Explain the USAs policy of containment. How successful was this in Korea, Vietnam and Cuba?

by fhoughton (student)

Explain the USA’s policy of containment. How successful was this in Korea, Vietnam and Cuba?

Containment was a policy using numerous strategies to prevent the spread of abroad. A component of the , this policy was a response to a series of moves by the to enlarge , , , and . It represented a middle-ground position between and . The basis of the doctrine was articulated in a by U.S. diplomat . In all three areas, Korea, Vietnam and Cuba the policy of containment was mainly unsuccessful as in each area USA was unable to prevent the spread of communism and USSR’s influence over them. However USA was able to achieve some positive aspects and in each case stood up to the USSR, even though after each crisis the countries still remained communist, or under USSR influence.

The tension between North Korean and South Korean began after the Second World War, with the Soviets in control over the north as far as latitude 38 degree north and the USA had influence over the south of Korea. The United Nations Organisation requested elections however no elections were allowed in the North which was taken over by the communist leader Kim ll Sung. A republic government was set up in the south however both governments claimed authority over the whole country. Both USA and USSR armed their own client states with weapons. The Orthodox view of how the Korean War broke out is that Kim was acting on Stalin’s orders and that USSR had encouraged the North to invade the South. However the revisionist view claims that it was not just one invasion from the North but continuous border clashes which gave USA the excuse to use force against North Korea through the UN at a time when the USSR would be unable to veto such a decision.

As well as the USA fourteen other countries sent troops into Korea, therefore it could be argued that the policy of containment was not only followed through by USA but other UN troops. Furthermore it is thought that Truman wished to establish a united US dominated Korea as a foothold on the Asian landmass. This is seen through General MacArthur’s actions as although China has warned US not to invade further than the Yalu River, MacArthur continued to take his troops across the river and began invading China. This cannot be defended by the policy of containment, and therefore shows that USA had changed the supposed goal of the war from containment to a rollback strategy.

The USA’s strategy of containment could be seen as a success in the Korean War, because after the North invaded the south which was able to defeat the South who only held a small area in Pusan in September 1950. Therefore this an example of USSR trying to spread communism therefore USA under the policy of containment felt obliged to aid South Korea. As well as USA fourteen other countries sent troop, to a certain extent this could be seen as further success of containment as USA were able to ask the help from other UN countries to give a united front. On September 15th, US and Southern Korean troops commanded by General Douglas MacArthur made an amphibious landing, which forced the North Korean army to retreat and by the end of September the South had been recaptured. This shows how USA were successful with their policy of containment as if they had stopped here they would have been able to successfully prevent the spread of communism in South Korea. However, despite being warned by China that if they went on to invade the North China would go to its aid the Allied forces invaded North Korea. The forces continued and in some places reached the Yalu River. This lead to huge retaliation attack from China which pushed allied troops to the 38th parallel. This shows how USA’s policy of containment failed, as they changed this policy from containment to a rollback strategy. Due to this another communist country, China, had managed to beat America and illustrate America as the aggressive state. This meant that China was able to have a huge propaganda victory showing China as military inferior. Perhaps if USA had not continued to go on and invade North Korea or China then there would have been no retaliation from China and USA would have been able to win the propaganda war by having prevented the spread of communism into South Korea.

After China was able to push back Allied troops to the 38th parallel, General MacArthur demanded the authority to blockade China and bomb Manchuria with atomic weapons. This further shows how the USA was unsuccessful with their policy of containment in this incident, as this indicates how desperate the USA were and the extent to which they were struggling against the Chinese forces. Also it could be also show how no longer this was about containing communism but more about removing communism from these countries all together. This was in breach of the terms by which the United Nations Force had ...

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By the end of the Korean War the border between the South and North was once again near the 38th parallel, therefore USA’s policy of containment can be seen as a failure as they were unable to achieve anything. Before the war the border was roughly in the same area so USA was unable to prevent the spread of communism into North Korea. However, before the Korean War the North of Korea was already communist, so for USA to invade the North and take over then it would no longer be containment but part of the roll back strategy. It can then be argued that USA’s policy of containment was successful as after the War they were able to prevent the spread of communism from South Korea despite the invasion from the north and China. Also, the although USA was defeated by China and North Korea this incident showed the USSR that USA would be willing to act if USSR tried to further spread communism and therefore it could be seen as a success as it would make USSR more reluctant to take control over more countries.

