The Columbia Guide to the Vietnam War

Columbia Guides to American History and Cultures

by David L. Anderson (Editor)

More than a quarter of a century after the last Marine Corps Huey left the American embassy in Saigon, the lessons and legacies of the most divisive war in twentieth-century American history are as hotly debated as ever. Why did successive administrations choose little-known Vietnam as the "test case" of American commitment in the fight against communism? Why were the "best and brightest" apparently blind to the illegitimacy of the state of South Vietnam? Would Kennedy have pulled out had he lived? And what lessons regarding American foreign policy emerged from the war?

The Columbia Guide to the Vietnam War helps readers understand this tragic and complex conflict. The book contains both interpretive information and a wealth of facts in easy-to-find form. Part I provides a lucid narrative overview of contested issues and interpretations in Vietnam scholarship. Part II is a mini-encyclopedia with descriptions and analysis of individuals, events, groups, and military operations. Arranged alphabetically, this section enables readers to look up isolated facts and specialized terms. Part III is a chronology of key events. Part IV is an annotated guide to resources, including films, documentaries, CD-ROMs, and reliable Web sites. Part V contains excerpts from historical documents and statistical data.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, Military History, American History

352 pages, Hardcover

First published July 10, 2002

About the author

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Reviews

[Stephen Spencer]

Read the long introductory essay (about 90 pages) before the Ken Burns- Lynn Novick screening and interviews of the Vietnam War film.

[James Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may be the best book-length analysis of the Vietnam War we have. David L. Anderson, who edits the book, gives us a 93-page introduction that summarizes the war, impressive in its comprehensiveness and understanding. Following are 14 essays by noted Vietnam scholars which cover in a chronological arc such topics as Vietnamese revolutionary nationalism, Eisenhower's and Kennedy's policies toward the south, the Johnson escalation and the American takeover of the war, how Nixon pursued an American exit from the war while at the same time intensifying offensive actions aimed at North Vietnamese will, military strategy, the impact on Vietnamese society, dissent in the U. S., and the legacies of the war in American society and the military since 1975. I believe this to be an excellent read for anyone interested in the general political, historical, military, and social overview of the war and its impact on America and southeast Asia.