Civil war historiography there are many reasons that the american civil war has attracted substantial and sustained popular and academic attention, but at the heart of any explanation must be the multitude of voices. Normally, as in say the spanishamerican war or the first world war, an orthodox interpretation has emerged which rationalises american involvement in. They view america as an imperialist power that was intent on dominating the third world, mainly for economic reasons. In the 21st century, americans still bitterly argue about the war. These historians, mainly leftwing radicals known as new leftists, argue that the united states was morally wrong to fight the war in vietnam. Ia drang the battle that changed the war in vietnam harold g. A slew of war memoirs stand with the best writing of that genre. Although born of a misapprehension, the korean war triggered the buildup of u. Antiwar history of the vietnam war thus acquired the label of orthodox history. Hess finds that the historiography of the vietnam war departs from the traditional model of historical appreciation of the united states wars.
I just finished listening to the taped version of his history of the renaissance, and it wa. Dismissed as the forgotten war, korea was in actuality one of americas most significant conflicts. After two and a half years, i helped discover dioxin, arguably the most toxic chemical ever found. The diplomatic historians who study the vietnam war often gravitate toward niche topics, such as the role of american universities in vietnam, vietnamese and american ideas of nation building, or the operations of the national security council. That the so called communists were merely nationalists fighting for national liberation,and we pesky americans got in the way of that battle. It takes two to tango, so ill start with why america generally views vietnam. The books by halberstam, sheehan, karnow and nearly every other orthodox author concentrated on the period from the division of vietnam in 1954 to the tet offensive of 1968, providing minimal coverage of the years 1969 to 1975. The best histories of the vietnam war council on foreign. The vietnam war has scarred, transformed and inspired countless writers and art practitioners. As usual, we enlisted the help of a handful of civil war historians and enthusiasts, avid readers all, and asked them to pick their two favorite books published in 2017.
What are recommendations for credible historians of us. Only historians with biographical articles in wikipedia are listed here. How comics captured americas opinions about the vietnam war more than any other medium, comics closely followed the narrative arc of the conflict, from support to growing ambivalence. This is not to say, however, that the traditional view of the medias impact during the war is useless. The evidence tends to support the militarys claim that it did not suffer a battlefield defeat in the vietnam war, that its army remained on the offensive, that the fighting men continued to follow orders, that. This was a war that no one won and that caused untold misery and agony for all involved from the ptsd stricken and traumatised soldiers of the us army to the civilian populations of both the north and south regions of vietnam who bore the true brunt of war time hardships, cruelties and deaths. These academics and authors have published significant works that have added to the historiography of the cold war, as well as our understanding of the events of 194591. Like everyone else, historians continue to debate the. Blog posts represent the views of cfr fellows and staff and not.
Professors debate the role or absence of the historian in ken burns and lynn novicks new vietnam documentary, concurring that a lack of critical perspective makes the film more milquetoast than masterpiece. Covering books and digital resources across all fields of history. Chroniclers and annalists, though they are not historians in the true sense, are also listed here for convenience. Historians at war national association of scholars. Vietnam war, 195475, a protracted conflict that pitted the communist government of north vietnam and its allies in south vietnam, known as the viet cong, against the government of south vietnam and its principal ally, the united states. Historians at war unl digital commons university of. The vietnam war stands as one of the pivotal moments in recent u. A lively introduction and conclusion by editors andrew wiest and. One of the first fictional vietnam war books, and often touted as one of the best vietnam novels, its a facepaced wonder that follows draftee philip dosier as he is drafted into the war, completes a of tour of duty, and comes home. Why have usvietnam relations normalised so effectively. As it turns out, and as i demonstrate in vietnams american war cambridge, december 2017 my forthcoming book relating the history of the.
Rethinking the vietnam war by john dumbrell springerlink. Enough books novels and nonfiction have been published about the vietnam war and its aftermath to fill a modestsized library. The vietnam war was a long, costly and divisive conflict that pitted the communist government of north vietnam against south vietnam and its principal ally, the united states. The names are grouped by order of the historical period in which they were living and producing works. Time put the question to 10 experts whose recent or forthcoming books touch on the topic. The best civil war books of all time analysis civil. And this south vietnamese turn in vietnam war historiography continues, with new work on the way. How comics captured americas opinions about the vietnam war.
Historians are now faced with the task of resolving the diametrically opposite views on the course and results of the war in vietnam. Joint chiefs of staff believed that north vietnam, a small nation with an industrial base only beginning to recover from its war with the french, would be reluctant to risk its own economic stability for the sake of the insurgency in the south. Also, be sure to check out vietnam 67, a series by our colleagues on opinion that features essays by historians, veterans and journalists. This chemical has since received widespread attention, especially because it was part of the herbicide 2,4,5t, or agent orange, then being used to defoliate forests in the vietnam war. Considering the number of years that the us fought the vietnam war and its sheer intensity, it comes as quite a surprise to me that the war appears to be a mere footnote in usvietnam relations these days. Professors debate the role of the historian or lack. According to the 1960s orthodoxy, revisionist historians are defending a shameful history of u. Revisionists began fixing that problem in the late 1990s with histories arguing that the south vietnamese government. Among the most positive is an abundance of topnotch books, many written by veterans of the conflict. Pages in category historians of the vietnam war the following 34 pages are in this category, out of 34 total.
