Conflict and Tension in Asia Flashcards
When did the USSR become communist
1917 in the Russian revolution
What attack from the Japanese force America to enter the war
Pearl harbor Dec 1941 on Hawaii
What did Churhill want from the Yalta confernece
To maintain Britains global empire and withstand pressure from the USA and the USSR
What did Roosevelt want from the Yalta conference
To ensure peace after the war had finished and rebuild its connections with the global economy
what did Stalin want from the Yalta conference
Wanted to guarantee security from western aggression as they had been invaded from the west 3 times prior.
which big three were at the Yalta conference and when
Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin in Feb 1945
who attended the Potsdam Conference and when
Clement Attlee, Truman and Stalin
Why did Truman dislike Stalin
because he was a capitalist ruler who had a hatred for communism
What did Truman do to show his dislike for communism and Stalin
He stopped supporting the Soviets through the Lend-Lease programme.
What is PEER
Acronym to remember conferences- People, Europe, Elections, Reparations
What did Stalin want from the Potsdam conference that worried the other participants
Wanted to enforce more reparations then agreed on at Yalta
Wanted to make Europe a communist government shown by his attempt in Poland
When did America drop the first bomb and where
6th August 1945 on Hiroshima destroying more than 60 percent killing 140,000 innocent people
When did America drop the second atomic bomb and where
Three days later then the first on Nagasaki killing 74,000 people
How did the US justify dropping the bombs
Claimed it was to force the Japanese to surrender which they did 14th Aug 1945.
Could have been a warning to the Soviets
how did soviets create a buffer zone in Europe
took over Albania, Bulgaria, East Germany, Romania, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia between 1945 and 1948 and enforced a communist government
What did George Keenan’s telegram say
in 1946 he sent a telegram saying how the USSR feared the outside world and was determined to spread communism
What did Novikov’s telegram say in response
Stated USA was more economically stronger then the USSR and hell bent on world domination
What did Churchill state in his Iron curtain speech
That the allies gad spent six years fighting for freedom from fascism in Europe, only to have half the continent now under Soviet dictatorship
How did Truman show his opposition to communism
By funding Greece in the war against communists in 1947
What was the Truman Doctrine
USA would provide support to countries against communist threats
What policy did the Truman doctrine follow on to
Policy of containment to contain or stop the spread of communism
What was the Marshall plan and Marshall Aid
The Marshall plan in 1947 is where the USA spent over $12 billion to give to poorer countries vulnerable to communist takeover like France.
It was essentially propaganda to show countries the potential of a prosperous capitalistic government and steer them away from communism
How did the Soviets reply to the Marshall aid
Forbid eastern Europe countries to accept this aid
Established Comecon which gave similar aid to countries
Established Cominform which tightened Soviet control
Why was Stalin threatened by western powers in his German territory
After temporary zones had been created in Germany Stalin believed the Western powers were going to combine their zones into a capitalistic zone to overpower the East.
PARANOIA
Who owned West Berlin after the dividing of Germany
Russia
What was the West doing that upset Stalin
Helping to rebuild Germany with their wealth
Britain and America join their zones in Germany to create Bizonia in 1948
How did Stalin respond to the actions of the west
on 24 June 1948 he cut all land access to Berlin from the Allies, became known as the Berlin blockade
How did the blockade effect Berlin
Shortage of food only 36 days worth
a lack of basic goods like fuel and medicine
How did the Allies react to the Berlin Blockade
Start of Cold war
Accesssed their sectors of Berlin by air-Berlin Airlift
Lasted 11 moths until blockade lifted in May 1949
Impacts of the Berlin Blockade
Causes Tension
in April 1949 USA, Britain and France announced the formation of the German Federal Republic
Formation of NATO
Stalin responds to NATO with Warsaw pact
When did the USSR explode its first bomb
29 August 1949
What was the US domino theory and how was it proved
The theory that communism will spread from country to country like a trail of dominos and Chinas communist revolution in 1949 proved it.
How was Korea divided after WW2
by the 38th parallel into Soviet backed North and non-communist backed South
Who were the leaders of North and South Korea
Kim il Sung
Syngman Rhee
What happened June 1950
China and soviet union backed an invasion of South Korea.
