How effectively did the USA contain the spread of communism? Case Study: Korean War, Arms Race

THE KOREAN WAR  Korea occupied by Japan until the end of WWII  North liberated by Soviets; South by the Americans  North = communist, one-party Soviet system  South = anti-communist (not very democratic) but supported by USA  Severe hostility between leader of the north and the south – constant clashes between NK and SK forces at the 38 th parallel  Unlikely that the two would ever become one country (reunification)  NB case for Truman’s policy of containment  Korea occupied by Japan until the end of WWII  North liberated by Soviets; South by the Americans  North = communist, one-party Soviet system  South = anti-communist (not very democratic) but supported by USA  Severe hostility between leader of the north and the south – constant clashes between NK and SK forces at the 38 th parallel  Unlikely that the two would ever become one country (reunification)  NB case for Truman’s policy of containment

OPPOSING LEADERS Syngman Rhee Leader of the south, poses with his dog ‘Happy’ SUPPORTED BY THE USA Syngman Rhee Leader of the south, poses with his dog ‘Happy’ SUPPORTED BY THE USA Kim Il Song Leader of the communist north SUPPORTED BY USSR AND CHINA

WAR BREAKS OUT  Conflict at the border escalated into full blown war in 1950  NK forces invaded SK and within a couple of months (June-September) ALL of Korea, except for a small part in the South East, was under communist control (see map on right)  NB for Truman: policy of containment – US needed to make sure that communism did not spread  Remember: Berlin Blockade had demonstrated that neither side really wanted an all-out war (this is a pattern which continues throughout the Cold War)  Conflict at the border escalated into full blown war in 1950  NK forces invaded SK and within a couple of months (June-September) ALL of Korea, except for a small part in the South East, was under communist control (see map on right)  NB for Truman: policy of containment – US needed to make sure that communism did not spread  Remember: Berlin Blockade had demonstrated that neither side really wanted an all-out war (this is a pattern which continues throughout the Cold War)

TRUMAN’S RESPONSE  Sent advisors, supplies and machinery BUT needed the UN’s support  Better if military intervention appeared to be supported by the UN: put extensive pressure on the UN to condemn NK and order a withdrawal of troops  NB: The UN budget was largely made up of American financial contributions = powerful position  Cold War politics – USSR and USA would oppose each other and veto any demands put forward to the Security Council BUT USSR was boycotting the UN (because it refused to recognise the PRC – communist China)  Consequence – resolution was passed  Intervention in Korea was led by the UN: troops came from many different countries (including South Africa)  Largest force = American  UN forces led by the aggressive General MacArthur  Sent advisors, supplies and machinery BUT needed the UN’s support  Better if military intervention appeared to be supported by the UN: put extensive pressure on the UN to condemn NK and order a withdrawal of troops  NB: The UN budget was largely made up of American financial contributions = powerful position  Cold War politics – USSR and USA would oppose each other and veto any demands put forward to the Security Council BUT USSR was boycotting the UN (because it refused to recognise the PRC – communist China)  Consequence – resolution was passed  Intervention in Korea was led by the UN: troops came from many different countries (including South Africa)  Largest force = American  UN forces led by the aggressive General MacArthur The Cenotaph, a memorial to South African soldiers killed in WWI, WWII and the Korean War

Phases of the war  June 1950 : NK troops crossed border and pushed back SK troops to Pusan  September 1950: Communist NK controlled most of Korea (except for Pusan)  September 1950: UN troops landed in Inchon, US troops landed in Pusan – counter-attack north and the NK troops were forced beyond the 38 th parallel  BUT MacArthur pushed north towards the Yalu river (China) – Mao warned of intervention  Clear change in war policy to removal of communism instead of containment of it  November 1950: China sent 200,000 troops into NK to support the communists – had advanced military weaponry (tanks, planes) supplied by the USSR  UN forces pushed back into SK – some of the worst conditions soldiers had to endure (remember – Chinese soldiers more familiar with the terrain)  June 1950 : NK troops crossed border and pushed back SK troops to Pusan  September 1950: Communist NK controlled most of Korea (except for Pusan)  September 1950: UN troops landed in Inchon, US troops landed in Pusan – counter-attack north and the NK troops were forced beyond the 38 th parallel  BUT MacArthur pushed north towards the Yalu river (China) – Mao warned of intervention  Clear change in war policy to removal of communism instead of containment of it  November 1950: China sent 200,000 troops into NK to support the communists – had advanced military weaponry (tanks, planes) supplied by the USSR  UN forces pushed back into SK – some of the worst conditions soldiers had to endure (remember – Chinese soldiers more familiar with the terrain)

