Download chinese revolution and korean war

ORIGINS OF THE COLD WAR
 Struggle for postwar control of Europe
 With failure to reach agreement at Potsdam, the Western nations and the Soviet Union worked to impose
their systems on the areas they controlled
 This leads U.S. and West to give up any effort to create a unified, "open" world, USSR still involved in
many of the post war suprastructures arranged at Bretton Woods, other summit conferences
The US and Containment
 Almost immediately it becomes the policy of the United States to contain Soviet Communism
 Truman Doctrine (1947) -- U.S. must support free peoples around the world who are resisting efforts by
outsiders or armed minorities to overthrow their governments
o Supported by Domino Theory that any nation to fall into communism would cause its neighbors
to fall, geopolitical justification
for containment
 Marshall Plan 1947, Secretary of State
George Marshall announces aid plan to
help Europe recover from war, giving
over $12 billion to European countries to
recover war damages
o Delivered as part of a
commencement speech at
Harvard
o Over $20 billion were offered but
recipient countries had to submit
a plan of how funds would be
used.
o Much of the aid came in the form
of US products, thus benefiting
the US economy as well.
The Division of Germany and the Berlin
Blockade


Yalta: had decided on the Partitioning of
Germany in advance of their surrender,
established lines along which Germany
would be divided
1948: The British, American and French
Zone combine to become West Germany, West Berlin, and they introduced Deutche Mark as common
currency, hoping to put economic pressure on the USSR to conform

In Response, Stalin decided to block off all transportation (rail and
road) through East Germany into Berlin
BERLIN AIRLIFT: West Berlin needed 4,000 tons of supplies daily. The
US sent one flight every 90 seconds to supply Berlin with all needed items,
materials, and to move people, this was known as Operation Vittles in US,
RAF of Gr. Br. Had own operation
EFFECT:
 May 12, 1949 Stalin called off the Blockade. The West declared
"victory" and formed NATO by signing the Atlantic Treaty


Doctrine of Collective Security: If one country is attacked, all are attacked
o What might history say about Collective Security?
o Is it still effective?
Soviet Union responds by creating Warsaw Pact
CHINESE REVOLUTION AND KOREAN WAR
CHINESE COMMUNIST REVOLUTION
 Began in 1930s, Mao Zedong led communist Red Army,
Chiang Kai-Shek led nationalists, US supported Chiang
Kai Shek
 US had expected Chiang to win, in UN charter wrote
China into security council
 When China became communist in 1949, the UN accepted
only Taiwan on China’s behalf as member of Security
Council
KOREAN WAR CAUSES
 From 1910-1945, Korea was a Japanese colony
 Japan was occupied by US in 1945, gave up all colonies
 When Korea became independent in 1945 after WW2, Soviets occupied Korea to the 38th Parallel and
Americans occupied Southern Korea
 Both sides agreed to hold elections but could not agree on the procedure
 By 1948, there were two distinct governments, and four factions of communists in the North who were
uniting to control the South
 In 1948-1949, the US and USSR withdrew
WAR:
 In 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea
 The newly formed UN condemned the attacks
 90% of troops were American, sent by Truman by
executive order (war never declared by Congress)
 USSR and China supported the North Koreans with more
troops
 War quickly became a stalemate
 Treaty never signed. Only 1953 armistice:
 It was a stalemated trench war from 1951-July, 1953,
when Korea was divided and a demilitarized zone
was established
 A demilitarized zone was created in the middle
o US/UN lost 55,000, China/N.Korea: 1.5 million
GENERAL MACARTHUR
 Led US occupation of Japan after WW2, put in charge of
troops in the Korean War
 March, 1951: sent an ultimatum to PRC demanding that
they withdraw troops, if not, promised to bring China to
its knees
 Truman very upset about MacArthur’s unilateral action, and went to the Joint Chiefs of Staff to try to fire
MacArthur for insubordination
 MacArthur complained that civilians should not be in control of the military