How Effectively Did The USA contain The Spread Of Communism? Flashcards
The Korean War - Background
Soviet Russians control the North
Americans control the South
The line that splits the zones was called the 38th Parallel
In 1947, the UN calls for free elections (meaning they were allowed to vote) to elect a democratic government for the whole of Korea.
In 1948, elections were held in the south under the UN’s supervision and the Republic of Korea was established and Seoul became the capital. Their leader was Syngman Rhee
In the same year, the Soviets established 5e Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (communist) and Pyongyang became the capital. Their leader was Kim il-Sung. Both countries claimed they were the government for the whole of Korea
Why did North Korea invade South Korea in June 1950?
- He wanted to unite Korea under communist rule
- He had the support of both the Soviet and Chinese leaders, Stalin and Mao Zedong.
- Their armed forces (who were supplied by the Soviets were stronger than South Korea’s forces.
- They thought that America wouldn’t respond as China was now communist and the Soviets had the atomic bomb. They thought that America was scared of them.
- American politicians had made public statements that suggested that Korea wasn’t a main priority for them
How did the UN become involved in the Korean War?
The UN was closely associated with the government of South Korea as they included them in their decisions for the government. North Korea however didn’t include them in their decisions.
And so when the troops of North Korea crossed the border in June 1950, the Security Council met and asked them to withdraw.
However, when they didn’t withdraw its troops, the Council met again and told the South that they would give them help to stop the attack. And so 16 countries (including America, France etc) were sent to help them and the military and forces were sent
Why did the US get involved?
The USA had be closely associated with the government of South Korea as they included them in their decisions for the government. North Korea however didn’t.
And so when the troops of North Korea crossed the border in June 1950, the Security Council met and asked North Korea to withdraw from the South.
When the North didn’t withdraw its troops, the Council met again and told the South that they would give them help top stop the attack. And so 16 countries, including America and France etc, were sent to help them and military and forces were sent.
WHY did the USA get involved in the Korean War?
- The USA had been closely associated with the establishment of the Republic of Korea (South a Korea).
The USA wanted to stop any further communist expansion
The Americans said that communism was coming from Moscow so the North Korean actions were assumed to be part of the Soviet plan
The USA thought that when they took over South Korea, it would encourage a Chinese attack on Formosa (the base for the non-communist Republic of China). If South Korea and Formosa fell to the communists, the position of Japan could also be threatened.
The fall of South Korea, Formosa and Japan would mean that there would be more power in the communist’s hands
If the UN had failed to do anything about the invasion, then the US would have to act on their own.
The UNO was mainly to do with America. For example, the forces were commanded by an American General MacArthur, half of the ground forces were America, more than 90% of the air forces were American and 85% of the naval forces were American.
Events of the Korean War
- Success for North Korea (June – September 1950):
North Korean forces took over most of South Korea and captured the capital, Seoul. South Korean and UNO troops were confined around Pusan.
- Success for the UNO (September – October 1950)
The UNO and American launched a counter attack: they led a seaborne attack behind the communist lines and Seoul was let go and the North Korean troops were led back to the 38th Parallel.
- The UNO attempt to reunite Korea (October – November 1950)
The UNO forces continued towards the 38th Parallel in which they were trying to build a united government for the whole of Korea and Pyongyang, the North Korean captured was captured on the 19th October and even reached the Yalu river on the border with China.
- The Chinese attack (November 1959 – January 1951)
The Chinese forces launched a massive counterattack in November and the UNO forces were driven southwards and across the 38th Parallel. Seoul was captured again by the communists in 1951
- The UNO counter attack (January- July 1951)
UNO counter attacks forces the communists back to the 38th Parallel. Seoul was taken back to the UNO and America in March. General MacArthur asked for the use of nuclear weapons and after disobeying orders, he was dismissed and replaced by General Ridgway.
- Stalemate leading to an armistice
Negotiations began at Panmunjom (a village between North and South Korea) and lasted for two years. Fighting still continued and there were many lives lost and suffering and many of the engagements were fought over hilltops.
What were the results the Korean War?
