GCSE History: Conflict and Tension in Asia

Who was Communist?

USSR

Who was Capitalist?

USA

What was the Cold War?

A time of conflict and tension between the USA and USSR due to differing political systems.

Why was there conflict between the USSR and USA?

Both Superpowers believed their way of running a country was the way the whole world should be run.

What did the USA believe the USSR was trying to do?

Spread communism across the world

What was the Domino Theory?

If one nation fell to communism, then all the others surrounding it would fall to Communism one by one, like dominoes.

What did the events of the Red Scare and McCarthyism show?

That the USA had a strong fear of Communism.

What did many US citizens believe about Communists?

That many USSR spies were working in the US to overthrow the government.

How did the government respond to fears of Communism?

> Set up the House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) that investigated people who they believed to be Communist spies.
> McCarran Act - limited employment opportunities for Communists and insisted all Communist organisations had to be registered and all members investigated by the HUAC.

What was McCarthyism?

> 1950 - Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed he had a list of over 200 names of communists working for the US government.
> Over the next few years, he led a 'witch hunt' - a campaign of accusations,
investigations and hearings.
> McCarthyism was very influential and fear-instilling - being merely accused by him was enough for people to be sacked by their jobs and their reputations ruined.
> Despite all of McCarthy's accusations, no one was ever convicted of spying - he accused people on flimsy/barely any evidence.
> When he accused 45 army officers of being communists, he began to lose support - he was asked for evidence and had none to give.

When was the Truman Doctrine created?

March 1947

What did the Truman Doctrine state?

The US policy of 'containment' promised to aid any country under threat of Communism with financial and military help.

What was the Marshall Plan?

> Putting the Truman Doctrine into practice - stopping the spread of Communism in Europe. > This was done by the US giving money to countries to rebuild, create jobs and reduce poverty.
> This is because the US believed Communism thrived in poorer countries.

What was NATO?

Military alliance of the USA, Britain, France, Belgium, Canada and others to defend against the USSR.

What was the Warsaw Pact?

Military alliance containing USSR, Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland and Romania.

What kind of war were the Korean and Vietnam wars?

Proxy wars of the Cold War.

Who had control of Korea between 1900s to WWII?

Japan

What happened to Korea when Japan lost WWII?

> Japanese soldiers surrendered to Soviet forces in the North, and in the South they surrendered to the USA.
> This led to the country being divided into two zones.

The division of Korea into two was intended to be...

...temporary

Who became the leader of North Korea in 1948?

Korean Communist Kim-Il Sung

Who became the leader of South Korea in 1948?

Korean Capitalist, with strong ties to the USA, Syngman Rhee

What did Kim Il-Sung and Syngman Rhee have in common?

They were both Nationalists and believed in the unification of Korea - however, they wanted to unify the country under different political ideologies.

What happened to China in 1949?

It becomes a communist country lead by Mao Zedong

How were decisions made in the United Nations?

> All decisions were made by the 'Security Council' made of 5 permanent members: Britain, France, USA, USSR and China.
> Any decision had to be agreed on by all 5 members and any of the members could veto a decision.

What happened in the UN meetings when China became Communist?

> The USSR wanted the new Chinese government to join the meetings, but the USA vetoed.
> This led the USSR to storm out and refuse to attend further meetings in protest.

What happened in early 1949?

Kim Il-Sung asked Stalin for permission to invade SK - Stalin rejected this idea as US soldiers were still in SK and he did not want a fight between USSR and US.

Why was Stalin now convinced the US would not interfere with Korea in Spring of 1950?

> US troops had now left SK
> USSR had better developed weapons
> China had had a Communist revolution

Why was SK at a disadvantage to NK?

> NK received training, tanks, artillery and aircraft from the USSR.
> SK, on the other hand, did not have a developed army and relied on the US troops to heavily.

When did Stalin give permission to Kim Il-Sung to invade SK?

April 1950

What did Stalin make clear about NK's invasion to SK?

Soviet troops would not be directly involved, all help would come from China

When did NK invade SK?

Sunday 25 June, 1950

When did President Truman declare the US would aid SK?

Tuesday 27 June, 1950

Why could the USSR not veto the decision to handle NK's invasion?

They were not attending meetings at the time; they were not there to veto

How much of the military aid did the US provide SK?

