Korean War

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 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

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

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

Korean war ends in July, 1953.Stalin’s deathNew USA president Eisenhower “Ike” hinted

at using atomic weapons on China.Results

Korea is still divided along the same geographical and political border as in 1950.

2.8 million people dead

RESULTS OF KOREAN WAR United Nations viewed war as a major success

for global security. 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. Passed in Nov. 1950 gave the General Assembly

responsibility for dealing with international aggression should the Security Council be deadlocked.

Vietnam War

Vital Stats 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 South of China in

S.E. Asia

2. Life in Vietnam Most people lived in

villages growing rice on flat fertile fields surrounded by jungle.

3. History of Vietnam 1880’s – 1945

French Rule French soldiers

conquered Vietnam in the 1880’s and ruled for the next sixty years.

Japanese Invasion During WWII Japanese

soldiers marched in and took over

4. Vietnamese Nationalists 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 Communist leader of the Viet

Minh. His Goals

An independent Vietnam A communist Vietnam

5. France vs. the Viet Minh 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 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.

Support for France By 1954 Americans were

paying the French $500 million a year to fight the Viet Minh.

South Vietnam Also helped set up a rival

government in S.Vietnam and promised the S.Vietnamese full independence after the war.

7. Dien Bien Phu The French – Viet Minh conflict

lasts for 8 years and ends in 1954 at Dien Bien Phu with the defeat of the French.

8. Geneva Peace Conference Peace conference was held in

Geneva to work out a settlement in the Indochina War.

Divided Vietnam 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

Ho Chi Minh set out to unite country by war.

Methods 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.

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.

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

Soviet and Chinese Involvement

The Russians and Chinese sent weapons and supplies to Vietnam

Methods of Warfare It was a war of ambushes and sudden attacks and ordinary

villagers helped the Vietcong.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.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.)

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 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.

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 Secret Talks

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.

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 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.?