preview

Fear Of Communism In Vietnam Essay

Good Essays

Fear of communism, otherwise known as the Domino Theory, strengthened the American resolve to intervene in Vietnam. In addition, the US needed to maintain its credibility by coming out on top in the Vietnam conflict, so as to provide bargaining power in other conflicts. Of course, internal politics too played a role in the decision to intervene in Vietnam, with Lyndon Bane Johnson taking action that would directly involve US in Vietnam during his election. Once internal politics took hold, the slippery slope came into effect with Americans having to commit to the conflict in Vietnam without any serious way out.

The Cold War started in 1946 and divided the world into capitalist and communist blocs. At the time there was a significant fear of communism due to two primary factors. Firstly, the USSR tested their first atomic bomb in 1949 which made the Americans fear the Russians because they …show more content…

The attack was reported in the New York Times and the public now demanded action. Johnson now faced a dilemma: how to win the 1964 election. After Kennedy’s death he only came into office temporarily and in order to stay for a four-year term, he had to defeat his Republican opponent, Barry Goldwater. Goldwater was a staunch supporter of continued intervention in Vietnam, even going so far as to proposing the use of nuclear weapons against the perceived communists. Given that Johnson’s political plan was to focus on internal matters, such as healthcare, Goldwater might have won due to the anti-communist propaganda the American public experienced for over two decades. As a result, Johnson had to counter Goldwater’s claims. To do this, he employed bombing raids on North Vietnam, in retaliation for the attack on the Maddox. He also employed a dramatic advertising campaign, known as “the little girl and the flower” to show what may happen if Goldwater were to use nuclear weapons. Johnson won the election by a landslide as a result of these

Get Access