Civilians_in_Indochina

The Impact of the war on civilians in Indochina The conflict in Indochina had both short term and long-term social, cultural, environmental and human impacts on the civilians of both Vietnam and Cambodia. The fact that civilians suffered directly and indirectly as a result of the Indochina war is unquestionable. Like Richard Nixon said on March 28th, 1919, ‘No event in American history is more misunderstood than the Vietnam War. It was misreported then, and it is misremembered now’. One thing known about the War was the fact that the impact on civilians because of the war was immense. The future health of civilians resulted in overwhelming amount of devastation. The impact felt by the Vietnamese was that experienced by civilians in most wars; getting caught up in the battle, losing loved ones, as well as the hardships of no medical care, no food or shelter, transportation or education. All these aspects had a negative impact on each part of daily life. Civilians in both countries were affected by political oppression due to American intervention, which had, and continues to have, a detrimental effect on all aspects of society in Vietnam and Cambodia. The forced removal of villages and the destructive impact of U.S culture led to the loss of traditions and almost complete social disruption of civilians (Molony., S, pg 114). Their lives were threatened and their livelihood taken. The conflict in Indochina had a detrimental immediate and lasting social impact on the citizens of Vietnam and Cambodia. The Cambodian villages and people were more severely impacted, especially those living near the Ho Chi Minh trail that was crushed by US tactics (Molony., S, pg 114). The US involvement and military tactics caused vast amounts of suffering to the people in Indochina; it created boundless amounts of sadness and grief and continues to have a detrimental effect on all aspects of society in Vietnam and Cambodia. Social, environmental, cultural and human impacts Human Impact The suffering felt by civilians is put into perspective when examining the results of the conflict. The war left people and the land physically ruined: over 500,000 civilians died and 3 million were wounded, many permanently (Molony., S, pg 115). The human loss experienced by the Indochina war was staggering. The legacy of the war was tarnished; it resulted in many Vietnamese becoming mentally and physically sick, wounded and traumatized by what they were subjected to (Webb., K, pg 118). It left individuals without limbs and caused many diseases. The use of chemical weapons in Vietnam also affected the local population significantly. One very harmful chemical was Agent Orange; even to this day many people suffer from serious diseases, including different types of cancer and disabilities, as a result of the spreading of defoliants and herbicides. Many babies were born with a series of birth defects due to the detrimental chemical (Webb., K, pg 118). There are thousands of children that are now the third generation of victims suffering from malformations and severe defects of the immune and the nervous system. Even thirty years after the end of the war, children in Vietnam are still affected by the chemical operations carried out by the United States in order to destroy vegetation (Webb., K, pg 118). Psychological trauma was also present during and after the war. It affected the civilians negatively. Many witnessed people in great pain, their friends, family who were attacked by booby traps or weapons. Most civilians suffered from trauma due to the impact the U.S had on them; destroying their villages and families; it is obvious that the impacts civilians felt destroyed them in more ways the one. The bombs and battles caused instant destruction and death. The prolonged suffering and hardship faced survivors for generations. It is obvious that when the fighting ended, the suffering and hardship had only just begun, due to many aspects that have upset the environment and greatly reduced the ability of the land to support its people. The defoliations of vast tracts of forest and agricultural land by poisonous herbicides, the bombing and burning, the deliberate damage of crops with subsequent starvation, malnutrition and disease; is just a start to the many effects the Vietnamese had to deal with after the Indochina war (Molony., S, pg 114). Social Impact The arrival and direct involvement of US soldiers led to the rapid westernization of Vietnamese society. Vast amounts of western material and commercial values gained supremacy with the introduction of American goods such as cars, music and fashion. It influenced their decisions and actions. However although there were some positive aspects, there almost certainly came the negatives. Due to the influx of western wealth, it began to aid the growth of corruption, prostitution and the drug trade and ultimately led to the decline of traditional village life (Webb., K, pg 118). Children were affected in many ways during the war. They were caught in the crossfire between the various combatants. Some civilians were targeted because they supported the other sides. Many had parents killed and were orphaned. Homes were destroyed and lives disrupted in various ways. Most children and youths were involved in the actual overwhelming struggle and after the war began part of the boat people. After communist victory thousands of South Vietnamese attempted to flee their country. As this was only possible by sea, they became known as the boat people. Environmental Impact The environmental impact on the land of Indochina caused much grief to the Vietnamese people. The war had a detrimental effect on the landscape. The bombing inflicted on the environment caused much devastation. Whole forest regions were demolished due to the bombings. The irrigation systems were destroyed as well as the massive use of herbicides and defoliants left vast swathes of Vietnam a wasteland (Webb., K, pg 118). The legacy of unexploded ordinances remains a problem within Indochina and continues to make people feel tense. The many people who rely on the environment and land for their livelihood, to feed their families and clothe their children struggle with everyday life. The environmental effects from chemical agents and the colossal social problems cause by a devastated country with so many dead caused many more lives to be shortened. Cultural Impact The Americanization of Vietnamese cities caused the breakdown of traditional village structures as a result of American intervention. The conflict in Indochina had an extremely negative effect on citizens in both North and South Vietnam. The persuasive US presence during this period threatened the survival of traditional Vietnamese culture due to the introduction of western culture and consumer goods. Thus, the