Introduction
The Vietnam War was one of the largest parts of the Cold War, due to the direct involvement of anti communist America against the pro communist Soviet Union and China in a proxy war. The location and history of Vietnam made it vulnerable to communism, as Vietnam had only ever had foreign leadership in the country, and the people wanted their own freedom, which was achievable under new communist leadership. The anti communist situation in the U.S. illustrated their fear of communism and focus on the policy of containment and the domino theory. This was a way for the U.S. to justify their aggressive foreign domination, despite the people of Vietnam’s wishes. One of the reasons that influenced the defeat of the U.S., was due to the Soviet and Chinese support that North Vietnam received. It was evident that the American’s were fighting the inappropriate way in a war against guerrilla warfare. Also, the Soviet’s were trying to bring down the Americans, by illustrating their direct wish to spread communism to neighbouring countries. Due to America’s focus on containment and the Truman Doctrine, this led to them forming alliances in the Asia Pacific region, which included Australia. The ANZUS and SEATO treaties were signed, which allowed Australia to become a larger part of the Cold War due to their dependence on America. Overall, the Vietnam War led to increased tensions between the Communist and Democratic countries, especially after America withdrew.