33:3 Wars in Korea and Vietnam

War in Korea After WWII, Korea divided along 38 th parallel: line that crosses Korea at 38 degrees north latitude – Japanese troops surrender to Soviet forces to the north, American forces to the south – 2 separate nations develop: Communist industrial north, non-Communist rural south

– By 1949, both U.S. & U.S.S.R. had withdrawn most troops from Korea – Soviets gamble that U.S. not willing to defend South Korea – Soviets supply North Korea with tanks, airplanes, money to take over entire peninsula

Standoff at the 38 th Parallel: – June 25 th, 1950: North Koreans sweep across 38 th parallel in surprise attack; reach deep into the south within days – President Truman convinced North Koreans repeating fascist aggression of 1930s – Truman resolves to help South Koreans resist Communism – South Korea also asks United Nations to intervene

– Soviets absent from Security Council vote – Soviets protesting admission of Nationalist China (Taiwan) rather than Communist China into U.N. – Soviets cannot veto plan to send international force to South Korea to stop invasion – 15 nations (inc. U.S. & Britain) participate under command of General Douglas MacArthur

– September 1950: North Koreans control entire peninsula except for tiny area around Pusan in southeast – MacArthur launches surprise attack – Troops moving north from Pusan meet with forces making amphibious landing at Inchon – North Korean troops trapped; half surrender, half retreat to North Korea

The Fighting Continues: – UN forces (mostly American) push retreating North Koreans past 38 th parallel towards Yalu River at Chinese border – October 1950: China sends 300,000 troops into North Korea – January 1951: Chinese troops push UN forces out of North Korea – Chinese move into South Korea; capture Seoul (capital)

– MacArthur calls for nuclear attack against China – Truman removes MacArthur from command – 1952: UN troops regain control of South Korea – July 1953: UN forces and North Korea sign cease-fire agreement – Border set at 38 th parallel (same as pre-war) – 4 million soldiers & civilians die in Korean War

Aftermath of the War: – Demilitarized zone separates 2 nations – North Korea: Communist dictator Kim Il Sung establishes collective farms, develops heavy industry, builds up military – 1994: Kim Jong Il takes power following father’s death – North Korea develops nuclear weapons; face serious economic problems

– South Korea prospers; aided by U.S. and other nations – 1960s: South Korea develops industry, expands foreign trade – 1987: South Korea institutes democratic constitution & free elections following succession of dictatorships – 1980s-1990s: vast economic growth in South Korea

– Political differences keep two Koreas apart despite periodic discussions to reunite nation – North Korea’s nuclear program continues to be major obstacle – United States continues to keep troops in South Korea

War Breaks Out in Vietnam The Road to War: – Early 1900s: France controls most of resource-rich French Indochina (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos) – Ho Chi Minh (Vietnamese nationalist) turns to Communists for help – 1930s: Ho’s Indochinese Communist party leads revolts against French

– French jail Vietnamese protestors; sentence Ho Chi Minh to death – Ho flees into exile; returns in 1941 following Japanese occupation of French Indochina – Ho, nationalists form Vietminh (Independence) League – 1945: Japanese forced out after WWII defeat – France intends to regain control

The Fighting Begins: – Vietnamese Nationalists and Communists join to fight French – French hold major cities; Vietminh have widespread support across countryside – 1954: French defeated at Dien Bien Phu; surrender to Ho Chi Minh

– Following French defeat, U.S. grows more concerned about spread of Communism in Asia – President Eisenhower describes threat with domino theory: idea that if a nation falls under Communist control, nearby nations will also fall under Communist control – Theory used as justification for U.S. foreign policy during Cold War

Vietnam- A Divided Country: – International peace conference meets in Geneva to discuss future of Indochina – Vietnam divided at 17 degrees north latitude – Ho Chi Minh governs North Vietnam – United States, France set up anti- Communist government in South Vietnam led by Ngo Dinh Diem

– Diem rules south as dictator; opposition grows strong – Vietcong: group of Communist guerrillas who, with the help of North Vietnam, fought against the South Vietnamese government in the Vietnam War – 1963: group of South Vietnamese generals have Diem assassinated; new leaders also disliked – Vietcong takeover seems inevitable

The United States Gets Involved U.S. Troops Enter the Fight: – 1964: U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson tells Congress that North Vietnamese patrol boats attacked 2 U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin – Congress authorizes president to send troops to Vietnam – 1965: 185,000 troops fighting in Vietnam

– U.S. planes bomb North Vietnam – 1968: more than 500,000 U.S. soldiers in combat – U.S. best-equipped, most advanced army in the world – Disadvantages: (1) U.S. forced to fight guerrilla war in unfamiliar jungle terrain, (2) U.S. defending increasingly unpopular South Vietnamese government

– Support for Vietcong grows: aided by Ho Chi Minh, Soviet Union, China – Ground war not successful; U.S. turns to air attacks – U.S. bombs millions of acres of farmland and forest in attempt to destroy enemy hideouts – Bombing strengthens peasants’ opposition to South Vietnamese government

The Unites States Withdraws: – Late 1960s: war becomes increasingly unpopular in U.S. – Widespread protests across U.S. – President Richard Nixon begins withdrawing troops from Vietnam in 1969 – Nixon plans for Vietnamization: strategy for ending U.S. involvement in Vietnam War; involves gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops, replacing them with S. Vietnamese forces

– Mass bombing campaigns against North Vietnamese bases and supply routes – Authorizes bombings in Laos and Cambodia to destroy Vietcong hideouts – Nixon continues to withdraw troops in response to protests and political pressure – 1973: last U.S. troops pull out of Vietnam – 1975: North Vietnamese overtake South Vietnam – 58,000 Americans die during Vietnam War

Postwar Southeast Asia Cambodia in Turmoil: – Khmer Rouge: group of Communist rebels who seized power in Cambodia in 1975; led by Pol Pot – Pol Pot’s followers slaughter 2 million in Communist takeover (25% of population) – 1978: Vietnam invades and overthrows Khmer Rouge regime

– Vietnamese install less repressive government – Fighting continues; Vietnamese withdraw in 1989 – 1993: Cambodia adopts democratic constitution under UN supervision; begins holding free elections

Vietnam after the War: – 1975: North Vietnamese impose strict rule over South; send thousands to “reeducation camps” – Nationalize industry – Rename Saigon (former South Vietnam capital) Ho Chi Minh City – 1.5 million flee Communist oppression – 200,000 “boat people” die at sea

– 70,000 Vietnamese settle in United States – Vietnam still Communist, but open to foreign investment – 1995: U.S. normalizes relations with Vietnam