Involvement of USA in Korean War Essay

Different from its elaboration in the Vietnam War?In the 40s on state of wards regular army got interested in Asian affairs. Taking into account the fact that they were not def baring themselves or any opposite American ally, they had to further extend territorial boundaries to fall on political-ideological frontiers. Indeed, they were defending its grease from enemies in a new scale the charge against the developing collectivism over the world. In these lines, Korea and Vietnam portrayed two supranational hotspots now pore on Asia, as the stage within the involvement of the two global provides regular army and the Soviet Union. Anyways, were the circumstances by which USA faced communism in both countries different?First of all, the scope in South- eastward Asia determined in great scale American intervention in the bailiwick, since either coun accent were occupied by other foreign springs while Korea was beneath Japanese domination, Vietnam still re of imported part of the French empire (later becoming member of the French Union).The first case of Korea was already been the stage of the war between body politic and communism. USA was quite glowing since the conflict that had already happened in Germany and the wiz that was going on in Turkey and Greece, both cases falling under soviet beliefs.After the get the best of the Chinese Kuomintang in 1949, by communist Mao, American leaders began venerateing that the rapid spread of the transcription around the world would be successful one more time in Asia. Thus, USA decided to risk and try obtaining new land that would draw them an ally in East Asia, which, in turn, would give it time to plan more attempts and new victory against communism. Thus, they fought against the Japanese settlement as an exc practise to free the rule in the mark of democracy. However, the Soviet Union was also actually interested in the argona for the akin reasons a new ally and victory against capitalism.Anyw ays, the exclusively territory was firstly freed under the name of United Nations, towards democracy, for support free peoples who are resenting attempt subjugation. However both powers claimed their part very soon. two powers set up a divisor line along the thirty-eighth parallel, where the nitrogen would be under Soviet aim and the South by American intervention. Then, although elections were held in South Korea (August 1938) supported by UN, Russia rejected to do so in the brotherhood. The South became the independent Republic of Korea and the North adopted the name of Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, very more in the lines of Chinese remains.The tension now remained very high at either sides of the line. Since the prexy of North Korea by the time, Kin IL birdsong might have been encouraged by the Chinese government and Russia with forces supplies to test USA President, Trumans determination, showing him that communism was the dominant power in Pacific Asia, also wi th the promise of spreading further very soon.At that stage, the domino theory was beginning in American minds. This horizon applies to the idea that the fall of one state to a common system would lead inexorably to a series of the same. Therefore, if communism triumphed in mainland mainland mainland China and Korea was already under its influence, the dither could have an unlimited repercussion in the entire heavens of South-East Asia. Thus, behind these ideas, American host were uniform to Korea to withdraw North Koreans troops after their attack in the siemens republic, together with forces from other 14 countries all under the command of General McArthur.However, afterwards, South Korea was almost taken by North Korea troops moreover American troops regained control in the territory later and also two thirds of North Korea, in its advance northwards. With this movement, they lastly placed a fleet between Taiwan and China mainland. Thus, China now feared them to help Ch iang Kai-Shek troops from the island to come again and conquer the percentage of Manchuria as the most important industrial and strategic area. This attempt, if successful, would cut collide with the problem of communism in Asia, since China would turn back to democracy and therefore either North Korea would remain seized or without Chinese help, she would not be able to survive in the area for long.These reasons do the Chinese government launch a massive counter nervous in 1951 that captured South Korea capital again. Now McArthur was afr attention of Chinese power and cerebration that the best strategy to defeat communism in the area was only possible with atomic bombs. With this new horizon within the shin, president Truman feared a large-scale war that would provoke a nuclear war, which USA did not requirement. It pointed out the American limitations that would enc pretermit them within the fight they feared communism because the nuclear power that could destroy them, bu t the only force satisfactory to defeat it was their nuclear power, something that, however, they could not use since it would drag them into a foreboding(a) war.Thus, now, the only American possibility focused to settle in East Asia to contain communism there in January 1951 UN troops expelled the North Koreans troops from South Korea and fortified the frontier, until in July 1953, both countries firmed a peace pledge that stated the limit at the 38th parallel.After American impossibleness for annexation of territories in East Asia, the new step had to be focused in the South, due to the independence of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia from the French Union (Geneva Agreement, 1954). Then, Vietnam was temporarily split into two countries, and analogously as Korea, the frontier was established at another parallel, in this case the 17th one. In 1956, elections were to be held in the consentaneous country, but they never were and only in South Vietnam a referendum was held in 1955, whic h gave Ngo Dinh Diem as the president. He did not want to detainment elections for the whole country and USA, with Eisenhower as the new president feared much more intensely the domino effect. Moreover, Diem was unable to rule the country, mainly because he was very unpopular among the peasants, which furthover, in the future encouraged unwilling towards American front man in the south and appetence for communism.At this stage the Vietcong (the guerrillas) in the south were receiving supplies, equipment and troops from North Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh, who was leader of the resistance against French Union and who wanted communism to rule the country, thought that giving aid to South Vietnam against Diem, national elections would not be held and to unify the countries forces would be necessary. Thus, the following American presidencies had to launch a very strong campaign to hold off the communism wave in Vietnam-Kennedy (1961-3) tried to keep American involvement against the guerrilla , by sending advisors, military equipment and enclosing local peasants into fortified villages to isolate the Vietcong outside. However, this failed since most of the peasants were members of the Vietcong.-Johnson (1963-9) decided to bomb North Vietnam (1965), as he thought that Ho Chi Minh controlled directly the Vietcong. He also sent half million troops in the south.However, due to the great pressure of American public against the war, since they saw the conflict as a total failure, