Foreign policy in Asia Flashcards
What 4 areas of Asia are ‘part’ of Truman’s foreign policy ?
1) Japan
2) China
3) Indo China
4) Korean War
When was the Japanese surrender ?
14th August 1945
Who announced the Japanese surrender on radio ?
Emperor Hirohito
What US military intervention followed the Japanese surrender ?
350,000 US troops entered mainland Japan and General MacArthur was given complete autonomy over how the country was to be ran.
As part of General MacArthur’s control over how Japan was ran, what mission was he tasked with ?
He was charged with turning Japan into a democratic state
What 4 changes were made to Japan during 1949-1952 under the control of the US with general MacArthur ?
1) communists were banned from government posts (positions)
2) Article 9 of the newly introduced constitution in China renounced (gave up) war as a policy.
3) A democratically elected govt. with votes for women
4) Making of the emperor as a figurehead, rather than someone with political power
What did China turning communist mean for America’s control of Japan ?
America recognized that a powerful Japan was needed to balance out the large communist danger that China now posed in Asia.
Give three examples of how America was successful in dealing with the economy in Japan with its control from 1949-1952
1) tax reforms to help deal with inflation
2) When the Korean war broke out, the US used China as a military base massively boosting the economy
3) e.g the economy grew an average of 7.1% annually between 1945-56
What were the two main political parties in China before and after WW2 ?
communists
nationalists
Who was the leader of the communist forces in China ?
Mao Tse Tung
Who was the leader of the nationalist forces in China ?
Jiang Jieshi
What were the hopes for relations between the communist forces and nationalist forces in China after WW2 had ended ?
Hopes that the leader of the communists, Mao Tse Tung and the leader of the nationalists, Jian Jieshi would be able to work together.
How were the hopes of the nationalists and communists being able to work together in China after WW2 had ended a failure ?
This is because, talks fell apart and, in 1946 a civil war broke out
From 1945 onwards, how much was America giving to Jiang Jieshi and the nationalist forces in China to help them come out on top over the communist forces led by Mao Tse Tung in the civil war ?
$2 billion of military aid a year
Who provided support for the communist forces in China during the outbreak of the civil war ?
USSR (Stalin)
What weakened the resolve (determination) of Jiang’s nationalist supporters as the Civil War developed ?
corruption and massive inflation
How did the 1946 civil war in China end ?
Using captured Japanese weapons, Mao’s communist army slowly won the upper hand over Jiang’s nationalist forces. Ultimately, Jiang fled to Taiwan and in October 1949, Mao proclaimed the creation People’s republic of China.
The Largest country by size, and with the biggest population was now communist.
Other than the loss of China being a disaster for the US due to them now being communist, why else was this loss a devastation for America ?
US policy makers had seen Jiang Jieshi’s China as a major player and as one of the ‘big 5’ members in the United nations security council.
Why did America decide to intervene in Indochina and help the French regain their colony ?
This is because Truman was fearful of the spread of communism despite their beliefs of self determination.
How much of the French’s costs in Indochina was America covering by 1954 ?
78%
By 1953, how much military aid had Truman given to France in Indochina ?
$785 million
What was noted at the time of America’s high military aid and financial support to France and IndoChina ?
It was noted at the time that America risked becoming overcommitted to Indochina.
BY 1951, how much military aid had Truman given to France in Indochina ?
£450 million
Give an example of covert action that the CIA were undertaking in indochina in aid of France
carried out 700 supply drops to French troops at Dien Bien Phu (1954)
By what line was Korea divided by after WW2 ?
38th Parallel
How many North Korean troops invaded South Korea on the 25th June 1950 ?
100,000
By the end of August, what progress had the UN forces made that was led by General MacArthur in pushing back North Korean soldiers ?
Little progress had been made as the South Korean troops had been pushed down to Pusan
What amphibious attack did the UN forces launch on the 15th September 1950 and how was it successful ?
Inchon Landings - Recaptured capital of South Korea: Seoul
Why did the Chinese get involved in the Korean war ?
This is because the UN forces crossed the 38th parallel into N.Korea
How did China get involved in the Korean war ?
Crossed the Yalu River in October 1950 sending in 200,000 soldiers
When was General MacArthur fired ?
April 1951
How much of America’s GDP did the Korean war cost ?
14.2%
how many American soldiers were left dead or injured from the Korean war ?
138,000
