The Cold War in Asia: Crash Course US History #38
Summary
TLDRIn this episode of CrashCourse US History, John Green revisits the Cold War, focusing on the Korean and Vietnam Wars. The Korean War (1950-1953) marked America's first post-WWII conflict with communism, leading to a stalemate at the 38th parallel. The Vietnam War escalated under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, with the Gulf of Tonkin incident and the Tet Offensive highlighting the conflict's brutality and the government's misleading portrayal of the war. Nixon's 'Vietnamization' and expansion into Cambodia failed to end the war, which ultimately resulted in a communist victory in 1975. The war's cost in lives and trust in government was immense, marking a significant shift in American attitudes towards military intervention and leadership.
Takeaways
- 🌏 The Cold War's 'hot' conflict began in Asia, specifically in Korea, which is often overlooked in discussions of US history.
- 🇰🇵 The Korean War (1950-1953) was a significant early test of American resolve against communism, directly involving US troops against communist China.
- 🔥 The Korean War was a precursor to the Vietnam War, setting the stage for further US military engagement in Asia.
- 🎖️ General Douglas MacArthur led UN forces in the Korean War, but his popularity with the media did not translate to success on the battlefield.
- 💥 The US attempted to unify Korea under a non-communist government, leading to a protracted and costly conflict.
- 🇨🇳 Chinese intervention in the Korean War was a pivotal moment, leading to a stalemate and eventual armistice near the original dividing line.
- 💣 The Korean War saw extensive bombing and a 'scorched earth' policy, with civilian casualties predominating.
- 🏛️ The war reinforced executive power in the US, as President Truman bypassed Congress to engage in conflict.
- 📈 The Vietnam War was influenced by the Korean War, with the US supporting anti-communist regimes as a bulwark against communism's spread.
- 🕊️ Ho Chi Minh's struggle was as much about national liberation from colonialism as it was about establishing a communist state, a nuance often overlooked during the Cold War.
- 📜 The Gulf of Tonkin incident led to a significant escalation of US involvement in Vietnam, despite questions about its legitimacy.
Q & A
What is the primary focus of the video script provided?
-The video script focuses on the history of the Cold War, particularly the Korean and Vietnam Wars, emphasizing the reasons behind these conflicts and their implications rather than military tactics.
Why is the Korean War sometimes referred to as the 'Forgotten War'?
-The Korean War is called the 'Forgotten War' because it is often overshadowed by World War II and the Vietnam War, despite being a significant conflict where American troops directly engaged with a communist power for the first time after WWII.
What was the role of General Douglas MacArthur in the Korean War?
-General Douglas MacArthur was in command of the UN forces, which were primarily American and South Korean forces, at the start of the Korean War. He led the forces in pushing North Koreans back past the 38th parallel.
Why did President Truman not refer to the Korean War as a 'war'?
-President Truman did not refer to the Korean War as a 'war' because he sought authorization from the United Nations and insisted that American troops were leading a UN 'police action,' which was a misleading statement.
What was the significance of the Chinese intervention in the Korean War?
-The Chinese intervention in the Korean War was significant because it occurred when Chinese forces felt that American forces were too close to China. This led to a stalemate by Christmas 1950, with both sides back at the 38th parallel.
How did the Korean War impact the United States domestically?
-The Korean War had profound domestic effects, including strengthening executive power as Truman went to war without a declaration from Congress, increasing the financial and human cost of war, and reinforcing the Cold War mentality and the Red Scare.
What was the 'domino theory' in the context of the Vietnam War?
-The 'domino theory' was the prevailing belief that if Vietnam fell to communism, other nations in Southeast Asia would follow, like a row of dominos toppling over. This theory influenced American policy and involvement in Vietnam.
Why did the United States support the French in their war to maintain colonial control in Vietnam after WWII?
-The United States supported the French in their war to maintain colonial control in Vietnam due to the fear of communism. The U.S. saw the fight against communism as more important than the issue of colonialism.
What was the Tet Offensive and why was it significant in the Vietnam War?
-The Tet Offensive was a major military campaign launched by North Vietnamese forces against South Vietnam and its allies during the Vietnam War. It was significant because, despite being repelled, it cast doubt on the U.S. government's claims of imminent victory and increased anti-war sentiment.
How did the Vietnam War change the American public's trust in their government?
-The Vietnam War led to a significant loss of trust in the American government due to the government's dishonesty about the war's progress and its true motives. This distrust was further exacerbated by events like the My Lai massacre and the publication of the Pentagon Papers.
