Domino Theory Vietnam War

America’s involvement in the Vietnam War can be explained by a series of events and decisions taken from around 1939 to 1965. The falling Domino principle is a wide accepted explanation that urged the U.S. to support the French in the Franco-Vietminh war, and eventually, after France’s withdraw, increased its involvement. This investigation will examine the Domino theory, the context and other accepted interpretations from historians, in order to answer the question of to what extent the domino theory explains U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.

The domino theory was fist mentioned at press conference in 1954 when President Dwight Eisenhower is asked about the strategic importance of Indochina to the free world. The president answers this

The tensions between the U.S. and the USSR after WWII had gradually increased towards a Cold War period. This period without actual fighting had a significant impact on America’s attitude towards the situation in Vietnam. Losing Vietnam to communism would not only threaten the world it would also, maybe more importantly, expose America’s weakness. Whereas the orthodox interpretation praises America for its bravery in their fight to save the world from communism, revisionist’s historians see the Vietnam War as a futile small factor in the larger Cold War Context and criticize America’s actions as aggressive and acquisitive. (21)6America would have the desire to shape the world in its own ideal image. Revisionist historians Duiker (1994) and Berman (1982) accused Kennedy of exaggerating the strategic importance of Vietnam. The territorial loss of Vietnam would not be as much as the psychological loss if America failed to contain communism while the world is watching its moves.

to take action in the Vietminh’s fight for independence. The domino theory, which reflects America’s fear and the conviction that communism appeared to be a danger for the world, is accepted as the main reason for America’s involvement in the Vietnam War. The American presidents shared the orthodox interpretation, all believing in the containment of communism. Other factors that explain America’s involvement in the Vietnam War are the quagmire and Stalemate theory and the commitment trap. The increased commitment from previous presidents made it more difficult and challenging for the successors to withdraw from the Vietnam. Opposed from the mainly accepted orthodox interpretation, revisionist historians argue that the Vietnam War was a futile part in America’s power struggle with communist Russia in a larger Cold War context. As the tensions rose between the Soviet states, so did America’s commitment in the Vietnam