Transcript The Shift to Asia - Golden State Baptist College

The Shift to Asia
China Lost
• The defeat of Japan in wake of WW II resulted in many
opportunities in former occupied Asia; With Communist
expansion halted in Europe, emphasis shifted to Asia:
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Korea
China
Southeast Asia
Philippines
• China’s Nationalists led
by Chiang Ki-Shek
engaged in a struggle
for power against
Chinese Communist
Party
Chiang, 4th wife and Gen Stillwell in Burma 1942
China Lost
• US encouraged peace talks between Chiang and
Communist leader, Mao Zedong
• US reluctantly supported the corrupt and inefficient
government of Chiang; popularity waned by 1948
• Communists were bolstered by popularity of land
reform among rural population that supported and
trusted them
• By December 10, 1949 Communists driven the
Nationalists and Chiang off the mainland
• Nationalists fled to Formosa setting up a military
dictatorship under Chiang Kai-Shek (Taiwan)
China Lost
• Chiang maintained illusion of representing all of
China & US continued to support this despite many
NATO countries recognizing the Communist
People’s Republic of China (PRC)
– PRC admitted to UN
– US support for Taiwan became partisan issue:
• Some advocated backing Chaing to attack mainland
• Others felt Chiang’s dictatorship no better than Communism
Korea Prelude
• At Yalta/Potsdam, Roosevelt, Churchill and
Stalin agreed that in exchange for Russia
entering WW II against Japan, occupied
territories of Japan would be divided between
US and Soviet Union
• In last 4 days of WW II, Soviets invaded North
Korea seizing Japanese bases
Korea Setup
• Soviets set up Communist government and refused to allow the
UN north of the 38th parallel to set up free elections
• In 1948 UN elections were conducted in the South, US - backed
strong man, Syngman Rhee won the elections.
• A controversial figure, he had been
impeached back in1925 for misuse
of authority
• Even before the Korean war, Rhee
exhibited dictatorial powers after
assumed presidency from
provisional government
• Campaign to “remove Communism”
was a veiled drive to eliminate all
opposition resulted in brutal
suppression of leftist uprisings. Up
to 100,000 killed by secret police
Korea Setup
• After the Russians reorganized the North
Korean government and army to its liking,
• the Soviets proposed that all occupational
troops be withdrawn by January 1948
• Following UN elections establishing the
Republic of Korea in the South with capital in
Seoul, US forces withdrew from occupation by
the end of June 1949
Korean War Begins
• In an unprovoked attack, Soviet-equipped
North Korean armies invaded the South on
June 25, 1950
– Tankless, ill-equipped and heavily outnumbered
ROK forces crumbled, Seoul was captured
– Secretary of State Dean Acheson declared that it
was “an open, undisguised challenge to our
internationally accepted position as the protector
of South Korea, an area of great importance to the
security of American-occupied Japan.”
Soviet Plan Backfires
• Ironically, the day of UN security council resolution
to stop the aggression, Soviets had boycotted the
UN
• Their usual veto of UN action against Communist
advances was not possible on this day so the
resolution passed unopposed!
• Truman orders Navy and Air Force assets to come
to the aid of the South Koreans and five days later
ground forces also committed
• Setting precedent for American wars after WW II,
Truman described it a “police action” owing to the
lack of a formal Congressional declaration of war
Initial Successes
•Gen Douglas MacArthur was
selected to head UN forces
• Fighting was hampered by many restrictions
including mandate to remain south of 38th
parallel
• Bold landing at Inchon bolstered the struggling
effort by flanking the invading North Koreans on
the West coast
• Sec Defense George Marshall announced lifting
ban of 38th parallel on Sept 30, 1950, enabling
UN forces to drive to the Chinese border
Enter the Chinese
• UN troops succeeded in pushing the North
Koreans all the way to the Yalu River
• Unexpectedly, the Communist Chinese got
involved in the war in November 1950 and drove
UN forces back to the South
• MacArthur requested permission to attack
Chinese bases with air forces and blockade the
coast of China. President Truman denied the
request
• During the 1st 5 months, MacArthur did not openly
disagree with US/UN policy in Korea, with the
Chinese intervention, this changed abruptly
MacArthur Relieved of Command
• MacArthur claimed that operational restrictions were
to blame for the predicament and that these
inhibitions were unprecedented in military history
• On April 9, 1951 President Truman officially relieved
Gen MacArthur of command and appointed Lt Gen
Matthew Ridgeway to take his place because
MacArthur
– “was not in sympathy with the basic policies governing the
operation of UN forces in Korea”
– “failed to comply with the instructions …to clear any public
statement that he made which involved matters of policy”
• Truman’s decision was made with the consent of Sec
Def George Marshall and JCS (Gen Bradley, Gen
Collins, Gen Vandenberg, Adm Sherman)
Korean Stalemate
• At the 38th parallel the Korean War remained
in a stalemate for two full years
• Combat continued while the U N and
Communists negotiated a settlement
• PRC and North Korea were not seriously
committed to cease fire during the remainder
of Truman’s presidency
Changing Tide of
Korean War
• May 1950 Pre-war boundary
• Sept 1950 North Koreans
almost drive South Koreans
off the peninsula
• Nov 1950 UN forces succeed
in pushing North Koreans to
the Yalu River
• Jan 1951 400,000 Chinese
troops push UN back to 38th
parallel
• July 1953 armistice
Eisenhower Years
• The Korean War sapped the popularity from the
Truman administration; Truman did not seek reelection in 1952. Adalai Stevenson took his place on
the Democratic ticket.
