Self Check 6.3 History from 1877
How did people in the United States respond to the Vietnam War? Vietnam was not a popular war in America. For the first time in history, Americans watched the war progress on television. They were horrified by the violence and the deaths of thousands of men, women, and children occurring before their eyes. Young people especially found the war to be unjust and unjustifiable and college campuses all over the nation became the centers for rebellion. Students sang protest songs, burned draft cards, and initiated and carried out rallies. The unpopularity of the war ultimately forced President Nixon to withdraw troops in 1974.
How did you do? Review the text if you do not understand the following concept: • America's response to the Vietnam War people had very strong antiwar sentiments
What was the outcome of the Korean War? No significant changes occurred as a result of the Korean War. At the end of the war Korea remained divided along the thirty-eighth parallel with a demilitarized buffer zone. Both sides maintain significant forces at this boundary even today.
How did you do? Review the text if you do not understand the following concept: • The lack of progress that resulted from the Korean War korea remains divided today, so there wasn't a victor
What combat challenges did soldiers face in the Vietnam War? American soldiers faced a different kind of combat in Vietnam than any they had faced before. The thick, dense jungles that make up Vietnam's landscape presented tactical challenges. It was difficult to maintain ground gained and to find the Vietcong, who easily hid in the dense jungles. If found, the Vietcong were nearly impossible to identify because they did not wear uniforms and appeared identical to normal villagers. Consequently, American troops focused on destroying enemy positions rather than engaging in hand-to-hand combat with elusive enemies.
How did you do? Review the text if you do not understand the following concept: • What challenges American soldiers faced in Vietnam guerrilla warfare was used, so there wasn't any warning before attacks.
How did the Vietnam War end? The beginning of the war's end occurred with the aggressive Tet offensive made by the Vietcong. This offensive demonstrated to Americans that no matter how strong their presence was in Vietnam, nothing could prevent the attacks of the Vietcong. When voters elected Nixon into office, he promised to end the war, which he eventually did with the removal of all American troops by 1974. Without American aid, South Vietnam could not withstand the Vietcong. A communist flag flew over all of Vietnam by 1975.
How did you do? Review the text if you do not understand the following concepts: • Events that led to the end of the Vietnam war • Effect of the war • Costs of the war (in casualties) • Fall of Vietnam to communism The United states withdrew their soldiers and the communist government took over.
How was the Korean War an extension of the cold war? The Korean War is often considered an outgrowth of the cold war because it grappled with the same issue: democracy versus communism. When Korea was liberated from Japan after World War II, leaders divided Korea between the United States and the Soviet Union along the thirty-eighth parallel. In 1950 the communist North Koreans attacked an unprepared South Korea across the thirty-eighth parallel. President Truman responded by appealing to the United Nations for aid, which they granted. The United Nations (through Truman) put General McArthur in charge of the conflict. Through a series of naval victories, General McArthur drove the North Koreans back into their territory and then started to push them further, which prompted the Chinese to enter the conflict. Victories teetered back and forth until an uneasy stalemate was reached. In 1953 Eisenhower reopened negotiations and ended the war. Korea remains divided along the thirty-eighth parallel.
How did you do? Review the text if you do not understand the following concepts: • How the Korean War was an outgrowth of cold war tensions • Events of the Korean War • Major players in the Korean War the soviets supported north korea and the united states supported south korea, so the fighting between the two sections was really to do with the conflicting government systems of the soviet union and america.
How were the U.S. and Soviet space programs fueled by cold war tensions? The space programs of these two nations were fraught with the cold war fears. When the Soviets succeeded in launching the first satellite, Sputnik, into space, the United States feared that the Soviet Union would utilize this technology to launch nuclear weapons from space. The government increased the budget for the U.S. space program and created NASA to focus on developing more sophisticated technology.
How did you do? Review the text if you do not understand the following concepts: • Sputnik • Formation of NASA • Fears associated with space technology the united states feared that the Soviets would figure out how to launch a nuclear weapon from space into the us.
What fear did Americans have concerning communism in America? How were these fears exacerbated in the 1950s? After the Korean War, Americans worried that communist spies had infiltrated the government and were continuing to pass state secrets to the enemy. The arrest of several government officials substantiated these fears. In 1950 Senator Joseph McCarthy capitalized on and exacerbated these fears when he claimed that he had a list of 205 card-carrying members of the Communist Party who were also government employees. He unsettled the nation with these claims for years until the Senate eventually condemned him for his unsubstantiated accusations.
How did you do? Review the text if you do not understand the following concepts: • The fear of communism in America • Joseph McCarthy and the Red Scare they feared that the communist countries would attack the u.s.
What events led to the Vietnam War? Several events led to the Vietnam War. In 1954, after years of fighting, Vietnamese communist Ho Chi Minh and his army won independence for Vietnam from France. In the ensuing peace talks, leaders divided Vietnam into two countries, one led by Ho Chi Minh and the other led by Ngo Dinh Diem. The Soviet Union supported the North Vietnamese and the United States supported the South Vietnamese. As Diem failed to revive the southern economy, many people joined the Vietcong (an organization that opposed Diem and eventually became communist). As the Vietcong became larger and more militant, America began fearing the collapse of Southern Vietnam into communism. Kennedy and Eisenhower both responded by sending military advice and aid to Southern Vietnam. More significant aid came in 1964 when President Johnson gained power to escalate the U.S. response through the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. Following this resolution, the government sent American troops over to Vietnam to help defeat communism there.
How did you do? Review the text if you do not understand the following concepts: • Which events led to the start of the Vietnam War • How different presidents responded to this conflict the united states and the soviet union each supported a part of vietnam, and the tension between the two led to the war
How did the United States respond to a communist presence in Cuba? With the fall of Cuba to the communist dictator Fidel Castro, America began to fear communist aggression from the small island, which is only ninety miles away from the Florida coast. In 1961 Kennedy attempted to oust Castro through a military operation entitled the Bay of Pigs. This operation called for an army of Cuban exiles to attack Cuba on the south side, gain local support, and bring down the communist regime. The operation failed, and all of the exiles were either killed or imprisoned. Because of this attempted invasion, Cuba received additional support from the Soviet Union. Intelligence eventually revealed that the Cubans were constructing nuclear missile sites and that the Soviet Union was going to provide them with the missiles. This led to the Cuban Missile Crisis, which was finally diffused by negotiations and a United States naval quarantine of the island, which prevented Soviet ships from entering Cuba.
How did you do? Review the text if you do not understand the following concepts: • Who controlled communist Cuba • What happened at the Bay of Pigs • Why America feared the proximity of communist Cuba • What happened during the Cuban Missile Crisis and how the crisis was diffused
Why did containment policies become necessary in Latin America? What containment policies were enacted regarding Latin America during the Kennedy administration? During Kennedy's administration, containment in Latin America became necessary because many people in Latin American countries were turning to communism as the answer to their economic problems. They were experiencing a huge disparity between the very small wealthy class and the inordinately large lower class. In response, the Kennedy administration offered aid through the Alliance for Progress, which provided the resources to build schools, hospitals, and complete other projects if those nations would work at reforming their economies. The Kennedy administration also offered military aid to those fighting against the communists.
How did you do? Review the text if you do not understand the following concepts: • Why Latin America was susceptible to communist ideology at this time • Response of the Kennedy administration they didn't want communism to spread throughout latin america. Kennedy created the peace corps and send aid to struggling countries
