From “Americanization” to “Vietnamization”: Johnson’s and Nixon’s Vietnam War Policies (1963–1972)

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-323-8_81How to use a DOI?

Keywords

“Americanization”; “Vietnamization”; The Vietnam War

Abstract

This article examines the transformation of U.S. policy during the Vietnam War, specifically under Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon, highlighting the shift from “Americanization” to “Vietnamization.“ Initially, Johnson escalated U.S. intervention in Vietnam, driven by Cold War dynamics, domestic pressures, and deteriorating conditions in South Vietnam. This approach, characterized by increased military deployment, sought to counter the spread of communism and stabilize the region. However, the war's protracted nature and mounting domestic opposition led to a strategic pivot under Nixon, who initiated “Vietnamization,” gradually withdrawing U.S. troops and transferring combat responsibilities to South Vietnamese forces. The essay argues that this policy transformation was influenced by a complex interplay of military, political, and socio-economic factors, both domestic and international. Ultimately, the U.S. faced a strategic and moral dilemma, balancing its global commitments with growing public disillusionment, which culminated in a controversial and contested withdrawal from Vietnam. This article provides a comprehensive analysis of how these administrations navigated the challenges of war, shaping the broader contours of U.S. foreign policy during a turbulent era.

Copyright

© 2024 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Zehao Li
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/12/23
TI  - From “Americanization” to “Vietnamization”: Johnson’s and Nixon’s Vietnam War Policies (1963–1972)
BT  - Proceedings of the 2024 7th International Conference on Humanities Education and Social Sciences (ICHESS 2024)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 700
EP  - 716
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-323-8_81
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-323-8_81
ID  - Li2024
ER  -