Other Cold War Conflicts

• Korea is divided at the 38th parallel in 1945• U.S. controls the South, the Soviets the

North• Each country sets up governments before

they withdrawal their troops in 1949– North Korea is communist– South Korea is not

• On June 25, 1950 North Korean troops cross the 38th parallel

• President Truman gets the UN to send troops to protect the south

Communist Aggression in Korea

• Douglas MacArthur is labeled the commander of the UN troops (and most are U.S. troops)

• Fighting begins badly • Tide begins to turn

and Truman shifts his goals to unifying all of Korea instead of just protecting the south

Korea

• China warns that if American troops were in North Korea they would respond with force

• U.S./UN forces cross the 38th parallel in October and advance to the Yalu river

• The Chinese fulfill their promise and attack the U.S./UN forces

Korea

• Korean war continues with each side gaining small advances back and forth from 1951-1953

• On July 27, 1953 a truce ends the war dividing Korea close to the 38th parallel

Korea

Cuban Missile Crisis• The U.S. had a troubled

relationship with its southern Communist neighbor– i.e. supported a failed

attempt to overthrow Castro known as the Bay of Pigs invasion (April 1961)

• October 1962 American reconnaissance planes discover the Soviets installing missiles in Cuba, 90 miles off the Florida coast

Potential Missile Range

• Kennedy and his advisors debated how to respond

• Decide on a naval blockade of Cuba and takes concern to UN to explain actions

Cuba

• For several tense days U.S. waits to hear from the prime minister of the USSR, Nikita Khrushchev

• Meanwhile several Soviet ships steamed towards Cuba and our blockade line

Blockade

• Working through back channels Khrushchev sent Kennedy a message– Agreed to remove

missiles if U.S. promised not to invade Cuba

• Ships stopped outside of blockade line and crisis was averted

• Is the closest the U.S and Soviets ever came to nuclear war

Blockade

The Cold War in Vietnam

• After WWII Ho Chi Minh, a Vietnamese nationalist, turns to communist for help in struggle against French

• Ho chi Minh forms the Vietminh, a communist group

• French no longer want colony in Vietnam after defeat at Dien Bien Phu

• Vietnam is divided (17 N Latitude)• Ngo Dinh Diem leads an anti –

communist gov. in the south

• U.S. is concerned with Vietnam becoming communist because of domino theory

• Domino theory: fall of Vietnam to communist, would lead to the fall of its neighbors

• U.S. sends military advisors to the south

• Ngo Dinh Diem’s harsh policies lead to the rise of the Vietcong, a southern communist group

• After Gulf of Tonkin, more U.S. troops are sent and join the fight under President Johnson

The Cold War in Vietnam

• Under Nixon U.S. withdraws, Vietnamization• Shortly after US leaves, communist take

over Vietnam• Domino theory proves correct in

Cambodia

The Cold War in Vietnam