How effectively did the USA contain the spread of Communism?

America events in Korea 1950-53

America events in cuba 1959-62

America involvement in vietnam; why did they get involved?

After 1949, the focus of the Cold War moved to the Far East. There, too, the Communists were getting powerful – China turned Communist in 1949 – and President Truman was worried that, if one country fell to Communism, then other would follow, like a line of dominoes. Stalin, also, was involved in the Far East. In 1949, Kim Il Sung, the ruler of north Korea, had persuaded Stalin and Mao Tse Tung, to allow him to attack South Korea..

In 1950, Syngman Rhee – the South Korean head of state – boasted that he was going to attack North Korea. It was a good enough excuse – in June 1950, the North Koreans invaded South Korea.

At first, the North Korean People's Army (NKPA) was very successful. Many of the NKPA had fought in the Chinese Revolution and were battle trained. They easily defeated the Republic of Korea's army (the ROKs). By July they captured most of South Korea, apart from a small enclave round Pusan in the far south of the peninsula.


This alarmed the Americans, who persuaded the United Nations to support South Korea. Out of the 300,000 UN troops, 260,000 were Americans. In July 1950, the UN Army, led by General MacArthur, went to Korea. It landed at Pusan, and made an amphibious landing at Inchon (near Seoul). MacArthur drove back the North Koreans and recaptured South Korea. 125,000 NKPA prisoners were captured. Then the Americans invaded North Korea and advanced as far as the Chinese border.

Now the Chinese were alarmed. 200,000 Chinese troops ('People's Volunteers') attacked. They had modern weapons supplied by Russia, and a fanatical hatred of the Americans. In December, 500,000 more Chinese troops entered the war. Using ‘human wave’ tactics, they drove the Americans back, recaptured North Korea, and advanced into South Korea.

MacArthur urged Truman to use of the atomic bomb. Truman refused. Instead, in February 1951, he sent more troops and stepped up the bombing raids. The Americans drove the Chinese back (the Chinese lost between 390,000 and a million men), but lost 54,000 men killed in the process. The war was not popular in America.

MacArthur reached the 38th parallel in March 1951. There, Truman told MacArthur to stop, and sacked him when he publicly criticised Truman’s order. In 1953, Eisenhower became American president. He made a formal truce. It is estimated that 10 million people died in the war.

Causes

Superpower Tension

All the tensions that had grown up between Russia’s assertive ‘peaceful competition’ and Kennedy’s promise to be tough on Russia – including the space race, the arms race and nuclear testing, American funding of anti-Communists in Vietnam and Laos, the failed Vienna summit (1961) and the Berlin Wall.

Fidel Castro’s Cuba

In 1959, Fidel Castro took power in Cuba. This was very threatening to the USA because it was right next to America. In 1960, Castro made a trade agreement with Russia, whereby Cuba sent sugar to Russia, in return for oil, machines and money. This frightened the Americans more, and in 1960 they stopped trading with Cuba. In retaliation, Cuba nationalised all American-owned companies.

The Bay of Pigs

In April 1961 the CIA encouraged, funded and transported an attempt by anti-Castro Cuban exiles to invade Cuba. It failed miserably, greatly embarrassing Kennedy. In September 1961, therefore, Castro asked for – and Russia publicly promised – weapons to defend Cuba against America.

Results

Khrushchev lost prestige – he had failed. Particularly, China broke from Russia.

Kennedy gained prestige. He was seen as the men who faced down the Russians.

Both sides had had a fright. They were more careful in future. The two leaders set up a telephone ‘hotline’ to talk directly in a crisis.

In 1963, they agreed a Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Cuba was the start of the end of the Cold War.

Cuba remained a Communist dictatorship, but America left it alone.

EVENTS

President Kennedy did not dare to invade Cuba, because that action could have started a world war - yet he could not let the missile sites be completed. With his advisers, he decided on a naval blockade to prevent Russian ships delivering the missiles for the Cuban sites.

Khrushchev warned that Russia would see the blockade as an act of war. Russian forces were put on alert; US bombers were put in the air carrying nuclear bombs; preparations were made to invade Cuba. There was massive tension in both Washington and Moscow. Everybody thought the world was going to come to an end. Secretly, the Americans suggested a trade-off of missile bases - US bases in Turkey for Russian bases in Cuba.

The Russians made the first public move. The ships heading for Cuba turned back, and Khrushchev sent a telegram offering to dismantle the Cuban bases if Kennedy lifted the blockade and promised not to invade Cuba. Then, as though having second thoughts, he sent a second letter demanding the dismantling of the Turkish bases. At the vital moment, a US U2 spy plane was shot down.

However, Kennedy ignored the U2 attack and agreed publicly to the first letter, and secretly to the second. The crisis was over.

Containment: China had fallen to communism in 1949, and America had fought in Korea in 1950-53 to contain the spread of communism.
The US president, Lyndon B. Johnson, said: "I am not going to be the president who saw South-East Asia go the way China went."

Domino theory: Americans believed that, if South Vietnam fell, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand - and then Burma and India - would follow.
President Johnson said: "If you let a bully come into your garden, the next day he'll be in your porch, and the day after that he'll rape your wife."

Vietcong strength: It was obvious the South Vietnamese could not resist communist infiltration by the Vietcong without help. In 1963, the American commander reported that the ARVN - the South Vietnamese army - were "ill-equipped local militia who more often than not were killed asleep in their defensive positions." US advisers believed that good government and an efficient, large-scale war would defeat the Vietcong.

The US was attacked ; The North Vietnamese had attacked the USS Maddox in August 1964, and then killed US soldiers in February 1965.
Johnson became convinced that action in South Vietnam alone would never win the war: "We are swatting flies when we should be going after the manure pile."