Another country which USA used its policy of containment with was Vietnam. After the Second World War the Japanese occupied Vietnam, however since Vietnam had been part of the French Empire before the war in November 1946 the French ordered the new government under Ho Chi Minh to leave Hanoi. This lead to conflict between France who had help from USA and the Viet Minh who had help from China. However, due to problems elsewhere across the world the French left Vietnam. In the Geneva agreement of 1954, Laos and Cambodia were to be independent, Vietnam temporarily divided into two states at the 17th parallel. Ho Chi Minh’s government was recognized in the north, while an American puppet regime under Ngo Dinh Diem was set up in the south. In 1956 elections were to be held throughout Vietnam, after which it was to be united. However neither side wanted elections and a civil war broke, North Vietnam against South Vietnam. Kennedy, in order to retain US influence in the region, sent US troops to prop up the regime in the South. His pretext was the domino theory of the previous administration. If South Vietnam were allowed to become a Communist state, then one by one, all the other states of the region would follow suit.

Unlike the Korean War, USA’s policy of containment was not quite as successful. From the very beginning it of the outbreak of the war USA was already struggling. Kennedy, as in Korea, tried to involve their allies however only Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and the Philippines ever sent in troops. There was little support for the Vietnam War right from the beginning as after the Korea war little was achieved, and Korea demonstrated America’s lack of judgment which put many countries putting their trust into it. Also, with the Korean War there was a defined invasion with the North invading but with Vietnam there was no obvious reason why they should go and give military aid. Despite the original lack of success of containment, in military terms by 1968 the USA and South Korea had nearly beaten the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong. Furthermore between 1954-1976 the USA was able to keep communism at bay between 1954-1976, illustrating how USA’s policy of containment was a success.

A massive attack by the Vietcong and the North Vietnamese army on virtually every town and city in the south took place in January 1968 during a holiday known as TET. The orthodox theory suggests that the Ho Chi Minh and North Vietnamese government had become convinced that the Americans were so unpopular that the peasants were ready to rise up and drive them out. Another theory, from an American viewpoint, suggests it was a desperate last ditch attack because American bombing on North Vietnam had convinced the North Vietnamese government that it was about to lose the war. The Revisionist theory suggests that it was the North Vietnam government’s way of getting rid of South Vietnamese Vietcong and taking control of the war effort. Success by the North and Vietcong was achieved at first however after a month the South Vietnam and American troops defeated them and all town were recaptured. This shows that containment was a success as America was able to prevent the North taking over the South in this incidence so thereby preventing the spread of communism across South Vietnam. However, although America was able to prevent North Vietnam taking control over South Vietnam it was also a huge disaster for USA. This was because the American television was able to film the offensive and show the people at home that the Vietcong and North Vietnamese could attack and gain American buildings such as the embassy. Viewers at home were able to see close up fighting in the urban areas with huge civilian casualties, so American support of the war dropped. This lead to a credibility gap opening up and an attitude grew up in America that the war was unwinnable. It is argued that the filming in Vietnam was the cause of the defeat of the war in Vietnam as it lead to a lack of support from the people at home. Therefore USA’s policy of containment was failing at this point as although militarily they were able to defeat the North and Vietcong, without the support from the people at home it would be extremely difficult to prevent the North taking control over South Vietnam.

In 1968 there was a new US president under Richard Nixon who began a program of Vietnamisation of the war. This meant that America would give the war back to South Vietnamese while supplying them with US arms, equipment and economic aid. However in 1970 US planes began to bond areas in Laos and Cambodia in order to destroy the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The expansion of the war into Cambodia sparked a new wave of demonstrations and protests in the United States. This further shows how the policy of containment was failing, because as the war progressed the USA was lacking more and more support from its people at home. Also the removal of US troops from Vietnam shows that USA felt that it could not win the war and that it would be best to withdraw before there were further casualties. Furthermore at this point the war in Vietnam had damaged the USA’s economy, halting Johnson’s economic program for a ‘Great Society’ showing how the USA was struggling as they were putting huge amounts of money into funding the aid and equipment for the South Vietnamese.

