Did the US contain the spread of communism?

• Causes and Consequences of Containment

  Causes:

  - The communist revolution in Russia (1917) and the Red Scare

  - McCarthyism (1950s)

  - Domino Theory

  - The satellite states of Eastern Europe

  Consequences:

  - Wars in Korea and Vietnam

  - The cuban missile crisis

  - The USA's reputation as a protector of freedom is damaged
• Causes of the Korean War

  - In1905, Japan owned Korea- In1945, Japan surrendered to the allies, ending WW2- Soviet troops were in the north of Korea- Us troops were in the south- The terms of Japan's surrender included thedivision of Korea- The allies split Korea intotwo territoriesalong the38th parallel.- This divided Korea into equal-sized zones- Historians believe that Korea was divided to prevent theUSSRfrom taking the whole of Korea-The USSR monitored North Korea-The USA oversaw South Korea- Both the US and USSRchose leadersfor their sections in KoreaNorth: Kim Il Sung-> unelectedSouth: Syngman Rhee-> unelected-> corrupt-> unpopular- InApril 1950, many South Koreans voted in favour of thereunification of Korea-Rhee was an unpopular leader- Many Koreans wanted to reunite their country under thecommunistKim Il Sung- InJune 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea- North Korea had the support of the USSRand China- Both countries send financial and military aid- North Korea's army was more powerful than South Korea's

  
• Why did the USA get involved in the Korean War?

  1. Domino Theory- The USA wanted to stop Korea from falling to communism. They believed that if Korea fell,Japan would be next.2. Trade with Japan- Japan was animportant market for US exports. The USA wanted to protect Japan'scapitalism.3. Truman Doctrine- In1947, Truman declared that the US wouldprotect any country in threat of a communist uprising. The US public put pressure on the govt to protect South Korea.4. Distrust of the USSR- The USblamed the USSRfor North Korea's actions. The USSR had acted aggressively in Eastern Europe and blockaded Berlin.5. Belief in Victory- The US govt believedthat China would not react if they sent troops to Korea. They hoped that they could persuade theUN to provide military supportto South Korea.
• The UN involvement in the Korean War

  The US persuaded the UN to intervene in the Korean War because:- Truman placed pressure on theUN Security Council- The US contributed themost money to the UN budgetof any other country- It could threaten to lower their contribution if the UN did not support South Korea-The USSR boycotted the UN in January 1950- The USSR demanded representatives of the CommunistPeople's Republic of Chinain the UN Security Council. The Un refused.- They boycott meant that the USSRcould not vetoaction against North Korea- TheUN agreed to send troopsto stop North Korea's invasion-18 member statesprovided troops- TheUS send the most troopsunder the command ofGeneral McArthur. McArthur was:-> the commander of US troops in Japan in WW2-> Essentially in control of Japan 1945 - 51- UN forces landed inInchon in September 1950
• The events of the Korean War

  1. June - September 1950

  The North Korean people's army makes huge advances. South Korea only held a small area around Pusan

  2. September - October 1950

  The Un forced under General McArthur push the North Koreans back to the Yalu River, close to the border with China

  3. 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

  4. 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

  5. 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 Korea. The death of Stalin in 1953 persuades North Korea to sign an armistice.
• Consequences of the Korean War

  Positive consequences:- The peace treatykept Korea divided. The US had 'protected' South Korea from Communism. This was a success for containment.- The UN stood up against North Korea's aggressive actions. This madethe Un more successful than the League of Nationshad been before WW2Negative consequences:-North Korea remained Communistand formed closer ties to China. This shows that following containment could stop but not push back Communism.- The Korean War causedfour million casualties and the deaths of 50,000 US soldiers. The US had underestimated the impact of fighting against Communism- The US createdanti-communist alliancesin Southeast Asia (SEATO) and Central Asia (CENTO). The USSR felt surrounded by enemies.-Tensions increased between the USA and USSR. Both began nucleararms race, creatinghydrogen bombsandICBMs. This threatened world peace
• Causes of the Cuban Missile crisis


