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example of a festival that hippies gathered at to spread peace

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The Non-War Memorial (1970-72)
Artist: Edward Kienholz

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U.S. military aircraft spraying the herbicide Agent Orange over enemy areas of Vietnam

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"Let us build a structure of peace in the world in which the weak are as safe as the strong — in which each respects the right of the other to live by a different system — in which those who would influence others will do so by the strength of their ideas, and not by the force of their arms. Let us accept that high responsibility not as a burden, but gladly — gladly because the chance to build such a peace is the noblest endeavor in which a nation can engage." -Nixon, during his second inaugural address on Jan. 20, 1973

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One of the technologically advanced weapons developed for the warfare that took place in Vietnam

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Many Americans waiting in line at the bank as a result of rising prices throughout the country

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Many Americans waiting in line at the bank as a result of rising prices throughout the country

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Many new inventions were made during this era and technology thrived through the war. 

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Many new inventions were made during this era and technology thrived through the war. 

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The social aspect of Nixon's years in office were a valued part of his presidency. 

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The social aspect of Nixon's years in office were a valued part of his presidency. 

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Though Nixon's main focus was on ending the Vietnam War, his methods of doing so often involved increased violence, which sparked a negative response from the American people

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"If, when the chips are down, the world’s most powerful nation, the United States of America, acts like a pitiful, helpless giant, the forces of totalitarianism and anarchy will threaten free nations and free institutions throughout the world.” -Nixon in a nationwide address on Apr. 30, 1970 explaining his decision to invade Cambodia

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"We have adopted a plan which we have worked out in cooperation with the South Vietnamese for the complete withdrawal of all U.S. combat ground forces, and their replacement by South Vietnamese forces on an orderly scheduled timetable. This withdrawal will be made from strength and not from weakness. As South Vietnamese forces become stronger, the rate of American withdrawal can become greater." -Nixon, during an address to the American people revealing his plan to ease back of US involvement in Vietnam through his policy of "Vietnamization" (Nov. 3, 1969)

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Technology was thriving during the time of Nixon's presidency, both for citizens at home and for soldiers abroad in Vietnam.

At Home
Television sets were now extremely popular and broadcasts of the war news were now available for U.S. citizens. The media was immensely popular during the time of Vietnam War because it often exposed the government for lying to the public about the realities of the war. This new source of information is what allowed people to formulate anti-war opinions, and the popularization of TV allowed for this information to spread.

Abroad
There were many new inventions in the category of weapons and other combat devices made specifically for use in the Vietnam War. American troops depended greatly on their technologies to defeat the Viet Cong, as that was the one thing that their opponent often lacked.

Claymore mines: when activated by either motion or remote-control, these special mines shoot a pattern of metal balls into the kill zone in a nature similar to that of a shotgun

Helicopters: though the invention of the helicopter was not brand new, the U.S. military had used them as a tactical piece of technology against the North Vietnamese, as they knew that the opponent was not as technologically advanced

more advanced and effective handheld guns that were easier to maneuver and had not been discovered by the North Vietnamese, such as the M16 and M60

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The Vietnam War was considered the most expensive war in Cold War era, with the United States spending a total of $168 billion (around $1.4 trillion today); this high spending consequently took a toll on America's economy.

Reasons for Economic Consequences:

During the war, factories in the U.S. that used to produce consumer goods converting to producing military equipment to meet the war demands= plunge in shopping rates nationwide

Military funds spent overseas led to budget deficits which caused a weaker dollar, galloping inflation and increasing interest rates

Rising budget deficits, which occurs when the government spends more in a given year than it collects in revenues, such as taxes, also contributed to the consistently raging inflation

Unemployment levels were soaring each year, especially as Nixon stepped into office

Nixon's Response: The New Economic Policy (1971)
-implemented wage-and price freezes, which imposed a 90 day freeze on wages, prices, rents, and dividends
-added a surcharge tax of about 10% on all imports
-suspended the convertibility of the dollar into gold or other reserve assets, ordering the 'gold window' to be closed so that foreign governments could no longer exchange their dollars for gold
-overall impact: efforts temporarily relieved some of the economic stress, but later worsened it by creating a recession in November 1973

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American disapproval of the Vietnam war resulted in a variety of cultural changes, all of which allowed the American public to express their beliefs and release their frustration pent up from the drawn-out war.

