The story:
In A Time for War, Schulzinger paints a vast yet intricate canvas of more than three decades of conflict in Vietnam, from the first rumblings of rebellion against the French colonialists to the American intervention and eventual withdrawal. His comprehensive narrative incorporates every aspect of the war— from the military (as seen in his brisk account of the French failure at Dienbienphu) to the economic (such as the wage increases sparked by the draft in the United States) to the political.
Drawing on massive research, he offers a vivid and insightful portrait of the changes in Vietnamese politics and society, from the rise of Ho Chi Minh, to the division of the country, to the struggles between South Vietnamese president Diem and heavily armed religious sects, to the infighting and corruption that plagued Saigon. Schulzinger reveals precisely how outside powers— first the French, then the Americans— committed themselves to war in Indochina, even against their own better judgment. Roosevelt, for example, derided the French efforts to reassert their colonial control after World War II, yet Truman, Eisenhower, and their advisors gradually came to believe that Vietnam was central to American interests. The author's account of Johnson is particularly telling and tragic, describing how the president would voice clear-headed, even prescient warnings about the dangers of intervention— then change his mind, committing America's prestige and military might to supporting a corrupt, unpopular regime. Schulzinger offers sharp criticism of the American military effort, and provides a fascinating look at the Nixon White House, showing how the Republican president dragged out the war long past the point when he realized the United States could not win. Finally Schulzinger paints a brilliant political and social portrait of the times, illuminating the impact of the war on the lives of ordinary Americans and Vietnamese. Schulzinger shows what the war was like for a common soldier, an American nurse, a Navy flyer, a conscript in the Army of Vietnam, a Vietcong fighter, or an antiwar protester. In a field crowded with fiction, memoirs, and popular tracts, A Time for War will stand as the landmark history of America's longest war. Based on extensive archival research, it will be the first place readers will turn in an effort to understand this tragic, divisive conflict.

Extract from book:

About the author:

Robert D. Schulzinger is Professor of History and Director of the International Affairs Program at the University of Colorado at Boulder.







Buchdaten:
A TIME FOR WAR. The United States and Vietnam, 1941-1975 by Robert D. Schulzinger
Sprache: Englisch
Broschiert - 416 Seiten - Oxford University Press
Erscheinungsdatum: Januar 1999
ISBN: 0195125010
Preis: € 16,50



More works from the same author:

hier online bestellen U.S. Diplomacy Since 1900