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Book No. – 52 (History)
Book Name – Modern World History (Norman Lowe)
What’s Inside the Chapter? (After Subscription)
1. SUMMARY OF EVENTS
2. THE WAR IN KOREA AND ITS EFFECTS ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
2.1. Background to the war
2.2. Why did the North Koreans invade the South?
2.3. The USA takes action
2.4. The results of the war were wide-ranging
3. CUBA
3.1. Why did Castro come to power?
3.2. How were Cuba’s foreign relations affected?
3.3. Castro and his problems
4. THE WARS IN VIETNAM, 1946-54 AND 1961-75
4.1. 1946-54
4.2. What caused the civil war in South Vietnam and why did the USA become involved?
5. CHILE UNDER SALVADOR ALLENDE. 1970-3
5.1. How did Allende come to be elected?
5.2. Allende’s problems and policies
5.3. Why was he overthrown?
6. MORE UNITED STATES INTERVENTIONS
6.1. South-east Asia
7. DETENTE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS FROM THE 1970S TO THE 1990S
7.1. Reasons for detente
7.2. The USSR and the USA
7.3 China and the USA
7.4. Relations between the USSR and China
8. THE COLLAPSE OF COMMUNISM IN EASTERN EUROPE AND THE END OF THE COLD WAR INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS TRANSFORMED
8.1. August 1988 to December 1991
8.2. How were international relations affected?
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LANGUAGE
The Spread of Communism Outside Europe and its effects on International Relations
Chapter – 8
Table of Contents
SUMMARY OF EVENTS
- Communism spread beyond Europe, with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) formed in 1921, initially cooperating with the Kuomintang (KMT).
- As the KMT grew stronger, it attempted to destroy the communists, leading to a civil war between the two parties.
- The situation became more complex with the Japanese occupation of Manchuria in 1931 and their invasion of China in 1937.
- After WWII, the KMT (led by Chiang Kai-shek) with American help and the CCP (under Mao Zedong) continued fighting.
- In 1949, Mao triumphed, and Chiang fled to Taiwan (Formosa); China became a communist state.
- In 1951, China invaded and occupied Tibet, crushing a 1959 uprising, and Tibet remained under Chinese control.
- Communism spread to Korea after Japan’s defeat in 1945, dividing the country into North Korea (communist, supported by the USSR) and South Korea (non-communist, supported by the USA).
- In 1950, North Korea invaded the South, leading to the Korean War, with UN forces (mostly American) aiding the South and China supporting the North. The war ended in 1953, with South Korea remaining non-communist.
- In Cuba, Fidel Castro ousted dictator Batista in 1959 and eventually became a communist leader. The USA turned against him, particularly after discovering Russian missiles in 1962 (Cuban Missile Crisis), which were later removed.
- In Vietnam, after gaining independence from France in 1954, the country was divided into North Vietnam(communist) and South Vietnam (non-communist). The USA supported the South, and after American withdrawal in 1973, South Vietnam fell to communism in 1975.
- Cambodia and Laos also became communist by the end of 1975.
- In South America, communism had limited success, with Chile electing Salvador Allende, a Marxist president in 1970, but his government was overthrown in 1973.
- Mozambique (1975) and Angola (1976) saw Marxist governments following their independence from Portugal, causing concern and interference from the West.
- The Cold War saw a thaw in the 1970s, with detente leading to reduced tensions.
- Tensions resurfaced with the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.
- In 1989, communism began to collapse in Eastern Europe, and by 1991, the communist bloc disintegrated, with East and West Germany reunified.
- The USSR also collapsed and ceased to be communist, marking the end of the Cold War.
- Communism persisted in China, Vietnam, and North Korea, but the Cold War was considered over.
THE WAR IN KOREA AND ITS EFFECTS ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Background to the war
- Korea was under Japanese occupation from 1910 until the defeat of Japan in August 1945.
- The USA and USSR agreed to divide Korea along the 38th parallel to organize the Japanese surrender and withdrawal.
- The USA controlled the south, and the USSR controlled the north, as the north shared a frontier with the USSR.
- The division was not intended to be permanent by the Americans, and the United Nations advocated for free electionsacross the country.
