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COSTS OF THE VIETNAM WAR - Coggle Diagram
COSTS OF THE VIETNAM WAR
VIETNAM
SOCIAL
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1.1m NV/VC dead, 300k ARVN dead
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POLITICAL
US were hostile to Vietnam and opposed entry into UN - isolated Vietnam and stunted their economic growth
US
SOCIAL
division in US society between pro-war and anti-war - hippies vs traditionalists, age gap
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2.7m troops served in Vietnam, 58k died
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POLITICAL
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US lost prestige as 'world policeman', seen as ruthless and imperialist
Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia lost to Domino Effect
CONCLUSIONS
US had spent $167bn on a failed containment strategy that left a divided society and a critical international community
US military involvement abroad was more covert and reduced following Vietnam War - due to costs and political optics
Vietnam faced structural and social desolation, and although it became fully Communist there were many who fled to escape it
CAMBODIA
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5 days after US mission left Cambodia in April 1975, the Lon Nol govt surrendered to the Khmer Rouge
Some historians argue that US bombing in Cambodia increased support for the Khmer Rouge, others argue that US bombing prevented an earlier victory
Pol Pot imposed an agrarian livelihood on the entire population, killing intellectuals and middle classes
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China's aid to the Khmer Rouge allowed them to win the civil war and continued into the years afterwards