Economic And Human Costs Of The War For The USA Flashcards
What two ways did Vietnam War have a significant cost for the USA?
Financially and in terms of human lives
What was the financial cost of the war?
. Amount spent on it
. The fact that the money could not be spent on solving domestic issues such as improving lives of poorblack Americans in inner-city ghettos
What was ‘the Great Society’?
Johnson’s plans for new benefits and projects to improve the lives of the poorest Americans
Why did ‘The Great Society’ lose out on funding?
Johnson’s administration used the money to pay for the war
How did the war have a negative impact on the way Americans viewed themselves?
They had lost a war to a less industrialised and wealthy country and felt ashamed of their actions during the war
What did the war contribute to in terms of people?
The growing lack of trust between Americans and their government, military and police
How much did the war cost?
$167 billion
How many deaths in Vietnam war?
58,220
How many Vietnam survivors got severe psychological problems?
850,000
How msny US Vietnam fighters wounded?
, 75,00 of them severely disabled
How did the extreme reactions to the war sharply divide US society?
Not only were Americans less trusting of their government, but they were also less trusting of each other
How did the war have a significant impact on returning soldiers?
Many of those who fought in Vietnam remember the welcome for returning soldiers in 1945 for WW2, but many of those returning from Vietnam had a very different reception
How were retunring soldiers treated?
Many returned when opposition to war was high and the soldiers faced: hostility, beaten up, spat on, accused of killing innocent people and were discriminated against when looking fot work
Why was it a problem that very few soldiers were given free counselling?
It was a time where there was little understanding, or acceptance, of post-traumatic shock in the military or the government
What was the suicide rate of veterans compared to normal men?
Was twice that of men of a similar age who hadn’t fought in the war
What are numbers of veteran suicides?
Impossible to find exact number but estimated from thousands to hundreds of thousands
What did the Vietnam have a significant impact on US government’s relationship with?
Its own people and also the world
Why did the US government feel it had lost face abroad?
US had entered the war to keep Vietnam free from communism, but by the end of 1975, all of Vietnam was communist
What did the gradual cooling off of the Cold war lead many politicians to believe?
That the USA should be more cautious in getting involved in conflicts in other countries
How did views abroad of USA change from 1954 to 1975?
1954: viewed as a respected country due to government, wealth and unity of people
1975: anything but united. Government actions over civil rights and the vietnam war made the government less respected
