Vietnam War Vs Cold War Essay

The world was in a fragile state in the post-WWII era and created a opportune environment for the spread and popularization of communism. The Korean War (1950-1953) and the Vietnam War (1964-1973) were two prime examples of how communism took a strong foothold in various world regions. While they both contributed to the rising tension and causes of the Cold War, the Korean War affected the early scene while the Vietnam War affected the Cold War towards its later stages. However, both wars did prove to elicit consequences not only for themselves, but for the USA as well.

The Korean War and the Vietnam War were similar in the sense that they both directly influenced the Cold War. With both of these regions being split in two due to WWII, there were also strong communist sides in both of these wars. This strong communist presence in both of these wars was pivotal for the United States due to them centering their foreign policy on the containment of communism as tensions between the USA and USSR began to rise. This emergence of communism in eastern Asia would lead to US intervention in both of these wars in an effort to contain and eventually eradicate communism.

The Korean War and its effects would have a big influence on the emergence and early stages of the Cold War while the effects …show more content…
The Korean War was a very short war however, US and USSR involvement led to increased tensions between the democratic USA and the communist USSR and this tension came to its heights around the time of the Vietnam War. Unlike the Korean War, the Vietnam War was a long lasting war that ended in a communist victory and a complete and utter US failure. This win for communism prolonged the tensions of the Cold War considerably. Furthermore, the consequences of this war can be seen today as it is still talked about in American society as a failure and a waste of American