- The USA believed that, with two-thirds of the population in the south, the communist north would be outvoted in elections.
- However, Cold War rivalry obstructed the unification of Korea, leading to continued division without agreement.
- In August 1948, elections were held in the south under UN supervision, leading to the establishment of the Republic of Korea (South Korea), with Syngman Rhee as president and Seoul as the capital.
- In September 1948, the USSR established the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) under Kim Il-sung, with Pyongyang as its capital.
- By 1949, both Russian and American troops had withdrawn, leaving a divided Korea with both leaders claiming the right to rule the entire country.
- Syngman Rhee was a ruthless authoritarian; Kim Il-sung was even more brutal, resembling Stalin and executing many of his critics.
- North Korean troops invaded South Korea in June 1950, triggering the Korean War.
Why did the North Koreans invade the South?
- It is unclear how the attack originated or whose idea it was, with several theories offered.
- Kim Il-sung may have initiated the attack, possibly encouraged by a statement made by Dean Acheson, the American Secretary of State, earlier in 1950. Acheson excluded Korea from the list of areas the USA intended to defend around the Pacific.
- Kim Il-sung could have been encouraged by the new Chinese communist government, which was massing troops in Fukien province near Taiwan, seemingly preparing to attack Chiang Kai-shek.
- The USSR might have been responsible, wanting to test Truman’s determination. The Russians had supplied North Korea with tanks and other war materials. A communist takeover of the south would strengthen Russia’s position in the Pacific and serve as a gesture against the Americans to make up for the failure in West Berlin.
- The communists claimed that South Korea started the war by crossing the 38th parallel with troops led by Syngman Rhee, calling him a “bandit traitor.”
- The most widely accepted view is that Kim Il-sung pushed for a campaign to unify the peninsula, with both USSR and China approving the plan, promising war materials but making it clear they did not want to become directly involved.
The USA takes action
- President Truman decided to intervene in Korea due to several reasons, including believing the attack was Stalin’s doing and part of a Russian plan to spread communism.
- Some Americans saw the invasion as similar to Hitler’s policies in the 1930s, where appeasement had failed, and it was essential to not repeat that mistake.
- Truman wanted to support the United Nations Organization (UNO), which replaced the failed League of Nations. The USA had not backed the League and Truman was determined not to repeat that mistake.
- Truman faced severe criticism from Republicans for not acting against the spread of communism, especially from Senator Joseph McCarthy, who claimed the State Department was infiltrated by communists.
- American policy shifted decisively: instead of just economic help, Truman ordered American troops to support South Korea, even before the UN made its decision.
- The UN Security Council called for North Korea to withdraw troops. When ignored, the UN requested member states to help South Korea, without Russia’s veto due to their boycott.
- USA and 14 other countries sent troops (majority were Americans), all under General MacArthur’s command.
- The troops arrived just in time to prevent South Korea from being overrun; by September, communist forces had captured almost all of South Korea, except the Pusan area.
- UN reinforcements arrived at Pusan, and on 15 September, American marines landed at Inchon, behind enemy lines. This led to the swift collapse of North Korean forces.
- By the end of September, UN troops captured Seoul and cleared the south of communists. Truman ordered an invasion of North Korea to unite the country and hold free elections, despite the original UN objective being met.
- Chinese Foreign Minister Zhou Enlai warned of resistance if UN troops entered North Korea, but the warning was ignored.
- By late October, UN troops had captured Pyongyang, occupied two-thirds of North Korea, and reached the River Yalu, the border with China.
- China became alarmed, fearing an American invasion of Manchuria and the already established American fleet in the Taiwan Strait.
- In November, China launched a counter-offensive with over 300,000 troops, described as volunteers. By mid-January 1951, they had pushed UN troops out of North Korea and recaptured Seoul.
- General MacArthur suggested attacking Manchuria with atomic bombs, but Truman decided against it, fearing a large-scale war. Instead, he aimed to contain communism and removed MacArthur from command.
- By June 1951, UN troops cleared communists from South Korea and fortified the frontier. Peace talks began in Panmunjom and lasted two years.
- The Korean War ended in July 1953, with an agreement to maintain the frontier around the 38th parallel, where it had been before the war.