Free Paper Sample on Vietnam War

Introduction

By mid-1967, both Americans and Vietnamese felt that the war in South Vietnam had stalemated. For Vietnamese leaders in Hanoi, a decisive victory was the only way to break the stalemate. They thought that a victory would force Americans to enter into negotiations and compel them to withdraw. Besides, such a victory would lead to true Vietnamese independence. In the worst-case scenario, they thought that a successful attack would stop bombing and guerilla attacks in the North. These aspirations led to the Tet Offensive, which became a major turning point in the Vietnam War. The leaders selected the Tet holiday to carry out the attack. Traditionally, the holiday was considered to be a time of truce since the citizens would be traveling to celebrate with their relatives. The celebrations also acted as a cover for the South Vietnamese National Liberation Forces (NLF).

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The first phase of the attack began on the 30th and 31st of January 1968. The NLF forces attacked several targets, particularly areas with a huge presence of U.S. troops. Attacks were also carried out in major cities, and even the outer walls of the American embassy were breached. The second phase of attack targeting smaller cities and towns began on the 4th of March and dragged on till June. A third phase that lasted for six weeks was launched in August. In the following months, South Vietnamese and American forces successfully recaptured towns that the NLF had secured. However, they incurred heavy civilian and military casualties, a factor that changed the course of the war. In a big way, Tet Offensive weakened support for the war in the U.S., led to the cessation of bombing, and contributed to the initiation of peace talks, as will be discussed in this paper.

Loss of Support for the Vietnam War

Since the U.S. sent its troops in Vietnam to fight communism in 1965, millions of Americans did not know what to make of the war. Besides, they thought that owing to the country’s military might, the war would be won in a short time. However, as it dragged on, resistance began at home. Tet Offensive gave more life to the resistance, and protests intensified. Throughout the war, the Johnson Administration had argued that the NLF troops had been increasingly weakened. However, the attack on major cities and the embassy proved that they were not as weak as purported, a factor that had a huge psychological impact. While the response by the American and South Vietnamese forces almost eliminated the NLF troops, the huge casualties weakened domestic support for the war. Moreover, due to the rise in consumption of the television, millions of Americans watched the destruction that the war had caused. Besides, the government could no longer present the war as clean and simple. Americans also felt that an overall victory would not be achieved imminently, further weakening support for the country’s involvement in Vietnam.

De-escalation

The aftermath of the Tet Offensive also supported discussions on de-escalation. While the objective of the U.S. before the Tet Offensive was to win the war, the country’s target shifted to a face-saving mission after the event. Resultantly, President Johnson announced that no bombing would occur above the 20th parallel. He also placed a limit on the number of U.S. troops in South Vietnam. The event was also a huge political disaster for Johnson. It overshadowed the successes of his domestic policies and contributed to his decision not to seek reelection. A halt of bombing in the entire of Vietnam was declared on the last day of October after intelligence indicated that North Vietnam was ready to get into negotiations for peace.

Peace Talks

Following de-escalation, Johnson attempted to establish parameters for peace talks. However, it took several years for the talks to begin. During his televised address on the 31st of March, Johnson declared that the U.S. would send representatives to any forum planned to negotiate the end of the war. Three days later, leaders in Hanoi announced that they were prepared to talk with the Americans. Discussions began in Paris on the 13th of May but collapsed shortly. Hanoi held that the U.S. had to stop all bombings before serious negotiations could start. After several weeks of fighting, Johnson ordered a cessation of bombing towards the end of October. Unfortunately, the halt ushered in a period of bickering between the U.S. and South Vietnam over terms and procedures to be used in the talks. While peace talks started in earnest during Nixon’s presidency, the role played by the Tet Offensive cannot be overlooked.

Conclusion

As shown in the paper, the Tet Offensive played a huge role in shaping the course of the Vietnam War. First, it revealed to the Americans the real dynamics of the war leading to increased resistance at home. Secondly, the huge casualties suffered in the assault, as well as the increasing protests at home, forced Johnson to seek ways to de-escalate the war. Finally, the assault set the stage for peace talks, which were finalized during Nixon’s presidency.

Bibliography

Achenbach, Joel. "Did the news media, led by Walter Cronkite, lose the war in Vietnam?" The Washington post, 2018.

Dinh, Trinh Thi. "The Impact of Tet 1968 Offensive on Re-shaping US War Strategy: A Viiew from the Other Side's Generals and Researchers." Hue University Journal of Science: Social Sciences and Humanities 127, no. 6B (2018): 29-37.

Moise, Edwin E. The Myths of Tet: The Most Misunderstood Event of the Vietnam War. University Press of Kansas, 2017.

Sawyer, Colin A. "The Tet Offensive: Are We Mired in a Stalemate?" Grand Valley Journal of History 5, no. 1 (2018): 3.

Thayer, Carlyle A. "North Vietnamese Diplomatic Posture during the Vietnam War." Asia Policy 26, no. 3 (2019): 184-187.

Tierney, Dominic. "The Two Vietnam Wars: American Perceptions of the Use of Force." Political Science Quarterly 133, no. 4 (2018): 641-667.