.
The war also exposed the weakness in Americas military capability. Despite enjoying
overwhelming superiority in terms of manpower and weaponry, the US was unable to
defeat a peasant army. Nixon reacted by announcing the Guam Doctrine, under which
America promised to aid its allies but not to directly intervene. There would be no repeat
of Vietnam.
The wars social impact was immense. 58,000 Americans were killed, and another
153,000 seriously wounded. These people paid the ultimate price for Americas decision
to intervene.
The war also spawned the peace movement, hippy culture and the radicals. Protest
became an accepted form of political activity in the United States a far cry from the
1950s, when dissenters were silenced through fear of being branded as traitors or
communists. Increasing numbers of young people rejected the social values which had
got America into Vietnam militarism, consumerism and the notion that the nation had
the right to interfere in other parts of the world. Even middle class Americans turned
against the war, either because they were tired of sacrificing their blood and treasure to a
lost cause, or because they were sick of seeing images of death and destruction on their
television screens.
Finally, the war left many thousands of veterans with serious psychological or drug
problems. About a hundred thousand committed suicide in the years following their
return.
The economic impact of the war was also significant. The US government spent
US$136 billion on its ten year commitment, money which could have been spent
improving American schools and hospitals, or eradicating poverty Lyndon Johnsons so
called Great Society.
The war also fueled inflation, since Johnson was unwilling to raise taxes sufficiently to
finance the conflict. Some of it was paid for by printing money. This, in turn, destroyed
the international monetary system that had operated since World War II

Finally, the war had a profound political effect on America, dividing the country like
nothing else had. Many people lost faith in the government some because they were
angry the nation had been taken to war, others because they felt the politicians had not
done enough to secure victory.
This division also helped bring two presidents down. In Johnsons case, he had grown
tired of managing a war he could not win but could not afford to lose. In Nixons case, it
contributed to his decision to give the plumbers free reign to harass those opposing his
administration. When the presidents men were caught breaking into the Democratic
Party Headquarters in the Watergate Complex, it started a chain of events which would
end with Nixons resignation. Americans now became extremely distrustful of their
leaders, and stripped subsequent presidents of at least some of their executive power. It
took several decades before that trust was fully restored.
Hence it can be seen that the Indochina War had profound effects upon the United
States. Even so, these were nothing compared with the devastation perpetrated on the
people of Vietnam.