Vietnam Wars 1945-1990

As someone who came of age during, lived the Vietnam War as a member of the military, and have had that experience shadow me ever since, Marilyn Young's work, "The Vietnam Wars 1945 to 1990," provided a complete portrait of that historical era. A portrait that has always been swayed one way or the other depending on who was writing it. Many will criticize her effort, calling it leftist, defeatist, or a lie. But the idea encompassed in her work, it that there were many lies told during that 45 year period, with the vast majority being issued by the US Government.Young's integration into the narrative of documents from all sources that have now come to light, weave a fascinating picture of deceit, deception and stupidity on the part of the US, seeking to fight monolithic communism in what was really a nationalist and civil struggle between the citizens of a single nation, separated by old white men at a table faraway in Europe. the US to keep up the illusion of Western invincibility and infallibility in the face of popular and indigenous forces to large to be kept at bay for too long, committed our children and treasure to fight in a war that was known to be unwinnable in the American historical context. That in reality, destroyed what little creditibility we had left and made clear that our nation was all about preserving privilege and power for the white western culture. While reading this work, the reader can see again the same mistakes being made all over again, in current wars in Southwest Asia and South Asia to promote the idea of Western hegemony over the world.I encourage all to read this fascinating book, but especially my brother and sister veterans of that war, for it will give you the whole story behind, "Why, Vietnam," and not the fairy tale told to us in training and in theater. It will also give credence to the notion of never fighting a major land war with US troops in Asia, advice given by Douglas MacArthur to Lyndon Johnson, just before his death in 1964 and that was just repeated by Secretary of Defense Gates in a January, 2011 speech to the Cadets at The USMA at West Point.

Marilyn Young's history of the Vietnam wars ably covers a huge subject in some 330 pages. Her perspective is progressive, comparable to Howard Zinn's, but not ideological.Prior to the Iraq War, the Vietnam War was THE example of bad decision-making by supposedly intelligent Americans. Young documents all the misjudgments, mistakes, and wishful thinking that plagued U.S. policy from the end of World War II, including any number of opportunities to escape from the entanglement before it destroyed so many lives.I wish that Young had included more from the North Vietnamese perspective during the mid-60s, more about the CIA and Operation Phoenix, and more about the "sideshow" in Cambodia.  Sideshow: Kissinger, Nixon, and the Destruction of Cambodia Nevertheless, this is a good place to start for those interested in learning about the Vietnam War. I would then recommend: o  A People's History of the Vietnam War , o  JFK and Vietnam: Deception, Intrigue, and the Struggle for Power , and o  A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam (Modern Library) .

I found this to be an extremely well written presentation of the timeline of the events in Vietnam from 1945 to 1973, from an American perspective. I consider this a foundation which gives the reader a strong base for understanding other works that might provide analysis, color and the Vietnamese perspective.

Solid book for a history of the American side. Not an attempt to sanitize the US attempt to block a national revolution and install a compliant regime. Tries hard to deliver an "objective" look back on this incredibly destructive war...

Very concise, almost too much information here. Ok if your doing an exhaustive study. I am assuming the facts are historically accurate. I became overwelmed with some of President Johnson,s cabnet,s politicial dialogue. I,m more into the battle field remerbences. What is very interesting and worth remembering is just why we thought we had to fight this terrible war in the first place. I went away feeling very sorry for our brave solders who sacrificed so much and the poor abused people's of historical Vietnam.

this is a classic

I enjoyed the book - thought it was well written and informative. The author certainly felt that the US involvement in the war was a complete mess the way it was mismanaged and entered into without a thought-out strategy and objective and, well, that's hard to argue against. If you like this book I also recommend Embers of War which was excellent.

While I haven't read all 40,000 or so books on the Vietnam war, or the American war, as it is known in Vietnam, I would suggest this as one of the best overall accounts of the wars that Vietnam has had to deal with since the 1940s. I used it in a seminar on the Vietnam war era and my students found it very accessible, even for non-history majors.

Yo buscaba un libro de historia militar y es un libro más bien político que de historia, y que además toma partido por el Viet Cong y el regimen comunista olvidando las más elementales normas de neutralidad que debe seguir un historiador

The book contains excellent historical information but is not very interesting to read.

interesting

good book Iloved it

Very good read throughout. Was impressed by the speed of delivery too! The book is an excellent starter for people (like me!) who have recently visited Vietnam and want to know more about the long struggle for independence