How far back did the North korean peoples army push Southern forces
all the way to a small area called Pusan
What did the USA do to help
Sent troops in July 1950
and appealed to the United Nations for help and troops.
How was teh USA granted help from the UN
Because the Soviet Union was boycotting the UN meetings for not allowing China to enter the UN so they could not veto
How did America push back the North Koreans
September 1950 UN forces led by Douglas MacArthur landed in Inchon and pushed back the N.Koreans past 38th parallel to the Yalu river which borders China
Why were the UN forces pushed back
China invaded Korea backing North Korea
Why was MacArthur sacked by Truman
He requested to use atomic weapons
What happened after the UN was pushed back to 38th parallel
Stalemate in June 1951
When was Eisenhower elected
Nov 1952
promised to go and end Korean war
When was the armistice signed
July 1953 at Panmunjom
Impacts of Korean war
- First time 2 superpowers had fought in a proxy war
- Was seen as partial success for Americans as they managed to contain communism
What was the ultimate deterrent against use of nuclear weapons called
MAD- mutually assured Destruction
said that use of nuclear weapons would end all life on earth
What two states was the world divided into 1955
NATO and Warsaw pact states
Why was France in Vietnam
Had control of parts of asia called french indochina
Was taken over by Japan during second ww after Hitler occupied France.
The resources of the country were complately stripped and 2 million people died of hunger.
Ho chi min and Giap formed the or the vietminh to push Japan out and reconquer land.
by 1945 they managed to get most of the North back
What happened after ww2
Ho chi min declared Vietnam as an independant country on 2 sept 1945 but France, already humiliated, wanted to regain their colony.
France sent troops into Vietnam in 1946.
In 1949 China sent troops and weapons as aid to help Vietnam
Truman sent france 15 mil in response to help france and in total the US spent 3 bil helping France
What happened in the first indochinese war
Ho chi minh attempted peace talks
in 1946 France captured Hanoi so Vietminh retreated to the jungle
They used guerilla tactics killing 80,000 French troops
What were the events of Dien Bien Phu
Turning point where 50,000 vietminh trops surrounded 10,000 French troops destroying a french runway.
both suffered casualties with vietminh with alot more but caused France to retreat from the war
What happened at the Geneva agreement
1954 Vietnam, France, Britain, USSR and USA met to discuss Vietnam and Korea.
Vietnam would be split at the 17th parallel.
North.V-Ho chi minh
South.V-Diem(anti communist)
What caused civil war in Vietnam
- Diem became pm of S.V in 1954
- He refused to allow elections to decide who should lead a unified Vietnam because he knew he was likely to lose to Ho chi Minh
- Favoured catholics over majority buddhist population
- He executed many politcal opponents and tens of thousands jailed
- 1957-opponents of Diem began rebellions
- 1959- N.V leaders agreed to support the rebellions
When was the NLF created and why
Created by N.Vietnamese in 1960 to combat Diem and unify Vietnam
When and why was the ARVN created
created by Diem in 1955
Was supported by USA and used to defend Diem’s regime from communists like Buddhist groups.
Why did Diem face opposition
- Persecution of communists
- Corruption- He used his power to make money from himself(taking over buisnesses and controlling trade)
- Nepotism-He appointed family members to important government positions
- Resettlement of peasants-He forced where peasants lived and controlled them
- persecution of buddhists-May 1963 9 buddhists shot dead during demonstrations after Diem banned religious flags
Why did teh USA stop supporting Dim
- Diem would keep the money the US sent for himself
- The ARVN were not making progress in defeating communists and lost to NLF troops despite the US advisers
- The persecution of Buddhists in 1963 caused USA to stop support as it showed Diems brutality. Public opinoin
Consequences of opposition to Diem
- Civil war- Diem’s government was corrupt and unfair
- Negative view of USA- Many S.Vietnamese believed the US was helping to oppress them as they finacially supported Diem
- Tension in USA- Some Americans believed it was wrong to support Diem as they should be building a democracy and independance not a dictatorship
- Increased US involvement-In Novemeber 1963 Diem’s american support was withdrawn and he was killed. The power vacuum in S.Vietnam caused the US to get involved as they feared a communist takeover
Aims of Vietcong
- Set up by Ho chi minh in 1960
- Aims to overthrow Diem and replace
- Unify Vietnam(independant)
- stop oppression of peasants by taking land from rich and giving to peasants
Support for the Vietcong
- Communists but not all
- From mostly South but also North
- Support from USSR and China
- Peasants
Vietcong tactics
- Terror tactics- assassinations and bombings to attack Diem’s regime.
