What did American leaders during the Cold War think about the political situation in Vietnam?

1 answer:

4 0

They thought that if Communist leaders took control of Vietnam, all of Southeast Asia would ultimately ally with the Soviet Union.

Explanation:

During the Cold War period, Vietnam was highly divided internally, having the Communists on one side, and the King on the other side. Both sides enjoyed big support, with the Communists dominating in the north, and the King in the south. The Communists wanted to make Vietnam a Communist country and ally with the Soviets, while the King wanted to preserve his royal power and be in good relations with the Western democracies.

The United States entered a war with Vietnam, and the main reason for that was to stop the spread of Communism in the country, as they feared that once Vietnam is Communist and allied with the Soviets, the rest of Southeast Asia will follow. The Communists in Vietnam manged to win the war, embarrassing the United States, and established Communism in the country. The results were not as devastating in the region as the United States' officials thought they would be though.

Countries in Southeast Asia that adopted Communism were: