The Vietnam War and the Johnson Administration Cover Image

The Vietnam War and the Johnson Administration
The Vietnam War and the Johnson Administration

The 1964 Presidential Election, the Escalation of the War, and the Consequences

Author(s): Gábor Földessy
Subject(s): Post-War period (1950 - 1989)
Published by: Eötvös Loránd Tudományegyetem, Új-és Jelenkori Egyetemes Történeti Tanszék
Keywords: Vietnam War; Lyndon Johnson; containment; escalation; presidential election of 1964; the Gulf of Tonkin Incident; media; U.S. society; the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution; the Great Society

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this research paper is to examine the effects of the Vietnam War on the Johnson administration (1963-1968). First, the essay seeks to show briefly the outcome of U.S. military operations in South Vietnam between November 1963 and the summer of 1964, and to exemplify the nature of the Johnson administration as to misinforming the American public. In the second stage, the paper intends to examine the effects of the Vietnam War on the presidential election of 1964 and on President Johnson’s political decisions concerning the Gulf of Tonkin Incident that contributed to his victory. In addition, the paper also examines the reasons and factors, namely the escalation of the war in 1965 and its consequences, that eventually brought Lyndon Johnson’s presidency to an end.

  • Issue Year: 2014
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 229-240
  • Page Count: 12
  • Language: English