What was the first president to explain the domino theory?
In April 1954 United States president Dwight Eisenhower spoke at a press conference where he was asked, among other things, about the communist victory in Indochina. Eisenhower responded with one of the earliest explanations of the Domino Theory:
What was the Cold War “domino theory”?
President Eisenhower delivers Cold War “domino theory” speech. President Dwight D. Eisenhower coins one of the most famous Cold War phrases when he suggests the fall of French Indochina to the communists could create a “domino” effect in Southeast Asia. The so-called “ domino theory ” dominated U.S.
What was Eisenhower’s “Domino theory” speech about Vietnam?
Eisenhower gives famous “domino theory” speech. He spent much of the speech explaining the significance of Vietnam to the United States. First was its economic importance, “the specific value of a locality in its production of materials that the world needs” (materials such as rubber, jute, and sulphur).
What is the significance of Eisenhower's'domino theory'speech?
Eisenhower gives famous “domino theory” speech. First was its economic importance, “the specific value of a locality in its production of materials that the world needs” (materials such as rubber, jute, and sulphur). There was also the “possibility that many human beings pass under a dictatorship that is inimical to the free world.” Finally,...
What is the domino effect Eisenhower?
President Dwight D. Eisenhower coins one of the most famous Cold War phrases when he suggests the fall of French Indochina to the communists could create a “domino” effect in Southeast Asia. The so-called “domino theory” dominated U.S. thinking about Vietnam for the next decade.
When was Eisenhower's domino theory?
The National Security Council included the theory in a 1952 report on Indochina, and in April 1954, during the decisive battle between Viet Minh and French forces at Dien Bien Phu, President Dwight D. Eisenhower articulated it as the “falling domino” principle.
What is domino theory in your own words?
Definition of domino theory 1 : a theory that if one nation becomes Communist-controlled the neighboring nations will also become Communist-controlled. 2 : the theory that if one act or event is allowed to take place a series of similar acts or events will follow.
Why was the domino theory important?
Dwight D. Eisenhower applied it to Southeast Asia, especially South Vietnam. The domino theory was one of the main arguments used in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations during the 1960s to justify increasing American military involvement in the Vietnam War.
What is an example of the domino effect?
The domino effect states that when you make a change to one behavior it will activate a chain reaction and cause a shift in related behaviors as well. For example, whenever you make your bed in the morning, you may do it again the next morning.
Who started the domino theory?
Implying that Indochina stood at the head of a “row of dominoes,” Eisenhower explained that should communists “knock over the first one,” the last would “go over very quickly.” The following month, after the Vietnamese communists defeated French forces at Dien Bien Phu, Eisenhower revisited his “theory of dominoes” at ...
How did the domino theory affect the US?
The domino theory was the basis for the United States strategy of containment, and the reason for entering the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War was a result of the national strategy of containment. The national strategy of containment demanded the U.S. stop communist aggression into the countries of Southeast Asia.
What is domino theory quizlet?
Domino Theory. A foreign policy during the 1950s to 1980s that states if one one land in a region came under the influence of communism, then surrounding countreis would follow. Soviet Union.
Who created the Eisenhower Doctrine?
The Eisenhower Doctrine was a policy enunciated by Dwight D. Eisenhower on January 5, 1957, within a "Special Message to the Congress on the Situation in the Middle East".
What is domino effect mean?
Definition of domino effect : a cumulative effect produced when one event initiates a succession of similar events — compare ripple effect.
Where did the domino theory start?
Domino theory came in to play in 1950 when the communist victory in China and subsequent war in Korea were seen as a threat to Southeast Asia. The combination of these factors persuaded the Eisenhower administration to begin aiding the French in their war.
When President Eisenhower spoke of the domino theory the United States was involved in quizlet?
When president Eisenhower referred to the "domino theory", he specifically had in mind one country which he thought would be the first to fall to communism in Asia. What was the country? How do the Cold War contribute to economic growth in the United States? You just studied 26 terms!
Who created the Eisenhower Doctrine?
The Eisenhower Doctrine was a policy enunciated by Dwight D. Eisenhower on January 5, 1957, within a "Special Message to the Congress on the Situation in the Middle East".
What were the terms of the 1954 Geneva Accords?
In July 1954, the Geneva Agreements were signed. As part of the agreement, the French agreed to withdraw their troops from northern Vietnam. Vietnam would be temporarily divided at the 17th parallel, pending elections within two years to choose a president and reunite the country.
What was the most significant result of the 1957 launch of Sputnik?
The fact that the Soviets were successful fed fears that the U.S. military had generally fallen behind in developing new technology. As a result, the launch of Sputnik served to intensify the arms race and raise Cold War tensions.
