* THE COLD WAR 1950-1975
o The superpowers regularly argued and criticized the actions of each other on UN assembly
o They criticized each other through television, newspapers, art and films
o Never came to war
o Commonly sent troops to help other states to disrupt the aims and plans of their opponents
o Anti-Communism in the USA
* There was great dislike of communism in the USA
- Senator Joseph McCarthy was one of the biggest opponents in USA and claimed that communist infiltrated American society -> he was the leader of this hunt
* Case study : The Korean War
* Communism was getting stronger around the world
* In 1949, China as their mainstay in Far East became communist (They pumped 2 billion dollars to support Nationalist but it didn't help)
* They had a feeling communist countries act together to spread communism
* Stalin used cominform to communist to get power in Malaya, Indonesia, Burma, Korea, Philippines
* South Korea invaded in 1950 - time for action!!!
Background
* Korea had been ruled by Japan until 1945
* After WW2, North became communist with one-single party ruled by Kim Il Sung and South remained non-communist and was ruled by Syngman Rhee
* In 1950 their hostility spilled over into open warfare
* By September 1950 North Korea overwhelmed whole South Korea except of small corner of south east.
* President Truman immediately sends supplies to South Korea (warships, advisers) and also put an enormous pressure on UN security council to condemn the actions of NK and to withdraw their troops
* USSR would normally use the right of VETO in UN council but when China became communist, USA blocked its entry to UN council since it regarded the nationalists as rightful government. -> USSR walked out from UN in protest -> didn't use VETO -> USA was the most powerful in influencing decisions
* UN decided use member forces to get NK out of SK
UNO or USA?
* In September 1950 UN forces stormed ashore at Inchon, in the same time UN forces and SK troops advanced from Pusan - > NK forces were driven back beyond their original border
* The Chinese leader Mao Tse-Tung warned Americans that further pressing on would mean China joining the war, but UN didn't stop (plan to invade NK)
* US forces reached the Yalu river and border with China
* MacArthur underestimated Chinese power -> In October 1950, 200000 Chinese troops called themselves Peoples volunteers joined NK. -> blistering attack -> they hated Americans -> they had modern tanks and planes from USSR -> UN forces pushed back to 38 parallel
* Truman wanted to end the war (saving SK is enough) because attacking China would increase the risk of USSR joining the war but MacArthur wanted to continue invading China and also use Nuclear weapons
* In March 1951 Mac Arthur ignored UN instructions and attacked China, President Truman removed him from his position
* In June 1951 peace talks began but bitter fighting continued
* In 1952 Truman was replaced with Eisenhower and who wanted to end the war
* 1953 - Stalin death made NK less confident
* July 1953 - an armistice signed
Was containment the right policy?
* No doubt - communism must be stopped but question is how to do it
* Some favored violent tactics as Mac Arthur and they felt that : President was weak, the containment is not enough,
* Dulles set up network of anti-communist alliance
* In 1954 SEATO was formed (The South East Asia Treaty Organization)
* In 1955 CENTO was formed (The central Treaty organization)
* USSR didn't like it
* In 1955 USSR signed a treaty with all east communist countries known as Warsaw Pact
Co-existence
* In 1953 Stalin died and new soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev talked about peaceful co-existence rather than fighting
* In 1956 - Poland protest sparked off by rise in food - red army moved in to restore order and also put down the communist rising in Hungary at the cost of 30000 Hungarian
* In 1961 - Berlin wall was built to stop people leaving from East Germany - Border guard shot anyone.
THE ARMS RACE
* In 1945 Americans developed 1st atomic bomb -> didn't share the secret with USSR
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Co-existence
* In 1953 Stalin died and new soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev talked about peaceful co-existence rather than fighting
* In 1956 - Poland protest sparked off by rise in food - red army moved in to restore order and also put down the communist rising in Hungary at the cost of 30000 Hungarian
* In 1961 - Berlin wall was built to stop people leaving from East Germany - Border guard shot anyone.