cultural impact on civilians after the war was of great effect. (Webb., K, pg 118). Many civilians had to leave their culture behind due to the invading war, in order to protect themselves and their families. Bombing and Artillery and U.S Impact American bombing and artillery firepower had a massive impact on South Vietnam’s ability to support itself. The US dropped more than 7 million tonnes of bombs and 86 million liters of herbicides (Molony., S, pg 115). The bombing destroyed forests and rice crops and left the land impossible to farm. Due to the unexploded mines and shells large parts of the country are no-go areas; and are still like this today. Although American bombing had a profound impact on the civilians in Indochina, defoliation had an enormous impact on the landscape and food production, thus resulting in an overwhelming impact on civilians. President Kennedy gave his approval for the process of defoliation; sometimes referred to as Ranch Hand. Its purpose was to destroy vegetation and thus deny guerrillas the means of hiding in scrub from US forces. In 1969 alone, a million acres were treated to US chemical bombardment. Between 1962 and 1972, the United States sprayed over 20 million gallons of herbicides on south Vietnam (Webb., K, pg 120) this resulted in short term and long term effects for civilians. It destroyed the crops and forests. It caused food shortages, forced people and wildlife to migrate. Millions of peasants were forced to live in slum conditions due to being pushed to inhabit the cities creating unwanted diseases (Webb., K, pg 120). The long-term effects were severe and created pain and grief to the lives of many. Years after the war was over, millions of Vietnamese people suffered illnesses, which we know to be the result of US chemical warfare. Such illnesses included cancer and birth defects. The bombing and artillery inflicted on Vietnam and Cambodia consequently damaged the lives of many civilians. Diem’s Impact A significant, direct impact on the civilians of the South was Diem’s rise to power. Diem held a corrupt ballot to establish a Republic of Vietnam and in the process created two separate states within the country. Diem’s domestic policies included attacks of the peasants, Buddhists and religious powers (Molony., S, pg 114). Through his power he used brutality, terror and repression in order for everyone to obey him. He once said; ‘Follow me if I advance! Kill me if I retreat! Revenge me if I die!’ (Brainy Quote, 2001). This quote is a clear indicator just how he went about his work and what his authority meant to him. To combat NLF, the Diem regime implemented the Agroville Program and later the Strategic Hamlet program. (Webb., K, pg 119) This resulted in an immense impact on peasants, their lives were uprooted, the homes and livelihoods destroyed, and their ancestors’ sites were lost.(Webb., K, pg 119) Diem’s brutal regime brought great suffering to the villagers; this resulted in mass protests against the corruption of the regime. Thus creating significant impacts on the world when they were reported through the media, which resulted in questions being asked on the US home front. Anti-war movements began to rapidly appear across the world and gain support as media coverage of the conflict and civilian suffering began to increase. Vietnam was known as the first television war and many of the events that contributed to the anti-war movements came from the media who were present in the conflict (Molony., S, pg 114). As Marshall McLuhan said on May 16, 1975, ‘Television brought the brutality of war into the comfort of the living room. Vietnam was lost in the living rooms of America, not on the battlefields of Vietnam’. The events often shown to the world were of great suffering. These events reinforced the understanding that civilians were suffering, and that the war was extremely brutal. The Impact on Cambodia Cambodia was heavily impacted during the war; it resulted in a broad amount of destruction to the lives of many civilians. The military tactics used by the U.S after the Tet offensive brought the war and suffering directly to Cambodia. The point which marks when the war truly moved from Vietnam to Cambodia was when the Nixon administration in 1969 began a convert bombing campaign entitled Operation Menu, which involved: ‘Breakfast’, ‘Lunch’, ‘Snack’, and ‘Dinner’. It aimed to destroy the NLF’S ability to use the Ho Chi Minh trail (Molony., S, pg 114). President Nixon gave the approval to ‘Operation Breakfast’ in an effort to destroy Communist supply routes and base camps in Cambodia. Nixon widened the war with massive bombing of Cambodia and Laos, which killed approximately 600,000 Cambodian civilians (and another 350,000 in Laos), (Taxi Vantha, 2005). This bombing campaign resulted in obvious destruction and loss of life, social dislocation and anger, political polarization and mass support for the Khmer Rouge (Molony., S, pg 114). The secretive team of Khmer Rouge leaders ruled the lives of every Cambodian citizen, started by cleansing Cambodian society from all elements that had any relationship to the corrupt regime of the Khmer Republic. Teachers and families were killed. In the years that followed, more than a million people perished under the Khmer Rouge regime, the country was becoming a vast killing field. After its liberation by Vietnam forces and the entry of Western journalists, Cambodia soon became known as the ‘Killing Fields’ (EXCEL). Under the murderous regime starvation was a normal aspect for civilians, and there are even some accounts of cannibalism. There is no surprise that the mortality rates increased rapidly during the years of the war in Cambodia. Conclusion Decades later, the Vietnam war had passed from a living horror to an unwanted memory. Many deep wounds still exist, as the impact of the war remains deeply entrenched in the land and in the bodies and collective souls of Laotians, Vietnamese, Cambodians and Americans scattered across the world. One will never fully know the degree to which civilians in Indochina suffered during the War. However it is unquestioned that the impact was immense. It is not an exaggeration to say that in many ways the war has not ended, although those affected have made enormous efforts to seek reconciliation, justice or somehow make peace with the past. Bibliography ‘Brainy Quote’, 2001, BookRags Media Network, Ngo Dinh Diem, from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/n/ngo_dinh_diem.html. Molony., S, ‘Modern History’, Creelman, 2008, Creelman publishing, pg 114, 115, 112. Taxi Vantha ,‘Cambodia and the Vietnam War’, 2005, from: http://www.taxivantha.com/1_Cambodia/116.htm Webb., K, ‘Conflict in Indochina’, First addition, 2008, Kimberley Broadbridge, pg, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121.