Pump-Up Why do you think the war will start in Korea? Why do you think the war will start in Vietnam?

Wars in Korea & Vietnam

Today’s Vocabulary Domino Theory – Theory that if one nation falls to communism then its neighbor countries would also fall to communism. Vietcong – Communist guerrilla soldiers in Vietnam. Cuban Missile Crisis – Closest the world has ever come to a nuclear war.

War in Korea After WWII, Korea was divided into two different sections: – The Communist north. – The Democratic south. The Soviets began supplying North Korea with tanks, airplanes, and money in an attempt to take over the south. – The UN decided to intervene in an attempt to stop aggressive invasions. By September 1950, North Koreans controlled the entire peninsula except for a tiny area in the southeast. – Then Douglas MacArthur launched a surprise attack. Half of the North Koreans surrendered and the rest retreated.

Korean War Continues UN troops pushed the North Koreans almost to the Chinese border. – China sends 300,000 troops into North Korea. The Chinese greatly outnumbered the UN forces and were able to push UN troops out of North Korea. – The Chinese then moved into South Korea and captured the capital of Seoul. MacArthur calls for a nuclear attack against China. Truman rejects the proposal for a nuclear war against China. – When MacArthur tries to preceded with a nuclear attack, he is fired.

Korean War Ends In 1952, UN troops and North Korea signed a cease-fire agreement. – The border was set near the 38 th parallel. – 4 million soldiers and civilians die. Communist leaders in North Korea established collective farms, developed heavy industry, build up the military, and develop nuclear weapons. – South Korea prospered and concentrated on developing its industry and expanding foreign trade.

Conflicts in Vietnam France controlled Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. – Nationalist movements developed to fight for independence. In Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh and the Communist party led revolts against the French. Ho Chi Minh creates the Vietminh to push the French out of Vietnam after WWII. – The Vietminh used hit-and-run tactics to confine the French to the cities. – In 1954, the French surrendered. U.S. becomes afraid of the domino theory.

More Problems in Vietnam After France’s defeat, Vietnam was divided: – Ho Chi Minh and the Communist controlled the north. – A cruel dictator, appointed by the U.S., led the south. (Ngo Dinh Diem) The Vietcong began to gain strength in the south. – In 1963, the Vietcong had Diem assassinated.

U.S. gets Involved in Vietnam Gulf of Tonkin Incident – In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson told Congress that North Vietnamese had attacked 2 U.S. destroyers. – Congress authorized the president to send U.S. troops to fight in Vietnam. Never declare war. Even though the U.S. was most advanced army in the world, they still faced problems. – 1 st - U.S. soldiers were fighting a guerrilla war in unfamiliar jungle terrain. – 2 nd - the South Vietnamese gov’t was becoming more unpopular and support for the Vietcong grew. Unable to win a decisive victory on the ground, the U.S. turned to air power. – U.S. forces bombed millions of acres of farmland and forest in an attempt to destroy enemy hideouts. – Strengthened peasants’ opposition to the South Vietnamese gov’t.

U.S. Withdraws from Vietnam During the late 1960s, the war grew increasingly unpopular in the U.S. – President Richard Nixon began withdrawing U.S. troops from Vietnam in The last troops left in – Two years later, the North Vietnamese overran South Vietnam. More than 1.5 million Vietnamese and 58,000 Americans had died.

Postwar Southeast Asia Communist rebels, Khmer Rouge, set up a brutal Communist gov’t in Cambodia in – Their leader, Pol Pot, slaughtered 2 million people in an attempt to transform Cambodia into a Communist nation. After 1975, the North Vietnamese imposed tight controls over the South. – Sent thousands to “reeducation camp”. – Strictly controlled businesses. Communists still govern Vietnam today.

Fighting for the 3 rd World Both the U.S. and the Soviet Union used the following methods to achieve their goals during the Cold War: – Foreign aid – Espionage – Multinational alliances – Propaganda – Brinkmanship – Surrogate wars Both sides wanted more nations in their alliances. – Tried to convince Third World nations to join their side.

Confrontations in Cuba After World War II, nationalistic feelings inspired revolutionary movements. – Fidel Castro takes over Cuba. Bay of Pigs – U.S. fails to take out Castro. Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) – To protect Cuba, the Soviets began building nuclear missile in Cuba. – President Kennedy demanded their removal and announced a naval blockade of Cuba. – Nikita Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles in return for a U.S. promise not to invade Cuba and to remove American missiles in Turkey.

Confrontations in Iran Iran’s leader, the shah, embraced Western gov’ts. – With U.S. support, the shah westernized his country. – Ian’s conservative Muslim leaders, the ayatollahs, opposed Western influences. The shah was forced to flee. Islamic revolutionaries then seized the U.S. embassy and took 60 Americans hostages and demanded the U.S. force the shah to face trial. – Hostages remained prisoners for 444 days before being released in The ayatollahs encouraged Muslim radicals elsewhere to overthrow their secular gov’ts to unify all Muslims. – War broke out between Iran and Iraq in The U.S. gives aid to Saddam Hussein.

Confrontations in Afghanistan The Soviet Union invades Afghanistan to help lead a communist revolution (1979). – The Soviets expected this to be a quick war, but it was not. Supplied with American weapons, the Afghan rebels fought on. – The U.S. also stopped grain shipments to the Soviet Union. Mikhail Gorbachev acknowledged the war’s devastating costs. – Withdrew Soviet troops in 1989.