What was the 'secret plan' that President Nixon promised to end the Vietnam War?
-President Nixon's 'secret plan' to end the Vietnam War involved 'Vietnamization,' which meant gradually withdrawing American troops and leaving the fighting to the Vietnamese, and escalating the war by sending American troops into Cambodia to cut off the Ho Chi Minh trail.
What were the consequences of the United States' involvement in Vietnam?
-The consequences of the United States' involvement in Vietnam included a cost of over $100 billion, the deaths of 58,000 Americans and between 3 to 4 million Vietnamese people, and a significant loss of trust in the government by the American public.
Outlines
🌏 Introduction to the Cold War in Asia
John Green introduces the topic of the Cold War, focusing on the often overlooked Korean War as a significant conflict where the US engaged with communist forces. He explains the division of Korea post-WWII and the US's involvement in the conflict due to perceived Soviet influence. The war was the first major military action by the US after WWII and marked the first direct engagement with communist China. The video sets the stage for discussing the broader implications of the Cold War in Asia.
🔥 The Korean War and its Impact on US Policy
The Korean War is highlighted as a pivotal moment in US history, with significant losses on both sides. The US pursued a 'scorched earth' policy, leading to extensive bombing campaigns. The war's stalemate and eventual ceasefire without a formal peace treaty left a lasting impact on US foreign policy, including the strengthening of executive power and the perpetuation of the Cold War mentality. It also set the stage for the Vietnam War, which is discussed in more detail in the following paragraph.
🏛 The Misunderstood Vietnam War and its Domino Theory
This section delves into the Vietnam War, emphasizing the US's misinterpretation of Ho Chi Minh's motivations and the influence of the Cold War's domino theory. The US's support for the French colonial war and the subsequent backing of the South Vietnamese regime under Ngo Dinh Diem is critiqued. The paragraph outlines the escalation of US involvement, starting with military advisors and leading to a full-scale conflict, which was largely driven by the fear of communism spreading in Southeast Asia.
📺 The Brutality and Public Perception of the Vietnam War
The paragraph discusses the brutality of the Vietnam War, characterized by jungle warfare, indiscriminate bombing, and the use of chemical defoliants. It notes the significance of television in bringing the realities of the war into American homes, leading to a shift in public opinion. The My Lai massacre and the disproportionate burden on the lower classes are highlighted as key factors that fueled anti-war sentiment, despite initial support for the war among the majority of Americans.
📉 The Escalation and Protests of the Vietnam War
The paragraph details the major escalation of American troops in Vietnam under President Lyndon Johnson and the subsequent protests that arose as the public became increasingly aware of the war's realities. It also covers Nixon's 'secret plan' to end the war, which included 'Vietnamization' and the controversial expansion of the war into Cambodia. The paragraph concludes with the impact of the Pentagon Papers and the eventual withdrawal of US troops, leaving the conflict unresolved.
🏳️ The Legacy of the Vietnam War and its Impact on Trust in Government
The final paragraph reflects on the legacy of the Vietnam War, noting its cost in lives and resources, and marking it as the first definitive loss for the US. It emphasizes the war's role in changing the American public's trust in government, from a period of trust to one of skepticism. The video concludes by acknowledging the importance of understanding the motivations of those involved in conflicts and the consequences of government dishonesty.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Cold War
💡Korean War
💡38th Parallel
💡Domino Theory
💡Vietnam War
💡Ngo Dinh Diem
💡Tet Offensive
💡Agent Orange
💡My Lai Massacre
💡Vietnamization
💡Paris Peace Agreement
Highlights
The Cold War's 'hot' conflict in Asia, particularly focusing on the Korean War and its significance.
The Korean War (1950-1953) being the first major conflict involving the U.S. after WWII and its confrontation with communist China.
The division of Korea post-WWII and the ensuing civil war that escalated into an international conflict.
President Truman's decision to intervene in Korea without a formal declaration of war, framing it as a UN 'police action'.
General Douglas MacArthur's controversial leadership during the Korean War and the push beyond the 38th parallel.
China's entry into the Korean War and the resulting stalemate at the 38th parallel.
The high human and financial costs of the Korean War, including civilian casualties.
The strengthening of executive power in the U.S. due to the Korean War and its implications.
The impact of the Korean War on the Cold War mentality and the subsequent Vietnam War.
Ho Chi Minh's fight for liberation from colonialism, not just the establishment of communism in Vietnam.
The U.S. misinterpretation of Ho Chi Minh as a communist stooge due to Cold War biases.
