containment of communism
why communism had to be contained
US hysteria around communism began after Russia experienced the communist uprising in 1917
the red scare (anti-communist paranoia) of the 1920s was the belief that immigration had meant they communists were everywhere in the USA
the press sensationalised that communism threatened the US way of life
Where the USA prided itself on the ‘American Dream’, the USSR believed wealth should be distributed
The attitude worsened after the second world war due to a period called McCarthyism
Joseph McCarthy was an ex-soldier and republican representative in the US senate
McCarthy used rumours and threats to become a powerful anti-communist figure
in the early 1950s, he held hearings in an attempt to expose communists at various levels of the US government
while the government turned against McCarthy in 1954, his accusations heightened the public’s fear of communism
voters applied pressure on the government to do more to protect global capitalism and human rights
after 1945, the USA changed their approach to foreign policy
before the second world war, the USA had followed a policy of isolationism
they refused to get involved in other countries affairs
the long telegram (1946) informed Truman that the USA should contain communism to the USSR
as a result, the Truman doctrine (1947) officially replaced isolationism with containment
international events after the second world war motivated the USA to try and contain communism
the USSR had created satellite states in eastern Europe between 1945 and 1948
China turned communist in 1949 under Mao Zedong
both events scared the USA
to them, it looked like China and the USSR were making the whole of Asia communist
the USA formulated the idea of the domino theory
if one country fell to communism, surrounding countries would fall like a row of dominoes
the USA believed that, if Asia fell to communism, Europe and the USA would fall too
the USA believed that it was their responsibility to stop communist takeover of the world
the USA applied containment in Korea (1950-1953), Cuba (1959-1962), and Vietnam (1955-1973)
in each of these attempts, the USA failed to overthrow communism
by 1973, containment ruined the USA’s international reputation
causes of containment
the communist revolution in Russia (1917) and the red scare
McCarthyism (1950s)
domino theory
the satellite stated of eastern Europe
consequences of containment
wars in Korea and Vietnam
the Cuban missile crisis
the USA’s reputation as a protector of freedom is damage
events in Korea
in 1905, Japan owned Korea
in 1945, Japan surrendered to the Allies, ending the second world war
soviet troops were in the north of Korea
US troops were in the south of Korea
the terms of Japan’s surrender included the division of Korea
the allies split Korea into two territories along the 38th parallel
this divided Korea into two equal sized zones
historians believe that Korea was divided to prevent the USSR from taking the whole of Korea
the USSR monitored North Korea
the USA oversaw South Korea
both the USA and the USSR chose leaders for their sections of Korea
in April 1950, many South Koreans voted in favour of the reunification of Korea
Syngman Rhee was an unpopular leader
many Koreans wanted to reunite their country under the communist Kim Il Sung
in June 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea
North Korea had the support of the USSR and China
both countries sent financial and military aid
North Korea’s army was more powerful than South Korea’s
Why did the USA get involved
domino theory
the USA wanted to stop Korea from failing to communism
they believed that if Korea fell, Japan would be next
trade with Japan
Japan was an important market for US exports
the USA wanted to protect Japan’s capitalism
Truman doctrine
in 1947, Truman declared that the USA would protect any country in threat of a communist uprising
the US public put pressure on the government to protect South Korea
distrust of the USSR
the USA blamed the USSR for North Korea’s actions
the USSR had acted aggressively in eastern Europe and blockaded Berlin
belief in victory
the US government believed that China would not react if they sent troops to Korea
the hoped that they could persuade the UN to provide military support to South Korea
the UN involvement in the Korean war
the USA persuaded the UN to intervene in the Korean War because
Truman placed pressure on the UN security council
the USA contributed the most money to the UN budget of any other country
it could threaten to lower their contribution if the UN did not support South Korea
the USSR boycotted the UN involvement January 1950
the USSR demanded representatives of the communist people’s republic of China in the UN security council
the UN refused
the boycott meant that the USSR could not veto action against North Kora
the UN agreed to send troops to stop North Korea’s invasion