50% of the armed forces, 86% of the naval forces and 93% of the air force

Who was given the title 'Commander-in-Chief, United Nations Command'?

General MacArthur

What happened within weeks of the invasion?

NK had pushed SK back to around the area of Pusan.

What did MacArthur do on 15 September 1950?

He sent UN troops on a surprise attack from the sea at the port of Inchon.

What did UN forces quickly do in response?

They recaptured the port of Inchon and Seoul, and advanced North.

What happened by early October 1950?

NK troops had been driven out of SK back behind the 38th parallel.

What did China warn the UN?

If they continued moving northwards, they would join the war - General MacArthur confidently told Truman this would not happen but he was wrong.

What happened when UN troops drove NK forces towards the Yalu River?

25 October - 200,000 Chinese troops joined NK to fight back.

Why was China a useful addition for NK?

> They had the latest tanks and planes, supplied by the USSR, and an army committed to Communism.
> They helped NK re-take Seoul.

What happened in March 1951?

In re-captured Seoul and the two sides were roughly back where they started (38th parallel).

Why did Truman want to stop fighting in the Korean war?

> He felt they had defended SK and that communism had been contained.
> He also feared USSR involvement in the war.

Why did Truman sack MacArthur?

He sent UN troops back into NK

Why did MacArthur go against Truman's orders?

> He wanted to unite Korea
> He wanted the Chinese to surrender
> He wanted the US to prepare to use nuclear weapons if necessary

How was MacArthur's dismissal met with the US public?

Uproar - he was seen as an international hero.

What position was the Korean War in at the end of 1951?

Stalemate

What did both sides use to stop the enemy gaining ground?

Artillery, mines and barbed wire

How did the US use air power to get NK to surrender?

The US bombed NK towns, cities, transport systems, factories and military bases with high explosives and napalm.

How many soldiers and civilians died in the air raids?

Around 1 million

How did the USSR hide their involvement in the Korean War?

> All Soviet planes were painted with Chinese/NK markings.
> Soviet pilots were banned from speaking Russian on the radio.
> Pilots wore Chinese uniforms in combat.

Why did the US offer large rewards to anyone who flew a Soviet plane into a UN airfield and hand it in?

The MiG-15 Soviet plane was much more advanced than UN fighter planes - by doing this the US could copy the technology.

How many planes did the UN lose?

3500

How many planes did the USSR/NK/Chinese lose?

Nearly 3000

When did peace talks for the Korean War begin?

July 1951

Why did fighting continue despite peace talks?

Neither side could agree with each other

Who replaced Truman as US President in November 1952?

Dwight Eisenhower

When did Stalin die?

March 1953

Why did NK and China lose confidence in the war after Stalin died?

They did not think they would get the support they got from Stalin from the new Soviet leader.

What happened on 27 July 1953?

UN, NK and China signed a peace treaty to end the fighting.

How much changed as a result of the Korean War?

Not much - both NK and SK would be independent countries, separated at the 38th parallel (exactly where it was before).

What was one change that occurred as a result of the Korean War?

There would be a 3 kilometre demilitarised zone to divide the two countries - this would act as a buffer to prevent future wars.

What was the importance of the Korean War?

> The first time in the Cold War the Superpowers became directly involved in military conflict.
> Marked the spreading of the Cold War from Europe to Asia.
> US made alliances with countries in the east.
> US signed the 1951 ANZUS Pact with Australia and New Zealand, promising they'd receive US support in the event of military conflict.
> US spent lots of money rebuilding Japan.
> US cut off all dealings with China and gave its support to politicians who had run China before the Communist takeover.
> US vowed to increase support for any country under threat to communism.

How did the US build up their weaponry?

1951 - US spent $48billion on nuclear weapons.
1952 - This increased to $60billion.

How did the USSR build up their weaponry?

Invested in 'intercontinental ballistic missiles' (ICBMs) which were capable of travelling huge distances without having to be dropped out of a plane.

How did the US grow their army?

> Increased the size of their army by 50% to 3.5million soldiers.
> Increased the amount of army and air bases outside US territory in Europe, Middle East and Asia.
> End of 1950s - 25% of US serviceman were based on 'foreign' soil.

Why was it hard to saw who won the Korean War?

Both sides lots millions of soldiers and civilians and had losses and gains.

What did the Korean War determine for the role of the UN?