 March 1951: MacArthur sacked: conflict with Truman (MacArthur wanted to continue fighting north and was prepared to use the nuclear bomb to defeat the Chinese)  Truman = satisfied with communism being contained in the north: did not want to risk war with USSR and China  June 1951: Stalemate between NK and SK – negotiations began BUT fighting continued until 1953  Very high number of civilian deaths  July 1953: Armistice (Peace) – Eisenhower had replaced Truman and wanted peace; Stalin had died and NK and China were less confident  March 1951: MacArthur sacked: conflict with Truman (MacArthur wanted to continue fighting north and was prepared to use the nuclear bomb to defeat the Chinese)  Truman = satisfied with communism being contained in the north: did not want to risk war with USSR and China  June 1951: Stalemate between NK and SK – negotiations began BUT fighting continued until 1953  Very high number of civilian deaths  July 1953: Armistice (Peace) – Eisenhower had replaced Truman and wanted peace; Stalin had died and NK and China were less confident Old soldiers never die; they just fade away. And like the old soldier of that ballad, I now close my military career and just fade away, an old soldier who tried to do his duty as God gave him the light to see that duty. Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Farewell to Congress, June 1951

A success for containment? YES  High civilian casualties BUT showed US had means to contain communism  South Korea remained capitalist NO  Showed limitations of policy: hard to accept that NK remained communist  Many hard-line anti-communists saw Truman as being weak  Other moderates agreed with his decision not to take the risk  CONTINUOUS TENSION t/out Cold War To what extent do you think it was a success? [7 lines]

The Arms Race and MAD

Methods of containment Alliances  USA – SEATO (anti-communist alliance in S-E Asia) and CENTO (anti-communist alliance in central Asia)  USA gave money, advice, supplies in return for these countries suppressing communism  USSR response – accused West of trying to encircle communist country  Warsaw Pact (1955) = alliance of communist east European countries except Yugoslavia Arms Race  US developed atomic bomb 1945 (without telling USSR)  Destruction of Nagasaki and Hiroshima (70,000 deaths) demonstrated power of nuclear weapons  US and USSR developed more dangerous and advanced weapons over next decade: very expensive  Spied on one another (eg US U2 spy plane)  Developed short and long range missiles (eg US placed short-range in Turkey)  ICBMS could cross continents in 30 mins

Impact of the arms race  Arms race was about quantity and quality -Who had the most weapons, who had the most sophisticated weapons o USSR had advanced their space programme rapidly in 1950s: alarmed the USA o Cold War = propaganda war (eg “who has the most intelligent scientists?”) o ‘Missile gap’ myth used by USA to justify need for more funding for arms production o Myth = USA had fewer weapons than USSR -Why did the myth continue? -1. Khrushchev was not going to admit that the USSR was behind -2. Military commanders wanted more money to develop more weapons -3. Eisenhower knew that the USA had more missiles, but could not reveal his Soviet spy-source  Arms race was about quantity and quality -Who had the most weapons, who had the most sophisticated weapons o USSR had advanced their space programme rapidly in 1950s: alarmed the USA o Cold War = propaganda war (eg “who has the most intelligent scientists?”) o ‘Missile gap’ myth used by USA to justify need for more funding for arms production o Myth = USA had fewer weapons than USSR -Why did the myth continue? -1. Khrushchev was not going to admit that the USSR was behind -2. Military commanders wanted more money to develop more weapons -3. Eisenhower knew that the USA had more missiles, but could not reveal his Soviet spy-source

Deterrence and MAD  By 1961 the USA and USSR had hundreds of missile  Theory = weapons made them more secure  Nuclear deterrent/MAD (mutually assured destruction) theory - If either side launched a missile, the other side would launch one in response immediately. RESULT = both countries would be destroyed  By 1961 the USA and USSR had hundreds of missile  Theory = weapons made them more secure  Nuclear deterrent/MAD (mutually assured destruction) theory - If either side launched a missile, the other side would launch one in response immediately. RESULT = both countries would be destroyed

Fear  Arms race spread fear world-wide: especially in USA -Subject of most propaganda; taught in schools (how to deal with a nuclear attack); people protested against it (also because of the finances required to fund arms production)  Arms race spread fear world-wide: especially in USA -Subject of most propaganda; taught in schools (how to deal with a nuclear attack); people protested against it (also because of the finances required to fund arms production)