the 18 member states provided troops
the USA sent the most troops under the command of General McArthur
McArthur was
the commander of US troops in Japan in the second world war
essentially in control of Japan from 1945 to 1951
UN forces landed in Incheon in September 1950
the events of the Korean war
June - September 1950
the North Korean people’s army makes huge advances
South Korea only held a small area around Pusan
September - October 1950
the UN forced under General McArthur push the North Koreans back to the Yalu river, close to the border with China
November 1950 - January 1951
fearing invasion, Mao orders the invasion of Korea
with Chinese support, the North Koreans recapture the capital city (Seoul)
UN troops fall back behind the 38th parallel
January - July 1951
UN Forces retake Seoul
McArthur asks Truman to approve a nuclear attack on China
Truman, fearing retaliation from Stalin, refuses and fires McArthur
July 1951 - July 1953
the war on land reaches a stalemate
conflict still occurs in the skies
Dwight Eisenhower becomes US president, promising to end the war in Koreas
the death of Stalin in 1953 persuades North Korea to sign an armistice
consequences of the Korean war
positive
the peace treaty kept Korea divided
the USA had ‘protected’ South Korea from communism
this was a success for containment
the UN stood up against North Korea’s aggressive actions
this made the UN more successful than the League of Nations had been before the second world war
negative
North Korea remained communist and former closer ties to China
this shows that following containment could stop but not push back communism
the Korean war caused four million casualties and the deaths of 50,000 US soldiers
the USA had underestimated the impact of fighting against communism
the USA created anti-communist alliances in Southeast Asia (SEATO) and Central Asia
the USSR felt surrounded by enemies
tensions increases between the USA and the USSR
both began a nuclear arms race, creating hydrogen bombs and ICBMs
this threatened world peace
events in Cuba
causes of the Cuban missile crisis, 1962
long-term
since 1945, US-Soviet relations had been tense
both countries competed against each other to become the biggest superpower
the USA and the USSR developed powerful nuclear weapons that could destroy the world
medium-term
the bay of pigs incident in 1961 heightened cold war tensions between the USA and the USSR
Castro publicly announced that he was a communist
Kennedy warned Khrushchev not to place nuclear weapons on Cuba
short-term
on 14th October 1962, a U-2 spy-plane took photographs of missile launch pads in Cuba
intelligence informed Kennedy that approaching Soviet ships could be carrying ballistic missiles to Cuba
the USA relied on Cuba’s sugar and tobacco exports
US businesses controlled Cuba’s sugar trade
the US also owned all of Cuba’s oil refineries, railways, and electricity
as a result, the US attempted to control the political identity of Cuba
in 1933, the US government supported a military coup by Sergeants Fulgencio Batista
Batista became the president of Cuba
Batista was a very corrupt leader
He stopped elections and refused to follow the Cuban constitution
He also allowed US businesses and rich Cubans to thrive while ignoring the struggles of the poor in the society
he allowed American mobsters to create illegal businesses
the US ignored Batista’s corruption
US businesses were profiting from his rule
as a result, the US government provided Batista with weapons to maintain control of Cuba
the Cuban revolution
in November 1956, revolutionary Fidel Castro began an uprising against Batista
he recruited Che Guevara to join his uprising
Castro began a guerrilla warfare campaign against the Cuban government
in 1958, the international media supported the Cuban revolutionaries
at this stage, the US government stopped giving money and soldiers to Batista
on 1st January 1959, Castro and Guevara’s forces defeated Batista
the rebels reached Cuba’s capital city, Havana
Batista fled from Cuba to the Dominican Republic
Castro formed a new government in 1959
the US government had many issues with the new Cuban government
why the USA had a problem with the new government
communism
Castro appointed communists into his government
in February 1960, Cuba signed an agreement with the Soviet union, Khrushchev promised to buy Cuban sugar
secretly, Cuba agreed to receive arms from the Soviet union
nationalising land
in May 1959, Castro’s government began to take back land owned by foreign nationals
the US refused to accept the policy but Castro continued to take the land
Cuba and the IMF
the US government recognised Castro’s government
they refused to give money to Cuba unless they followed the international monetary fund (IMF)
nationalist attitudes
Castro was a nationalist
he did not want America to control Cuba’s economy
the issues affected the USA’s relationship with Cuba in the 1960s
Eisenhower reduced trade with Cuba
