Transcript Hot Spots of the Cold War

Hot Spots of the Cold War
The Korean War
Chinese Revolution
Communist forces
led by Mao Zedong
struggled against
the Nationalist
government led by
Chiang Kai-shek
To prevent a
Communist
revolution in Asia,
the US sent the
Nationalist
government $2
billion in aid
Chinese Revolution
However, the Nationalists
did not use the money
wisely and lost the civil
war by 1949 and US
stopped sending money
1950  People’s Republic
of China and Soviet Union
signed a treaty of
friendship and alliance
US feared this would lead
to other Communist
revolutions throughout
Asia
New Policies in Japan
General Douglas MacArthur
took control of occupied
Japan and made it his
mission to introduce
democracy and keep Japan
from threatening war again
Once the US lost China as
an ally, it began to
encourage the rapid
recovery of Japan’s
industrial economy
US viewed Japan as the
key to defending Asia from
Communism
The Korean War Begins
Following the Japanese
defeat, the US disarmed the
Japanese in southern Korea
and the Soviets disarms the
north, divided at the 38th
parallel
A Communist government
developed in North Korea and
an American-backed
government controlled the
south
Soviet Union provided military
aid to the North Koreans
June 25, 1950  North
Korean troops invaded the
south
The Korean War Begins
Truman saw the
Communist invasion
as a test of the
containment policy so
he ordered the US
naval and air power
into action
Truman asked the
United Nations to take
action
Soviet delegate to the
UN was not present to
veto the request, so
the UN stepped in on
the southern side
The Korean War Begins
US and southern troops
pushed into the “Pusan
perimeter” where they
resisted the Northern
onslaught
September 15, 1950 
MacArthur ordered an
invasion behind enemy
lines
North Koreans were
pushed into a full retreat
back to the 38th parallel,
then to the border with
China
China Enters the War
People’s Republic of China
saw the advancing UN
troops as a threat and
warned the troops to halt
Warning was ignored and
China sent thousands of
troops into North Korea to
push back the UN troops
MacArthur, angry that his
troops were pushed back
approved the expansion of
the war to China and asked
for a blockade of Chinese
ports, the use of Chiang
Kai-shek’s Nationalist army,
and the bombing of Chinese
cities with atomic weapons
Truman Fires MacArthur
Truman refused
MacArthur’s demands
MacArthur publically
criticized the president,
arguing that “there is no
substitute for victory” and
that a limited war was a
form of appeasement
Truman fired MacArthur for
his insubordination in April
1951
Although MacArthur was
still widely popular and
returned home a hero,
Congress supported
Truman and his policy of a
limited war
Changes in Policy
Following 1951, the Korean
War settled into a series of
small battles over hills and
other local objectives
Armistice signed in July 1953
Korean War was the first time
that the United States used the
military to resolve Cold War
issues
Shifted focus from Europe to
Asia
1954  US signed a defense
agreement with Japan, South
Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines,
and Australia, forming the
Southeast Asia Treaty
Organization (SEATO)
JFK and the Cold War
Bay of Pigs Invasion
When Fidel Castro overthrew the
corrupt leader Fulgencio Batista
in 1959, he immediately created
ties with the Soviet Union
This made the communist fear
too close to home for many
Americans
Kennedy approved a plan for the
CIA to secretly train and arm a
group of Cuban exiles to invade
the island
On April 17, 1961, 1,400 Cubans
landed in the Bay of Pigs, but the
invasion was a disaster and
within two days, Castro’s forces
killed or captured almost all of the
members
Cuban Missile Crisis
Summer 1962 
intelligence agents learned
that the Soviets sent
technicians and military
construction began
October 22, 1962 
Kennedy announced that
American spy planes
detected that the Soviets
had put long-range missiles
on Cuba
Kennedy ordered a naval
blockade to stop the
delivery of more missiles
Cuban Missile Crisis
American people were
incredibly worried
because a nuclear
Holocaust seemed
imminent
Soviet Union offered a
deal: they would remove
the missiles from Cuba if
the US would promise to
never invade Cuba and
remove missiles in
Turkey
October 28, 1962 
leaders reached an
agreement and missiles
were removed from Cuba
The Vietnam War
Growth of Vietnamese Nationalism
Vietnamese people were sick of being
ruled by foreigners
Ho Chi Minh became a prominent leader
of the Nationalist movement in Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh founded the Indochinese
Communist Party and worked to overthrow
French rule
In 1941, Ho Chi Minh organized a
nationalist group called the Vietminh and it
united Nationalists Communists
America Aids the French
When Japan surrendered to the Allies in
1945, it gave up control of Indochina
Ho Chi Minh quickly declared Vietnam
independent
However, France refused to give up its
colonial rule in the region
America Aids the French
France appealed to the US for help, which
placed the US in a difficult position
US opposed colonialism, but it also greatly
opposed Communism
Truman became convinced to help France
President Eisenhower continued Truman’s
policy and defended it using the Domino
Theory
Defeat at Dien Bien Phu
France continued to struggle in the
guerilla war against the Vietminh
1954  French commander ordered
his forced to occupy the mountain
town of Dien Bien Phu