Positives:
• America and the UNO had shown they would stand up to aggressive actions, and communism
• The UNO had shown itself in this one event to be far more meaningful than the League of Nations
• South Korea had been liberated from the invading communists of the north
Negatives:
• North Korea was still a communist dictatorship: Korea as a whole was not a unified democracy, as hoped for by the UNO
• 4 million Koreans died
• The resort to war was in many ways a failing of the new UNO which was trying to promote world peace, with
• China refused entry by the USA in 1950
The Cuban Missile Crisis background
Cuba is a large island in southern USA. It had been an American ally. In 1959, Fidel Castro overthrew the American backed dictator Batista. However, Castro was pro-communism and therefore the Americans didn’t rlly like him.
Between 1959 and 1961, America’s and Castro’s relationship was moderate. US businesses in Cuba were taken over but the US naval base remains.
In 1961, America broke off diplomatic relations with Cuba for many reasons. For example, America found out through their spies that Cuba was receiving arms from the Soviet Union.
Bay of Pigs invasion, April 1961
President Kennedy authorises an invasion of 1400 men, trained and supplied by America. Their aim was to overthrow Castro and get rid of him. With those men, they go to the Bay of Pigs and are met by 20,000 Cuban troops armed with tanks and modern weapons.
The invasion failed and the 1400 men were killed within days or were captured. It was embarrassing and humiliating moment for America. The Soviet Union leader, Khrushchev, thought that it was pathetic of America to try to get rid of communism in Cuba. And in December 1961, Castro declares himself a communist.
Why did the Soviet Union put missiles in Cuba?
- Soviet Union wanted to defend Cuba from future attacks from other countries. This was because of the Bay of Pigs invasion in April 1961 as the USSR felt they might attack again.
- Soviet Union wanted to test America to see how strong they actually were.
- Soviet Union wanted to threaten America because Cuba is only 100 miles from Florida so they could easily use these missiles to attack them.
- Soviet Union could use these missiles as leverage against America. The US had weapons in Turkey, which is quite close to the USSR and they thought that if they could have them so close, so could the USSR in Cuba.
- To have a united front for communism
- To gain military advantages - to get the upper hand in the arms race. The US had more weapons than the USSR and they therefore wanted to seize any opportunities to have more weapons in different areas.
What happened after the USSR put weapons in Cuba?
What happens in October 1962?
Kennedy is informed about the missiles build up in Cuba and decides on a blockade of Cuba. He decides to stop all the submarines coming from the USSR with the weapons. They tell the USSR to withdraw its missiles. However, Kennedy received a letter from Khrushchev saying that there are no nuclear missiles in Cuba.
The blockade begins and the first missile carrying submarine approach the blockade zone but the ships which were closest had to stop or turn around because of the ships of America.
Kennedy received another letter from Khrushchev saying hat the missiles are purely to defend them and he said if the US assured them there wouldn’t be another attack and they would lift the blockade, then they might destroy the missile sites. He sends another letter saying that they also had to withdraw the missiles in Turkey, however Kennedy cannot do this.
After an American plane being shot down in Cuba, the President is advised to launch an attack on Cuba, however, Kennedy and ignores the conditions sent in the second letter but accepts the conditions in the first letter. Kennedy said that if they do not withdraw then there would be an attack.
Khrushchev replies to Kennedy and says that in order to élimante this conflict which endangers the cause of peace, they would withdraw their arms and be shipped back to the USSR.
Outcomes of the Cuban Missile Crisis
o Cuba remains communist and highly armed. However, the nuclear missiles were withdrawn under UN supervision.
o Kennedy has enhanced his reputation in his own country and throughout the West.
o The USSR retains an ally near America
o America remove their weapons from Turkey secretly
o Greater communication between Washington and Moscow – a phone link was set up between them.
o They sign a Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, it did not stop the development of weapons but it limited tests.
Vietnam War Background
Vietnam was ruled by France from the 1800s. During WW2, Japan invaded. In this period, France supported a Vietnamese group called the Viet Minh who were communist and led by Ho Chi Minh in their fight against Japan. At the end of the war, the Viet Minh entered Hanoi in the north of the country and declared Vietnam free.