  Long term:Since 1945, US-Soviet relations had been tense.Both countries competed against each other to become the biggestsuperpower. The US and theUSSRdeveloped powerful nuclear weapons that could destroy the world.Medium term: TheBay of Pigs incidentin 1961 heightened Cold Wartensionsbetween the US and USSR.Castro publicly announced that he was a communist.Kennedy wanted Khrushchev not to place nuclear weapons on Cuba.Short term:On 14th October, a U-2 spy-plane took photographs of missile launch pads in Cuba. Intelligenceinformed Kennedy that approaching Soviet ships could be carryingballistic missilesto 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 oilrefineries, railways and electricity- As a result, the US attempted to control the political identity of Cuba-In 1933, the US govt supported a military coup by Sergeant Fulgencio Batista.Batista became the president of Cuba.- Batista was a verycorruptleader. He:->stopped electionsand refused to follow the CubanConstitution-> Allowed US businesses and rich Cubans to thrive whileignoring the struggles of the poorin society-> allowed Americanmobstersto createillegal businessesThe US ignored Batista's corruption- US businesses were profiting from his rule. As a result, the US govt 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 uprisingCastro began aguerrilla warfarecampaign against the Cuban govt- In 1958, the International media supported the Cuban revolutionaries- At this stage, the US govt stopped giving money and soldiers to Batista-On Jan 1st 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 govt in 59
• What issues did the US have with the new Cuban govt?

  1. Communism- Castro appointed communists into his government- In Feb 1960, Cuba signed an agreement with the Soviet Union. Khrushchev promised to buy Cuban Sugar. Secretly, Cuba agreed to receive arms from the Soviet Union2. Nationalising Land- In may 1959, Castro's govt began to take back land owned by foreign nationals. The US refused to accept the policy but Castro continued to take the land3. Cuba and the IMF- The US govt recognised Castro's govt. They refused to give money to Cuba unless they followed the international monetary Fund (IMF)4. Nationalist attitudes- Castro was a nationalist.. He did not want America to control Cuba's economy

  Results:-Eisenhower reduced trade with Cuba- In July 1960, the US bought less sugar from Cuba-By October, Eisenhower began atrade embargowith Cuba-By 1961, US-Cuban relations had broken down- The US govt ended theirdiplomaticrelationship with Cuba
• What caused Kennedy to invade Cuba?

  - InJanuary 1961, John F. Kennedy replaced Eisenhoweras President of the US- Kennedy was ananti-communistHe did not want a Communist state only 90 miles away from the coast of the US- When Kennedy assumed the presidency, theCIA created a plan to overthrow Castro- The CIA wanted to useCuban exiles to invade Cuba- If Cuban exiles invaded Cuba. it would look like acounter-revolutionrather than a US-backed invasion
• The CIA's plans for the invasion of Cuba

  1. Cuban exiles to land in Bay of Pigs, Cuba

  2. The invasion force would attract the people of Cuba to rise up against Castro. They would fight to remove Castro from power

  3. The US-backed rebels;s would establish a pro-American govt in Cuba
• The Events of the 'Bay of Pigs' incident

  - OnApril 17th 1961, the US govt began their invasion of Cuba- The US govt sent1,400 Cuban exilesto Cuba- The invasion forcelanded in the Bay of Pigson the southern coast of Cuba-In less than 24 hours, the invasion force surrenderedto Castros' govt
• Reasons why the Bay of Pigs invasion failed

  The Weakness of the CIA and the invasion Force- The CIA had given the Cuban exileslimited 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 govtrefused to send military supportto the Cuban exiles

  The strength of Castro's govt-Castro knew about the invasionbefore it began. Castro assembled anarmy of 20,000 soldiersto attack the Cuban exiles when they landed on the island-Cuban citizens were happy with Castro's govt. The invasion gained limited support in Cuba
• The impact of the Bay of Pigs incident on Cold War relations

  - The Bay of Pigs incidentheightened Cold Wartensions between the US and USSR- The event wasdamaging to the US reputation- The US had accused the USSR of forcing people to live under their political influence in Eastern Europe. Attempting an armed uprising against the independent govt in Cuba made theUS look as controlling as the USSR- Cuba no longer wanted diplomatic relations with the USKhrushchev thought the disaster meant thatKennedy was inexperienced and weak- The Pay of Pigs incident hadbenefits for the USSR- Khrushchev claimed the failure pf the invasion was a success for communism-The Cuban people were happy living under a Communist govt.It showed the world the benefits of Communism- Cuba became closer to the USSR- Castro publicly announced that he was a Communist. Herequested help from the USSRto defend Cuba from the US- InSeptember 1961, Khrushchev declared that theUSSR would give weapons to Cuba
• The Thirteen Days, 16th-28th Oct 1962


  - The '13 days' refers to the period of16th-28th Oct 1962- Between these 13 days, the world became theclosest it had ever been to nuclear war- Kennedy had decided on hot to deal with potential missile sites in Cuba- The USDefence Secretary, Robert McNamara,told Kennedy that the Soviet missiles would become operational two weeks after their arrival. This gave Kennedytime pressure to make his decisionabout how to react to the arrival of missiles in Cuba
• What options did Kennedy have to deal with Cuba

  -> Attacking the soviet ships en route to Cuba

  -> Planning a US invasion of Cuba

  -> Bombing the missile sites on Cuba
• What other factors did Kennedy have to consider with his options available?