• The Republicans put forth General of the Army (one
of five men to hold this rank in history of US army)
Dwight D. Eisenhower, a popular WW II hero who
led Allied forces to victory in Europe.
• His campaign promise to end the Korean War
enabled him to win a clear cut victory in the
Presidential election
Eisenhower Years
• Eisenhower’s hard line
stance was effective
– Veiled threats to escalate or
to use nuclear weapons
– Refused to back down
• Stalin’s death on March 5,
1953 eroded the
Communist resolve
– Stalin had insisted that the
Korean War continue until the
South was subdued
• Chinese were persuaded
that it was in their best
interests to end hostilities
• Stalin’s successors agreed to
an armistice on July 27, 1953
• To this day there is no peace
agreement between the
South and North although a
non-agression treaty was
signed in 1991
The Demilitarized Zone
• Since 1953 there have been dozens of incursions on North
Korean agents into the South including attacks by North
Korean agents on border
• The DMZ remains a
touchy spot today where
war never ends
The 1950’s
• After the Korean armistice, emphasis shifted to
Southeast Asia where Communist struggles involved
the colonies of France (Vietnam, Laos and
Cambodia) (“French Indochina”)
• Russia concentrated on nuclear arms race and
space race
• America became preoccupied with the “Red Scare”
• From here on, reliance on military solutions was
becoming clearly less rewarding
Warsaw Pact 1955
• Federal Republic of Germany was inducted into NATO
May 9, 1955
• Enraged, the Soviets formed the Warsaw Pact on May
14, 1955.
– Comprising Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, GDR,
Hungary, Poland and Romania
– Headquartered in Moscow
– Targeted NATO units and trained for war with West
• Differences: NATO membership voluntary, US could not
impose its will on members, disagreements between
members were routine;
• USSR controlled Warsaw Pact with iron hand, Moscow
devised the strategy and member nations were
sometimes unclear what was expected of them
– Used to intervene in civil uprisings against Communism:
Hungarian Revolt in1958 and Czechoslovakia in 1968
Suez Crisis 1956
• British and French colonies in Middle East and Africa began to
crumble in 1950’s. Israel was gaining strength.
• Because of Egypt’s opposition to the fledgling state, US withdrew
financial support for the building of the Aswan Dam on Nile River
• Egypt’s President Gamal Nasser retaliated by nationalizing Suez Canal
• British and French forces backed Israeli troops to invade Egypt.
• Soviet Union threatened to intervene to
aid Egypt
• US defuses situation with UN resolution
• From then on Middle East would be
polarized with the USSR supplying arms
to Arab nations and Western Allies
supporting Israel
Eisenhower Doctrine
• In response to the new Soviet involvement in
the Middle East, Eisenhower called for US aid
and military assistance for countries threatened
by International Communism
– US would defend Middle East countries against
“overt armed aggression from any nation controlled
by International Communism”
• This “Eisenhower Doctrine” was condemned by
the Soviet Union and PRC
• Moved US closer to Israel and Imperial Iran
Khrushchev
• Unlike his predecessor Stalin, the new First
Secretary of the Communist Party and Premier of
the Soviet Union 1953-1964, Nikita Khrushchev
was energetic, flamboyant who focused on the
advancement of the USSR in technology & industry
-In power struggle after Stalin’s
death, NKVD Chief Lavrentiy Beria
of Great Purge fame hastened to
institute reforms. Khrushchev had
him secretly arrested in June
1953 and executed the following
Dec. Ironically, Beria has the
distinction of being the last Soviet
leader to leave office by execution
Khrushchev
• In 1956, he addressed 20th CP Congress,
denounced Stalinism, atrocities committed during
Great Purge & the 1939 Pact with Hitler
• Considered by some experts as process of
“purifying” typical of changing regimes
• “de-Stalinization” felt necessary by Khrushchev for
next era of USSR
• Already implicated for his role in 1939 Pact,
Molotov sealed his fate after a failed coup in 1956
and was dismissed from Foreign Minister
• He then reduced power of NKVD
and changed it into the KGB,
outlawed torture and released
many of the political prisoners
held in Siberia
• Gained global fame as he traveled
the world with brash diplomatic
style, instituting a measure of
intellectual reform and cold war
“thaw”
– Yet his reform had clear limits.
Khrushchev cracked down on
many religious groups and
destroyed or closed down
numerous churches
– He visited the US in 1959, met
with Eleanor Roosevelt in Hyde
Park, discussed topic of
disarmament, but only agreed to
disagee. Promised Vice Pres Nixon
that the USSR would surpass US
USSR Achievements Under Khrushchev
• Launched world’s 1st satellite “Sputnik” Oct 4, 1957
• First manned space flight Yuri Gagarin
• Development of ICBMs to deliver nuclear weapons
• US-Soviet Nuclear Test Ban Treaty July 1963
• Berlin Wall erected
• Closed the nuclear
Weapons technology gap
between the US and the
Soviet Union