Fredrik logevalls embers of war is not the first book ive read about the first indochina war. The war had a profound and lasting impact on the politics and society of vietnam and the united states, and it also had a major impact on international relations. John prados, author of the hidden history of the vietnam war. Choosing war by fredrik logevall paperback university.
The fall of an empire and the making of americas vietnam random house, 2012, which won the 20 pulitzer prize for history and the 20. The origins of the vietnam war seminar studies in history. A french colony, indochina made up of vietnam, laos, and cambodia had been occupied by the japanese during the war. The fall of an empire and the making of americas vietnam new york. Origins of the vietnam war oxford research encyclopedia of. In one of the most detailed and powerfully argued books published on american intervention in vietnam, fredrik logevall examines the last great unanswered question on the war. Drawing on newly available documents from several nations, and making full use of the vast published literature, logevall surveys the. Oct 15, 2015 at tedxcornell, fred logevall reveals the deep reality of the vietnam war and what lessons it has for us moving forward. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read embers of war. Recommend to your library pdf rightslink rights and permissions read an excerpt buying options. The lost chance for peace and escalation of war in vietnam. How america became involved in vietnam is particularly successful in presenting a balanced account of the origins of the american military commitment in vietnam.
Vietnam and the question of what might have been springerlink. A rising star among a new generation of historians, fredrik logevall has written the most important vietnam book in years. Buy the origins of the vietnam war seminar studies in history 1 by logevall, fredrik isbn. He won the 20 pultizer prize for history with his book embers of war. Origins of the vietnam war from 19451954 thoughtco. Logevall traces the path that led two western nations to. Fredrik logevall harvard university history department. Readers interested in the history of southeast asia, or the vietnam war. Since the late 1990s fredrik logevall has developed an expertise in the conflicts of postsecond world war vietnam, and while his previous works have tended to focus on us involvement in the origins of americas war, he has always been concerned to situate such involvement in its proper international context. This study examines the origins of the vietnam war itself, going back to the nature of french colonial rule in the early 20th century. Fredrik logevall origins of the vietnam war world of. The lost chance for peace and the escalation of war in vietnam, fredrik logevall tackles the issues from a fresh. The origins of the vietnam war by fredrik logevall, 20. Vietnam war bibliography by richard jensen jensen is a scholar with many books and articles.
Inr hughes to rusk, july 28, 1965, box 31, national security file vietnam, lyndon baines johnson library, austin texas. In america the wars trauma runs deep and the public keeps asking why that war had to be fought at all. In his new book on the origins of the american war in vietnam, he gives a fascinating and dramatic account of the french war and its aftermath, from the perspectives of the french, the vietnamese, and the americans. The conflict had a profound and lasting impact on the politics and society of vietnam and the united states, but also shaped the larger international system in critical ways. Fredrik logevall is associate professor of history, university of california, santa barbara. Fredrik logevall the meaning of the vietnam war 1109. However, logevall said, this permissive context is not inevitable.
Fredrik logevalls excellent book choosing war 1999 chronicled the american escalation of the vietnam war in the early 1960s. The war in vietnam was a seminal event in post1945 world affairs. Containing a guide to characters, chronology and detailed bibliography, the origins of the vietnam war provides an indispensable introduction to one of the most important events in recent history. The lost chance for peace and the escalation of war in vietnam. Fredrik logevall is a wonderful writer and historian. Fredrik logevall born 1963 is a swedishamerican historian and educator at harvard university, where he is the laurence d. Unlike most other historians of the conflict, logevall successfully adapts a multinational perspective, giving insight into not only american but vietnamese, french, british and. Fredrik logevall history, cornell university wednesday, april 10 4. A communist, ho chi minh waged a guerrilla war against the. The causes of the vietnam war trace their roots back to the end of world war ii. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Fredrik logevall is a swedishamerican historian and educator at cornell. Kennedy school of government and professor of history in the harvard faculty of arts and sciences.
Professor logevall cornell has produced a masterful and thorough volume that could easily have been entitled origins of americas vietnam, as he explores the french indochina war and the american role from its inception. Controversial yet fair, this account challenges the reader to think through. Fredrik logevall is associate professor of history and. The kennedy legend is ably analyzed in thomas brown, jfk. But neither will it do to argue that the origins of americas war in vietnam can be explained solely by the actions of individual policymakers who had a menu of viable options, who were unfettered by external pressures and could easily have gone another way. Challenging the prevailing myth that the outbreak of largescale fighting in 1965 was essentially unavoidable, choosing war argues that the.
A short history of the vietnam war explains how the united states became involved in its longest war, a conflict that. The fall of an empire and the making of americas vietnam. The fall of an empire and the making of americas war in vietnam is an outstanding piece of scholarship on the subject of frances war in indochina and how it became americas war in vietnam. Fredrik logevall examines the french colonial experience in indochina and the roots of the vietnam war. He is the author or editor of nine books, including. It situates the developments from the french colonial period.
