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I'm not an expert in this area. But to my understanding, the Vietnam War created divisions between the American popluation and the government. People could see for the first time the devastation caused by war, and this put a massive pressure on future governments for peace and an end to American involvement in future international disputes. The American government was also deeply shocked by the proceedings in Vietnam. The infamous Tet Offensive (where the Vietcong attacked and took over approximately 100 towns and cities across South Vietnam), was seen as a military embarrasment and provided further pressure for the American army to stay out of future disputes. In South Vietnam, untold damage was done to the Vietnamese economy, infrastructure and the rainforests. Vietnam went from becoming a major exporter of rice to a country that could hardly feed it's own people. Also, due to American tactics such as "Operation Ranch-Hand" which used chemicals such as Agent Orange to defoliate the rainforests, vast areas of natural resources became useless. This further decreased South Vietnam's ability to provide for itself and recover from the war. Even though after the war, South Vietnam did eventually be defeated by the Communists, it remained very weak and therefore no longer any real threat to the US itself.

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20y ago

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