The Vietnam War

Seminar Studies in History

by Mitchell K. Hall

The Vietnam War examines this conflict from its origins up until North Vietnam’s victory in 1975. Historian Mitchell K. Hall’s lucid account is an ideal introduction to the key debates surrounding a war that remains controversial and disputed in American scholarship and collective memory. The new edition has been fully updated and expanded to include additional material on the preceding French Indochina War, the American antiwar movement, North Vietnamese perspectives and motivations, and the postwar scholarly debate. The text is supported by a documents section and a wide range of study tools, including a timeline of events, glossaries of key figures and terms, and a rich "further reading" section accompanied by a new bibliographical essay. Concise yet comprehensive, The Vietnam War remains the most accessible and stimulating introduction to this crucial 20th-century conflict.

Genres: History, Historical, Nonfiction

162 pages, Paperback

First published November 29, 1999

Reviews

[Lhreader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ho letto questo breve libro come introduzione alla storia recente del Vietnam, di cui sapevo molto poco (qualcuno mi spieghi che senso ha fermarsi agli anni '50 in storia al liceo).

L'ho trovato conciso e chiaro, ho apprezzato le carte geografiche in appendice e lo sforzo di mostrare varie prospettive - i sudvietnamiti, i militari americani, il governo USA e l'opinione pubblica statunitense - con complessità.

Mi sarebbe piaciuto se fosse stata inclusa anche una parentesi su cosa stesse succedendo nel Vietnam del Nord oltre ai bombardamenti e alle parole di Ho Chi Minh. Spiega più cosa sia successo in Laos e in Cambogia che a Hanoi.

[Andrew Keen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview of The Vietnam War, including its origins, the participants, U.S. involvement, and the impacts on Vietnam, Southeast Asia, and the U.S. A quick read and a good way to acquire a general understanding before pursuing deeper study.

[Gianmarco Leggio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Volume snello ma ricco di informazioni sulla guerra americana in Vietnam. Dal colonialismo francese in Indocina alla caduta di Saigon del 1975, il libro descrive bene le scelte politiche e militari dei vari presidenti statunitensi succedutisi nel corso del conflitto e i contesti nel quale le stesse maturarono. Parimenti sono delineate, anche con l'ausilio di cartine, le principali offensive avanzate da due schieramenti. Ottima bibliografia così come le letture consigliate e la cronologia dei principali avvenimenti riportata alla fine del testo. Una buona lettura per un infarinatura generale su uno dei conflitti più caldi della guerra fredda.

[Marmar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of course it's a historical piece, so sometimes it's quite technical. I read it for Uni, but I was really interested in the matter. It blew me away, some details I wasn't aware of about the arrogance and egotistical plans of the American government were crazy. During the Cold War, The West put the USA on a pedestal: we saw it like our only source of hope against the terrible evil spirit of the Communists. But little did we knew that in battle there is no good and evil, there's just greed to power and money.
This book is one of those call to reality that doesn't need any form of fiction to really get you.

[Samuele Guglielmo Magni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro che permette di avvicinarsi al conflitto: ideale per un neofita, ripercorre gli eventi principali della ventennale guerra per l’indipendenza del Vietnam.
Riesce a dare un’idea imparziale di come le varie fazioni in gioco abbiano vissuto il conflitto; purtroppo però non viene spiegata abbastanza a fondo la situazione a Hanoi, focalizzandosi poco sulla visione dei nordvietnamiti.

[Montecristo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Storia della guerra del Vietnam abbastanza scolastica, come da tradizione per i libri editi da Il Mulino. Pur essendo la narrazione abbastanza fredda e didascalica riesce comunque a dare le giuste informazioni in maniera non troppo prolissa per chi vuole avvicinarsi al tema.

[Jill Cordry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. I'm going to purchase more in this series: Seminar Studies in History

[Raj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having been on a short course about the Vietnam war I found myself wanting to know more and the course tutor recommended this slim volume. It's a short book (the main text is less than a hundred pages) but it clearly and concisely covers the major events and people of the war, with a timeline, dramatis personae and (very handy) list of acronyms.

The book is split into sensible chapters, starting with the roots of the war, which discuss the Vietnamese independence movement following the Second World War and American growing paranoia over Communism. Then it moves on to the growing American involvement in South Vietnam until it was fully committed. The third chapter discusses various turning points of the war, including the antiwar movement and the Tet offensive. Chapter four covers the beginning of the end, as America looks for a way to withdraw from the quagmire with some dignity and then we have the conclusion and legacy of the war.

For me, the major thing I got out of this book was the complete lack of understanding shown by America at all stages of their involvement in Indochina. Their obsession with the Cold War led them to frame the Vietnamese independence movement in those terms and their blinkers prevented them from any other interpretation. This also led them to prop up corrupt governments not just in South Vietnam, but also in Laos and Cambodia (including, later, supporting the Khmer Rouge guerillas following Vietnamese occupation). In the end, the 'domino theory' was proved incorrect but only after millions of lives had been lost and millions of tonnes of bombs had been dropped.

The book is supported by extracts from various relevant documents referenced to in the main text and there is a list of further reading at the end. This book is both a great way to get an overview of the war, and as a jumping off point for a more in-depth study of the war that redefined how America thought of itself.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was awesome! I wish I would have read this in high school as we never really touched on this subject. I loved the primary documents in the back because they really help one get a grasp of what the was really happening in Vietnam and on the homefront. Vietnam is just a subject that I don't think anyone can really grasp because there was so much going on during that time, but this book is a great start for anyone who knows very little, or wants to learn more!

[Davide Andrea Ieluzzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un pò di chiarezza....
Ero quasi completamente digiuno sulla Guerra del Vietnam...escludendo l'ovvia cinematografia.
Il libro offre un' ottima panoramica sullo sviluppo e la conclusione del conflitto senza mai scendere troppo nei particolari, rendendo in questo modo la lettura veloce ed interessante.
Da consigliare a chi vuole farsi un' idea su quello che è successo laggiù ....