America's involvement in Vietnam as a continuation of the Cold War and the 'domino theory'.
The escalation of the Vietnam War under President Lyndon B. Johnson, particularly after the Gulf of Tonkin incident.
The Gulf of Tonkin incident's false narrative and its role in gaining Congressional support for war.
The brutality of the Vietnam War, including the use of Agent Orange and napalm, and its televised exposure to the American public.
The social impact of the Vietnam War, with a disproportionate number of lower-class draftees.
The growing anti-war sentiment and protests in the U.S., despite initial public support for the war.
Nixon's 'secret plan' for ending the Vietnam War, which included 'Vietnamization' and the controversial expansion into Cambodia.
The destabilizing effect of the Vietnam War on Cambodia and the rise of the Khmer Rouge.
The disillusionment with government after the Vietnam War and the loss of public trust.
The Paris Peace Agreement of 1973 and the eventual communist victory in Vietnam in 1975.
The cost of the Vietnam War in terms of lives and financial expenditure, and its status as the first definitive U.S. military defeat.
Transcripts
Hi, I’m John Green, this is CrashCourse US History, and today we’re going to talk
about the Cold War again. Really less about the “cold,” more about the “war.”
As usual, we’re not going to focus so much on the generals and the tactics, but instead
on why the wars were fought and what it all meant.
And today we get to visit a part of the world that we haven’t seen much on this series:
[spins] Asia. Not my best work. intro
So, we’re gonna start today with the place where the Cold War really heated up, at least
as far as America’s concerned. Mr Green, it’s Vietnam.
Close, Me from the Past, but like all your romantic endeavors, unsuccessful. The correct
answer is of course Korea. Like MFTP, many Americans have forgotten about the Korean
War, which lasted three years from 1950 to 1953 and is sometimes called the Forgotten
War. But it was real. The Korean War was the first
real like shooting war that Americans were involved in after World War II and it was
the only time that American troops directly engaged with an honest to goodness Communist
power. I’m referring not to North Korea, but to
China, which became communist in 1949 and qualifies as a major world power because it
was, and also is, huge. We love you China. Just kidding, you’re not watching. Because
of the Great Fire Wall. So the end of WWII left Korea split between
a Communist north led by Kim Il crazypants Sung and an anti-communist but hardly democratic
South led by Syngman Rhee. The two were supposed to reunite, but that
was impossible because they were constantly fighting that cost around 100,000 lives.
The civil war between the two Koreas turned into a full-fledged international conflict
in June of 1950 when Kim Il Sung invaded the South, and the US responded. Truman thought
that Kim’s invasion was being pushed by the Soviets and that it was a challenge to
the “Free World.” Truman went to the United Nations and he got
authorization, but he didn’t go to Congress and never called the Korean War a “war.”
Insisting instead that American troops were leading a UN “police action” but that
was kind of a misleading statement. General Douglas MacArthur was in command of
this tiny little police force at the start of the war because he was the highest ranking
general in the region. He was also really popular, at least with the press, although
not so much with other generals, or with the president.
Under MacArthur, UN forces – which basically meant American and South Korean forces -- pushed
the North Koreans back past the 38th parallel where the two countries had been divided,
and then Truman made a fateful decision: The United States would try to re-unify Korea
as a non-communist state. Which, if you’ve looked at a map recently,
you’ll notice went swimmingly. America’s allies and the UN all agreed to this idea,
so up north they went, all the way to the northern border with China at the Yalu river.
At that point, Chinese forces, feeling that American forces were a smidge too close to
China, counter-attacked on November 1, 1950 and by Christmas the two sides were stalemated
again at the 38th parallel, right where they started.
The war dragged on for two more years with the U.S. pursuing a “scorched earth” policy
and dropping more bombs on Korea than had been dropped in the entire Pacific theater
during WWII. The two sides tried to negotiate a peace treaty,
but the sticking point was the repatriation of North Korean and Chinese prisoners who
didn’t want to go back to their communist homelands.
Meanwhile, at home, Americans were growing tired of a war that they weren’t winning,
which helped to swing the election of 1952 for Dwight Eisenhower.
Also he was also running against perennial presidential loser Adlai Stevenson, who was
perceived as an egghead intellectual because his name was Adlai Stevenson.
In addition to helping get Ike elected, the Korean War had a number of profound effects.
First and most importantly, it was expensive, both in terms of lives and money.
