Introduction to Chapter 29
29
VIETNAM AND THE END OF THE COLD WAR CONSENSUS
1961–1975 [[LP PHOTO: P29.01 DETAIL OF MOTHERS AGAINST THE WAR /
> Why was the United States unable to achieve its objectives in Vietnam? Chapter 29 explores U.S. foreign policy from 1961 to 1975, placing the Vietnam War in the larger context of American politics and relations with the Soviet Union, China, and developing nations. It examines the escalation of U.S. involvement in Vietnam under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, the polarizing effect of the war on American society and politics, and the gradual American withdrawal from Vietnam under President Richard M. Nixon.
> How did U.S. foreign policy change under Kennedy?
> Why did Johnson escalate American involvement in Vietnam?
> How did the war in Vietnam polarize the nation?
> How did U.S. foreign policy change under Nixon?
> Conclusion: Was Vietnam an unwinnable war?
Understanding the American Promise 3ePrinted Page 826