- Guerilla tactics- Ambushes,sabotage brdges and enemy equipment, spying, using the local population and villages as bases for food and shelter even dressing up as local people
How was Eisenhower involved in Vietnam
- Believed in Domino theory
- 1954-Forms SEATO which is 8 countries defending Asia from communist takeover
- 1955- Referendum is won by Diem
- 1956-Diem refuses to allow elections
- 1957-oppression of Diem’s opponents. US supports continues
- 1960-Eisenhow urges Diem to use land reform to increase popularity but Diem doesnt listen
- Sent in 700 military advisers to Vietnam to help the ARVN to beat the Vietcong
How did Kennedy intervene in Vietnam
- ARVN were losing because they were getting worn down by guerilla tactics
- He sent 1000s more military US advisers
- 1960 $136 million snet in economic aid, $65 million in military equipment and $40 million to train ARVN
- 1961: 300 US helicopters and pilots sent to Vietnam to transport ARVN troops. 1963: Number of US military advisers in Vietnam increased to 16 000.
What was the Hamlet program
- Diem tried to get peasants awat from Vietcong and into areas that government could control, supported by US advisers.
- They built large new villages with facilities like schools guared by ARVN
- 800 US advisers help 5000 Hamlets to be built
- To make peasants leave their old villages they were usually burnt down
- Resentment to Diem increased by 300 %
How did the Gulf of Tonkin incident happen
- US and ARVN sabotaged N.Vietnamese facilities and collected information in the Gulf of Tonkin
- 31 jul 1964 ARVN attcked N.Vietnamese radar station and the USS Maddox was monitoring these radar stations
- 2 Aug 1964 N.Vietnamese torpedo boats fired at USS Maddox
- on 4 Aug 1964 a second attack was reported by the USS maddox but was really a mistake
- aggression from N.Vietnam
How did Johnson reply to the attacks at the Gulf of Tonkin
President Johnson ordered the US force to attack N.Vietnamese gunboat bases. He told the public that they had faced open
What was teh Gulf of Tonkin resolution
Congress were now outraged after teh Gulf of Tonkin incident and they granted Johnson the power to defend US forced and S. Vietnam in whatever he thought best in 10 Aug 1964
Why did Johnson increase US involvement
Vietcong increased from 23000 to 60000
in the presidential election in 1964 Johnson was criticised for not being tough enough in Vietnam
Johnson’s military advisers recommended bombing campaigns to stop Vietcong support
Why did Johnson launch operation rolling thunder
North Vietnamese support of Vietcong gave them thousands of troops, weapons and supplies through the Ho chi minh trail from north to south V
What and when was operation rolling thunder
March 1965
Mass bombing campaign to:
* Convince N.Vietnam to stop support of Vietcong
* Destroy Ho chi Minh trail
* It was expected to succeed in 8 weeks but lasted 3 years.
