The Debate over Vietnam (The American Moment) - Softcover

Levy, Prof David W. W.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0801851149 ISBN 13: 9780801851148

Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1995

Synopsis

In the years after World War II, American foreign policy pursued ideals of justice, freedom, and democracy while seeking at the same time national security and the containment of international communism. In The Debate over Vietnam, David Levy examines the bitter national discussion that eventually raged over the propriety, the necessity, and the morality of that involvement.

About this title

From the Back Cover

David Levy's widely acclaimed Debate Over Vietnam examines the bitter national discussion that raged over the propriety, the necessity, and the morality of America's longest war. Levy begins with a brief history of Vietnam under foreign rule and recounts the growing American military presence--and the increasing reaction it provoked. He explores the fundamental values and assumptions of Americans on both sides of the growing debate, contrasting Republican consensus with Democratic division and the split between intellectuals of the left and right.

Review

"Levy's brief but wide-ranging book offers an overview of the major cultural issues, foreign policy concerns, social movements, and political anxieties that shape debates in the United States surrounding the Vietnam War."

(Journal of American History)

"Of great practical use for courses which focus on the Vietnam War or on twentieth-century American history... Levy's prose is eminently readable, his focus always clear, the connections between major points always apparent, and his tempo just right. This is a book that could be assigned with confidence that students won't put it down after ten pages of hopeless slogging. Most importantly, students and teachers alike will find it exciting and valuable because it consistently returns... to questions of how and why."

(Matthew C. Stewart American Studies International)

"An excellent, elegantly written overview."

(History Today)

"A well-documented assessment of the elements that explain our involvement and disenchantment with Vietnam."

(Virginia Quarterly Review)

About this edition

• Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0801851149
• ISBN 13: 9780801851148
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 256