Vietnam war, however, more closely resembled the u. The general question of the extent to which history is contingent or. History center to kick off vietnam war speaker series with. Embers of war isbn 9780375504426 pdf epub fredrik logevall. Cornell historian fredrik logevall steps back from the edge andparting from most vietnam war studies that focus on the kennedy and johnson administrationsreaches back to world war ii to give a fresh picture of america imagining itself into the vietnam war. By explaining the international context of that tragic conflict, choosing war provides startling answers to the question, why did the war happen. Professor fredrik logevall, harvard university swedish. The origins of the vietnam war can be traced to frances colonization of indochina in the late 1880s. Before that he taught at the university of california, santa barbara, where he cofounded the center for cold war studies. The fall of an empire and the making of americas vietnam ebook written by fredrik logevall. By the early 1990s, when i began studying the vietnam war, the american public had largely lost interest in the history of that conflict. Thats to resort to an unsatisfactory great man theory of history that the.
Structure, contingency, and the war in vietnam mytopictodayisthevietnamwar,andasistandherebeforeyouimconsciousof the fact that this organization was born in the midst of that long and dif. Belfer professor of international affairs at the john f. Many books and documentaries explore the origins of americas tragic involvement in vietnam, but few as thoroughly and damningly as fredrik logevalls embers of war. It investigates the original conflict between france, as well as the united states, and the forces of vietnamese nationalism and communism. Over time, the antiwar movement limited the options available to johnson and nixon. Sep 09, 2012 fredrik logevalls excellent book choosing war 1999 chronicled the american escalation of the vietnam war in the early 1960s. The fall of an empire and the making of americas vietnam by fredrik logevall random. Pdf a short history of the vietnam war download full pdf. Hanois road to the vietnam war opens in 1954 with thesigning of the geneva accords that ended the. This book provides a short, accessible introduction to the origins of the vietnam war. The real lesson of the vietnam war fredrik logevall.
Jun 10, 20 logevalls grave conclusion is that the vietnam war has a special resonance today, because a similar permissive context allowed wars in iraq and afghanistan. It is also an exceedingly wellwritten piece of literature. However, it is the first book that doesnt deal specifically with the infamous 1954 battle of dien bien phu, which pitted the dying empire of france against the insurgentnationalist viet minh. Fredrik logevall, winner the 20 pulitzer prize for his book, embers of war. In 1941, a vietnamese nationalist movement, the viet minh, was formed by their leader ho chi minh 18901969 to resist the occupiers. The origins of the vietnam war university of toronto. Jun 14, 2018 teaching notes for a great place to have a war, written by cfr senior fellow joshua kurlantzick, on the story of the cias covert war in laos during the vietnam war. Why did the us make a commitment to an independent south vietnam. To answer that question fredrik logevall traces the fortyyear path. In 200607 logevall was leverhulme visiting professor of history at university of nottingham and mellon senior. Fredrik logevall, a professor at harvard university, is a specialist on u. The lost chance for peace and the escalation of war in vietnam new ed by logevall, frederik isbn.
Embers of war, by fredrik logevall the new york times. Fredrik logevall born 1963 is a swedishamerican historian and educator at harvard. At tedxcornell, fred logevall reveals the deep reality of the vietnam war and what lessons it has for us moving forward. Affairs at the kennedy school and professor of history at harvard. The viet minh, led by ho chi minh, emerged as the dominant anticolonial movement by the end of world war ii, though viet minh leaders encountered difficulties as they tried to consolidate their power on the eve of the first indochina war against france. Choosing war by fredrik logevall paperback university of. In recent years several authors have reexamined this critical period that set. Now it was the turn of the united states, a faraway nation reluctant to go to war but determined to prevent vietnam from falling into communist hands. Isbn 9781501709456 pdf isbn 9781501712098 epubmobi. Logevalls grave conclusion is that the vietnam war has a special resonance today, because a similar permissive context allowed wars in iraq and afghanistan. Teaching notes for a great place to have a war, written by cfr senior fellow joshua kurlantzick, on the story of the cias covert war in laos during the vietnam war. Falls books street without joy 1961 and hell in a very small place 1966 were considered the definitive histories of frances 194654 war in vietnam.
The civil war and world war ii were the wars that historians were advised to. On the role of the famine in the august revolution see fredrik logevall, embers. Logevall is the author or editor of nine books, most recently embers of war. The lost chance for peace and the escalation of war in vietnam berkeley, ca, 1999. Dec 15, 2017 fredrik logevall, winner the 20 pulitzer prize for his book, embers of war. The date was april 29, 1967, and the setting was the palmer house. The origins of the vietnam war by logevall, fredrik ebook. Origins of the vietnam war oxford research encyclopedia. A short history of the vietnam war explains how the united states became involved in its longest war, a conflict that, from the outset, many claimed it could never win.
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