  - Howthe American public would reactto missiles on Cuba- Little to no reaction by the US govt could cause widespread panic in the US- He needed to show a commitment to the policy of containment1. How this decision wouldaffect election results:- Elections for the USCongresswere in November- If Kennedy failed to deal with the situation in Cuba effectively, it woulddamage the successof his political colleagues, theDemocrats2. The impact of his decision onother Cold War issues:- Kennedy worried that a strong reaction to Cuba wouldencourage Khrushchev to become more aggressiveover the issue of Berlin3. Kennedy had limited options to deal with Cuba:- The US govt hadalready attempted an invasion of Cubaduring the Bay of Pigs incident in 61- Kennedy knew that this would beunpopular in Cubaand cause a major conflict within the country-Bombing Cuba would look aggressive- Depending on the bomb that the US used, it could cause a significant number of civilian deaths in Cuba- TheCold War was a war of propaganda- Kenndey had to make the best decision that wouldnot damage the USA's reputation internationally
• The Events of the Cuban missile crisis

  16 Oct: Kennedy assembles the advisory group ExCOMM, beginning the '13 days' of the Cuban missile crisis

  22nd Oct: Kennedy addresses the US public, announcing the blockade of Cuba

  23 Oct: Khrushchev responds stating that the Soviet ships will not stop at the blockade

  24 Oct: 20 Soviet ships turn around after seeing the blockade

  26 Oct: Kennedy receives a letter from Khrushchev promising to remove the launch sites if the US agrees to lift the blockade and promises not to invade Cuba

  27 Oct: A second letter from Khrushchev says the launch sites will only be removed if the US removes its missiles in Turkey

  28 Oct: 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 apropaganda victory for the US 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 theremoval of US missiles in Turkey.This aspect of the agreement waskept secretfrom the US public.- Some hardliners in the US govt thought Kennedy had failed. He hadshown weakness by compromisingwith a Communist power-Cuba remained communistandalliedto the USSR. Kennedy promised not to invade.This was a failure of containment
• Why did the US get involved in Vietnam?

  - Vietnam was acolonyin the Frenchempireknown asIndochina- During WW2,Japan occupied Vietnam- in1941, aCommunistarmed force called theViet Minhunder the leadership ofHo Chi Minh fought the Japanese- In1945, Vietnam declared independance- After WW2, France wanted to own Vietnam again-France fought the Viet Minh- Fearing Communism in Vietnam, theUS funded the French involvement-The Viet Minh defeated the French at the Battle of Dien Bien Phi in 1954- TheGeneva Peace accordsagreed to temporarily split Vietnam- The CommunistViet Minh gained North Vietnam-South Vietnam created an anti-communist govt- Afree election in 1956would decide who permanently governed Vietnam

  
• The Leaders in Vietnam

  North: Ho Chi Minh

  - backed by the USSR

  - respected

  - Known as 'Uncle Ho'

  South: Ngo Dian Diem

  - backed by the US

  - unpopular

  - corrupt, he rigged elections

  - catholic, he persecuted Buddhists
• Reasons for US involvement in Vietnam

  1. Domino theoryEisenhower and hisSecretary of State John Dullesfeared that Ho Chi Minh would win the election. This would make Vietnam Communist. They believed that ifVietnam turned Communist, other countries in Southeast Asia would fall too.2. ContainmentPresidents Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson all believed in Containment. They justified their actions in Vietnam as part oftheir mission to stop the spread of Communism.3. Distrust of the USSR and ChinaThe USblamed the USSR and Chinafor North Vietnam's attempt to spread Communism4. Raw MaterialsVietnam had a wealth of useful materials liketungsten, tin and rubber.If the US could make Vietnamcapitalist, it could access these raw materials
• The Development of War in Vietnam

  - In1957, theViet Minh began attacking South Vietnam- The Viet Minh established theHo Chi Minh trailto transport weapons to the South- In1959, Ho Chi Minh declared a full scale waragainst theArmy of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)- He started his intension to overthrow Diem's govt-Many South Vietnamese supported the actions of North Vietnam- In1960, Hi Chi Minh created theNational Liberation Front (or VC)- Its members included Communists from North Vietnam and peasants from South Vietnam- In reaction,President Kennedy sent more aid to support Diem's govt- Diem's govt became more unpopular- Diem introduced theStrategic Hamlets programme in 1962- It aimed to createVillages protected from the VC's influence- In reality, itdestroyed people's homesand forced them to move. This gained support for the VC- 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 acorrupt govtand giving key positions to his family members- The US could no longer support Diem's govt-Kennedy cut off aid to Diem- InNovember 1963, a coup other threw and assassinated Diem
• The Events of the Vietnam War