Readers weighed in on the best books about the vietnam war. Historians argue about whether a given battle was a success or a failure, but, overall, the military mission. Given the burgeoning literature devoted to it, the vietnam war is surely a contender with the civil war for the title. While the list of books about this conflict includes hundreds of enlightening works, we pick ten of the best texts offering illuminating perspectives on the war, its context and the effects it had on vietnam. Television coverage, graphic and uncensored for the first time, probably did decrease support for the war over the longterm. The vietnam war started in the 1950s, according to most historians, though the conflict in southeast asia had its roots in the french colonial period of the 1800s. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. The conflict over interpretations continues the vietnam war, with the exception of the civil war, was the most divisive conflict in american history. American protest against the war in vietnam 1984, and mel smalls antiwarriors. The vietnam war is one of the most controversial and traumatic events in american history. Listed are some of the most important history books ever written, as recommended by some of the most eminent historians working today. The best vietnam war books five books expert recommendations. The best history books five books expert recommendations. The narrative that emerged from their books is relatively straightforward.
Most historians tend to take a procommunist view of the war and claim it was unnecessary. The conflict inspired an avalanche of volumes and they all claim to be. All the more reason, then, for us to revisit the war and its consequences for today. For instance, in the 2004 presidential election, the vietnamera military service of both major candidates turned into a serious campaign issue. Certainly conservative in his political views, some of which i find repugnant defending pinochet, for example, but a competent historian.
The vietnam war and the battle for americas hearts and minds 2002. April 30,2000, marked the twentyfifth anniversary of the real end of the vietnam war. How vietnam dramatically changed our views on honor and war. Controversies about what americans call the vietnam war that go back to the 1960s live on in classrooms today. The best histories of the vietnam war council on foreign relations. It has attracted an enormous amount of academic attention and continues to absorb the energies of many scholars. This essay inaugurates a new series by the times, vietnam 67. These pages contain summaries of notable cold war historians. Herring, a former university of kentucky history professor, covers virtually every important event in the conflict, presenting the war objectively and assessing its legacy. I teach about this war and its effects on american domestic politics, foreign relations, and society and culture, and the interconnections among these, in a seminar for history majors and minors called the united states and the vietnam war.
Discover the best vietnam war history in best sellers. From actionpacked eyewitness accounts such as guadalcanal diary to devastating holocaust memoirs like the diary of anne frank and night to the thrilling espionage tale of operation mincemeat, world war ii is the subject of some of the most fascinating and influential nonfiction books ever written each year, seemingly dozens of new titles emerge to offer fresh perspectives and uncover. New yorkers demonstrate in support of the vietnam war, 1970. The complete text of the bestselling narrative history of the vietnam warbased on the celebrated pbs television series by ken burns and lynn novick more than forty years have passed since the end of the vietnam war, but its memory continues to loom large in the national psyche. Vietnamization was a strategy that aimed to reduce american involvement in the vietnam war by transferring all military responsibilities to south vietnam. In orthodox academic dogma, the vietnam war is a mere subset of 20th century diplomatic history, rather than a main subject of 20th century military history. Given the burgeoning literature devoted to it, the vietnam war is surely a contender with the civil war for the title of americas most studied conflict. How vietnam dramatically changed our views on honor and war september, 2017 9. This book is widely viewed as the best concise history of the vietnam war. He chooses the best books on the vietnam war, exploring its moral ambiguities, the warrior mentality, the humanity of the enemy, and more. Vietnam war books blog post blog posts represent the views of cfr fellows and staff and not those. Called the american war in vietnam or, in full, the war against. After we posted this article, times readers weighed in with their favorite books on the vietnam war. One of the most important byproducts of the 1960s social protest movements was the growing radicalization of womens activism.
These include winners of national book awards and pulitzer prizes, both fiction and nonfiction. The 11th armored cavalry regiment in vietnam and cambodia, 19661972. At the most recent meeting of the society for historians of american foreign relations, vietnam featured in almost a fifth of the. Historians battle for the vietnam war collects critiques of triumph forsaken from both sides of this debate, written by an array of vietnam scholars, cataloguing arguments about how the war should be remembered, how history may be reconstructed, and by whom. Moderates were usually a blend of the liberal and conservative view points. In many respects, the war gave voice to all sorts of americans. The vietnam war in history chapter 1 the vietnam war. A majority of americans turned against the vietnam war only when the number of u.
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