The Chinese Reverse Domino Theory
It is easy for many Americans to understand the foreign policy of “Domino Theory” that existed during the cold war. We easily recognize that communist agents were trained and sent out all over the world to spread Communism, and were especially focused on their home front in East Asia.[1] When looking at a map it is easy to see the spread of communism and how it appeared to flow in the way dominos fall, one domino hitting the next and causing it to fall, an example being how Chinese communism caused most of Southeast Asia to fall to Communism. The expansion of communism is very easy to perceive for westerners; however, it is often hard, but important for us to understand that the sentiments contained in the domino theory were felt equally by both sides, as communist nations, and specifically China, fought to keep the expanding capitalism, and specifically the “American Imperialists” at bay. In addition, As the Chinese felt pressure to keep a buffer zone between themselves and American territory they were effectively able to deter the invasion of North Vietnam by U.S. troops.
After the Second World War, two competing forces sought for power in China, the Guomindang (GMD) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The U.S. gave substantial support to Chiang Kai-shek and the GMD in an attempt to keep communism from expanding to China from Russia, but refused to become directly involved in the conflict (ironically, later this would become the Chinese policy in the Vietnam War against the U.S. where the Chinese refused to become directly involved in the Vietnamese conflict against the U.S.). Mao Zedong, leader of the CCP, was able to win the favor of the people and eventually force the GMD out of the country and into Taiwan. China fell to communism, and the U.S. felt the growing threat of expanding communism. Communism was no longer a Russian system of government, but had taken another large world power.
The Chinese had seen imperialist nations set up colonies many times, and had even fought imperialist presence in China for an extended period of time nineteenth and twentieth centuries. They were no stranger to the idea of colonialism and saw that capitalist imperialist nations wanted to increase their colonial holdings.
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