the Korean War/vietnam war

• why is the Korean War described as a proxy war?

  it was fought by two sides that were each supported by other countries, but these supporting countries were not involved first hand in the conflict.
• name of the dividing line in korea

  38th parallel
• who was backing north korea

  soviets
• leader of north korea

  Kim il sung
• ideology of north korea

  communist
• who was backing south korea

  americans
• leader of south korea

  syngman rhee
• general MacArthur


  called for the use of atomic weapons to defend korea but this was denied by Truman (didn't want violence with USSR). MacArthur was dismissed
• ideology of south korea

  capitalist/not communist
• when did North Korea cross the 38th parallel and attack South Korea?


  June 1950
• usa response to nk invasion

  sent troops to support sk (1950)
• July 1950, UN


  the USA asked the UN to call for a ceasefire
• what did the UN do, 1950

  voted for immediate withdrawal of nk troops from sk.
• why was the USSR unable to veto the UN's decision, July 1950

  they were boycotting the UN at that time because most countries would not recognise Mao's government in China.
• how did the USA benefit from the UN's interference?


  the USA could not be accused of acting on its own because they had secured support from the UN.
• significance of the Korean war

  first proxy war of the Cold War.
• what did the Korean War show about the us?

  - demonstrated commitment to containment

  - shows the power America had in the UN
• dismissal of general macarthur

  showed that the USA did not want to risk full military engagement with the soviets.
• who controlled Indochina before the Second World War?

  france
• result of Vietnamese people wanting independence


  war between the French and the Viet Minh
• viet minh


  organisation dedicated to getting rid of foreign imperialist powers from vietnam
• leader of Viet Minh

  Ho Chi Minh
• how many French casualties by 1952

  90,000
• why was French withdrawal from Vietnam a concern to the usa

  policy of containment. the usa paid for most of the French campaign. Eisenhower didn't want to send us troops and wanted a diplomatic solution
• Geneva convention


  July 1954

  agreed that Vietnam would be split along the 17th parallel.
• northern zone of vietnam

  Ho Chi Minh's communist republic
• southern zone of vietnam


  the french's zone. the Viet Minh would leave
• usa response

  refused to sign agreements because they couldn't accept a communist Vietnam (containment policy)
• domino theory

  if communism spread to south Vietnam, it would then spread to nearby countries which would fall to communism like dominoes.
• effect of domino theory on containment

  made containment even more important
• new look policy

  driven by the domino theory. focus on increasing the number and power of nuclear weapons. increasing amounts of American money, equipment and military and political experts being sent to south Vietnam
• why did the usa gov want to keep ngo dinh diem in power in south Vietnam?

  although he was highly corrupt, he was hugely anti-communist
• when was the vietcong established?

  December 1960
• official name of the vietcong

  national front for the liberation of south vietnam
• what was the vietcong

  alliance of smaller groups aiming to overthrow diem's government
• why did the Americans back diem's removal from power

  he was losing control of the country had increasingly brutal attempts to deal with opposition
• when was diem murdered by rebels

  2 November 1963
• when was Kennedy shot and killed in texas

  22 November 1963
• who replaced Kennedy?

  lyndon johnson
• what was Lyndon Johnson's response to the war in vietnam

  ordered full US involvement.