  Aug 64: The US accuse the northern Vietnamese of attacking two US ships. The Gulf of Tonkin incident causes ingress to agree US military action in VietnamMar 65: Operation Rolling thunder begins a large scale bombing campaign on North Vietnam. By the end of 1965, 20,000 US troops are fighting in VietnamJan 68: The North Vietnamese launch the Tet offensive, attacking over 100 towns and cities in South Vietnam. Th US and ARVN counter attack killed 30,000-50,000 North VietnameseMar 68: Lieutenant William Calley leads an operation into My Lai, a village suspected of keeping VC. US soldiers kill and rape over 400 citizens. The US govt cover up the massacre for a year1969-71: Nixon authorises the bombing of Laos and Cambodia to improve negotiating position of the USMar 72: In response, North Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia launch an attack on South Vietnam called the Easter OffensiveJan 73: representatives of the US, North Vietnam, South Vietnam and the VC sign the Paris Peace accords. All US troops leave Vietnam by 1975
• Vietcong tactics


  1. Guerilla WarfareThe VC knew that theUS would win in open warfare. Instead they:- settraps-ambushedsoldiers- used Vietnam's forests toattack and hide- dugtunnelsThe US struggled to fight against these tactics2. Use of civiliansManySouth Vietnamese citizens helped the VC.They attacked South Vietnamese govt officials. theVC did not wear a military uniform.As a result, US soldiers struggled to identify troops from civilians3. Ho Chi Minh TrailThe North Vietnamese used the Ho Chi Minh trail totransport supplies.Despiteconstant US Bombing,supplies continued to move southwards on the route
• US Tactics


  1. BombingThe US undertooklarge scale campaignson North Vietnam's capital city,Hanoi, key military bases and the Ho Chi Minh trail.During the war, the USA droppedthree million tonnes of bombs2. Chemical WarfareThe US had a hugetechnological advantageover the North Vietnamese. They usedchemicals like Napalm and Agent Orange.The aim was todestroy the dense forestthat the VC hind in. This type of warfare caused high civiliancausalities.3. ConscriptionFrom1967, the US govt introduced conscription.A large proportion of the US army wereyoung and Black Americans.Most of these soldiers had no choice but to fight in Vietnam. This meant that the US soldiers hadlow moraleand wanted to return to the US4. Search and DestroyThe US sent troops in helicopters tofind and attack VC bases.This method caused many deaths.VC traps killed US soldiers.US troopsattacked innocent villagersin the belief they were VC. Search and Destroy pushed many Vietnamese to support the VC
• Why did public opinion turn against the Vietnam War?

  The US public turned because:1. Conscription was unpopular- Around 2.8 million US soldiers fought in Vietnam- The draft affected black Americans disproportionately- The police prosecuted over9,000 young men for 'draft dodging'2. TheTet offensive '68caused the media toquestion if the war was worthwhile3. It was thefirst televised war- The US public sawphotographs and news reportsof the Vietnam War in graphic detail-Scandals like the My Lai Massacrewere uncovered, changing the public's perception of he US army4. Anti War protests peaked 68-70- Students were the key opposition to the war- InNov 69, 700,000 anti-war protestersmarched in Washington- InMay 79, the National Guardshot dead 4 student protesters atKent state Uni- The media coverage of the shootings caused2 million students in 400 schools to go on strike
• The Consequences of the End of the War

  -President Nixon won the 1968 presidential electionon the promise to end the Vietnam War- Nixon and hisNational Security Adviser,Henry Kissinger, wanted to pull out of the war with dignity- After theunsuccessful bombing campaigns of Laos and Cambodia, Nixon began the process of US withdrawal- InJanuary 1973, theUS and the North Vietnamesegovernment signed theParis Peace Accords- Thisofficially ended US involvementin 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- On30th April 1975, the South Vietnamese capital,Saigon, fell to North Vietnamese forces

  Positive consequences:- The US public washappy tosee the end of the ‘unwindable war’Negativ e consequences:- Containment hadfailed militarily. While the USA had stronger weapons, the communistVC hadbetter tactics- Containment hadfailed politically. By1975, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia became Communist. The USSR and China, who had given money and technology to North Vietnam, had gained new Communistallies- Containment hadfailed in the propaganda war. The use of chemical warfare and disregard for Vietnamese civiliansruined the USA’s international reputation. Over 58,000 US soldiers died with millions of Vietnamese casualties- Containment hadfailed economically. The Vietnam Warcost the USA around $168 billion

  - As a result, theUS government abandoned the policy of containment- Nixon pursueddétentewith the USSR and China