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... ly a Communist, but that he put nationalism first and had no direct ties to the Soviet Union. He was not a tool of Communism, in fact, Ho was relentless in his pursuit of direct ties to the United States. Also, the Soviet Union was more anxious to pursue dtente and had no special concern for Southeast Asia. The Soviet Union would not even recognize the freedom and independence of Vietnam.
They only recognized the state of Vietnam after the Chinese recognized them when the People's Republic of China gained its independence in 1949. Finally, the Soviet Union and China both made it clear that in the face of an American threat to intervene, the Vietnamese would have to compromise. This meant the political reality of Viet Minh power in Vietnam would have to yield to the larger political reality of its powerlessness in the world at large. All in all, both Communist superpowers were not ready to compromise their position in the world to support Vietnam in their quest for independence or in the Soviet Union's case to even recognize them. Another argument that finds the domino theory as an inaccurate premise is that Vietnam was doing fine on its own after elections in early 1946. Elections were held on January 6, 1946 and within six months of taking power, under their own government and without assistance from any other country, the people of North and Central Vietnam were free of famine and colonial taxation and were on the way to universal literacy.
Vietnam was doing well and prospering as a country. Yet, the US still feared this success was Communist-driven and would cause the toppling of other Southeast Asian countries. Also, Master Sergeant Donald Duncan, a militant anti-Communist when he arrived in Vietnam, said, "In the long run, I don't think Vietnam will be better off under Ho's brand of Communism, but it's not for me or my government to decide. That decision is for the Vietnamese. " Vietnam showed the world they could sustain themselves without aid from other countries. In turn, they could become a viable economic force in Southeast Asia with their resources of rice, tungsten, rubber, and tin; and all this time there was not a Communist power overlooking their every move or supporting them. Not only were the Vietnamese doing well on their own, but the argument for the domino theory was not even accepted across the Atlantic by the United States' allies.
Britain was one country that did not believe in the total collapse of Southeast Asia if Vietnam fell to Communism. British military chiefs did not subscribe to the total collapse predicted by the domino theory. They sustained that Malaya could be held regardless of what happened in Indochina. Winston Churchill considered sustaining Malaya to be a sufficient contribution to stopping the spread of Communism in Southeast Asia.
So, according to Churchill, Vietnam was not the key in halting the spread of Communism, for Malaya would not necessarily succumb to Communism after the outcome in Vietnam. The domino theory can also be shown to be false in that Vietnam would eventually want American help after the war. It seemed likely that any future government in South Vietnam, even if Communists dominated it, would want American aid in rebuilding the country. This meant that Vietnam could not get to friendly with the Communist superpowers because they knew the US would not help them if they were also getting aid from the Soviet Union and China. Neither a Communist government in North Vietnam or South Vietnam was likely to throw itself into the arms of China unless it was permitted no alternatives.
So, the United States could have been that alternative making sure that North Vietnam and South Vietnam did not become reliant on China or the Soviet Union for material and financial support. People also argued that a settlement in Vietnam would weaken the confidence of US allies in American determination to defend them and in turn create a wave a Communism throughout Southeast Asia. However, this statement was just a smokescreen to keep America from settling with the North Vietnamese. After an investment of 500, 000 troops and spending more than $ 20 billion per year in Vietnam, the only thing in doubt was the United States' ability to shore up governments that did not have the support of their own people.
The US showed, with these massive numbers, that they were willing to support causes they believe in and a settlement would not affect their standing in the world. Also, Asian governments and their people knew that the problem in South Vietnam was the failure of South Vietnamese leadership, not of American resolve. If the domino theory was correct, why did the Communist takeover in Czechoslovakia in 1948 not result in the collapse of Western Europe? And why was Fidel Castro's revolution in Cuba not followed by a wave of successful revolts throughout Latin America? The reason is that situations vary in different regions and countries. The United States made it seem like Communism was the only place for countries to turn to if they needed help.
But, that was not the case because Communism was not for everyone. Different countries have different needs. Those needs can call for a Democratic society or a Communist society or whatever will help that country the most in feeding its people and surviving in the world at large. During a visit to Vietnam, twenty-two years after the war, Robert McNamara, former US Secretary of Defense from 1961 to 1968, said, "Human beings have to examine their failures. We " ve got to acquaint people with how dangerous it is for political leaders to behave the way we did. " McNamara was in favor of escalating the Vietnam War in 1964, but he realized that what the US was fighting for was not in the best interest of the people of Vietnam. The war was now over and it had resulted in the reunified, Communist Vietnam that Hanoi had desired and the US had fought so hard against.
But, Vietnam had not become the agent of Soviet and Chinese Communism that Washington had feared. Communism in Indochina had not toppled the dominoes of Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and other Asian countries as predicted. Moreover, the United States lost the war and lives of thousands without realizing the true goals of the war. Tran Quang Co, a former First deputy Foreign Minister in Vietnam, pointed out during McNamara's visit that "the nature of the struggle was not to undermine neighboring countries. " Co added, "The US failed to understand the objective of our war. It was for our own national liberation and reunification. " This negates America's purpose for entering the war and stopping the spread of Communism.
The North Vietnamese were fighting for nationalism, not for the sake of the Communist superpowers. In addition, Co pointed out what is now obvious since the demise of the Soviet Union: Vietnam was not a tool of world Communism. The domino theory was a false assumption and taught the United States a great lesson in foreign diplomacy. Vietnam was fighting for the same things the US fought for in the 1770 's. To simplify an issue, people's basic instincts are to want freedom and independence. In Vietnam, that was all they wanted.
If that was what the people of Vietnam wanted then they should have been able to decide that for themselves. It was not up to the United States or any other country to choose Vietnam's future for them. This is what the United States did not understand. They also did not understand that an independent Vietnam meant freedom for millions of people, which is what the US should want for all people, not the spread of Communism throughout the world. Bibliography:
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Research essay sample on Spread Of Communism Domino Theory
