The Cold War Heats Up

1
The Cold War Heats Up
2
I. China Becomes a Communist Country

• Nationalists v. Communists
• 1. Chiang Kai-Shek
• leader of the Nationalists
• 2 views amongst Americans
• positive - he converted to
• Christianity and his wife
• educated in the U.S.
• negative corrupt, when people protested a
  grain tax, his secret police opened fire on
  them
• 2. Mao Zedong
• leader of the Communists

3
B. Civil War

• Americans favor Nationalists because they opposed
  communism
• 1946 Truman sent Marshall to China to work on
  setting up a coalition government that would
  include both sides. The plan failed.
• Truman sent 2 billion in military equipment and
  supplies to the Nationalists but their military
  leadership was poor and by 1949 the Communists
  were in control of China

4
C. The Search for a Scapegoat

• Many Americans felt that the U.S. did not do
  enough to help the Nationalists and were upset
  that it had become red.

5
II. The Korean War

• when WWII ended, Japanese troops in Korea
  surrendered to the Allies. Troops north of the
  38th parallel surrendered to the Soviets and
  troops south of the parallel surrendered to the
  Americans
• A. Two Koreas
• 1948 - Republic of Korea (South Korea) set up
  in Americas zone and Democratic Peoples
  Republic of Korea (North Korea) set up in Soviet
  zone north of the 38th Parallel

6
Kim Il Sung
7
B. Attack by North Korea

• June 25, 1950 - North Korean troops cross the
  38th parallel and invade South Korea
• Truman ordered in naval and air support for
  South Korea
• June 27 UN Security Council adopted an
  American resolution calling on member nations to
  help South Korea (only able to do so because
  Soviet Union was not present to veto)
• 21 nations sent 400,000 troops (4/5 of these
  were Americans)
• South Korean troops numbered about 400,000
• Douglas MacArthur took command of the operation

8
III. The United States Fights in Korea

• at first North Korean troops were quite
  successful - they captured Seoul and forced UN
  and South Korean troops into an area around Pusan
• then MacArthur launched a counterattack
  amphibious landing at Inchon and troops from the
  Pusan area headed north that trapped the North
  Koreans (about half of them surrendered and the
  rest fled back across the 38th parallel)

9
A Critical Decision Go on the offensive or stay
on the defensive?

• The Allies had decided at Potsdam of a united
  Korea so MacArthur invaded North Korea even
  though the Chinese said they would interfere.

10
B. Chinese Intervention

• October 20 - UN forces took Pyongyang
• October 26 - Chinese Communist soldier was
  captured
• October 30 - 16 more Chinese soldiers
• by the following week eight Chinese divisions had
  been identified and their planes were now
  engaging UN fighters in air combat
• November 26 300,000 Chinese soldiers crossed
  the Yalu River into Korea and the UN and South
  Korean soldiers were forced to retreat. By
  Christmas, Seoul had been lost for the second time

11
C. MacArthurs Proposal

• proposed a naval blockade of the China coast and
  the dropping of 30 to 50 atomic bombs on their
  industrial and transportation centers
• Truman rejects it because he does not want to set
  off WWIII
• under Matthew B. Ridgeway the UN and South Korean
  forces began to advance once more and by March
  1951 they had retaken Seoul and had moved back up
  to the 38th parallel

12
D. Removal of MacArthur

• continues to urge full-scale war against China,
  not a limited one
• tried to go over the Presidents head by speaking
  and writing privately to newspapers and
  Republicans in Congress
• April 11, 1951 - Truman relieves him of his
  command
• large public outcry - MacArthur is a hero
• MacArthur spoke to Congress and public opinion is
  on his side but before a congressional committee
  - both sides set forth the arguments and the
  committee agrees with limited war and the public
  swings around to Trumans view

13
E. A Limited Victory

• cease-fire talks began in July 1951 and by the
  following spring agreement had been reached on 2
  points
• 1. cease-fire line at the 38th parallel
• 2. establishment of a demilitarized zone between
  opposing sides
• sticky situation POWs - many Chinese and North
  Koreans did not want to be sent home. An
  agreement is made but right before it was put
  into effect South Korean guards solved the
  problem by letting all the prisoners escape
• armistice was signed in July 1953 and is still in
  effect today
• limited victory - communism was contained, no
  nuclear weapons used, but Korea was still 2
  nations
• Results 1.5 million South Koreans were killed,
  many homeless, 54,000 dead U.S. soldiers and it
  cost over 15 billion

14
North Korea Today

• Kim Jong-Il
• What do you know about North Korea?