A huge Vietminh force surrounded the
town and began bombarding it
May 7, 1954  French force fell to
the Vietminh
Geneva Accords
Divided Vietnam along the 17th parallel 
Ho Chi Minh in charge of the north, and a
pro-western regime in the south
1956  elections were to be held to reunite
the country under a single government
Ngo Dinh Diem lead the Nationalist
government of the south
Very pro-western and anti-communist
Did not allow the elections to occur in 1956
because he feared that Ho Chi Minh would win
Resistance in the South
After Ngo Dinh Diem refused to hold
national elections, the Communists of
the south began to organize
Vietcong  Communists of South
Vietnam, supported by Ho Chi Minh
Vietcong grew more powerful
because many Vietnamese opposed
Diem’s government
Kennedy Takes Over
Kennedy continued the nation’s policy of
support for South Vietnam
Between 1961-63, the number of military
personnel grew from 2,000 to 15,000
American officials urged Diem to create a
more democratic government and
introduce reforms to help the peasants
Diem created strategic hamlets  fortified
villages protected by machine guns,
barbed wire, and trenches
The Overthrow of Diem
Diem made himself very unpopular by
discriminating against Buddhists
Banned the traditional religious flags and
killed 9 protestors
Monks set themselves on fire in protest
August 1963  Henry Cabot Lodge
(ambassador) learned that Diem’s
unpopularity was so strong that
Vietnamese generals were planning on
overthrowing him
The Overthrow of Diem
November 1, 1963  Generals
launched a military coup and
executed Diem
Kennedy will be assassinated less than
a month later on November 22, 1963
South Vietnam’s government grew
weaker after the coup
The people of South Vietnam did not
support the new military government
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
August 2, 1964  President Johnson announced
that the North Vietnamese torpedoed two
American destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin
August 4, 1964  Johnson reported that a similar
attack occurred
August 7, 1964  Gulf of Tonkin Resolution –
authorized the president to “take all necessary
measures to repel any armed attack against the
forces of the United States and to prevent further
aggression”
United States Sends in Troops
Vietcong began to attack bases were
Americans were stationed
Americans began to bomb North Vietnam
Johnson’s popularity grew following the
bombing
March 1965  Johnson began sustained
bombing called “Operation Rolling
Thunder”
Also ordered more troops into Vietnam
Bloody Stalemate
By the end of 1965, there were 184,300 US
troops in Vietnam
The next year that number doubled
Vietcong used ambushes, booby traps, and
other guerilla tactics
General William Westmoreland advocated
for increased military presence in Vietnam
American troops began using Agent
Orange (herbicide used to kill plant life)
and Napalm (jellied gasoline)
The Tet Offensive
In November 1967, Johnson and Westmoreland
assured the American public that the strength of
the North Vietnamese was decreasing and the
American troops could withstand any major
offensive
On January 21, 1968, the NVA launched a
major offensive on Tet, the Vietnamese lunar
new year
The Tet Offensive was a coordinated attack on
36 provincial capitals, 5 major cities, and the
U.S. embassy in Saigon
It is considered a military victory but a strategic
loss for the US troops
My Lai Massacre
March 16, 1968, American forces searching
for enemy troops stumbled upon the village
of My Lai
At this point, the U.S. troops had been
subjected to years of guerilla tactics by the
Vietnamese, including using women and
children as soldiers and soldiers posing as
civilians
Lieutenant William Calley’s unit began
shooting and killing unarmed civilians
By the end, 400-500 Vietnamese were killed
Nixon Works to End the War
Nixon campaigned on the promise of
“peace with honor”
Vietnamization  U.S. forces would
withdraw as ARVN troops assumed
more combat duties and would
eventually take over the war
altogether
To help destroy the communist supply
lines, Nixon ordered the secret
bombing of the Ho Chi Minh Trail
The War Finally Ends
Paris Peace Accords  In January
1973, the United States, South
Vietnam, and North Vietnam signed
the peace agreement
All parties agreed to a cease-fire, US
troop withdrawal, POWs exchanged,
and North Vietnam troops would
remain in South Vietnam
By the spring of 1975, the capital city
of South Vietnam, Saigon, fell to the
north and the nation was united over
communist rule
Impact of War
Twenty-Sixth Amendment: 18 year olds
can vote
War Powers Act, 1973  restricted the
President’s war-making powers by
requiring him to consult with Congress
within 48 hours of committing American
forces to a foreign conflict; must withdraw
forces if he does not receive Congressional
approval within 90 days
Returning veterans faced harsh criticisms
from the public  “baby killers”
Impact of War
591 POWs returned
during Operation
Homecoming
Many returned with
psychological and
physical damage
Senator John McCain
(R-AZ)
Lessons for Future American
Presidents
1. Wars must be of a short duration
2. War must yield few American
causalities
3. Restrict media coverage access to
battlefields.
4. Develop and maintain public support.
5. Set clear, winnable goals
6. Set timeline for troop withdrawals.
In The End…
“If we have to fight, we will fight. You
will kill ten of our men and we will kill
one of yours, and in the end it will be
you who tires of it.” – Ho Chi Minh