Containment

Question 1

Containment in Asia

Answer 1

Japan
Taiwan
Korea
Vietnam

Question 2

US korea plan

Answer 2

End of WW2 allied agreement temporary occupation of Korea to repatriate the Japanese from Korea, once repatriated Japanese and stabilise Korea, free elections will take place
San Francisco treaty signed in 1951 - additional agreement security treaty between Japan and US, US keeps bases in Japan, US are now present in Asia wth China, soviets, both SK and NK

In 1948 US and soviets remove troops from NK and SK

Kim il-sung in the north
Sing ming re in the south
Regime in the north - pro communist wants to unite communism

Regime in the south - wants to unite under capitalism

Question 3

Korea War 1950

Answer 3

NSC68 Submitted
Pass congress after NK invades south June 1950, big attack and equipment from soviets, causes crisis in US, NSC 68 passes, Kennedy takes the invasion to security council of UN, international crisis, wants to use UN force to fight the NK, UN resolution used, USSR is on the security council however is not on there due to boycotting it as the CCP aint on the security council
Globalisation of cold war = NSC 68, now US can contain communism globally
Test of global containment, NSC 68 is needed for containment, US have the means to contain globally. MacArthur is commanding
UN forces push NK further than 38th parallel, pushing deeper and deeper, Korea thought US would help unify
US dont want to provoke mao however he authorities 1 mill china troops to fight over the border. China force the US back. US have to run away. They then reinforce 38th parallel and stop
MacArthur appeals to Truman to nuke china. He’s not going beyond containment, NO NUKES. MacArthur is dismissed. War stays at a stalemate until 53
Essay on containment korea is a success. On cold war itself its a mutilated victory
Containment success - communism held at 38th parallel
However, mutilated victory because mcarthur proposed rollback.
Promotion of peoples republic of china. Chinese blood, soviet weapons and money
From 49 onwards US send troops into Tibet. China is taken more seriously - economic state is not very good, getting aid (advisors, plans, technology from soviets)

Question 4

Japan 1945-51

Answer 4

Success SCAP achieve aims of establishing demilitarised and democratic Japan, good economy, engine of asia, shockingly successful
Limitations - less US policy more policies & culture of Japan and Yoshida, economic boom due to korean war, providing supplies

Question 5

Taiwan 54-55 & 58:

Answer 5

1953 cease fire, due to stalin death and eisenhower
He doesn’t want to deal with proxy wars
Successful in containing communism
Brinkmanship
Taiwan/PRC remain focus of tension

Question 6

Vietnam 46-54

Answer 6

First dispute 46-54
First indochinese war between vietminh and colonial french forces after liberation from Japan
Led by Ho-Chi Minh who is a nationalist Communist who asked the US for freedom from the French
US back the French who aim to retake their colonial control of Vietnam 1946-54
Ho-chi minh - much more in line with the marxist communism, after the war he wants a united vietnam after WW2, was told the french comes back, wholescale war in 54
French are defeated in diem Bien phu
French ask US for aid and bombings, Eisenhower refuses, he does not want to get involved in an imperialist war

Question 7

Vietnam 54-64

Answer 7

From 54 american advisors are in the south
Problem for US is the south is an unstable situation, America continue to back deeply unpopular regimes
For the US the war ends in 1973, south falls in 1975, whole of indochina region falls to communism
By 1975 dominoes fall to communism, whole of indochina falls to communism, catastrophe for containment, stand out failure, some historians (right wing) have an argument it wasn’t a total failure due to some countries like singapore, malaysia and thailand that the American forces did just enough to save these countries from communism
2 states 17th parallel
President Kennedy broadens the conflict - he immediately gets pressure from republicans, diem - brutal regime, violence, extremely unpopular, under american advise he sets up the strategic hamlet to hunt VC where you move entire villages behind barbwire and machineguns to hunt down VC, extremely traumatic, diem also thinks buddhist monks are a problem, nothing done for the poor, kennedy is supporting diem with arms and men, its under kennedy whether the US keeps giving American lives to support a deeply unpopular regime in the south or abandon Vietnam, we never get to find out cus he died, kennedy adapted brinkmanship, kennedy wants flexible response (blockade, troops, bombing etc.)
The war is destructive for the domestic situation
By the time lydon johnson comes into power its a full scale war
1960 - NFL (VC), encouraged by moscow
16 thousands military advisers
By 1964 is it - staying or leaving

Question 8

Vietnam 64-68 (johnsons war)

Answer 8

Gulf of Tonkin - US forces believe they are under fire, military reports suggest they weren’t fired on and the radar failed, President Johnson bases the Gulf of Tonkin resolution in congress (declare war on Vietnam). Legal basis for US to fight a war in Vietnam
1964-68: Johnson’s War
Impact on great society - huge healthcare investment package into US state education system, improve living standards, basic healthcare, programme for skilled, does not happen because mass military funding
Credibility Gap - becomes untenable, US Gov are not being honest
Tet offensive 1968 - military big failure for Vietnam, they switch to conventional too quick, uprising in major times and seize power, US take back and brutally towns but problem is VC are attacking saigon and embassy, US say they do but they aren’n, military failure but political failure, Johnson does not declare for re-election, so shocking because it’s a massive attack on cities and towns. The US has far superior firepower, air superiority, and the problem is on the domestic front. 1967 - Johnson and McNamara talking about US winning, withdrawal starting soon then Tet offensive 1968, credibility gap. 1960’s big revolution movements, civil rights, women abortion and contraception rights, veterans movement, anti-war movement

Question 9

Vietnam 69-73 (nixons war

Answer 9

1969-73: Nixon - peace with honor tagline for his campaign, Nixon promises peace with honor in Vietnam. Nixon wants some type of treaty with the north, the US needs a new foreign policy for the cold war. Kissinger (Nixon’s right-hand man), the one angle US is the sino-soviet split, US don’t believe in monolithic communism anymore, detente to continue with the soviet union, with Mao US needs to build some sort of a rapport, from 1973 US achieves a treaty, fullscale withdrawal, by 1975 North have taken south, cambodia and lao is fallen to communism, not only did they not contain communism, massive human and economic cost, huge catastrophe.
Negotiate & keep up military pressure on North Vietnam
Vietnamisation (arm south to fight North)
NIxon doctrine 1969 - not gonna jump in on everything
Detente with USSR - begins with Nixon era, ends sharply in 1979, key motive is to get out of vietnam
Rapprochement with PRC - from 49 to Nixon making state visit to China (sometimes its called detente)
Failure of containment & dominos theory in indo-china, stand out case study failure is vietnam
Counter-claim - commitment secures region from communions, singapore, thailand, malaysia, a little forced