* By Nov 1968 nearly 900000 tons of bombs had been dropped killing 90000 people
How effective was operation rolling thunder
- Could not target areas that could potentially bring China into the war and China provided N.Vietnam with many supplies along with the USSR
- Many N.Vietnamese people rebuilt damage
How did USA deal with the Ho Chi Ming trail
- Bombing along Laos and Cambodia( neutral countries)
- Chemical warfare- Agent Orange, Napalm, cluster bombs killing large numbers and wiping out the jungle essential for guerilla tactics
How effective was the US in combatting the Ho Chi Minh trail
- Vietcong had already built hundreds of undergroud bases to shelter bomb strikes
- Thousands of Vietcong repaired trail and more supplies made it along the trail then before the bombing and it got faster
- Most of trail was in neutral countries so the US and ARVN couldnt attack there
How old was a average US troop
19
When and what was the Tet Offensive
30th January 1968
Vietcong broke an agreed ceasefire and attacked towns, cities, US controlled military bases and the US embassy in Saigon
What was the purpose of the Tet Offensive
- Vietcong wanted to inspire South Vietnamese to rise up against government and US
- They hoped US would withdraw after losing their military bases
How did the Vietcong pull of the Tet offensive
- They launched smaller attacks to divert American attention and troops from Saigon
- They had been piling up weapons in homes around Saigon for months prior
What was the US reaction to the Tet Offensive
- Quickly regained control of the towns and cities
- Defeated the Vietcong and heavily weakened them by killing 10,000 fighters and 50,000 N.Vietnamese
What impact did the Tet Offensive have on the US
- Made them spend more money on fighting back and they were already spending $30 billion a year and 300 US troops were dying every week
- Made the public wonder whether it was right to carry on with the war
Why did the My lai massacre occur
US soldiers felt angry about the Tet offensive and the Charlie Company( part of task force Barker) went to a village after hearing it was a Vietcong base in Early March 1968
What happened at the My lai massacre
16th March US troops landed and started firing at innocent villagers
3 armed Vietcong guerillas were killed but that was it. Mostly women, children and elderly were in the village
What was the inital reaction to the My Lai massacre by US military
The soldiers involved gave mixed reports saying they killed 128 Vietcong while helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson reported seeing more than 100 civilians dead. The Charlie Company was praised for its actions
Did anyone get punished for the My Lai massacre
- A year after(1969) a young soldier wrote letters to politicians telling them what truly happened and the Charlie company was concluded to have killed innocent civilians aswell as rape.
- High ranking officers were CHARGED with covering up of the massacre but the only person who went to prison was Lt.W.Calley who was sentenced to life in 1971 but got let out in 1974.
What was the impact of My Lai
- Us citizens shocked and confused about teh aims of the war
- people began to mistrust US military
- The anti war movement grew and many people protested
- The investigations also exposed teh low morale of the US troops in Vietnam
Why did public opinion change
Operation rolling thunder 1965
Fighting was shown on TV and violence such as: napalm, search and destroy, agent orange aswell as young soldiers being killed
All men aged 18-26 had to register and many refused to fight called “Draft dodgers” and some even protested drafts
by 1967 the war was costing the US $30 billion a year and casualties had reached 15,000 killed 110,000 wounded along with psycholgical issues
Civil rights movements- Martin luther King critised Johnson spending too much on the war instead of improving the country and stopping racism
When was Nixon elected and what was his plan
Nov 1968
Vietnamisation-Spend vast sums of money to supply and train ARVN, US troops returned home and by the end of the year 85,000 of 540,000 troops had returned back
How did Nixon contradict his “peaceful” approach
Tried to destroy as many Vietcong bases before retreat and Nixon gave permission for Cambodia and Laos to be targeted because this where many of the bases lied and also the Ho Chi Minh trail.
How well was Vietnamisation working
By early 1972 it was clear that Vietnamisation was not working as North Vietnam kept launching attacks on the South.
In june 1972 the ARVN dropped a napalm bomb on an area of South Vietnam that N.Vietnam had attacked but it mostly killed children
what peace talks did Nixon have with the USSR and China
1970- USSR and USA met to discuss reduction of nuclear weapons and also Nixon asked Soviets to ask N.Vietnam to end the war
1972-China and USA met where Nixon asked China to persuade N.Vietnam to end the war
What were the reasons for the opposition to the war
- Media coverage
- The USA wernt winning
- US polliticians against war
- Lack of support for S.Vietnamese government
- The civil rights movement
- The draft system forcing people to go to war 18-25
- Casualties- 300 died a week
- Money- spending 30 billion a year
What was the anti-war movement
Opposition to the US government particullarly strong amonst college and university students-Hippie culture
Anti war demonstrations- 500,000 people Washington 15 Nov 1969
What and why was Kent State University demonstration
- Thursday 30 April 1970-Nixon annonuced his invasion of Cambodia
- Protests occured against this decision
- Students at Kent State University arranged a protest on Monday 4th May 1970
- 2/3 May- Clashes began to take place between police and protestors and 1000 Ohio national guardsmen set up
- 4 May- 3000 people gathered only half were protestors, the rest were bystanders. The prot became violent as student began to throw rocks. In response the Ohian gurads shot into the crowd killing 4 people and injuring 9
What was the impact of the Kent State University shootings
- 2 million students refused to go to colleges and universities
- A similar incident occured at Jackson State college where 2 people died and 12 injured
- 8 of the guardsmen were arrested but charges dismissed due to lack of evidence.