France did not want this. They had supported the Viet Minh during WW2, but now wanted a simple return to French control over Vietnam. The Viet Minh had not fought one foreign country (Japan) to simply then surrender to a new one from 1945 in France.
America supported France, wanting to re-establish a capitalist government in all of Vietnam, rather than the communist government now in place in the north. America and France established a capitalist government in the south. The USSR and China supported the Viet Minh. Between 1946 – 1954, France and the Viet Minh were at war.
At the peace conference in Geneva in 1954 the country was divided into a north (communist) and south (capitalist) until elections could be held to decide the future running of the country. France withdrew from Vietnam. America supported a capitalist dictator in the south – America refused to allow elections as they were worried open elections would result in a victory for the communists.
Important:
NORTH - COMMUNIST
SOUTH - CAPITALIST
Why did the USA become increasingly involved in Vietnam?
Elections were to be held within two years to reunite the country. After the free elections in Soviet controlled Eastern Europe, the US decided to do the elections in a different way. They prevented the elections from taking place because they feared that the communists would win. US was convinced that the USSR and China were planning to spread communism throughout Asia. This idea was referred to as the Domino Theory. If Vietnam fell to communism, then slowly Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Burma and maybe even India might fall just like a row of dominoes.
In 1955, the Americans helped Ngo Dinh Diem to set up the Republic of South Vietnam, he was anti-communist. The Americans didn’t like his action but stuck with him as they had to. They supported him with about $1.6b in the 1950s. However, he was overthrown by his own army leaders in November 1963 but the government followed were just as bad. However, they still received US support.
The actions of these anti communist governments increased support among the peasants for the Communist-led National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam which was set up in December 1960. This movement was known as the Viet Congress. It included South Vietnamese opponents buts also large numbers of Communist North Vietnamese taking orders from Minh. People who didn’t support them were faced with violence.
The Viet Cong also started a guérilla war (included civilians etc) against the South Vietnamese government. Using the Ho Chi Minh Trail, the Viet Congress sent supplies to the fighters in which they attacked South a Vietnamese government forces and American Air Force and supply bases.
By 1962, President Kennedy was sending military personnel to fight the Viet Cong. Between 1963 and 1954, tensions between North and South increased and America became more involved. Président Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. The person who replaced him, Lyndon Johnson, was more prepared than Kennedy.
In August 1964, North Vietnamese patrol boats opened fire on US ships in the Gulf of Tonkin. In a furious reaction, the US Congress passed the Tonkin Gulf Resolution which gave the power to the President in which he could take any measures he wanted to achieve peace. He could create it into a full scale war and he did. On 8th March 1965, 3500 US marines, combat troops came ashore at Da Nang and America was therefore at war with Vietnam.
What kind of war was the Vietnam War? - Viet Cong and guérilla
The Viet Cong had about 170,000 soldiers who were well supplied from China and the USSR, however, they were outnumbered by the South Vietnamese forces and their US allies. For example, in November 1965, in the La Dreng Valley, the US forces killed 2000 Viet Cong for the loss of 300 troops. However, Ho Chi Minh (communist) was not affected by this, he believed that they could be defeated by guérilla tactics. He saw in China them using this tactics and achieved a victory. He had also used them himself against the Japanese and the French.
Guérilla warfare was a nightmare for the US army, they didn’t wear uniform, they had no base, they worked in small groups and they were heard to tell apart from peasants in the village.
The aim of guérilla attacks was to wear down the enemy soldiers and wreck their moral, this was a success.
The Viet Cong were respectful to the Vietnamese peasants and helped them. However, at times they killed him if they opposed him. Between 196g and 1971, the Viet Cong killed an estimated 27,000 civilians.
The Viet Cong’s greatest strength was that they never gave up. They depended on supplies from North Vietnam that came along the Ho Chi Minh trail. South Vietnamese planes did bomb them a lot but they kept it going.
The total of Viet Cong and North Vietnamese deaths were estimated at 1 million which was far higher than US losses.
