 starter activity
In October 1949, Mao Zedong declared the People’s Republic of China was established.
Read about Mao’s life and highlight all the factors that would have increased US hostility
towards China. Extension: Things the US would have liked?
Why did Cold War
extend to the Far East?
 LOs
To identify the reasons why Cold War spread to the
Far East (1949-53)
To explain the significance of NSC-68
To explain how the USA & China became involved
in Korea (1950-3)
Why did the US become increasingly involved in the Far East? Read p. 35-9 and bullet
point your ideas. You are going to take more details down later, so you should aim to
summarise each section in no more than 10 words.
 Your task



Read p.35-9 and complete the table your teacher
provides. Which factor was the most important?
Arrange the cards your teacher gives into the same
categories.
Which factor was the most important in explaining
why the US became involved in the Far East
 Extension task

Produce a factoid on Senator Joe McCarthy.
Include these headings: earlier career, reasons
for being so suspicious of communism, famous
suspects
In 1950 the
National Security
Council in the US
produced a
document for
President Truman
outlining how
Americans could
deal with the new
threat posed by
Communism
world wide.
Before you read
this document
complete the
following task ….
The original, now
‘declassified’
document
 Cold War role play

Divide the class into two. Side A are
‘warmongers’. How are you going to respond to
the threat posed by Communist expansion
around the world? Side B are conciliators. What
steps would you take to avoid increasing
tensions between East and West? Create an
action plan for the US in the 1950s according to
your view point.
 Your task





Read p.40 and take notes on these areas:
Aims of the USSR according to NSC-68
Reasons why US needs to change its policy
towards the threat of communism
Evidence from the report of a hardening of US
attitudes
Extension. Read p.41 and explain how
Truman’s approach to the growth of
Communism did change
Aims of USSR


‘Impose its absolute authority over the rest of
the world’
Development of new weapons on mass
destruction
Reasons for policy review
Need to …
 Improve defences against threat of all-out nuclear war
 Reassure general public
 Provide rapid US military response
 Respond to threat of espionage & internal sabotage
 Protect US economic interests
 Strengthen foreign anti-Soviet allies
 Undermine links between USSR and satellite states
 Raise public awareness of threat of Communism
Evidence of hardening of relations

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World politics interpreted in ‘bi polar’ terms
Increased military spending
Use of alarmism to promote fear of spread of
Communism abroad or at home, e.g. ‘McCarthyism’
Move from containment to ‘roll back’ actively
undermining ‘relationships between Moscow and
satellite countries’
Widening terms of Truman doctrine to enlist support
of foreign countries with US security
 Your task

Study the events of the Korean War. Sequence
the maps your teacher gives you and briefly
explain what occurred at each stage of the
conflict.
General
Douglas
MacArthur
(1880-1964)
Border between North and South Korea. Can you work out which
is which?
The conference table at Panmunjon where the two sides formally signed a peace treaty.
The table is positioned so it lies precisely between North and South Korea.
 Your task


Lokk at your notes again and list the reasons
why the US & China became involved in
Korean War.
Note the reasons why the Korean War was a
such a key confrontation in the early Cold War.
US involvement


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Response to recommendations of NSC-68 and
growing fear of communist expansionism
Growing need for US military support – swift
advance of North Korean troops into South
Korea
Aggressive military policy of General MacArthur
Truman’s new policy of ‘rolling back’
Communism
Chinese involvement
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Failure of Soviet aid
Success of UN and US military support for
South Korean Army
Threat of nuclear attack
Support for fellow Communist state
Fear of Western style government on borders of
new Chinese Republic
Importance of Korea

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
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Threat of use of nuclear weapons
Extended theatre of Cold War to Far East
Involved USA, USSR & China
Test of Truman’s new approach of ‘rolling back’
1st open conflict between two ideologies and 1st
major international conflict since WWII
6 million US conscripts – foretaste of Vietnam
Showed how UN could be manipulated
 Plenary


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Why were the US both in favour and suspicious
of Chairman Mao’s China?
What influence did NSC-68 have upon US
foreign policy?
Why was Korea a turning point in the Cold
War?
 Extension

Research the role of Ernest Bevin and
Vyacheslav Molotov in the events of the Cold
War. Include notes on their positions and the
influence they had on their leaders.