Cold War-

Korea After WWII

• Korea was previously a territory of Japan• After WWII Korea is divided North of the 38th

parallel• North of this line Japan had surrendered to the

USSR• South of this line they surrendered to the USA

• Two nations emerged• Communist industrial North- set up by USSR• Non-Communist rural South- supported by

Western powers• By 1949 most of the troops from both side had

withdrawn

Korea- setting the stage for War

• The Soviets did not think that the US would defend the South so they supplied the North with:• Tanks• Airplanes• Money

• Goal: to take over the peninsula

Standoff

• June 1950 at the 38th Parallel • North Korea launched a surprise invasion of the South• It took only days for the Northern forces to find themselves deep

in Southern territory

• Truman had a decision to make• He believed that the North Koreans were attempting the same

thing that the Axis powers had done before WWII. • Truman’s policy of containment was put to the test.• He decided he had an obligation to help the South resist Communism

• The South Koreans also asked for help from the UN• Potential problem: USSR is a member and can veto aiding • Solution: USSR refused to participate

The Return of a hero

• The UN had 15 nations vote to aid the South Koreans

• By the time troops got there the North controlled all but one very small area of the peninsula known as Pusan.

• A major leader in getting the UN there and leading the troops was…• General Douglas MacArthur

• September 1950 MacArthur launches a surprise attacks from• Pusan• Inchon

• North Korea surrenders

The pursuit

• The UN forces follow the retreating North Koreans• They forced them back across the parallel and almost up to

the Yalu River at the border with China.

• China was not happy• They sent 300,000 troops in to help the North Koreans in

Oct 1950.• By Jan 1951 the UN and South Korean forces were back

across the parallel

• The Chinese did not stop• They continued and captured Seoul

The hero turns

• MacArthur felt defeated by this• He called for a nuclear attack on China• Truman said he was being reckless- “We are trying to

prevent a World War, not start one”

• MacArthur then went over Truman’s head and appealed to Congress and the press• Truman had him removed

End of the War

• By 1952 UN forces had won back control of South Korea• The border was very near to the original on the 38th Parallel.

• 1953 Ceasefire agreement between UN forces and North Korea

Outcomes:• 4 million soldiers and civilians had died• A demilitarized zone separates the two countries• The US still keeps peace keeping troops in South Korea

Vietnam- setting the stage

• During the early 1900s much of the Southeast Asian area was controlled by France• Known as French Indo-china• Included: Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia

• Nationalist independence movements began in these areas• Vietnamese Nationalist Ho Chi Minh looked to the

Communist for help with independence• In the 1930s the Indochinese Communist party- led by Ho Chi

Minh led revolts and strikes against France.

Vietnam- French response

• The French responded to the revolts by jailing protesters and sentencing Ho Chi Minh to death.• He was able to escape and fled to exile• He would return in 1941 after the fall of Japanese • Upon his return he would work with other Nationalists to form

the Vietminh Independence League.

• The Japanese were forced out in 1945• Minh believed that independence would follow• France had other plans

War- Round 1

• The Vietnamese Nationalist and Communist joined forces to expel the French.

• The French quickly took control of many major cities, but the Vietminh had control in the country side. • The U.S. supported France

• Hit and Run tactic• The French people began doubting the necessity of War. • 1954- Dien Bien Phu- the French military suffered a major

military defeat• The French Surrendered

After the War- Geneva Convention

• President Eisenhower feared that the domino theory would soon take affect in the area.

• The Geneva Convention took place to discuss the state of Indochina.

• Conclusions: • Vietnam was divided at the 17th

parallel• North of the line Ho Chi Minh’s

communist party would rule• South of the line the U.S. and France

set up an anti-communist government under the leadership of Ngo Dinh Diem

Post War Era

• Diem ruled as a dictator in the South and opposition grew quickly.

• Communist guerrillas known as the Vietcong gained power in the South• They gradually won control of large areas in the

countryside

• 1963 Diem was assassinated by a group of South Vietnamese generals.

• The new leaders were just as hated in the South. • A Communist take-over backed by the North

now seemed inevitable.

U.S. Intervention

• U.S.= not happy • Decided to increase it’s involvement• Numbers of U.S. troops and equipment soon began to grow in

the area.

• August 1964• President Johnson told congress the North Vietnamese boats

had attacked two destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin• Congress authorized U.S. troops to fight

• 1965- 185,000 U.S. troops in Vietnam and planes had begun bombing the North.

War- Round 2

• The U.S. had the best most advanced army in the world but they soon faced some major problems:1. They had never fought a true guerilla style war in the

jungle.

2. The South Vietnamese Government was decreasing rapidly in popularity.

3. The Vietcong in the South was growing due to support from the North, USSR, and China

• Air assault• Outcomes:• Destruction• Increasing popularity from the peasants for..• The Vietcong

Ending the War

• The War in the U.S. had sparked a protest movement.• Against the loss of life in a war so far away

• By 1969 the public pressure had become so intense President Nixon was forced to withdraw the troops.

• The plan was known as Vietnamization• It allowed for the gradual exit of U.S. troops • To preserve the government in the South, Nixon began a bombing

campaign against the North

• All American troops had left the area by 1973• 1975 the North Vietnamese overran the south and the war ended.• 1.5 million Vietnamese were killed• 58,000 Americans killed

Media War

• The Vietnam War was the first televised Media War. • News clips of the brutal fighting were common

occurrences in the U.S. • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwp_cIL5XwY

• Music also boomed with protest style lyrics promoting the ideals of peace and love rather than War.• Fortunate Son- CCR 1969• Imagine- John Lennon 1971

• Impact of War• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7EPlqvMAfU

Exit slip

• If you were living in the Vietnam Era how would you respond to the War? Why