Cold War "Hot Wars"

Korea

  • Type: Proxy war
  • North Korea-- communist
  • South Korea-- democratic
  • North Korea invaded South Korea to spread communism
  • The US sent military aid + resources to South Korea to fight communism
  • China sent millions of troops to North Korea
  • The Soviet Union was never officially involved, but they sent aid to North Korea
  • Korea remains divided, no winner

Cuba

  • Type: US intervenes to stop communism
  • With the help of the US, Fidel Castro led an uprising to take control from a military dictator
  • Castro began to issue communist reforms in Cuba
  • The US was worried about having a communist country so close
  • The US tried to assassinate Castro several times
  • The Soviet Union became a trade ally of Cuba
  • The US later discovered nuclear missile sites being built in Cuba
  • This led to the Cuban missile crisis

Vietnam

  • Type: Proxy war
  • A “repeat of the Korean War”
  • North Vietnam-- communist
  • South Vietnam-- democratic
  • North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam
  • The US supported the South to stop Southeast Asia from becoming entirely communist
  • The Soviet Union and China supported the North to spread communism
  • North Vietnam eventually won and Vietnam became a communist country

Congo

  • Type: Proxy war
  • After Congo was decolonized, a shaky government was formed
  • Belgium sent troops back to the Congo, reigniting fears of colonialism
  • The prime minister appealed to the UN for help, then the USSR when they did not give aid
  • Congo split into two factions (one supported by the US, the other supported by the USSR)
  • The US won but put a severe dictator in power

Nicaragua

  • Type: Proxy war
  • The ruling dynasty of Nicaragua had increased the country’s economic development, but the reign was corrupt and did little to help inequality
  • A communist group overthrew the government
  • The Soviet Union poured money into the communist government
  • In an attempt to combat this and prevent the spread of communism, the US trained and funded former military forces of the previous dynasty to attack the communist government
  • This led to decades of guerilla war that left the country in shambles
  • Eventually, the communist control collapsed and the government officials lost the election

Chile

  • Type: US intervenes to stop communism
  • A socialist politician quickly gained large amounts of support after nationalizing many major industries
  • The US was afraid to have such a nearby communist country, believing others would use Chile as a “role model”
  • The CIA was sent to encourage a military coup, and the US indirectly put a brutal military dictator in charge

Angola

  • Type: Proxy war
  • Angola gained independence from Portugal and split into two factions
  • MPLA-- communist, supported financially and politically by the Soviet Union
  • UNITA-- anti-communist, supported financially by the US

Afghanistan

  • Type: Soviet Union trying to spread communism
  • The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan militarily, taking control of the country and placing a Soviet loyalist in charge
  • The US reacted by financially backing a resistance movement and providing weapons
  • The Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan and collapsed soon after