What was Eisenhower's most famous phrase?
The so-called “ domino theory ” dominated U.S. thinking about Vietnam for the next decade.
What did Eisenhower say about Japan?
Eisenhower suggested that even Japan, which needed Southeast Asia for trade, would be in danger. Eisenhower’s words had little direct immediate impact–a month later, Dien Bien Phu fell to the communists, and an agreement was reached at the Geneva Conference that left Ho’s forces in control of northern Vietnam.
Who used the Vietnam War theory?
John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson both used the theory to justify their calls for increased U.S. economic and military assistance to non-communist South Vietnam and, eventually, the commitment of U.S. armed forces in 1965. READ MORE: How the Vietnam War Ratcheted Up Under 5 U.S. Presidents.
Who explained the Domino Theory?
Eisenhower explains the Domino Theory (1954) In April 1954 United States president Dwight Eisenhower spoke at a press conference where he was asked, among other things, about the communist victory in Indochina.
Who said "Mr President, would you care to say anything to us about the loyalty and patriotism of?
Joseph Harsch: “Mr President, would you care to say anything to us about the loyalty and patriotism of Edward R. Murrow ?” [NB: Murrow had given his television address critical of Joseph McCarthy the previous month]
Did Eisenhower say we have no intention of going into a program of seeing how big these can be made?
Eisenhower: “No, we have no intention of going into a program of seeing how big these can be made. I don’t know whether the scientists would place any limit; and, therefore, you hear these remarks about “blow-out,” which, I think, is even blowing a hole through the entire atmosphere… We know of no military requirement that could lead us into the production of a bigger bomb than has already been produced…”
Cold War Concerns
After WW2 ended, the Soviet Union, immediately began to spread communism to the nations, which were under Nazi rule. They took over most of these Eastern European nations and East Germany towards the end of the war. In 1947, when the U.K.
Vietnam Conflict
When Eisenhower became president in 1953, the First Indochina War was going on. In North Vietnam, it was the communist leader and nationalist Ho Chi Minh who with the Viet Minh forces were fighting with the French. After the French withdrew in 1954, Indochina was renamed Vietnam and was divided into North Vietnam and South Vietnam.
Domino Theory Significance
The significance of the domino theory is that because of it, the U.S. entered into the war on the side of South Vietnam to help them overcome the communist forces of North Vietnam, which were getting their support from the Soviets and the Chinese.
Why was the domino theory used in the 1960s?
The domino theory was one of the main arguments used in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations during the 1960s to justify increasing American military involvement in the Vietnam War. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Brian Duignan, Senior Editor.
Who proposed the military aid theory?
The theory was first proposed by Pres. Harry S. Truman to justify sending military aid to Greece and Turkey in the 1940s, but it became popular in the 1950s when Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower applied it to Southeast Asia, especially South Vietnam.
What is the Domino Theory?
The domino theory goes something like this: if one domino strikes another, it can lead to a chain reaction in which all dominoes fall. But what does this have to do with Vietnam?
Why was the domino theory created?
The primary motivation was to prevent the spread of communism, which was considered dangerous to American values and interests. This theory was first articulated as American policy by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1954. However, the domino theory proved to be just a theory.
Is the slope logic of domino theory still in favor?
Over the years, the 'slippery slope' logic of the domino theory has fallen out of favor, though echoes of it still remain, especially in debates over other sensitive geopolitical topics like the Mideast. Mostly, though, it serves as a cautionary note against justifying open-ended military action with no clear end in sight.
What was Eisenhower's belief in domino theory?
Moreover, Eisenhower’s deep belief in the domino theory in Asia heightened the "perceived costs for the United States of pursuing multilateralism" because of multifaceted events including the " 1949 victory of the Chinese Communist Party, the June 1950 North Korean invasion, the 1954 Quemoy offshore island crisis, and the conflict in Indochina constituted a broad-based challenge not only for one or two countries, but for the entire Asian continent and Pacific." This connotes a strong magnetic force to give in to communist control, and aligns with the comment by General Douglas MacArthur that "victory is a strong magnet in the East."
Who explained domino theory?
Apart from President Eisenhower’s description, American academic Victor Cha also explained the domino theory in his book, titled Powerplay: The Origins of the American Alliance System in Asia.
Why was the domino theory used?
The domino theory was used by successive United States administrations during the Cold War to justify the need for American intervention around the world. U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower described the theory during an April 7, 1954, news conference, when referring to communism in Indochina :
What is domino theory?
The domino theory is a geopolitical theory that was prominent in the United States from the 1950s to the 1980s which posited that if one country in a region came under the influence of communism, then the surrounding countries would follow in a domino effect.
