History of the Vietnam War

History of the Vietnam War

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A study of America's war in Southeast Asia in the context of the Cold War
emphasizing the interaction of technology, geopolitics and military science.

Instructor: Tom Pilsch
pilsch@gatech.edu

Course Objectives

The successful student will gain the historical foundation and framework to support informed discussion and analysis of the Vietnam War, its causes, conduct, and consequences, and the lessons of modern war that may be gleaned from it.

Specifically, the successful student will be able to:

• Understand and describe the Vietnam War in the context of the Cold War and the Great Society.

• Understand and describe the impact of domestic politics on US policy toward the Vietnam War.

• Trace the major events in 20th century Vietnamese history through the end of the First Indochina War.

• Trace the evolution of unconventional warfare and theories of counterinsurgency in the 20th century.

• Describe the phases of and rationale for U.S. involvement in Vietnam from World War II onward.

• Compare the strategies of the U.S. and the North Vietnamese in prosecuting the war.

• Compare the attitudes of the citizens of the U.S. and Vietnam (North and South) toward the war.

• Describe the employment, effectiveness and impact of U.S. technology in Vietnam.

• Analyze the logistic challenges of both sides throughout the war.

• Describe and interpret the enduring impact of the Vietnam War on the American psyche.

• Interpret analogies to the Vietnam War in contemporary context.

Themes and Threads

• The Circle of Modern War ^©:
Society < = > Technology < = > Military Science < = > Society

• Geopolitics and its impact on the cause and conduct of war

• Levels of War: Strategic, Operational, Tactical

• Instruments of National Power

• Interaction of domestic and foreign policies

• Match/Mismatch between national objectives and national strategy

• Logistics as the lynchpin of modern war

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