Communism is the belief that people should share work and resources equally. The communist take over of China, the Korean war and the communist victory over the French in Vietnam, all led many Americans to fear that communists were taking over the world and must be stopped. This fear of communism can be seen during; the political climate before 1954; the result of the Geneva Peace Accord of 1954; the role of SEATO and the domino theory; the Gulf of Tonkin and commitment of the united States ground troops; and why the troops became involved.

International developments in 1945-1950 involved Vietnam in the rapidly worsening Cold War. The attitude of the major powers towards Vietnam changed after the communist victory in China in 1949 and the start of the Korean War in 1950. The United States saw these events as further evidence of the worldwide spread of communism. The United States officially...