Why did the Kennedy administration intervene in Vietnam?
President Kennedy was in a tenuous position, trying to contain Communism in Southeast Asia, but on the other hand, supporting an anti-Communist government that was not popular with its domestic citizens and was guilty of acts objectionable to the American public. The Kennedy administration intervened in Vietnam in the early 1960s to, among other reasons, keep the South Vietnamese "domino" from falling. When Kennedy came to power there was concern that the communist-led Pathet Lao in Laos would provide the Viet Cong with bases, and that eventually they could take over Laos.
What did Walt Whitman Rostow and Lee Kuan Yew argue about?
Walt Whitman Rostow and the then Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew have argued that the U.S. intervention in Indochina, by giving the nations of ASEAN time to consolidate and engage in economic growth, prevented a wider domino effect.
Why did the domino theory become popular in poorer countries?
Linguist and political theorist Noam Chomsky wrote that he believes that the domino theory is roughly accurate, although he put a more positive spin on the threat, writing that communist and socialist movements became popular in poorer countries because they brought economic improvements to those countries in which they took power. For this reason, he wrote, the U.S. put so much effort into suppressing so-called "people's movements" in Chile, Vietnam, Nicaragua, Laos, Grenada, El Salvador, Guatemala, etc. "The weaker and poorer a country is, the more dangerous it is as an example. If a tiny, poor country like Grenada can succeed in bringing about a better life for its people, some other place that has more resources will ask, 'Why not us?'" Chomsky refers to this as the "threat of a good example".
What did Eisenhower say about the domino theory?
Eisenhower endorsed the domino theory rhetorically, and so strongly that he gave the theory its name, but he did not commit more resources to Indochina than the real importance of the area could justify. This worked for him in 1954, but he was storing up trouble in the long run. The domino theory slid out of view for several years, but it was waiting to reassert itself whenever some country in Asia seemed in danger of falling to communism. One of Eisenhower's last actions as president, on 19 January 1961, was to tell John F. Kennedy and the top foreign policy officials of the incoming Kennedy administration that if Laos were to fall to communism, it would be "just a question of time" before South Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Burma did the same.
Why was the domino theory so poorly thought out?
One reason the domino theory was so poorly thought out was that for many of its proponents, it was not so much a theory as a call to action. Whenever any country seemed about to fall to communism, anticommunists tried to persuade the American government and people to take action to prevent this from happening. In an effort to generate enthusiasm for the project, some of them always argued that the United States must hold the line against communism in whatever country was currently under threat, because that was where the chances of holding the line would be best; an effort to fall back and defend in some other country would be utterly hopeless, or would at least involve a much more difficult and dangerous effort than defending the country currently threatened. Also, since the country currently endangered was always a country where the communists were strong, the domino theorists were each time in the position of arguing that it would be easier to stop the communists in that country, where they were strong, than in some other country where they were much weaker.
What did Eisenhower say about Indochina?
If it fell its neighbors would shortly thereafter fall with it, and where did the process end? If he was correct, said the President, it would end with the United States directly behind the 8-ball." The record then goes on to quote Eisenhower as having said that "in certain areas at least we cannot afford to let Moscow gain another bit of territory. Dien Bien Phu itself may be just such a critical point." The very next day, Eisenhower made in a press conference the famous statement of the domino theory that has already been quoted.
Why was Eisenhower's Vietnam important?
President Eisenhower wanted to make a moderate effort to save it from communism, not involving a degree of cost or risk grossly out of proportion to its real significance. If he had described the situation to the public in these terms, however, he would have been attacked from two directions: first, a large portion of the public, which did not even know where Vietnam was, would not have approved any risk or any expenditure had they been told that it was not a matter of high importance, and second, with the "Who Lost China?" debate still going on, it would have been extremely dangerous for any American political figure to have described the defense of Vietnam or any other country as a matter of less than the highest importance. Had Eisenhower said that the relatively modest efforts he was making were all Vietnam was really worth, he would have been accused of abetting communist aggression.
Who was the secretary of state for the US in 1953?
When Dwight Eisenhower became president at the beginning of 1953, he appointed John Foster Dulles as secretary of state. Dulles pushed a very radical version of the domino theory, more extreme than had ever before been advocated by anyone so high in the U.S. government. At a meeting of the National Security Council on 31 March 1953, Dulles listed the vital strong points around the periphery of the communist bloc—Japan, Indochina, India, Pakistan, Iran, and NATO—and then, according to the record, "warned that the loss of any one of such positions would produce a chain reaction which would cost us the remainder."