THE ARMS RACE
* In 1945 Americans developed 1st atomic bomb -> didn't share the secret with USSR
* In August 1945 - Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombed -> 70000 people killed
* The awesome power of the explosion and destruction made it clear - atomic bombs are weapons of the future
* U-2 crises
* - In 1950 without permission from Truman, US strategic spy flights over USSR
Truman then banned them
- In 1956 Eisenhower agreed to use new U-2 spy planes (carried powerful listening devices, cameras and flight so high that could not be shot down by USSR)
- They informed them about the developed technology in USSR
- In 1960 Soviet missiles improved - U-2 was shot down
Deterrence and MAD
* Both USA and USSR had a great number of missiles pointed at each other -> having nuclear weapons deterred the other side from attacking first -> sure destruction
Did people feel safe?
* US B-47 bomber crashed in England in 1957 -> fire came within minutes setting off 2 nuclear bombs which would destroy all East Anglia.
* In 1962 US radar mistook its own satellite from USSR missiles and it was minutes away from nuclear respond to this -> people new that dangerous times began
* People feel fear and helplessness, the nuclear fallout shelter didn't increase their worries -> some protested against arm race, some argued about the money spend on developing bombs
* Case study 2 ; The Cuban missile crises, 1962
Background
* Cuba was an American Ally -> Americans owned most of the business and had huge naval base there
* 3 year Guerrilla campaign overthrew Batista and Fidel Castro became new pro-communist dictator
How successful were the early attempts at containment?
959 - 1961
* Castro took over American business (let USA to keep its naval base).
* Castro assured Americans in Cuba they are safe - he wanted to run the country without interference and he received arms from USSR
January 1961
* USA broke off diplomatic relationships with Cuba.
* Castro thought USA prepares to invade. It was obvious USA will no longer tolerate soviet satellite in their sphere of influence
April 1961
* Kennedy supplied arms, equipment and transport to invade Cuba
* 1400 exiles landed at the Bay of Pigs and they met 20 000 Cuban troops -> invasion failed, Castro killed them all
* USSR and Cuba suggested that USA doesn't want to be involved in Cuba directly
What was the Soviet Union doing in Cuba?
* After the Bay of Pigs invasion, soviet Union supplied in 1962 Cuba with arms -> by July Cuba had the best equipped army in Latin America -> by September thousands missiles, patrol boats, tanks, radar vans, missile erectors, jet bombers and fighters, 5000 soviet technicians
* USA tolerate these actions but worried about nuclear weapons
* Kennedy warned USSR that he would prevent Cuba in any way not to become nuclear site -> Khrushchev assured him they wont put them there
The October crises
* In 1962 U-2 USA plane flight over Cuba -> They have found out that there are missiles in Cuba built by USSR (some were finished, some were being built)
* Also 20 ships from USSR were on the way to supply Cuba with missiles
What happened next?
20 October
* Kennedy decided on blockade of Cuba
22 October
* Kennedy calls on the soviet Union to withdraw missiles
23 October
* Kennedy receives a letter from Khrushchev who said he will not observe the blockade
24 October
* Blockade begins, the missile carrying ship accompanied with soviet submarine reached the blocked zone -> the soviet ships stopped or turned around
25 October
* Intensive aerial photography reveals that work on missiles in Cuba is proceeding rapidly
26 October
* Kennedy receives long letter from Khrushchev which claimed that the missiles are purely offensive and firstly admitted the presence of missiles + he said if USA would not attack Cuba it is possible he will remove the missiles
27 October
* Second letter -: Khrushchev said that he removes the missiles from Cuba when USA withdraw its missiles in Turkey -> Kennedy didn't accept it
* U-2 plane was shot down above Cuba, the pilot was killed -> Kennedy accepted the first letter not to attack Cuba
Why did Soviet Union place nuclear missiles on Cuba?
* It was very risky strategy - they had to know a respond to this will follow and they didnt even try to camouflaged the missiles
) To bargain with USA - Khrushchev could use missiles on Cuba and them remove them for some American concession.