In 3 years of fighting 33,629 Americans were killed, 102,000 were wounded and nearly 4
million Koreans and Chinese were killed, wounded, or missing. The majority of Korean casualties
were civilians. The Korean War also further strengthened executive
power in the United States – Truman went to war without a declaration and Congress
acquiesced – this doesn’t mean that the war was initially was unpopular, it wasn’t.
People wanted to see America do something about Communism and allowing Kim to take the
south and possibly threaten Japan was unacceptable. However, the whole idea that you don’t really
need to declare war to go to war, while not new in America, sure has been important the
last 60 years. And the Korean War also strengthened the Cold
War mentality. I mean, this was the height of the Red Scare.
Also, the Korean War set the stage for America’s longer, more destructive, and more well known
engagement in Asia, the Vietnam War. Oh it’s time for the Mystery Document? The
rules here are simple. I guess the author of the Mystery Document.
I’m either right or I get shocked. Alright, let’s see what we’ve got.
"The Declaration of the French Revolution made in 1791 on the Rights of Man and the
Citizen also states: "All men are born free and with equal rights, and must always remain
free and have equal rights." Those are undeniable truths.
Nevertheless, for more than eighty years, the French imperialists, abusing the standard
of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity, have violated our Fatherland and oppressed our
fellow citizens. They have acted contrary to the ideals of humanity and justice.
In the field of politics, they have deprived our people of every democratic liberty.
Well Stan that sounds like a Frenchman who really doesn’t want to be French anymore.
So it’s somebody who’s very disappointed by the way the France has been running their
colonies. I’m going to guess that it’s North Vietnamese leader and Crash Course chalk
board person: Ho Chi Minh. Wait Stan says he needs his real name. It’s
Nguyen Sinh Cung. Yes! So, this document it points out that, at least
rhetorically, Ho Chi Minh was fighting for liberation from a colonial power as much as,
if not more than, he was trying to establish a communist dictatorship in Vietnam. But because
of the Cold War and its prevailing theories, the United States could only see Ho as a communist
stooge, a tool of the Kremlin. Under the so-called “domino theory” Vietnam
was just another domino that had to be propped up or else the rest of South East Asia would
fall to communism like a row of, dominos. That wasn’t my best work.
Now, in retrospect, this was a fundamental misunderstanding, but it’s important to
remember that at the time, people felt that they didn’t want the Soviet Union to expand
the way that, say, Nazi Germany had. America’s involvement in Vietnam, like most
things Cold War, dates back to World War II, but it really picked up in the 1950s as we
threw our support behind the French in their war to maintain their colonial empire. Wait,
Stan, how why would we fight with the French to maintain a colonial empire? Oh right, because
we were blinded by our fear of communism. Now, Eisenhower wisely refused to send troops
or use atomic weapons to help the French. Really good call.
And the Geneva Accords were supposed to set up elections to reunite North and South, which
had been divided after WWII, but then we didn’t let that happen.
Because sometimes democracies don’t vote for our guy. Instead, the U.S. began supporting
the repressive, elitist regime of Ngo Dinh Diem as a bulwark against communism.
Diem was a Catholic in a majority Buddhist country and his support of landowners didn’t
win him any fans. But he was against communism, which was good enough for us.
The first major involvement of American troops, then called advisors, began in the early 1960s.
Technically, their role was to advise the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, also called
ARViN. It was doomed. How did they not know this was doomed? Let’s
fight for Arvin. Against this guy. You are scary. Seriously.
Anyway, pretty quickly this advising turned into shooting, and the first American advisors
were killed in 1961, during John Kennedy’s presidency.
However, most Americans consider Vietnam to be Lyndon Johnson’s war, and they aren’t
wrong. The major escalation of American troops started under Johnson, especially in 1965
after the Gulf of Tonkin incident. This is one of the great incidents in all
of American history. So, in August 1964, North Korean patrol boats attacked US warships in
the Gulf of Tonkin. As a result Johnson asked Congress to authorize
the president to take “all necessary measures to repel armed attack” in Vietnam, which
Congress dutifully did with the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.
So why is this one of the great incidents in American history? Because the whole patrol
boats attacking warships thing? That didn’t happen. None of that stuff happened except
we did actually go to war. Now, in retrospect, this seems like a terrible
idea but it was very popular at the time because to quote the historian James Patterson, “Preventing
Communism, after all, remained the guiding star of American policy.”[1] Wait a second,
did I just say to quote historian James Patterson, like the crime novelist? Oh it’s a different
guy apparently. That’s a bummer. He doesn’t write his own books because he’s
so busy with his secret career - being a historian. So, the number of American troops began a
steady increase and so did the bombing. The frightfully named Operation Rolling Thunder
began in the spring of 1965. And in March of that year two Marine battalions arrived
at Danang airbase authorized to attack the enemy. No advising about it.