in July 1960, the USA bought less sugar from Cuba
by October, Eisenhower began a trade embargo with Cuba
by 1961, US-Cuban relations had broken down
the US government ended their diplomatic relationship with Cuba
what caused Kennedy to invade Cuba
in January 1961, John F. Kennedy replaced Eisenhower as the president of the USA
Kennedy was an anti-communist
he did not want a communist state only 90 miles away from the coast of the USA
when Kennedy assumed the presidency, the CIA created a plan to overthrow Castro
The CIA wanted to use Cuban exiles to invade Cuba
if Cuban exiles invaded Cuba, it would look like a counter-revolution rather than a US backed invasion
the plans for the invasion
cuban exiles to land in the bay of pigs, Cuba
the invasion force would attract the people of Cuba to rise up against Castro
they would fight to remove Castro from power
the US-backed rebels would establish a pro-American government in Cuba
the events of the ‘bay of pigs’ incident
on 17th April 1961, the US government began their invasion of Cuba
the US government sent 1,400 Cuban exiles to Cuba
the invasion force landed in the Bay of Pigs on the southern coast of Cuba
in less than 24 hours, the invasion force surrendered to Castro’s government
reasons why the Bay of Pigs invasion failed
weakness of the CIA and invasion force
the CIA had given the Cuban exiles limited military training
they were unlikely to win against Castro’s army due to their battle experience
in an attempt to distance themselves from the invasion, the US government refused to send military support to the Cuban exiles
Castro’s government
Castro knew about the invasion before it began
Castro assembled an army of 20,000 soldiers to attack the Cuban exiles when they landed on the island
Cuban citizens were fair with Castro’s government
the invasion gained limited support in Cuba
the impact of the bay of pigs incident on cold war relations
the bay of pigs incident heightened cold war tensions between the USA and the USSR
the event was damaging to the USA’s reputation
the USA had accused the USSR of forcing people to live under their political influence in eastern Europe
attempting an armed uprising against the independent government in Cuba mad the USA look as controlling as the USSR
Cuba no longer wanted a diplomatic relationship with the USA
Khrushchev thought the disaster meant that Kennedy was inexperienced and weak
the bay of pigs incident had benefits for the USSR
Khrushchev claimed the failure of the invasion was a success for communism
the Cuban people were happy living under a communist government
it showed the world the benefits of communism
Cuba became closer to the USSR
Castro publicly announced that he was a communist
he requested help from the USSR to defend Cuba from the USA
in September 1961, Khrushchev declared that the USSR would give weapons to Cuba
the thirteen days, 16th - 28th October 1962
the ‘Thirteen Days’ refers to the period of 16th October to 28th October 1962
between these 13 days, the world became the closest it had ever been to nuclear war
Kennedy had to decide on how to deal with potential missile sites in Cuba
the US defence secretary, Robert McNamara, told Kennedy that the Soviet missiles would become operational two weeks after their arrival
this gave Kennedy time pressure to make his decision about how to react to the arrival of missiles in Cuba
what options did Kennedy have to deal with Cuba
how could Kennedy react
attacking the soviet ships en route to Cuba
bombing the missile sites on Cuba
planning a US invasion of Cuba
before making a decision, Kennedy had to consider
how the American public would react to missiles on Cuba
little to no reaction by the US government could cause widespread panic in the USA
he needed to show a commitment to the policy of containment
how his decision would affect election results
elections for the US congress were in November
if Kennedy failed to deal with the situation in Cuba effectively, it would damage the success of his political colleagues, the Democrats
the impact of his decision on other cold war issues
Kennedy worried that a strong reaction to Cuba would encourage Khrushchev to become more aggressive over the issue of Berlin
Kennedy had limited options to deal with Cuba
the US government had already attempted an invasion of Cuba during the Bay of Pigs incident in 1961
Kennedy knew that this would be unpopular in Cuba and may cause a major conflict within the country
bombing Cuba would make the USA look aggressive
depending on the bomb that the USA used, it could cause a significant number of civilian deaths in Cuba
the cold war was a war of propaganda
Kennedy had to make the best decision that would not damage the USA’s reputation internationally
the events of the Cuban missile crisis
1962
16th October
Kennedy assembles the advisory group ExComm, beginning the ‘thirteen days’ of the Cuban missile crisis
22nd October
