1. Cold War – Heating Up

2. The Cold War & China
At the end of WWII, the Chinese Civil War started anew
Jiang Jieshi’s(Chiang Kai-shek) and his Nationalists forced off mainland & onto island of Taiwan in 1949
US had spent millions on Jiang with nothing to show for it
The communists had won the Civil War

3. The Cold War & China
Once Mao & the communists had won, the Soviets offered their support
The Soviets wanted to lead the international communist movement
In 1950, the People’s Republic of China & the USSR signed a friendship agreement

4. Mao & The Cold War
Mao began a land redistribution program in the 1950s
Those who resisted were dealt with
About 1 million were “dealt with”
Created small collective farms to increase agricultural productivity

5. Mao & The Cold War
Mao created new program to advance China many years in a short time
Program called Great Leap Forward

6. Mao & The Cold War
Crop failures and the failures of the Great Leap Forward resulted in the deaths of more than 20 million
Tension grew between the USSR & the PRC in the 1950s & 1960s
As a result of all of this, Mao reduced his role in government

7. Mao & The Cold War With Mao on the outside, changes were made in China
Communes were abolished
Some private property could be owned
Some competition was allowed
Some profit could be kept by farmers

8. Mao & The Cold War Mao was a strict communist & hated the changes
In the mid 1960s Mao called for a new revolution
Wanted the youth to lead the revolution
Students formed military units called the Red Guards

9. China & The Cold War
The Red Guards led the Cultural Revolution ( )
Goal was to create perfect socialist state
No one was safe; millions were arrested, tortured and/or killed
Civil War was a real possibility

11. The Cold War Turns Hot
Japan had annexed Korea in 1910 & held it until 1945
Because of Potsdam, Soviets entered the war in August 1945
USSR had attacked Japan from the north
Soviets occupied N. Korea until 1949

12. The Cold War Turns Hot
The US had occupied S. Korea & influenced the government there
Korea was effectively split between the two superpowers
In January 1950, the US made it clear that the Korean peninsula would be outside the range of its protection
This is the first of many proxy wars between US and USSR

13. The Cold War & Korea
The USSR encouraged the N. Koreans to attack the south
25 June 1950: N. Korea attacked south across the 38th Parallel
N. Korean attack tested US policy of containment

16. The Cold War & Korea S. Korea asked the UN for help
Security Council voted to help
Soviets did not vote b/c they wanted to test the Security Council
Multi-national force sent to Korea in August 1950
US forces took heavy losses at first

17. The Cold War & Korea UN forces pushed to Pusan Perimeter in SE Korea
September 1950: daring landing made at Inchon behind enemy lines
Communists driven back
UN/US forces on Chinese border by October 1950

18. The Cold War & Vietnam
General MacArthur made threats about bombing China
China invaded Korea in October 1950
Chinese forces drove UN/US forces back across the 38th parallel
War stalemates for next 2 years
War ends in June 1953

19. The Cold War & Vietnam
A state of war still technically exists between N & S Korea
Border is still the 38th parallel
North Korea is still a communist nation

20. The Cold War & Vietnam
Indochina was a French colony since the mid-19th century
Indochina had been taken by the Japanese in 1940
In 1945, France wanted its colony back
September 1945: Ho Chi Minh asked the US for help against the French

22. The Cold War & Vietnam
President Truman was unwilling to help the communist Ho Chi Minh
Ho Chi Minh was just like the communists in Yugoslavia who the US were to help in 1947
Assisting Yugoslavia would not hurt France

23. The Cold War & Vietnam
The US decided to support France and sent money and surplus equipment to the French
The Indochina War began in 1945
By 1954, the French had moved into northern Vietnam (Indochina) near a place called Dien Bien Phu

24. The Cold War & Vietnam Battle of Dien Bien Phu (May 1954)
French took the low ground in a valley
Viet Minh put artillery on the high ground
French defenses decimated

26. The Cold War & Vietnam French forced to abandon Vietnam in 1954
Geneva Accords determined Vietnam to be divided at 17th parallel
Elections to be held in late 1954 were cancelled by the South
US supported decision to cancel elections

27. The Cold War & Vietnam
The US feared the “loss” of another Asian nation to the communists
US supported Ngo Dihn Diem as leader of S. Vietnam
Diem was corrupt and more French than Vietnamese in perspective
US knew Diem’s weaknesses, but needed him

28. The Cold War & Vietnam
The North sent guerrillas south to de-stabilize the gov’t in the South
Guerrillas were known as Viet Cong
US sent advisors to Vietnam in 1956 and by 1963 were engaged in fighting the VC
By 1965 the US was engaged in a war with the NVA

30. The Cold War & Vietnam
By 1968, the US had more than 500,000 troops in Vietnam
By 1973, US had pulled out its ground troops & in April 1975, the capital of the South, Saigon, had fallen to the communists
The US had lost more than 60,000 men in Vietnam

31. The Cold War & Vietnam
Why did the US get involved in Korea & in Vietnam?
The Domino Theory
The belief that nations are like dominoes
If one nation or domino falls, the next, & the next & so on….

33. The Cold War Turns Hot
The whole point of the strategy of containment was to resist communist advances at every step
Korea & Vietnam are two extreme examples of this principle