Why were we afraid of communism in vietnam then and not now?

Question

I was in the army but to young to go to vietnam our Aussie boys were ordered to go they say we lost ,now we have both good and bad vietnamese immigrants here now at last our boys are recognised for their heroism .If we lost the war what happend that we are not afraid now?

Answer 1

Since the fall of Stalinist communism in Russia, the doctrine is a great deal less threatening because it's fairly clear that communism in that form is a system that that just doesn't work very well. There are three communist holdouts, Vietnam, Cuba, and North Korea, which are surviving, but not in any style that is attractive to people used to first-world comfort and safety. While the USSR stood, there were arguments for the viability of Stalinist communism; now these arguments are frail, and the doctrine is much less likely to attract new believers.

Answer 2

The collapse of the Soviet Union showed that communism is a flawed system. The few countries holding on to communism have economic problems and social problems to solve. China, by the way, has moved away from communism in everything but name.

Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, people thought communism might spread. We're no longer concerned about that. Islamic fanaticism is a bigger threat and can only be wiped out with prosperity, education, and new goals. Poorly educated young men who have nothing, not even a wife, make good soldiers because they have nothing to lose.

As for why we lost Viet Nam...... In the beginning it was a war to keep South Viet Nam free of the communist North. As the fighting went on, though, many Viet Namese saw it as a war against foreigners, not their northern neighbors. It began turning from a civil war to a war of liberation. Only the southern cities that were occupied were actually fighting with American and Australian forces.

It was a no-win situation. The longer we stayed, the worse it became. Finally the plug got pulled and everyone pulled out and what had to happen did.

Answer 3

In the small picture we lost because we failed to contain communism in Southeast Asia. In the long run, we are no longer afraid because the threat of a world wide communist take-over never appeared. Instead of a domino effect, one country after another falling to communism, the communist movement ran out of steam. The Communist block of Eastern European nations has fallen apart, and the communist countries of east asia are beginning to move toward free market economies.

Answer 4

@ one time communism was an ideology marching across the world, competing with "democracy" very menacingly.

Today, communism is an atavism, a failed holdover residing in pockets that doesn't have much purpose. No one pays much attention - the new boggeyman is islamic terrorism. Even the communists want to have a better economy.

;-)

Answer 5

I'm from the US but we were in Nam too. I think the reduced fear of communism (at least here) is more due to the break-up of the USSR than anything else.

Answer 6

We went to attempt to dislodge communists from southeast Asia. We failed to dislodge them. That area fell into communist hands. We no longer believe that attempting to dislodge communists from southeast Asia is practical. Clear?

Answer 7

we didn't necessarily lose the war... nor was it won. plus, communism isn't as big as it once was, so people have sort of forgotten about it. basically, it isn't a threat anymore.