Korea

World HistoryChapter 32

A Brief History

• Korea is divided at the 38th parallel line (now called the De-Militarized Zone)

• In 1950, the communist controlled North Koreans, decided to attack South Korea backed by a communist China

• President Harry Truman was in charge during this time

• He asked the UN Security Council to help with the invasion to prevent the spread of communism

Americans fight

• Within two days, Americans stationed in Japan were fighting against the North Koreans

• Congress never officially declared war, so Truman exercised his commander-in-chief role and called it a “police action”

• Truman wanted to force the communists back to the 38th parallel but China threatened to bring all out war

• In September 1950, General Douglas MacArthur – who was in charge of American forces – drove the communist forces back to the 38th parallel despite China’s warning

General MacArthur in Seoul, South Korea in 1950

Fighting continued…

• General MacArthur wanted to use the atomic bomb on China but Truman never did

• China warned that MacArthur and the Americans should not cross the Yalu River (which separated China and Korea) but they crossed it anyway

• 1 million Chinese beat the American forces back past the 38th parallel

• Then in 1951, UN forces assisted in fighting back to the 38th parallel

End of the fighting

• MacArthur wanted to push the Chinese back across the Yalu River and then bomb them

• President Truman instructed MacArthur to not pursue the Chinese but the general pursued anyway

• General MacArthur was relieved of his command for insubordination (disobedience) and the fighting ended in a stalemate (or draw)

• In all, 33,000 Americans died in the battles and over 100,000 were wounded

This is the only accessible crossing point in Korea that is always guarded

Vietnam

World HistoryChapter 32

A Brief History

• Before and after the second world war, France controlled Vietnam

• A nationalist leader rose into power in north Vietnam named Ho Chi Minh

• He was communist educated and was determined to win independence for his country from the French

• In 1954, France pulled and the North fought with the South

• Ngo Dinh Diem was the leader in the south• The north was supported by communist China, so

naturally, the US supported the south

Ho Chi Minh Ngo Dinh Diem

Battle lines drawn

• President Eisenhower never sent troops, but sent advisors to help with the war efforts against the North Vietnam Army (NVA)

• President JFK sent even more advisors, but still no troops

• Eventually, President Lyndon B. Johnson sends troops to fight

• Johnson believed that if South Vietnam fell, the rest of Asia would be threatened (called it the “Domino Theory”)

LBJ with a soldier

Beginning of battle• For the draft for the US, a system of lottery draft

was set up – where the older the male was sent first to battle

• In 1964, the USS Maddox was fired upon by North Vietnamese torpedo boats in the Gulf of Tonkin

• LBJ bombs the north heavily• North Vietnam use guerrilla warfare style tactics to

play cat-and-mouse with American forces• In response, American forces dropped napalm (a

highly flammable jellied gasoline) on large areas to burn down thick jungles and drive the NVA out

NVA in a secret hiding spot

Tet Offensive

• The north and south Vietnamese forces agreed to a two-day cease-fire to observe the most important Vietnamese holiday (the first day of the lunar calendar)

• However, early morning, January 31st 1968, the Vietcong attacked major cities like Saigon to try ensure a quick victory

• This was the largest communist assault called the ‘Tet Offensive’

• Even though they had the element of surprise, the Vietcong was beaten back

Tet Offensive

End of battle and US pull-out• In 1969, Nixon started the process of Vietnamization – where

he taught SV troops how to fight• The president was receiving a lot of pressure at home to

bring home US troops• In 1973, the US pulled out and left the south to fend for itself• In 1975, Saigon fell and communists took over – they

renamed Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City• American troops received no welcome home, were looked

upon with disgrace, and the entire war cost Americans 58,196 lives – which are all listed on the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. – SEE VIDEO

• Eventually, all history of events were released in a secret set of documents called the Pentagon Papers

Vietnam Memorial, D.C.See VIDEO