How the Vitamin War changed America - Assignment Example

Vietnam War badly shook public confidence in their government and an extraordinary number of Americans openly criticized their public institutions. The Vietnam War was lost inside America, and the victories and achievements on the war turf stood useless (Rother, 2007). The American Engagement in Vietnam took a huge economic toll on the country. The two decades of war necessitated huge human and financial resources. This resulted in a complete stagflation of American and European economies. Since the start of the war, the cost of living increased by 16% in 1970.

Inflation led to complete wipe out of any economic gains that Americans could have had from their jobs. Others lost their jobs and still others saw their wages lowered to support the government spending on the war. President Lyndon Johnson asked Congress for extra taxes to help cover up the war expenses. There was only way he was getting this money; by cutting down on domestic spending. During this time, the government shut down many social programs to finance the Vietnam War, further incarcerating it in the public’s eyes.

In the end, this war cost President Johnson his presidency. It made Americans skeptical about ever going to war again. Vietnam War taught Americans that there are limits to the supremacy of American power. America chose to remain out of world affairs for many years after the war (Rother, 2007). The Vietnam War changed the American presidency forever as well. People became more outspoken about putting a cap of presidential powers especially during war times. The “War Powers Act” of 1973 put an end to extraordinary presidential powers during wartime.

The war also affected our military and Americans had a newfound respect and love for their soldiers that had never been experienced before. General Maxwell Taylor was one of the key figures during the war, he says, "first, we didn't know ourselves. We thought that we were going into another Korean war, but this was a different country. Secondly, we did not know our South Vietnamese allies … And we knew less about North Vietnam. Who was Ho Chi Minh? Nobody really knew. Therefore, until we know the enemy, know our allies, and know ourselves, we had better keep out of this kind of dirty business.

It's very dangerous." Many soldiers of the Vietnam War were young men, mere teenagers. They could not handle the stresses of war and indulged in drugs; marijuana was the drug of choice as it grew freely in Vietnam. At the end of the war, America welcomed thousands of men who had been scarred irreparably by the war. These soldiers could not be re incorporated into the society as they had no education or skills regarding anything but fighting (Brush, 2002; Wells & Gitlin, 2005). American culture during the Vietnam war was largely dictated by its image in media; and this I mage was not a good one.

It was the first war in American history that was broadcast on television. This brought the war home for many people as they witnessed the horrors firsthand. The nightly news counted the casualties everyday and people witnessed the bloody terror of bombings in their own living rooms. At the start of the war, the Vietnam War was depicted as a very positive event in American history, but s time passed the media and public view of the war changed drastically. It became a rat race among