The Effects of the Vietnam War on American Society

In this thesis I am going to show the effects of the Vietnam war on American society. I wish to highlight the mostly negative consequences of the war, the effects which appeared during and after the war in American society. More than any U.S. wars since the Civil War, Vietnam divided Americans and made them reevaluate their society. The country lost a lot of money and men. Demonstrations opened thousands of young people's eyes to the nature of imperialism. Not only in pop culture, music but in the media the techniques and goals have also changed. The trust in the pro-government press had gone and a more investigative journalism began to check the truth of official reports. The events showed the power of a truly mass movement. The "Vietnam syndrome", that fierce opposition by ordinary people to the U.S. sending troops abroad for imperialist causes, though weakened, is still there.