2) To trap the USA - He wanted from Americans to find them and start a nuclear war
3) To defend Cuba
4) To test the USA - to seem how strong americans were, whetever they woud faced up or give up
5) To get the upper hand in the arms race - Khrushchev knew that USSR was far apart from USA and wouldnt strike against USSR itself first if he would use missiles on Cuba against USA.
The outcome
* Cuba stayed communist and highly armed, missiles removed under UN supervision
* Kennedy improved his reputation because he pushed back Soviet Union and Khrushchev made a triumph - Cuba remained usefull ally
* Cuban crises improved the relationships - Both leaders knew that their conflict nearly ended in nuclear war - they were prepared to také steps to reduce this risk 1) Hot line phone link from White House to Kremlin was set up
* They signed a nuclear test ban treaty in 1963 - limited test with bombs
* Case study 3 : the Vietnam War 1946 - 1954
The origins of the conflict
* Vietnam had been ruled by France - called Indochina
* First major blow was in 1940 -> Japanese (Germanys ally) after WW2 took control over main resources in Vietnam such as coil, rice, rubber, roads, railways.
* During the war -> anti-Japanese resistant movemement The Viet Minh emerged under communist leader Ho Chi Minh, who inspired people to fight for independent Vietnam
* After WW2 Viet Minh had control of North Vietnam and wanted to control whole country
* In 1946 war broke between France and Viet Minh (struggle was seen as a protest against colonial rule of France because Ho Chi Minh kept quiet about wanting communist Vietnam (USA sympathetic to him)
* In 1949 USA changed its opinion when China became communist and started to help Ho Chi Minh -> USA gave 500 million each year to France and set up a non-communist government in South Vietnam
* France generally controlled towns, Viet Minh countryside
* Consequences
- French lost 3000 sold. In battle and 8000 in captivity
- The Viet Minh defeated France with help of modern weapons from USSR and China, effective leaderships, right tactics, sheer determination
Why USA did become increasingly involved in Vietnam?
* USA criticized Stalin for not holding free elections in countries controlled by soviet Union after the war, but in 1954 they applied different rule in Vietnam : prevent any elections taking place because they feared communism would win
* USA policy was strange combination of determination and ignorance
* Eisenhower and Dulles stood for the opinion that Stalin wants to make whole East Asia communism and if Vietnam would became communist, then Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Burma and even possibly India would become communist as well (Domino theory)
* Their methods and policies showed ignorance of Vietnamese people
* In 1955 USA supported Ngo Dinh Diem to set up a republic South Vietnam (They were frustrated by his actions, but didn't have anyone better) with 1.6 billion dollars
* Ngo Dinh Diem 1) he was anti-communist, prepared to imprison communists
2) He showed little respect for the Buddhist religion of Vietnamese peasants
3) His regime was extremely corrupt
4) In 1963 he was overthrown by his own army leaders -> following govt. Also corrupt
* Actions of south govrnmet increased support of peasants for communist party
* In 1960 Vietcong movement included opponenst of govrnment and communist people (peasants who didnt support Vietcong experineced intimidation and violance from them
* Vietcong started querilla war against south govrn. Voetnamese force, officials, buildings -> countryside unsafe for govt. Forces
* By 1962 Kennedy sent "advisers" to fight with Vietcong and later the tension between South and North increase as well as American involvement
* Successor Lyndon Johnson was more prepared to stop communism in Vietnam
* In 1964 a patrol boats opened fire in the Gulf of Tonkin -> US congress passed a Tonkin Gulf Resolution -> Johnson now could take any measurements to prevent further aggression
* In 1965, 3500 US marines and troops came ashore at DaNang - USA was in a war
Vietcong and guerilla tactics
* Vietcong had about 170000 soldiers (weapons and equipment from USSR)
* Guerilla tactics :
- retreat when enemy attacks, raid when the enemy camps, attack when the enemy tires, pursue when enemy retreats
- Vietcong was a nightmare for USA
- They did not wear uniforms
- They had no base camp or headquarters
- They worked in small groups with limited weapons
- They were hardly divided from normal peasants
- They attacked and then disappeared into Jungle or into their tunnels
- Their target was to decrease US morale and wear down soldiers (effective - US army lived in constant fear)
