Transcript Korea and Vietnam

Korean War
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Prior to WWII Korea
was ruled by Japan
USSR liberated North
Korea and set up a
communist
government.
USA liberated South
Korea and set up a
democratic
government.
Korean War
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1950 North Korean soldiers
invade South Korea in an
attempt to unite Korea under
communism.
United States fearing the
spread of communism
mobilizes soldiers and appeals
to the United Nations to
neutralize the threat.
United Nations votes in favor
of operation (USSR was
absent) led by US Commander
General MacArthur. (9/10
troops were American)
China’s Involvement
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1949 China had a
communist revolution
under the leadership
of Mao Zedong.
China suspicious of
the U.S. intentions in
the war warn the U.S.
not to come close to
the Chinese border.
China’s Involvement
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China sends troops to
help North Korea
Battle really becomes
U.S. vs. China but
neither country
admitted to this.
MacArthur criticizes
Truman’s handling of
the war and is fired.
Korean War Ends
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Korean war ends in July, 1953.
Stalin’s death
 New USA president Eisenhower “Ike” hinted
at using atomic weapons on China.
Results
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Korea is still divided along the same
geographical and political border as in
1950.
 2.8 million people dead
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RESULTS OF KOREAN WAR
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United Nations viewed war as a major success
for global security.
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Highlight the disadvantages of relying on voluntary
military assistance. (only 16 countries took part)
United States viewed the war as a success
because they contained further communist
expansion in Asia.
The enduring legacy of the UN experience was
the Uniting for Peace Resolution.
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Passed in Nov. 1950 gave the General Assembly
responsibility for dealing with international aggression
should the Security Council be deadlocked.
Vietnam War
Vital Stats
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Longest war in the 20th century (1960-1975)
1,800,000 people killed
Cost of war $30 billion per year.
Average age of American soldier 19yrs.
Superpowers heavily involved “proxy war” an indirect
confrontation.
1.
Location Of Vietnam
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2.
South of China in
S.E. Asia
Life in Vietnam
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Most people lived in
villages growing rice
on flat fertile fields
surrounded by jungle.
3. History of Vietnam
1880’s – 1945
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French Rule
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French soldiers
conquered Vietnam in the
1880’s and ruled for the
next sixty years.
Japanese Invasion
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During WWII Japanese
soldiers marched in and
took over
4.
Vietnamese Nationalists
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Vietnamese hated foreign rule
and set up nationalist groups
to win back independence.
One of these groups was
called the Viet Minh.
Ho Chi Minh
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Communist leader of the Viet
Minh.
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5.
His Goals
 An independent Vietnam
 A communist Vietnam
France vs. the Viet Minh
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The Viet Minh took over the
government of N.Vietnam after
WWII. France wanted to rule
Vietnam again and in 1946
war broke out between them.
6.
American Policy Changes
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Support for France
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At first Americans were
sympathetic towards Ho Chi
Minh but their attitude changed
in 1949 when Americans saw
that Ho Chi Minh was a
communist puppet for Mao in
China.
By 1954 Americans were
paying the French $500 million
a year to fight the Viet Minh.
South Vietnam
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Also helped set up a rival
government in S.Vietnam and
promised the S.Vietnamese full
independence after the war.
7.
Dien Bien Phu
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Geneva Peace Conference
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The French – Viet Minh conflict
lasts for 8 years and ends in
1954 at Dien Bien Phu with the
defeat of the French.
Peace conference was held in
Geneva to work out a settlement
in the Indochina War.
Divided Vietnam
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French agreed to split Vietnam
in two with communists in the
north and non-communists in
the south, and eventually elect
one government for the whole
country.
Election never takes place
because the US feared the
communists would win.
9.
Ho Chi Minh Sets Out to
Unite Vietnam
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Ho Chi Minh set out to unite
country by war.
Methods
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He ordered acts of sabotage
and terrorism against the
S.Vietnam government.
The Viet Cong were a
guerrilla army of 100, 000
men which Ho Chi Minh sent
into S.Vietnam and controlled
large areas of S.Vietnam.
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America’s Response
Containment was
important to the U.S.
The “Domino
Theory”
Americans believed if
one Asian country fell
to communism that
others would follow.
Also believed that
China wanted to
create a sphere of
influence in Asia much
like USSR did in
E.Europe.
Money, Weapons and
Advisors
 Eisenhower/Kennedy
poured money and
weapons into S.Vietnam.
The Results
 It was a waste of time as
the S.Vietnam
Government was losing
the war.
 The Arvin staged a
revolution overthrew and
assassinated Diem.
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Lyndon B. Johnson’s
Choices
In 1963 Lyndon Johnson
takes over from Kennedy and
faced a difficult choice. Cut
his losses and let the
communists take over or
send in American troops. He
decided to send
troops.”Americanize”
Grunts
American soldiers fighting in
Vietnam
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Soviet and Chinese
Involvement
The Russians and Chinese sent
weapons and supplies to
Vietnam
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Methods of Warfare
It was a war of ambushes and sudden attacks and ordinary
villagers helped the Vietcong. (Tet Offensive DVD)
Guerrilla War
A war of sudden attacks where the Vietcong would often just
disappear into the jungle or turn into villagers so the Americans
had nobody to strike back at. (Booby Traps Clip – see Wiki)
Chemical Warfare
Americans sprayed vast areas of countryside to try and cut off
supply lines. They killed or maimed thousands of innocent
villagers.
Napalm
A burning jelly, which stuck to its victims and burned away their
living flesh.
Escalation
Johnson stepped up the attack by bombing N.Vietnamese cities to
try and force the communists to give in. (change from defending
US installations to search and destroy.)
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The Role of Television
For the first time in
history people were able
to see the
consequences of this
war on T.V.
People began to look at
the US as cruel and
bullying monsters.
Protest marches,
demonstrations, draft
dodgers, burning draft
cards
"Hey! Hey! LBJ! How many kids have you killed
today?"
Bitterness in the United States
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By the end of the 1960’s
Americans were sick and
ashamed of the killing and
destruction and wanted the
US out of the war.
1968 Johnson stopped the
bombing and started
looking for peace. He
realized it was useless to
run for re-election and he
retired.
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Richard Nixon
Took over as President
in 1969 and wanted to
end the Vietnam War but
without it looking like the
US had been beaten.
“Peace with Honor”
“Vietnamization”
Nixon’s plan to
strengthen the South
Vietnamese army so it
would look strong
enough to defend itself.
Once this was
accomplished he would
then have an excuse to
remove the American
troops.
Henry Kissinger
 Nixon’s adviser on
foreign affairs
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Secret Talks
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Kissinger secretly met
with N.Vietnamese and
Russian officials and
offered a withdrawal of all
American troops in return
for a ceasefire (Camp
David Accord).
When N.Vietnam was
slow to agree Nixon
started bombing cities
again in order to
persuade them.
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American Troop Withdrawal
An agreement was reached
(Paris Peace Accords) in 1973
and all American soldiers
withdrew, but the fighting never
stopped.
The End of the War
The real end came in 1975 as
the victorious communists took
control of South Vietnam by
capturing its capital, Saigon.
Saigon Falls (1975 - DVD)
Ho Chi Minh City
The communists marked their
victory by renaming Saigon, Ho
Chi Minh City.
VIETSCAR
1. Explain what is meant by the words on the gravestone?
a. Who do the two figures represent?
b. Why is the U.N. shown carrying a gun?
c. Why is Truman shown leading the U.N. by the hand?
2. What does the cartoon suggest that the two figures are doing?
3. What comparison is the author making between the League and the U.N.?