Kennedy addresses the US public, announcing the US blockade of Cuba
23rd October
Khrushchev responds stating that the Soviet ships will not stop at the blockade
24th October
20 soviet ships turn around after seeing the blockade
26th October
Kennedy receives a letter from Khrushchev promising to remove the launch sites if the USA agrees to lift the blockades and promises not to invade Cuba
27th October
a second letter from Khrushchev says to launch sites will only be removed if the USA removes its missiles in turkey
28th October
Bobby Kennedy, the brother of the president, meets with the soviet ambassador and agreed a deal to resolve the crisis
consequences of the Cuban missile crisis
positive consequences
the blockade of Cuba forced Khrushchev to back down
this was a propaganda victory for the USA and containment
Kennedy had maintained world peace
The US public thought that Kennedy was a strong leader for standing up to the USSR
negative consequences
Khrushchev achieved the removal of US missiles in Turkey
this aspect of the agreement was kept secret from the US public
some hardliners in the US government thought Kennedy had failed
he had shown weakness by compromising with a communist power
Cuba remained communist and allied to the USSR
Kennedy had promised not to invade
this was a failure of containments
events in Vietnam
before the second world we, France owned Vietnam
Vietnam was a colony in the French empire known as Indochina
during the second world war, Japan occupied Vietnam
in 1941, a communist armed force called the Viet Minh under the leadership of the Ho Chi Minh fought the Japanese
in 1945, Vietnam declared independence
after the second world war, France wanted to own Vietnam again
France fought the Viet Minh
fearing communism in Vietnam, the USA funded the French involvement
the Viet Minh defeated the French at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954
the Geneva peace accords agreed to temporarily split Vietnam
the communist Viet Minh gained North Vietnam
south Vietnam created an anti-communist government
a free election in 1956 would decide who permanently governed Vietnam
the leaders
Ho Chi Minh
respected
known as ‘Uncle Ho’
backed by the USSR
May Dinh Diem
unpopular
corrupt
he rigged elections
catholic
he persecuted Buddhists
backed by the USA
US intervention
reason
domino theory
Eisenhower and his Secretary of State John Dulles feared that Ho Chi Minh would win the election
this would make Vietnam communist
they believed that if Vietnam turned communist, other countries in Southeast Asia would fall too
containment
presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson all believed in containment
they justified their actions in Vietnam as part of their mission to stop the spread of communism
distrust of the USSR and China
the USA blamed the USSR and China for North Vietnam’s attempts to spread communism
raw materials
Vietnam had a wealth of useful raw materials like tungsten, tin, and rubber
if the USA could make Vietnam capitalist, it could access these raw materials
the development of war in Vietnam
in 1957, the communist guerrillas (later known as the Viet Cong) began attacking South Vietnam
in 1959, the People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN) - popularity known as the North Vietnam Army (NVA) established the Ho Chi Minh Trail to transport weapons to the South
Ho Chi Minh declared a full-scale war against the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)
he stated his intention to overthrow Diem’s government
many South Vietnamese supported the actions of North Vietnam
in 1960, Ho Chi Minh created the National liberation Front (or the Vietcong)
its members included communists from North Vietnam and peasants from South Vietnam
in reaction, President Kennedy sent more aid to support Diem’s government
Diem’s government became more unpopular
Diem introduced the strategic Hamlets programme in 1962
it aimed to create villages protected from the Viet Cong’s influence
in reality, it destroyed people’s homes and forced them to move
this gained support for the Viet Cong
he treated his people poorly by
discriminating against Buddhists, the largest faith group in South Vietnam
taking land from peasants to give to rich landlords
running a corrupt government and giving key positions to harshness members
the USA could no longer support Diem’s government
Kennedy cut off aid to Diem
in November 1963, a coup overthrew and assassinated Diem
the events of the Vietnam war
august 1964
the USA accuse the northern Vietnamese of attacking two US ships
the Gulf of Tonkin incident causes congress to agree US military action in Vietnam
march 1965
operation rolling thunder begins a large-scale bombing campaign on north Vietnam
by the end of 1965, 20,000 US troops are fighting in Vietnam
january 1968
the north Vietnamese launch the TET offensive, attacking over 100 towns and cities in south Vietnam