- Vietcong helped to peasants to gain their support but killed ones who opposed them
- They depended on supplies from North Vietnam (along Ho Chi Minh trail)
- USA bombed this trail constantly but 40000 people worked there to keep it running
- Overall deaths of North Vietnamese and Vietcong members was about 1 million¨
US tactics in Vietnam 1965 - 1972
Bombing
* USA, 1965, Operation Rolling Thunder - extensive bombing of military and industrial targets in North Vietnam (soon included also towns in both South and North and areas along Ho Chi Minh trail as Laos or Cambodia)
* It damaged North Vietnamese war effort, USA could strike at communist even their forces at ground were reducing, forced North to the negotiating table
* It didn't stop North Vietnamese power but slowed them down (14000 US aircrafts were shot down)
Chemical weapons
* US developed a chemical weapon called Agent Orange (toxic weedkiller) and was used to destoy jungle where Vietcong hid
* Napalm was another chemical weapon which burned through skin to bone - many civilians were killed because of these weapons
Search and destroy
* US commander Westmoreland developed policy of search and destroy -> developed heavily defended US bases in the South near coasts (raids from helicopters)
* They have searched a village and destroy any Vietcongs found
* Problems: Informations about villages werent right, US troops walked to traps, innoccent villages hit, these tactics made US very unpopular with peasants - they strated to support Vietcong
The Tet Offensive, 1968 - a turning point
* In 1968 Vietcong attacked over 100 cities and military targets in South Vietnam
* It was a disastour for communist because the people in South didnt join them and they lost abou 10000 fighters
* US and South forces retook the captured towns but many civilians were killed and the town of Hue was destroyed
The peace movement on the USA
* Public in USA didnt like the Vietnam war - unpopular because it was a media war (televisions, radios, newspapers reporters, photographs were sending back to USA and Europe and everybody saw what was going on (children being killed by chemical weapons, people watching their house setting fire)
* There were protest all around the country (on universities, etc)
The My Lai massacre
* March 1968, a unit of American soldiers, Charlie Company, started a search and destroy mission in My Lai Massacre (They had information a Vietcong guerillas are present there) but none were found. Only 400 civilians were killed and only 3 weapons were recovered
* Even thought the army has taken it as a success, arguing that the people were members of Vietcong -> after 12 months, a letter written by Ridenhour arrived to Washington telling them true stories about My Lai massacre (he knew personally some soldiers who were there) and asking Congress to investigate it -> Magazine LIFE published photographs from massacre ->Calley, an officer of Charlie Company, was charged with murdering 109 people -> other members charged too-> after long court Calley was found guilty -> public was shocked and knew that the war went wrong -> 700000 protestants in Washington
Ending the war in Vietnam
* After the Tet offensive Johnson knew the war cant be win militarily -> he decreased the bombing and instructed his officials to prepare peace conference
* In March 1968 a peace conference began in Paris -> In November 1968 new president was elected, Richard Nixon, and he worked hard to end USA involvement in Vietnam -> but they didn't want simply give Vietnam to communists
* In January 1973 Le Duc Tho, Nixon, and south Vietnamese President signed a peace treaty
The fall of South Vietnam 1973-75
* Within 2 years south Vietnam became communist -> Nixon promised not to stop support Vietnam militarily and financially but congress didn't allow this -> evidence : SV regime was corrupt and lacked peoples support
* Without US support, air power, SV govt. couldn't survive and fallen to communists forces after launching in 1975
How did the Vietnam War affect the policy of containment?
* Policy of containment was in tatters (na cucky) -> 1) even USA military strength couldn't stop spread of communism -> 2) it failed also politically -> Because of the bombing of Laos and Cambodia helped communists to gain support and became communist in 1975 -> Americans didn't slow down the domino effect but speeded up
3) Also a propaganda disaster -> using chemical weapons damaged USA's reputation and lost support of
its own people
* After the war Americans tried to improve relationships with China and ended block on Chinas membership of UN -> in 1970s Soviet Union and USA cooperated much better and USA became suspicious about involving themselves into other conflict.
