It wasn't ridiculous. The domino effect was a real danger.
Yeah I'm not sure who typed ridiculous but hey it is there. Somehow ny co mmputer messed up. It was a real danger and like I say eeerr.. sorry. not sure howm the word "ridiculousssssssssss" got in that post.
Domino Effect: If one nation falls to Communism, then the surrounding nations will, causing the entire world to become communist.
Some things that led to the hype about Communism were Korea, Cuban Missile Crisis, and McCarthyism. Also be sure to hit the Gulf of Tonkin Crisis and Act/Resolution (I can't remember which it is). The Act/Resolution gave Johnson the ability to wage the war.
BTW we are studying this in APUSH right now, so this is a good study aid... I'll see if I can get my classmates to join in the debate, since apparantly I have a different view on this thing than EVERYONE!!!
I do agree the domino effect was a danger but not to the extent that the US did. During the cold war era communism mostly entailed an armed group murdering anyone who didn't believe in communism and therefore acquiring a majority of the populous. For example, in Vietnam communists would go into a village murder the village leader, teachers, doctors, and anyone who disagreed and basically force them into communism it was a massacre. The United State's strategy was to blame for Vietnam. There were numerous reasons why the US entered into and lost, most of them were due to stupidity and an incompetent administration.
I can show a point that the domino effect did not work. The North of South East Asia, Indonesia(partially) was Communist, yet British owned Malaya and Singapore did not turn red. Local politicians won democratic elections against Communist parties.
The Americans exaggerated the danger. The only real place where the domino effect could have occured was near the Communist superpowers.
I believe that the domino effect was overexaggerated, but that in the long run it would be a serious threat. Think from a pragmatic point of view. You just ousted the colonial force that's governed you for a long time and vanquished those of your own countrymen who opposed you. Your economy and infrastructure has severe problems, and there are turbulent times ahead. This, of all times, would be the worst time to try to finance revolutions in other countries. Only when a nation has gotten sufficiently past its revolutionary stage can it viably help other nations with their own revolutions. So I believe that the domino effect is more of a long-term effect rather than the American panic warranted. Part of it, I believe, was rooted in China's counterattack during the Korean War.
I believe that the domino effect was overexaggerated, but that in the long run it would be a serious threat. Think from a pragmatic point of view. You just ousted the colonial force that's governed you for a long time and vanquished those of your own countrymen who opposed you. Your economy and infrastructure has severe problems, and there are turbulent times ahead. This, of all times, would be the worst time to try to finance revolutions in other countries. Only when a nation has gotten sufficiently past its revolutionary stage can it viably help other nations with their own revolutions. So I believe that the domino effect is more of a long-term effect rather than the American panic warranted. Part of it, I believe, was rooted in China's counterattack during the Korean War.
There are three counter-examples. Firstly Malaya. The KL government was anti-communist, it won the people's support through democratic elections.
Secondly, Singapore, the government managed to stamp out all Communist activist. The people themsevles largely hated the Communists.
Thirdly, Afghanistan. The Muslims there absolutely detested communism. Especially after the USSR invaded.
Watch the movie "We Were Soldiers". It will give you a good view of what the war was like, and even some nice facts. But, it is intense, sad, and gory.
The Domino Effect is a model. Like all models, they're really based off of generalized ideal situations, aka Ceteris paribus.
Mao was afraid of counterattack from the US; that's why he initially sent troops to fight. It actually did prove to be a good investment, because in a way China became the victors of the war: They could boast that they had stood up against America, the greatest superpower. This proved to be a boost on several levels.
