United States Stance VS. Soviet Unions Stance
The United States were strongly opposing the spread of Communism which was lead by the Soviets. They proposed the policy of Containment which was an effort to block the Soviet influence by making alliances and supporting weaker nations. The Truman Doctrine was also made to aid any nations trying to prevent communists from taking over. The United States tried to do everything they could during the Cold War to stop the USSR from furthering communism. They set up the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) which was a defensive military alliance of the United States, Canada and ten European nations.
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The Soviets strongly agreed with the thought of communism spreading to other countries and they tried everything in their power to have it spread but the U.S. would'nt allow it to happen the way the Soviets wanted it to happen. In a reaction to the United States forming NATO, the USSR set up the Warsoft Pact which was an attempt to stop the United States from furthering their attemp to stop the Soviets from spreading communism to other countries.
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The Korean WarOn June 25, 1950, the Korean War began when 75,000 soldiers from the North Korean Army poured across the 38th parallel. This invasion was the first military action of the Cold War. By July, American troops had entered the war on South Korea’s. As far as
American officials were concerned, it was a war against the forces of international communism itself. Korea fought over wether it would be a communist or non communist country but this battle went on for quite some time and the country ended up splitting into north and south Korea. North Korea was occupied with communists while South Korea was occupied by anti-communists (nationalists). Neither of the dictators were content with remaining on their side of the 38th parallel. In 1949, Chiang and his forces fled to Taiwan. China was now communists and the containment had failed! The United States had "lost" China because not enough had been done to help the Nationalists. In 1950, North Korea started the Korean War by invading South Korea. Truman ordered air and naval support for South Korea because he was afraid that another Asian nation would fall under communism. North Korean troops moved south and conquered the South Korean capital of Seoul. MacArthur forced a counter attack which trapped about half of the North Korean Army, who then surrendered. The fighting continued for 2 years. MacArthur argued that they should drop bombs in China but Truman was against thinking the bombs would start World War III. Both sides agreed on demilitarized zone at the 38th parallel in 1951 then in 1953 an armistice was signed. Did you know? Unlike World War II and Vietnam, the Korean War did not get much media attention
in the United States. The most famous representation of the war in popular culture is the television series “M*A*S*H”. |
The Vietnam WarThe Vietnam War was a long, costly armed conflict that pitted the communist
regime of North Vietnam and its southern allies, known as the Viet Cong, against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. The war began in 1954 after the rise to power of Ho Chi Minh and continued against the backdrop of an intense Cold War between two global superpowers: the United States and the Soviet Union. More than 3 million people (including 58,000 Americans) were killed in the Vietnam War; more than half were Vietnamese civilians. After World War II, Japan invaded and occupied Vietnam. With the Cold War getting more intense, the U.S. hardened their policies against the Soviet Union. A political and military struggle for Vietnamese independence began to frustrate the French. It gained its independence in 1954 and shortly after divided into North and South sections. Both the Korean War and Vietnam War were fights over independence and to stop the overall spread of communism. Historians argue that without the U.S. involvement, the spread of communism would of greatly spread throughout South and East Asia.
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