Reactions to Vietnam, 1964-75 Flashcards
Why was there a growth in anti-war feeling?
- Student movement
- Media coverage
Why was there a growth in student anti-war organisations?
Initial approval for the war declined as US involvement escalated over time
Why was the Vietnam conflict seen as a ‘media war’?
- Media coverage was important to public perceptions of the conflict
- E.g. anti-war protests
What made the Vietnam War different to others?
First conflict where reporters travelled with troops
Why did media coverage changed American views on government?
- Believed reporters were more honest than politicians
- Felt Government were misrepresenting progression of war
How did the draft system work?
- Forced men aged 18-25 to serve in military
How was the draft system replaced?
- Lottery system
How did the lottery system work?
Men born between 1944-50 were issued a number and called up at random
When did the draft system start?
1966
When did the lottery system start?
1969
What was the impact of drafting for opposition?
- Widespread criticism about unfairness
- Some men burned their draft card/refused to join
Why was the draft system unfair?
- Poorest were hardest hit
- Wealthy men avoided it by going to college or studying abroad
Why did fear of communism create support for the Vietnam War?
- 1954 - Fear of communism spreading other countries (SE Asia) (Eisenhower’s Domino Theory)
- President Kennedy, in his first speech argued that US security was threatened as result of the domino effect
Why did Patriotism create support for the Vietnam War?
- Americans concerned about US’s status of superpower
- Did not want Vietnam to contribute to the US’s ‘losing face’
- Belief of accepting government authority & doing the utmost to support it
- E.g. fighting communism in Vietnam was their patriotic obligation
Where did the majority of patriotic support come from?
Working-class
