Knowledge Connections

Definition

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TermVocabulary Domino Theory

Essential Question

How were the Korean War and Vietnam War both linked to the policy of

containment?

What was Korea like after WWII?

After World War II, Korea had been left a divided nation

The Soviet Union controlled the northern part of the country

The United States controlled the southern part of the country

Korea was divided at the 38th parallel

How was Korea rebuilt?

The Soviet Union set up a communist government in NORTH KOREA

The United States set up a democratic government in SOUTH KOREA

How did the Korean War start?

1950 – North Korea invades South Korea

US President Harry Truman convinces the UNITED NATIONS to send troops (Americans made up most of the troops)

How did outside nations respond?

American General DOUGLAS MACARTHUR led the UN troops into

battle and was able to push the North Korean army back across the 38th parallel

Soviet leader JOSEPH STALIN had supported North Korea’s invasion

China’s leader MAO ZEDONG saw the UN troops as a threat and sent Chinese troops to push the UN back to South Korea

What was MacArthur’s plan?

Gen. MacArthur wanted to use atomic bombs on Chinese military bases…

…but President Truman refused

When MacArthur objected and tried to go around Truman –

MacArthur was fired!

Truman did not want to start World War III by dropping bombs on Korea or China

Who won the Korean War?

Three years of fighting = no clear victory

1953 – An armistice was signed – the fighting was over

What were the results of the war?

2.5 million people lost their lives

The boundary between the two Koreas was unchanged

No peace treaty was ever signed

What is Korea like today?North Korea = Communist South Korea = Democratic

Many see North Korea as a trouble spot to this day for several reasons

~It has a totalitarian government(dictatorship)

~It has ties with terrorists

~It has the knowledge to build nuclear weapons

What was Vietnam like after WWII?

Like Korea, Vietnam was a divided country

When the Japanese leftHO CHI MINH declared Vietnam independent

However, INDOCHINA had once been a French colony and they wanted to regain control

What is Indochina?

Indochina is made up of the following countries:

> Cambodia

> Laos

> Vietnam

China is to the north

Indonesia is to the south

How did war break out?1946 – the French return to reclaim their colony

Ho Chi Minh led a a group known as the VIETMINH to drive the French out of Vietnam

How did the US get involved?

The United States feared that Ho Chi Minh was a Communist…

…if he was successful, he could spread communism all over AsiaIf Vietnam falls to the

Communists, then other countries will

fall too… like a row of dominoes!

President DWIGHT EISENHOWER coined the term DOMINO THEORY in an April 7, 1954 news conference

What did the US do in Vietnam?

The United States tried to help the French reclaim Vietnam

1954 – The French decide to make peace with the Vietminh

GENEVA ACCORDS

Vietnam divided at the 17th parallel

North Vietnam = Communist(led by Ho Chi Minh)

South Vietnam = Democratic(led by a US backed government)

Was the war over?

The Geneva Accords also required elections to be held in North and South Vietnam

Fearing a Communist takeover, South Vietnam (backed by the US)

refused to participate

The conflict in Vietnam continued…

What happened as the war continued?

The Soviet Union and China poured weapons into

North Vietnam

The United States sent money, weapons, and aid to

South Vietnam

By the 1960s, American troops began arriving in Vietnam

1969 – 500,000 American soldiers in Vietnam

How did people in the US feel about the war?

US involvement in Vietnam divided the American people

1973 – President RICHARD NIXON reaches a settlement to withdraw

American forces from Vietnam

Sadly, by this time, more than 58,000 Americans had lost their lives in the war Their names can be found on the VIETNAM MEMORIAL in Washington, DC

What was the result of the Vietnam War?

1975 – North Vietnam invades South Vietnam…

…South Vietnam falls

North Vietnamese leaders reunite the country into one Vietnam – a Communist Vietnam

It would take 20 years for the US and Vietnam to renew their relations…

…the two nations reopened to talks and trade in 1995

Essential Question

How were the Korean War and Vietnam War both linked to the policy of

containment?

KoreanWar

VietnamWar