The Vietnam War affected America - Essay Example

The Northern Vietnamese were communists and consequently had the support of the USSR and its allies, while the South received support from the US given that they were capitalists ideologically. Even though the war was fought outside the boundaries of the US, the USA got involved in it following the pursuit of the Marshall plan. This plan provided for military and financial assistance to countries that were at risk of being coerced to accept communism policy that the US was vehemently against (Anderson 86).

Effect of the War on America Economy The Vietnam War had several significant effects on the US ranging from heavy economic expenditure during the war to loss of substantial number of solders in the military combat. As recognized in the Marshal plan in the United States countries that are under coercion by the communist allies would be accorded military and monetary help to come out of their situation, the US in these regard spent billions of dollars in fulfilling their commitment in the Vietnam situations.

Within the period of the war, the US spent close to $ 170 billion dollars. This was incurred in terms of the military support and financial aids during the war to the southern Vietnam. This expenditure was more than anticipated and in the eventual consideration, it had a negative impact on the economy of the US where it was pushed to the limits, and it should be noted that the expenses were only incurred in a span of 11 years in which the war was fought. The amount of money that was spent by the US mainly was incurred in military related costs; for instance, it was used mainly in the purchase of military equipment, training, and general logistics of managing a military combat, and this is according to the congressional research information following the end of the war in 1975.

The hefty cost incurred in the war is a manifestation of how directly the war led to economic down falls in the US. Indirectly, the war also led to economic hindrance in a more disguised manner (Moyar 41). Obviously, during the times of war, there is persistent demand of military equipments and other materials. The fact that industries are always in the business of making profit given a looming demand of a product, they will not waste any of such opportunities to make money. In this relation, most companies in the US that were involved in manufacturing of other products switched their production to conform to the then military equipment demands, which included ammunition and bullets.

In the end of the war, the companies had no opportunity for the markets as they had configured their companies to suit production of military materials at the expense of other economic goods. This situation led to widespread inflation in the US, leading to economic problems in the country because of the Vietnam War. Division in the US In the initial periods, the US citizens approved the Vietnam War on the basis that it was championing for the ideological freedom of the nations and objected the unlimited spread of the communism by the Russians-a period before the media started making coverage of the situation in the country.

When the situation of the war was transmitted via television to the citizen and horrors of the war became apparent, many of the US citizens appreciated the need to end the war as it subjected humanity to unnecessary suffering that could be avoided. Through television, the US