the US and ARVN counter-attack kills 30,000-50,000 north Vietnamese
march 1968
lieutenant William Calley leads an operation into My Lai, a village suspected of keeping Viet Cong
US soldiers killed and rape over 400 citizens
the US government cover up the massacre for a year
1969 - 1971
Nixon authorises the bombing of Laos and Cambodia to improve negotiating position of the USA
march 1972
in response, north Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia launch an attack on South Vietnamese called the Easter offensive
january 1973
representatives of the USA, North Vietnam, South Vietnam and the Viet Cong sign the Paris peace accords
all US troops leave Vietnam by 1975
Vietcong tactics
guerrilla warfare
the Viet Cong knew that the US would win in open warfare
instead, the Viet Cong
set traps
ambushed soldiers
used Vietnam’s forests to attack and hide
dug tunnels
the USA struggles to fight against these tactics
use of civilians
many South Vietnamese citizens helped the Viet Cong
they attacked South Vietnamese government officials
the Viet Cong did not rapidly a military uniform
as a result, US soldiers struggled to identify troops from civilians
Ho Chi Minh trail
the North Vietnamese used the Ho Chi Minh trail to transporter supplies
despite constant US bombing, supplies continued to move southwards on this route
US tactics
bombing
the US undertook large-scale bombing campaigns in North Vietnam’s capital city, Hanoi, key military bases and Ho Chi Minh trail
during the war, the USA series three million tones of bombs
chemical warfare
the USA had a huge technological advantage over the North Vietnamese
they used chemicals like Napalm and Agent Orange
the aim was to destroy the dense forest that the Viet Cong hid in
this type of warfare causes high civilian casualties
conscription
from 1967, the US government introduced conscription (or ‘the draft’)
a large proportion of the US army were young and Black Americans
most of these soldiers had no choice but to fight in Vietnam
this meant that the US soldiers had low morale and wanted to return to the USA
search and destroy
the US sent troops in helicopters to find and attack Viet Cong bases
this method caused many deaths
Viet Cong traps killed US soldiers
US troops attacked innocent villagers in the belief they were Viet Cong
search and destroy pushed many Vietnamese to support the Viet Cong
why did public opinion turn against the Vietnam war
the US public turned against the Vietnam war because
conscription was unpopular
around 2.8 million US soldiers fought in Vietnam
the draft affected black Americans disproportionately
the police prosecuted over 9,000 young men for ‘graft dodging’
the Tet offensive (1968) caused the media to question if the war was worthwhile
it was the first televised war
the US public saw photographs and new reports of the Vietnam war in graphic detail
scandals like the My Lai massacre were uncovered, changing the public’s perception of the US army
anti-war protests peaked 1968-70
students were the key opposition group to the war
in November 1969, 700,000 anti-war protestors marched in Washington
in may 1970, the National Guard shot dead four student protestors at Kent State university
the media coverage of the shooting caused 2 million students in 400 schools go on strike
the consequences of the end of the Vietnam war
president Nixon won the 1968 presidential election on the promise to end the Vietnam war
Nixon and his National Security Advisor, Henry Kissinger, wanted to pull out of the war with dignity
after the unsuccessful bombing campaigns of Laos and Cambodia, Nixon began the process of US withdrawal
in January 1973, the US and the North Vietnamese government signed the Paris Peace accords
this officially ended US involvement in Vietnam
Nixon declared the US withdrawal was ‘peace with honour’
by 1973, only 30,000 US troops remained in Vietnam
the conflict between North and South Vietnam continued
on 30th April 1975, the South Vietnamese capital, Saigon, fell to North Vietnamese forces
positive consequences
the US public was happy to see the end of the ‘unwinnable war’
negative consequences
containment had failed militarily
while the USA had stronger weapons, the communist Viet Cong had better tactics
containment had failed politically
by 1975, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia became communist
the USSR and China, who had given money and technology to North Vietnam, had gained new communist allies
containment had failed in the propaganda war
the use of chemical warfare and disregard for the Vietnamese civilians ruined the USA’s international reputation
over 58,000 US soldiers died with millions of Vietnamese casualties
containment had failed economically
the Vietnam war cost the USA around $168 billion
as a result, the US government abandoned the policy of containment
Nixon pursued detente(an improvement in the relationship between two countries) with the USSR and China