USA’s new strategy of Vietnamisation failed hugely, as although there was a cease fire agreed in 1973, the war restarted in 1974. In 1975 communist troop over-ran much of South Vietnam and the capital Saigon fell in April. Neighboring countries Laos and Cambodia were also captured. In 1976, North and South Vietnam were united in a single communist state country run by Ho chi Minh. This demonstrates the huge failure of containment because after the USA had sent in thousands of troops and equipment Vietnam still fell under communism. Unlike, Korea which by the end still remained half communist and half capitalist so USA had managed to prevent the South falling under Communism, the whole of Vietnam was under communism by the end of the war. USA did not achieve anything in this war, if anything they allowed further areas to fall under communism as before the war the South was not communist. It could be argued though that the policy of containment only failed due to fact that this was the first war to be televised which lead to a huge lack of support at home for the Americans.

Another area of the world which the USA used its policy of containment was with Cuba during the Cuban missile crisis in 1962. In 1959, a rebel named Fidel Castro took power in Cuba and began to nationalize American companies. In retaliation the Americans stopped all aid to Cuba, and all imports of Cuban sugar. This lead Castro to look towards USSR for aid, and turn towards communism. It could be argued that this was not containment, as the question states but the opposite because USA was in fact driving Cuba towards Communism. Perhaps if American had not retaliated when Castro decided to nationalize the American companies then Castro would have never look towards the USSR and Communism. In September 1961 Castro asked for weapons to defend Cuba against America and on 14th October 1962 the Americans discovered the missiles sites in Cuba. These sites brought every town in the US within range of Soviet nuclear missiles. Between October 20th-22nd Kennedy ordered a naval blockade. The orthodox view suggests that Russian missile sites were first seen by U-2 planes in October 1962 which caused alarm in Washington. The Revisionist view suggests that information about the Russian missiles was uncovered gradually from July 1962. Kennedy announced that missile sites like in the orthodox view which showed that it was all for propaganda purposes in order to cause maximum drama.

When USSR ships approached the naval blockade they were ordered by Khrushchev to turn around and return back to USSR. Therefore USA’s policy of containment can be seen as a success as they were able to stand up to a powerful communist state and prevent more nuclear weapons going into Cuba. Also, Khrushchev promised to remove all missiles in Cuba, so USA had succeeding in dismantling the missile sites in Cuba and restoring American national security. But as part of the deal, USA missile sites in Turkey were to be removed. This meant that in the overall global situation USA was now weaker. This was a failure of containment, as their missile sites in Turkey were for defense against communism. Before the Cuban missile crisis the USSR had no missiles near to the USA whereas the USA has missiles close to the USSR, in Turkey. After the crisis neither side had such missiles. Thus the USSR had lost nothing whereas the US had lost its missiles in Turkey. Further examples of why the policy of containment failed in Cuba, is because after the crisis USSR was still allied with Cuba and Cuba remained communism. So in this area American had failed to prevent the spread of communism and furthermore Kennedy had to promise to never interfere with Cuba again so this meant that American would not be able to regain any control or get rid of Castro as it had set out to do before the crisis. In some aspects containment here could be seen as a success as although they were unable to prevent Cuba becoming communist, the USA was able to maintain its hegemony as neighboring countries who were previously thinking of turning communist stepped down as they realized that USA would try and do something against this.

In conclusion it is clear that in all three areas the USA’s policy of containment failed as each country remained communist after each incident. However it is clear that each time the USA was able to achieve some positive aspect in respect to its policy of containment. It is evident that its policy of containment was particularly put to test in the Cuban missile crisis because it was a direct communist threat to USA’s national security, yet the Vietnam War and Korean War was fought just for the name of containment and to merely stop the spreading of communism.