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dozens of volumes available in Pearson Longman's Seminar Studies in History
work well in providing useful and concise information in a variety of
history courses. Giving historical content as well as analysis, the intended
audience are undergraduates and instructors that require information without
having to track down a number of specialist texts on the subject. Mitchell
Hall's slim text, The Vietnam War is no different in its intended
audience or purpose from the other works in the series.
Hall
divides the book into three parts. The first section explores the 'Background'
of the Vietnam War from the development and rise of Vietnamese nationalism
through the French colonial period, and concludes with the complex issues
related to United States President Lyndon Johnson's decision to significantly
increase the role of the U.S. military in Vietnam in the early 1960s.
The second section, 'Descriptive Analysis,' makes up the bulk of the text.
Beginning with the increasing American involvement to support the rapidly
crumbling Republic of Vietnam based in Saigon, Hall characterizes the
war from 1965 onward as one of military escalation in the climate of Cold
War containment policies with little forethought for long term considerations.
Tracking back from the war as it advanced on the ground in Vietnam, the
author also examines the inner workings of the White House, the influence
of the antiwar movement, and the increasing destabilization in the American
political system and civil society related to the war. Focusing on the
last years of the war and its unintended legacies, the book also examines
the impact of the war in all the countries involved (Vietnam and the United
States) as well as its role in the increasing political destabilization
and insurgency in neighboring Cambodia and Laos, which continued to suffer
for decades after the end of the primary conflict. The final section of
the book provides key political documents, white papers, letters, and
expert interpretations of the war that give the reader evidence for interpretation
of leadership decisions in both Vietnam and the United States, and perhaps
a glimpse into the political climate at work on both sides of the conflict.
The
Vietnam War is almost exclusively a political history of the conflict
and centers on U.S. involvement in the war. Hall attempts to provide a
legitimate background to Vietnamese nationalism based on in its supposed
long resistance against Chinese intrusion beginning two thousand years
ago and then how this links to the French colonial experience, but the
few scant pages devoted to such background are superficial. So too is
the entire text if a reader is looking for any sort of detailed information
on a particular event or debate about the war. Indeed, the political wrangling
of the White House prior to significant troop commitment and throughout
the war as well as the considerable disagreements between Ho Chi Minh
and the leadership in North Vietnam receive just enough attention so the
reader knows they exist. More information requires searching for other
books. The document section is, however, a valuable asset to those looking
for short or condensed primary sources related to the war. Both U.S. and
Vietnamese sources appear in English translation.
Given
the role the Vietnam War plays in world history, Hall's book could have
done so much more to make it worthwhile for classroom use. Focusing specifically
on the period of U.S. involvement denies the much larger, and more meaningful
for world history purposes, history of the conflict by putting the long
French experience and the effects of the two world wars into a short 'background'
section. The lack of detail and dry political focus of the text make for
an easy but rather uninspiring read for undergraduate audiences. This
is a point that should give instructors pause, since a boring book is
often an unread book. Hall's work is not without merit, however. He provides
an excellent overview for instructors needing a background to the conflict
for lecture preparation and provides concise descriptions of the political
maneuverings that often convoluted in more in-depth texts. The glossary
of terms and substantial list of abbreviations will also assist instructors
who are not familiar with geopolitical terms related to the war such as
Vietnamization or Domino Theory. The primary source documents can also
find good use in a variety of assignments, from historical analysis to
imaginative essays that construct a rebuttal of a particular piece or
put the student into the role as a historical actor. |
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