Vietnam and the Transformation of American Life (Problems in American History) (Paperback)

by Robert Buzzanco (Author) "On the third night of Tet, the Vietnamese lunar new year, in 1788, the Emperor Quang Trung, leader of the Tay Son movement, drove on..." (more)
Key Phrases: seventeenth parallel, corporate liberalism, liberal system, United States, Viet Minh, New Left (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"The Indochina wars have cast a long shadow over world affairs. For the victims, they were a devastating catastrophe. Their legacy for the United States was substantial, interacting in complex ways with internal developments in American society. Buzzanco's study examines these themes with skill and insight, informed by outstanding scholarship and enriched by perceptive understanding." Noam Chomsky, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Product Description
The Vietnam War, which dominated American life during the 1960s, helped to create, radicalize, and alter social and political life in the US.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell (November 18, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1577180941
• ISBN-13: 978-1577180944
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #952,204 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review of Vietnam and the Transformation of American Life, December 13, 1999

By	Patrick Conklin (Houston) - See all my reviews

Vietnam and the Transformation of American Life designates the aspects of the Vietnam War as well as the political and social movements of the American people during the 1960's. Dr. Buzzanco's main thesis that he is trying to convey is divided into two parts, the Vietnam War and the issues of the 1960's. His first theme on the Vietnam War subject is the United States after World War II tried to become the world leader during their foreign affairs in the Indochina region but failed. The second theme, which deals with the domestic problems in America during this time period, is how the people of the United States erupted into its domestic problems and how they are linked with the war in Vietnam. In the first half of the book, Buzzanco announces his thesis statement, letting the reader know that the first half was all the details of the war. Then he comes back in the second half of the book and describes what was happening at home on American soil. In essence, he has written two documentaries and combined them quite well. He has two points that he is trying to convey, broken up into two halves. Dr. Buzzanco did an astounding job in proving his points. He clearly and strongly showed examples that lead people to believe him. In every major point in both parts of his book, he used clear and precise examples to prove his words correct. He used all second hand information due to the fact that he was born too late to participate in the actual war. But his information was all very accurate and strong. He really did not use any points that criticized anything he was trying to convey in his book. But there could be some rival opinions on various subjects throughout the book. For example in the second part of the book, on page 202 he is trying to blame much of the domestic uprisings on Martin Luther King and the march on Washington. He claims that the march got the African-Americans to strongly disapprove of the war. But the march was more or less strictly on the civil rights issues, not on the war. He was, however, extremely successful at effectively using his sources in a convincing manner. Starting on page 104 and continuing, he shows how American foreign policy on the countries surrounding Vietnam essentially escalated the conflict even further. He does not however; use any examples of others that would give evidence that his points are not true or inaccurate. Some of his issues are controversial and he leads the reader to think that they are not. For example on page 68, he makes it clear to the reader that the war was inevitable even in the early 1960's under JFK's policy. But in reality much could have been done to prevent the conflict from escalating. More or less he is trying to convince the reader that his points are one sided and are not controversial. He seems biased on the fact that he offers nothing on the opposite side of him. All good writers usually give points to satisfy both for and against. All of his points, especially the first half of the book, help to prove his thesis. He pretty much uses strong logical reasoning and uses evidence to support that. Due to Dr. Buzzanco's education level and his astounding credibility and awards his information can be trustworthy. He uses strong examples to prove his thesis and also uses several other points throughout the book.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vietnam and the Transformation of American Life-Review, December 9, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vietnam and the Transformation of American Life (Problems in American History) (Hardcover)

Vietnam and the Transformation of American Life is an intelligent and informative look into the Vietnam War and how it influenced American life. This book helps you understand better the people, issues, problems, and times of the 1960's and early 1970's and how Vietnam influenced the people, issues, and the problems of that time.If you are not knowledgeable about the Vietnam War, this book explains in great detail the events leading up to the war and the repercussions of the war on Americans and American life and, it will make you understand and create your own opinions about the war.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thumbs up for Buzzanco, December 7, 1999

By	Steven Kincaid (Katy, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vietnam and the Transformation of American Life (Problems in American History) (Hardcover)

The first part of the book explains the war itself. It starts off with a brief explanation for the war, which was to "...preserve an anticommunist government in Southern half of Vietnam." Buzzanco does a great job of telling both sides of the war in great detail. He spends a lot of time explaining to the reader how Ho Chi Minh emerged into a great war and political leader of the DRVN and maintained his popular support from most of the Vietnamese society. He also tells of the events which led up to the Vietnam War from the US point of view starting with WWII to the unrevealing exception to defeat. Buzzanco also does an exceptional job of telling why the US felt the need to be involved with the Vietnam conflict. He also talks about the US supporting the French, who were against Vietnam. He further explains that the US did this in order to maintain French support in the European Cold War, to contain Communism in Asia, and to encourage economic development in the US. Throughout his book, he does the same thing, which is to give an extensive informational explanation of the events, and then get to the main point at the end with just a simple sentence or two. Buzzanco also goes into Vietnam's communities and the people's aspect of the war. He lets the reader know that the Vietnamese people were for the most part on Ho's side, letting the truth of the matter shine through. The truth being that the DRVN was corrupt, and the Vietamese people knew it, thus they mainly supported the DRVN. Among the best aspects of the book was the detailed explanation of military moves and decisions on both sides. He explains why each side made each move in the long war, as well as the political moves. Which brings us to the second part of the book, "The Movements of the 1960's." Buzzanco uses several sources throughout his book. He lists them all at the end, far too many to list. He used books as well as papers. He even used comic strips that were published during that period of the war. He also lists his sources in a bibliography as well as a notes section. Buzzanco does not choose sides in his book. He merely tells the story and the events how they happened. He does not skip around either, and it was easy to follow as well as to understand. For every point in the book, he marks it with a source, which only enhances what he has already said.