Cold War-
• 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withdrawn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 After WWII
• 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
Korea- setting the stage
for War
• 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
Standoff
• 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 Return of a hero
• 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 pursuit
• 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
The hero turns
• 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
End of the War
• 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- setting the
stage
• 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
Vietnam- French
response
• 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
War- Round 1
• 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
After the WarGeneva Convention
• 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.
Post War Era
• 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.
U.S. Intervention
• 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
War- Round 2
• 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
Ending the 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
Media War
• If you were living in the Vietnam Era how would you
respond to the War? Why
Exit slip