Showed the UN would be the ones to decide what action to take against aggressive nations and strengthened the role of the UN.

Why did some people disapprove of the UN?

They felt the UN was highly influenced by the USA.

Why is it hard to know exactly how many people died in the Korean War?

Some countries did not keep accurate figures.

What was the human cost for the US in the Korean War?

40,000 servicemen died
10,000 wounded

What was the human cost for Britain in the Korean War?

1,078 killed
2674 wounded

What was the human cost for SK in the Korean War?

200,000 soldiers killed
400,000 wounded

How many Chinese died in the Korean War?

600,000

How many NK died in the Korean War?

400,000

Gains and Losses for Korea during the Korean War

Gains:
> Relations between Korea and its allies strengthened.
> USSR and China cancelled NK's debt and gave them monetary aid.

Losses:
> War failed to unite NK and SK into one country.
> 80% of Korea's industrial and government buildings were destroyed.
> 50% of housing and most transport networks were destroyed, leading to many people living in caves.
> US pilots flew over NK and reported that they had no more targets to bomb as everything had been destroyed.

Gains and Losses for the US during the Korean War

Gains:
> 'Saved' SK from Communism - showed the Truman Doctrine was working.

Losses:
> Failed to 'save' NK from Communism.
> War did not resolve the conflict between the US and USSR.

Gains and Losses for the UN during the Korean War

Gains:
> Gained respect by taking quick action.
> Fulfilled its aims of using combined force to stop aggression - something the League of Nations could not do.

Losses:
> Some thought the US controlled the war and saw the UN as the US's 'puppet'.

Gains and Losses for the USSR during the Korean War

Gains:
> Achieved a closer relationship with fellow communist state China.

Losses:
> War heightened tensions with USA.
> Forced USSR into expensive arms race with USA.

Gains and Losses for China during the Korean War

Gains:
> Achieved a closer relationship to USSR.
> War propelled China onto the world as a major military power.

Losses:
> China was poor and war was expensive.
> China did not turn SK Communist.
> 25 years of trade and political links with the US ended.

What was French Indochina?

Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia while under French rule

Why was Vietnam particularly valuable to France?

> Vietnam had large reserves of raw materials such as coal, tin, zinc and rubber which the French sold around the world.
> Valuable trade for France: imported and sold French goods to Indochina - by 1938, 57% of goods sold in Vietnam were French.

Why did Japan invade Indochina in WWII?

> Hitler invaded and occupied France during WWII, making them weak.
> Japan wanted to take advantage of this occupy Indochina.

What happened as a result of Japan's invasion of Vietnam?

> Japan, like France, stripped Vietnam of its natural resources.
> This made food scarce.
> 2million Vietnamese people died by 1945.

Who were the Vietminh?

A strong resistance movement determined to rid the country of foreign rule, developed during WWII.

Which two Communists ruled the Vietminh?

Ho Chi Minh and Nguyen Vo Giap

What happened when the Vietminh fought Japan?

> The Vietminh had control of most of Vietnam by 1945.
> At the end of WWII, a defeated Japan left Indochina.

What did the Vietminh announce on 2 September 1945?

Vietnam was an independent country and Ho Chi Minh was its president.

Why did France not accept that Vietnam was an independent country?

They wanted to restore its pride after its humiliation in WWII.

How did France respond to the Vietminh?

1946 - France sent an army to Vietnam to fight the Vietminh.

Until when did the French and Vietminh fight a war where neither side could gain the upper hand?

1954.

When was the First Indochina War?

1946-54

How and when did China get involved in the First Indochina War?

1949 - they gave training, supplies and equipment to their fellow Communists, Vietminh.

Why did the US vow to help France 'contain' Communism?

US feared Communism would take over the whole of Southeast Asia.

How did the US aid France in July 1950?

Truman sent $15million in military aid, tanks, planes, military advisors and other supplies to the French.

How did the US support France in Vietnam over the next four years?

US spent $3billion helping the French, and by 1954, they supplied 80% of the war supplies and weapons needed by the French.

How did Vietnam start to be split into two?

France set up a non-Communist government in the southern part of Vietnam.

Why did the Vietminh struggle against the French at the beginning of the First Indochina War?

The French were better trained and equipped.

Why did peace talks at the beginning of the First Indochina War not come into fruition?

Talks never ended in agreement.