Cultural Effects of the Vietnam War

Madison Krause M. Sherman AP English February 6th, 2013 Effects of the Vietnam War When people are asked what they think of when they hear the words “Vietnam War”, they may envision Rambo on a bloody, barbaric, and yet heroic killing spree or Forrest Gump getting shot in the buttock. Others may think of a grandparent or parent who fought in the grizzly guerilla warfare. Many can still recall their direct experience with the war, whether as a soldier or a civilian. The war in Vietnam does not seem like such distant past to many people, and because of the very personal and possibly tragic memories people have of the war, they are not able to see the big picture: the Vietnamese war affected more than individuals. It affected the economy, social order, and culture of all the nations involved. Planet Earth was far from world peace when the war in Vietnam erupted. Infact, the Cold War, which was an antagonist for the war in Vietnam, had been going on for seven years prior to the conflict in Southeast Asia. Many countries were negatively affected by communist Southeast Asia’s closed economy. When the communist countries in Southeast Asia, adapted their “closed economy” system (Source F), the pre-­existing economic woes of the Cold War were layered with new conflict. The closed economy cut off economic opportunities to capitalist countries as well as underdeveloped non-­communist nations which surrounded communist Southeast Asia. America’s ally, Britain, was suffering

economically without the colony of Malaya, which the nation used for major tin and rubber manufacturing. The French, who were suffering from the communist takeover of their colonies and still rebuilding their economy from the effects of the Cold