Who came up with the domino theory?
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.
What did the domino theory suggest?
The domino theory was a Cold War policy that suggested a communist government in one nation would quickly lead to communist takeovers in neighboring states, each falling like a perfectly aligned row of dominos.
When was the domino theory first used?
On April 7, 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower answered a press conference reporter's question about the impending defeat of the French in Indochina with the first articulation of what would become known as “The Domino Theory.” The theory would drive the escalation of the Vietnam War over the next two decades.
Why did the United States believe the domino theory applied to Vietnam?
The US justified its military intervention in Vietnam by the domino theory, which stated that if one country fell under the influence of Communism, the surrounding countries would inevitably follow. The aim was to prevent Communist domination of South-East Asia.
What did the domino theory assume about the spread of communism?
The domino theory assumed that Soviets, communists, and socialists everywhere were unqualifiedly evil. An American nuclear strike on Vietnam was essential in order to halt a Viet Cong victory which would set off a chain reaction of countries falling to the communists, like a row of falling dominoes.
How long did the domino theory last?
The domino theory was a Cold War era belief popular within the United States from the 1950's until the end of the Cold War. The Cold War was a major world event that took place from approximately 1945 until 1990.
How did the domino theory influence US foreign policy?
The theory proposed that a communist takeover over of one country would quickly lead neighboring countries to fall to communism, like dominoes falling in succession. Cold War foreign policy was enveloped in the domino theory, which led to policies like containment, the Marshall Plan and the wars in Korea and Vietnam.
How did the domino theory impact international relations?
Most importantly, the domino theory provided the primary justification for the Vietnam War, which cost the United States almost 60,000 lives and also strained the fabric of American society. Tragically, the irrelevance of the loss of the Vietnam War for American security was not enough to vanquish the domino theory.
What is meant by domino effect?
A domino effect or chain reaction is the cumulative effect produced when one event sets off a chain of similar events. This term is best known as a mechanical effect and is used as an analogy to a falling row of dominoes.
What is the domino theory and what does it have to do with the Vietnam War?
Many Americans feared communism as a different political system, and also because of their belief in the "domino theory." First voiced by President Eisenhower, the theory used the visual image of falling dominoes to represent the fear that if South Vietnam "fell" to communism, then Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Burma (now ...
What is the domino theory How does it relate to the idea of containment?
The Cold War “containment” notion was born of the Domino Theory, which held that if one country fell under communist influence or control, its neighboring countries would soon follow. Containment was the cornerstone of the Truman Doctrine as defined by a Truman speech on March 12, 1947.
What was the purpose of the Marshall Plan?
It became known as the Marshall Plan, named for Secretary of State George Marshall, who in 1947 proposed that the United States provide economic assistance to restore the economic infrastructure of postwar Europe.
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.
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.
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."
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".
Why was the domino theory used in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations?
Moreover, the domino theory was utilized as one of the key arguments in the “Kennedy and Johnson administrations during the 1960s to justify increasing American military involvement in the Vietnam War.”.
Who applied the domino theory to the Arab Spring?
Other applications. Political cartoon by Carlos Latuff applying the domino theory to the Arab Spring. Some foreign policy analysts in the United States have referred to the potential spread of both Islamic theocracy and liberal democracy in the Middle East as two different possibilities for a domino theory.
Who explains the Domino Theory?
Its belief in communist expansion underpinned the Truman Doctrine and other elements of American foreign policy. Eisenhower explains the Domino Theory with regard to Asia (1954) Robert McNamara on Kennedy, the Domino Theory and Vietnam (1966) Citation information. Title: “The Domino Theory”.
What is the domino theory?
The Domino Theory was a prevailing belief that communism was an internationalist movement that would spread from one country to the next until it dominated the world, much as a row of dominos collapses one after the other. The Domino Theory was accepted by a succession ...
What did Western leaders believe about communism?
Western leaders believed that once communism gained a foothold in a nation, its neighbours would quickly be infiltrated, overrun and seized by communists – much like a row of standing dominos topples, one knocking over the next until all have fallen.
What did Lenin believe about communism?
Communism, Lenin said, was a movement based on class, rather than nationality or race. It would transcend borders, nationalities, patriotism and language barriers. After the Russian Revolution, Lenin believed communism would inspire similar revolutions in Germany, France and other European nations.
What was the influence of the Domino theory?
The readiness of Western policymakers to accept the Domino Theory was probably influenced by events in Europe during the 1930s. Most Cold War politicians and policy planners had lived through the pre-war period, when central European regions like the Rhineland, Austria, Sudetenland and Czechoslovakia had all fallen to Hitler, one after another.
Why did the West believe that Beijing would expand communism?
As China’s economic and military capacity increased, the West believed Beijing would expand communism to create a buffer between itself and potential threats.
Who made the domino analogy?
3. The first use of the domino analogy was made by US president Dwight Eisenhower.
Answer
The domino theory states the belief that once one nation (Turkey and Greece at the time) falls to Communism, all countries surrounding it will fall to Communism as well. It's called the domino theory because once one nation fell, a chain reaction would occur causing many other nations to fall with it, like dominos. I hope this Helps!
Answer
President Eisenhower believed in the domino theory, which states that if one country becomes communist, than other countries will follow. He applied his theory to world politics. Your answer is: If a country becomes communist, than other countries will follow it's lead Have an amazing day!
Overview
Arguments that criticize the domino theory
• Elements of the cold war ideology such as the domino theory became propaganda tools for the US government to create fear among the American people, in order to gain public support for the US's participation in the Vietnam War.
• In the spring of 1995, former US Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara said he believed the domino theory was a mistake. Professor Tran Chung Ngoc, an overseas Vietnamese living in the US, said: "The US does not have any plausible reason to int…
History
During 1945, the Soviet Union brought most of the countries of eastern Europe and Central Europe into its influence as part of the post-World War II new settlement, prompting Winston Churchill to declare in a speech in 1946 at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri that:
From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an "Iron Curtain" has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe…
Arguments in favor of the domino theory
The primary evidence for the domino theory is the spread of communist rule in three Southeast Asian countries in 1975, following the communist takeover of Vietnam: South Vietnam (by the Viet Cong), Laos (by the Pathet Lao), and Cambodia (by the Khmer Rouge). It can further be argued that before they finished taking Vietnam prior to the 1950s, the communist campaigns did not succeed in Southeast Asia. Note the Malayan Emergency, the Hukbalahap Rebellion in the Philippi…
Significance of the domino theory
The domino theory is significant because it underlines the importance of alliances, which may vary from rogue alliances to bilateral alliances. This implies that the domino theory is useful in evaluating a country’s intent and purpose of forging an alliance with others, including a cluster of other countries within a particular region. While the intent and purpose may differ for every country, Victor Cha portrays the asymmetrical bilateral alliance between the United States and co…
Applications to communism outside Southeast Asia
Michael Lind has argued that though the domino theory failed regionally, there was a global wave, as communist or socialist regimes came to power in Benin, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Angola, Afghanistan, Grenada, and Nicaragua during the 1970s. The global interpretation of the domino effect relies heavily upon the "prestige" interpretation of the theory, meaning that the success of Communist revolutions in some countries, though it did not …
Other applications
Some foreign policy analysts in the United States have referred to the potential spread of both Islamic theocracy and liberal democracy in the Middle East as two different possibilities for a domino theory. During the Iran–Iraq War the United States and other western nations supported Ba'athist Iraq, fearing the spread of Iran's radical theocracy throughout the region. In the 2003 invasion o…
See also
• Cold War
• Containment
• Export of revolution
• Quagmire theory
• Red Scare