How was the coverage of the war increased
- TV- by 1961 93% of american homes had a TV showing the war
- New technology-Lighter video cameras, colour video, no censorship
- Early news reporting where US troops were shown as good and Vietcong shown as bad
- Media control where US army was interviewed by journalists
How did the Tet Offensive affect the US publics opinion
TV crews recorded and reported the fighting and showed:
* Brutality of war and US
* Distrust in government as they were told that the US were winning
* Showed the strength of the Vietcong
Who and what was Walter cronkite’s impact
Was Americas best known and trusted newsreader.
Feb 1968 - Cronkite said “the bloody experience in Vietnam is to end in a stalemate”
Johnson responded to this by saying “If ive lost Cronkite ive lost the country”
How did media affect public opinion
- Stories of US defeat
- Stories of the poor morale and behabiour of troops-My Lai and its investigation because of the coverup
- New York Times expose secret reports in 1971 of the government lying
- Life magazine published all names and faces of 242 US troops died in a week of fighting 1969
What was the Watergate scandal
- Nixon was linked to burgalary on his rivals(democrats) and when the situation was brought to light he resigned and trust for government decreased
What were Nixon’s strategies in Vietnam
- Vietnamisatoin-Built up the AVRN so they could fight by themselves
- Pressure-Pressured S.Vietnamese leaders to negotiate with N.Vietnam and also pressured USSR and China to stop fighting
- Negotiation-Henry Kissinger negotiated with N.Vietnam for a caesfire
- Bombing- He increased the bombing of North Vietnam and supply rootsin Laos and Cambodia.
when was the caesefire put in place
October 1972
It still allowed N.Vietnam troops in S.Vitenam areas that they controlled.
This casefore didnt work and the N.Vietnamese unified Vietnam under 1 rule
Why did the Vietcog win
- US soldiers had low morale due to brutality of the army
- Guerilla tactics were suited to jungle
- Americans had questioned why the US were fighting to defend a corrupt South Vietnamese government
- South Vietnamese peasants supported the Vietcong
- Drug taking and desertion was common in US army
- Vietcong fought with brutal determination
- Soldiers never gained experience to fight as their tour would only last 1 year before they would returned to America
- Vietcong were far more experienced as they were fighting on home soil and had fought Japan and France
- America was fighting a long distance war 12000km
- Media coverage disheartened public and protests and oppostion rose as a consequence
What was teh economic consequence of the war
US spent $170 billion and spent a similar amount on Vietnam veterans and family compensation. Vietnam spent no where near as much but it still made teh country poorer and many died of starvation
What was the environmental cost
between 1964 and 1972 7 million tonned of bombs were dropped
Agent Orange and Napalm destroyed jungle and farmland and still cause cancer to this day
How did it impact the spread of communism and USA’s reputation
Communism didnt spread to other parts of Asia but the whole of Vietnam became communist and Laos and Cambodia aswell
America’s actions like Rolling thunder, My Lai massacre, Kent state or Watergatewere seen as brutal
How did the war impact Vietnam
They continued to face hostility from USA- US didnt allow them to join the UN
Many people in the South resented the communist rule
What was the Human costs of the war for America
58,000 dead-US
300,000- injured-US
Physcologically affected
What was the human cost for Vietnam
1 million soldiers dead
2 million soldiers injured
2 millions civilians injured
5 million civilians injured
11 million became rejugees
100,000 children born from Vietnamese and Us relationships
