While fighting in the war in Vietnam, American … The Vietnam War And Impact Of The Tet Offensive On American Ideology 4408 Words | 18 Pages. How the Tet Offensive Undermined American Faith in Government Fifty years ago, the January 1968 battle laid bare the way U.S. leaders had misled the public about the war in Vietnam. The Tet Offensive, a surprise attack launched by North Vietnam in the pre-dawn hours of Jan. 31, 1968, was a major turning point in the war. The Vietnam War and the Impact of the Tet Offensive on American Ideology Isabel Shea January 31, 1968 North Vietnamese attacked over 100 cities throughout South Vietnam on thirty-five of forty-four province capitals, thirty-six district towns, and many villages and hamlets. How did Eugene McCarthy change the race for president in 1968? - general public is equal between doves and hawks - now openly criticizing the war. Julian E. Zelizer How did the Tet Offensive change President Johnson's popularity? The Tet Offensive was a turning point for public opinion. 14 Most observers agree that Tet was probably instrumental in changing U.S. policy precisely because of the government’s perception that the offensive had caused a shift in public opinion. decreased. The Tet Offensive was a turning point in the Vietnam War, but one that irreparably poisoned American public opinion on U.S. involvement and ushered in the steady drawdown of American combat troops. How did the Tet Offensive change American public opinion about the war? It turned public opinion against Johnson's handling of the war. How the Tet Offensive Broke America. How did the Tet Offensive affect the people of the United States during the Vietnam War? The U.S. regained all its lost ground, but the Tet Offensive was political defeat for the U.S., partly due to media coverage. On Jan. 30, 1968, the Vietcong attacked 120 American and South Vietnamese locations. The offensive had a strong effect on the U.S. government and shocked the U.S. public, which had been led to believe by its political and military leaders that the North Vietnamese were being defeated and incapable of launching such an ambitious military operation; American public support for the war declined as a result of the Tet casualties and the ramping up of draft calls. The distinction between friend and foe blurred after the Tet 1968 offensive.