Confrontation over Taiwan Flashcards
What happened after the communist victory in the Chinese Civil War?
Nationalist forces set up their own government in Taiwan
Why was the nationalist government in Taiwan extremely important to Mao?
Concerned that Taiwan could be used as a US base in a future war between China and USA
Mao wanted to unite China under communist leadership
How did Mao respond to the nationalist government in Taiwan?
He launched 2 unsuccessful attempts to take Taiwan by force. The first was from 1954-5
How did the USA respond to Mao’s first attempt to take Taiwan by force?
Congress moved quickly to defend Taiwan
In September was did US military leaders advise Eisenhower to do?
Advised Eisenhower to use nuclear weapons to defend Taiwan. Eisenhower refused
What did the US do in December 1954?
Signed a Mutual Defence Treaty with Taiwan, guaranteeing Taiwan’s independnence
What did the US response to Mao’s first attempt to take Taiwan by force demonstrate?
Ongoing hostility between the USA and China
How did the USSR respond to Mao’s first attempt to take Taiwan by force?
Khrushchev publically agreed to retaliate against the US if China was invaded or bombed by US forces
What did Khrushchev do in private?
He made it clear that he did not want to be involved
why was the Soviet response significant?
Showed the the USSR was unwilling to help China to achieve its military goals.
Indicated that Khrushchev was worried that Mao’s ill-judged foreign policy would lead to nuclear war
