The term 'Domino Theory' is a political term. It was used during the Cold War to describe the belief that if one country fell to communism, neighboring countries would also fall like a row of dominoes.
The Americans hate communism, as capitalism is the direct opposite of communism, and America is based on "the American dream" which is basically the forwarded of ones own life and career though industry, and consumerism. it is a country based on looking after the individual, rather than the community as a whole. This being said communism is not without its faults, as while communism is based on a good solid foundation of everyone being equal, it is open to abuse as is the nature of humans. so communism would in a perfect world would be a perfect solution. however this is not a perfect world. Americans greatest fear is to be equal, as it does not fit in with the American psyche of having the biggest and best of everything. And also have a fear of anything which is not "the norm," which I can see from a British point of view.
The Soviet Union wanted to spread communism to Greece and Turkey in order to expand its sphere of influence and establish communist regimes in key strategic locations. This would have allowed the Soviet Union to have greater control over the region and potentially create a buffer against Western capitalist influences.
Communism came about because poor countries wanted a quick fix for their economy. For instance, China, back in the early 1900's, was not a Communist nation. It became that way after years of poverty. What communists' do is go after the farmers, etc, and tell them that Communism will give them money, power, etc and will eliminate different classes of people (middle class, upper class), and people will be able to share everything, etc. Farmers and poverty-stricken people believe this, and it does work, temporarily. However, the long term effects are not good. You're pretty much working for your government; nothing is yours anymore. But, poorer countries don't think about the long-term effects. China today is still Communist; but they are not strict Communists like some other countries.
Communism is completely useless and a country dumb enough to practice it today isvery desperate!Advantages: Everyone is treated equally, no racism, sexism etc...No poverty and goods are shared equallyNo-one would want more than each other because everyone has the sameDisadvantage's:No choiceNo incentive to work hard because everyone is doing the same as each other, this means people can't choose the vocation they want i.e to become a doctor, banker etc...Sometimes lead to a dictatorship
Domino theory
GEN Westmoreland stated to the president, that he could get the job done; but he'll need more men. Next year, more men. Next year, more men. Next year...to prevent communism from spreading in Southeast Asia
They wanted to 'contain' communism to stop it spreading. They believed in the domino theory, that if Vietnam fell to communism, then so would the whole of Southeast Asia. The presidents who were involved in Vietnam were all concerned with looking tough against communism, and wanted America to appear like a strong nation. The 'quagmire theory' helps explain why successive presidents became increasingly involved; this is the belief that the US got slowly stuck in Vietnam, and it became harder and harder to withdraw commitment.
Eisenhower famously articulated the "domino theory," suggesting that if communism succeeded in South Vietnam, other countries in Southeast Asia would likely fall to communism one after another, similar to a line of falling dominoes. He believed that this would pose a significant threat to the stability and security of the region and ultimately to the United States and its allies. This viewpoint was a key justification for U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.
The 1949 communist victory in the Chinese Civil War heightened American fears of the spread of communism in Asia, leading to the "domino theory," which posited that if one country fell to communism, neighboring countries would follow. This belief prompted the U.S. to increase its support for anti-communist regimes in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam. Consequently, the U.S. escalated its military and financial involvement in Vietnam to prevent a communist takeover, ultimately leading to deeper engagement in the Vietnam War.
The Domino Theory was a political hypothesis used to justify intervention in the Vietnam War. The theory states that if one country fell to communism, then the surrounding countries would also fall to communism.
Quite simply it was the Domino Theory that Chinese Communism would spread throughout Southeast Asia and beyond. The west employed a policy of establishing and maintaining military bases around China's perimeter to slow down the advance of Communism.
The kennedy`s Administration wanted to stop the spread of Communism and they believed that if Vietnam turn Communist, the rest of contries in the southeast Asia would become Communists as well (domino theory).
They were honoring a commitment to SEATO (Southeast Asia Treaty Organization.). Many believed in the Domino Theory: that if one country fell to communism, all surrounding countries would, also.
The U.S. supported South Vietnam they did this because they wanted to stop the spread of communism. They were also afraid that if Vietnam fell to communism then other countries would soon follow.
The United States had been involved in Vietnam since the 1950's and was part of the philosophy that communism must be contained in Southeast Asia. Kennedy had decided before his death he was going to look for a method to get out of Vietnam, but LBJ was from the "old school " war hawk philosophy of containment so he expanded the war and believed that the United States had to win to stop communism.
The American involvement in the Vietnam War escalated primarily due to the Cold War context, with the U.S. aiming to prevent the spread of communism in Southeast Asia. The Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964, where North Vietnamese forces allegedly attacked U.S. naval vessels, provided a catalyst for President Lyndon B. Johnson to increase military engagement. The belief in the "domino theory," which suggested that the fall of one Southeast Asian country to communism would lead to the fall of its neighbors, further justified U.S. intervention. Ultimately, the decision to escalate was driven by a combination of ideological, geopolitical, and security concerns.