Table of Contents

Preface: The Challenge of Viet Nam Viet Nam Before 1945 The Viet Minh The First Indochina War 1946-1954 After the Partition The Viet Cong Fighting Guerrillas The Overthrow of President Diem The ARVN from Dien Bien Phu to Tet The Great Tet Offensive Vietnamization: From the Parrot's Beak to the Easter Offensive The United States in Viet Nam: Some Reflections South Viet Nam on Its Own: 1973-1975 The Last Days of South Viet Nam Conclusion: Viet Nam and the Future Epilogue 2001: South Viet Nam's Defeat Revisited Selected Bibliography Index

About the Author

ANTHONY JAMES JOES is Professor of Political Science and Director of the International Relations Program at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia./e He is the author or contributing editor of ten books, has published numerous articles in professional journals, and has traveled and lectured on four continents.

Reviews

.,."the author has provided a highly readable survey of the political events of the period. His work would make an excellent college survey textbook for a course on the history of the Vietnam War....will provide an excellent basis to start any such future discussion."-Air Power History

.,."Joes' presentation is dispassionate, clear, and plausible, as he takes the reader quickly and skillfully from the Viet Minh War in 1954 to the fall of Saigon in March 1975. The moderate level of detail he employs makes the book ideal for the classroom use."-ORBIS

.,."This is a useful book, one in line with new revisionist writings..."-Infantry

?...the author has provided a highly readable survey of the political events of the period. His work would make an excellent college survey textbook for a course on the history of the Vietnam War....will provide an excellent basis to start any such future discussion.?-Air Power History

?...Joes' presentation is dispassionate, clear, and plausible, as he takes the reader quickly and skillfully from the Viet Minh War in 1954 to the fall of Saigon in March 1975. The moderate level of detail he employs makes the book ideal for the classroom use.?-ORBIS

?...This is a useful book, one in line with new revisionist writings...?-Infantry

?In an interesting, fast-paced, and well-written analysis, Anthony James Joes successfully melds the Vietnam War revisionist historian's emphasis on the inability of American and South Vietnamese leaders to understand the political dimensions of the Vietnam War with the post-revisionist historian's focus on looking at the conflict from a Vietnamese viewpoint.?-Military History of the West

?This book fills a niche in the increasing number of texts on the Vietnam War as it provides a short, readable volume for the novice student written from a revisionist' (i.e., centrist/conservative) perspective. Among its many strengths are: (1)it is accessible to the nonspecialist, (2) it provides the background in Vietnamese history and politics and the long origins of the conflict necessary to understand the context of American involvement, (3) it affords balanced insight into the contending military forces without romanticizing the Communist guerrillas, (4) it incisively critiques inadequate American military strategy and tactics, (5) it assesses honestly the problems, successes, and failures of building a viable political order in South Vietnam, and (6) it daringly challenges the prevailing wisdom' on a wide range of issues and offers a provocative conclusion....A good volume for high school and public libraries as well as academic collections.?-Choice

..."the author has provided a highly readable survey of the political events of the period. His work would make an excellent college survey textbook for a course on the history of the Vietnam War....will provide an excellent basis to start any such future discussion."-Air Power History

..."Joes' presentation is dispassionate, clear, and plausible, as he takes the reader quickly and skillfully from the Viet Minh War in 1954 to the fall of Saigon in March 1975. The moderate level of detail he employs makes the book ideal for the classroom use."-ORBIS

..."This is a useful book, one in line with new revisionist writings..."-Infantry

"In an interesting, fast-paced, and well-written analysis, Anthony James Joes successfully melds the Vietnam War revisionist historian's emphasis on the inability of American and South Vietnamese leaders to understand the political dimensions of the Vietnam War with the post-revisionist historian's focus on looking at the conflict from a Vietnamese viewpoint."-Military History of the West

"This book fills a niche in the increasing number of texts on the Vietnam War as it provides a short, readable volume for the novice student written from a revisionist' (i.e., centrist/conservative) perspective. Among its many strengths are: (1)it is accessible to the nonspecialist, (2) it provides the background in Vietnamese history and politics and the long origins of the conflict necessary to understand the context of American involvement, (3) it affords balanced insight into the contending military forces without romanticizing the Communist guerrillas, (4) it incisively critiques inadequate American military strategy and tactics, (5) it assesses honestly the problems, successes, and failures of building a viable political order in South Vietnam, and (6) it daringly challenges the prevailing wisdom' on a wide range of issues and offers a provocative conclusion....A good volume for high school and public libraries as well as academic collections."-Choice