But, Johnson didn’t actually tell the American public that our troops had this authorization,
which was part of a widening credibility gap between what the government told Americans
about the war and what was really happening. Let’s go to the ThoughtBubble.
By 1968 there were about half a million American soldiers in Vietnam and the government was
confidently saying that victory was just around the corner. But then in January Vietnamese
forces launched the Tet Offensive and while it was eventually repelled, the fact that
the North Vietnamese were able to mount such an offensive cast doubts on the claims that
U.S. victory was imminent. The Vietnam War itself was particularly brutal,
with much of the ground fighting taking place in jungles. Rather than large-scale offensives,
troops were sent on search and destroy missions and often it was difficult to tell enemy from
civilians. Capturing territory wasn’t meaningful, so commanders kept track of body counts. Like,
if more enemy were killed than Americans, we were winning.
In addition to jungle fighting, there was a lot of bombing. Like, more bombs were dropped
on North and South Vietnam than both the Axis and Allied powers used in all of World War
II. The U.S. used chemical defoliants like Agent Orange to get rid of that pesky jungle,
and also napalm, which was used to burn trees, homes, and people.
Television coverage meant that Vietnam was the first war brought into American living
rooms. And people were horrified at what they saw. They were especially shocked at the My
Lai massacre, which took place in 1968 but was only reported a year later, in 1969. These
draftees were young, and disproportionately from the lower classes because enrollment
in college or grad school earned you a deferment. So unlike previous American wars, the burden
of fighting did not fall evenly across socioeconomic class.
Thanks, ThoughtBubble. So, as Americans at home became increasingly aware of what was
going on in Vietnam, protests started. But it’s important to remember that the majority
of Americans were not out in the streets or on college campuses burning their draft cards.
Right up through 1968 and maybe even 1970, most Americans supported the Vietnam War.
During the 1968 presidential campaign, Richard Nixon promised that he had a secret plan to
end the war and appealed to the silent majority of Americans who weren’t on board with the
anti-war movement. So, the first part of Nixon’s secret plan
was “vietnamization” -- gradually withdrawing American troops and leaving the fighting to
the Vietnamese. The second part involved more bombing and
actually escalating the war by sending American troops into Cambodia in order to cut off the
so-called Ho Chi Minh, named for this guy, a supply line that connected north to south.
Not only did this not work, it also destabilized Cambodia and helped the Khmer Rouge to come
to power. The Khmer Rouge represented the absolute worst
that Communism had to offer, forcing almost all Cambodians into communes and massacring
one third of the country’s population. So, not a great secret plan. By 1970 the anti-protests
had grown and discontent within the armed forces was enormous.
Vietnam veterans, including future almost-president John Kerry, were participating in protests.
And things got even worse when in 1971 the New York Times published the Pentagon Papers,
classified documents that showed that the government had been misleading the public
about the war for years. Congress eventually responded by passing the
War Powers Act in 1973 which was supposed to limit the president’s ability to send
troops overseas without their approval and prevent another Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.
John: How does that work out, Stan? Stan: Not great.
John: Yeah. I’ll say. After five years of negotiations, Nixon and
his secretary of state Henry Kissinger were able to end America’s involvement in Vietnam.
In 1973 the Paris Peace Agreement made it possible for America to withdraw its troops,
although it left North Korea in control of some of South Vietnam.
The war between North and South Vietnam however continued until 1975 when the North finally
conquered the South and created a single, communist Vietnam.
The Vietnam War cost the United States more than $100 billion spent, 58,000 Americans
died as well as between 3 and 4 million Vietnamese people
And Vietnam was the first war in America that we definitively lost. We lost it because we
didn’t understand the Vietnamese and we didn’t understand why they were fighting.
To return to the historian James Patterson, “the unyielding determination of the enemy
… wore down the American commitment, which proved to be far less resolute.”[2]
America expected that its superior technology and wealth would eventually wear down the
Vietnamese and they’d just give up communism. But the Vietnamese weren’t fighting for
communism. They were fighting for Vietnam. This fundamental misunderstanding combined
with the government’s dishonesty changed American’s relationship with their leaders.
Before Vietnam, most Americans trusted their government, even when they knew it did horrible
things. But, after the war, and largely because of it, that trust was gone. Thanks for watching.
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