Music
-shift in music to a more resistant and rebellious tone, with expression and anger and confusion that came along with the belief of many people that America should not be involved in the Vietnam War at all

ex #1: “Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival was written in 1969, during the first year of Nixon’s presidency-- lyrics of the song present the unfair factor of war in which wealthy young men from higher class families were able to exempt themselves from serving in the war, while the average man was forced to fight in the war that they had no interest serving in

ex #2: “Ohio” by Neil Young (1971) reflected upon the Kent State Shootings, during which the National Guard opened fire on a crowd at Kent State University gathered to protest the Vietnam War, killing 4 students and injuring 9 → music reflects how out of hand the war has gotten, and how opposing sides cannot continue to present hostility

-many of these anti-war attitude songs were sung during marches and protests, especially by deeply involved young adults and college students, advocating for a strict ending of U.S. involvement in Vietnam

Hippie Culture
-Hippies were mainly white and middle-class Americans joined together to embrace free love. They gathered at festivals like Monterey Pop in California to celebrate their music while joining hands against the negativity and confusion of wartime
-they were not exactly considered protesters, but rather advocates of peaceful mentality and practices
-when the Vietnam war reached its peak and dissolved in the early 1970s, the hippie movement and culture went along with it

Artwork
-the shock and strong emotional response that the Vietnam War struck made conventional art forms such as painting and sculpture look inadequate, and instead inspired a rapid expansion of more abstract art with meanings that were up for interpretation: performances, videos, installations (3D mixed-media art), and land art
-opened up the art industry to races that had previously been neglected, as well as more women than before

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INTERACTION BETWEEN HUMANS + ENVIRONMENT

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INTERACTION BETWEEN HUMANS + ENVIRONMENT

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The Vietnam War had great impacts upon the environment during warfare.

Abroad
In Vietnam, where the war was actively taking place, U.S. military forces destroyed the forest cover and crops for North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops to make warfare easier for American troops. They sprayed more than 20 million gallons of various herbicides over Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos from 1961 to 1971, one of the most common being Agent Orange → ultimately caused deforestation and environmental destruction in Vietnam and neighboring countries. Additionally, some species of animals and vegetation were greatly reduced and some were even extinct.

At Home
Back in the U.S., where harmful herbicides were not constantly showering down, Nixon made sure to engage in environmental protection measures for the U.S. because of the political power that environmentalism held-- created Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other elements to enforce this. While intentionally destroying the environment of Vietnam, Nixon works to do the opposite for his own country by taking steps to enhance environmental cleanliness.

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Nixon was initially elected on the promise to end the war in a manner that would preserve America’s national honor and leave a viable government in South Vietnam. The major political effects of the Vietnam War under Nixon were that the war split the democracy party in the U.S., undermined liberal reform, and replaced the military draft. Nixon was famous for his policies against involvement in the war, foreign policies, and the Watergate Scandal, which revealed his illegal espionage act to try to increase his chances of being re-elected.

Foreign Policy
Foreign policy in relation to Vietnam changed under Nixon, as he took the approach of implementing increased violence as a method of pressuring the Communists to come to an agreement that would end U.S. involvement in Vietnam and neighboring countries (this was frowned upon by the American public, but proved effective in eventually allowing the withdrawal of troops from Vietnam).

Vietnamization
Another one of his biggest contributions to the war was his policy of Vietnamization, a strategy to reduce American involvement in Vietnam by slowly transferring military responsibilities and defense entirely to the South Vietnamese government. However, South Vietnam struggled with this responsibility, again resulting in the need for American troops to indulge in more violence.

Development of War
-Severity and amount of violence and attacks increased as the communists did the same→ Nixon refused to let the communists set the tone of the war, so he retaliated with even more force than they did

-1969-1973: U.S. dropped more than 4 million tons of explosives over Cambodia to drive N. Vietnamese out of the country

raised question over whether bombing a neutral country was legal→ info was kept secret until it was anonymously leaked in the NY Times

-pursued a policy of “maximum pressure”

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The American public reacted extremely poorly to America's growing involvement in the Vietnam War. The majority of the public never wanted to enter the war, and the soldiers that were drafted had to compromise their morals to adapt to ruthless fighting. This lead to more and more Americans rebelling against joining the war.

Some Statistics:
1965: 64% of the U.S. population approved of American involvement in Vietnam

1969: 52% believed that entering the war was a mistake

This shows the increase in war dissent upon Nixon being elected in 1969 compared to that of just a few years earlier; the more time spent in Vietnam, the more anti-war sentiment grows.

Impact on American Lives:
-increased physical and psychological deterioration among American soldiers during the later years of the war → included drug use, PTSD, mutinies, and attacks against officers
-citizens at home were torn between supporting their country in the war, or fighting to engage in anti-war protests to get America out of Vietnam, which was a standpoint that grew increasingly popular during Nixon’s presidency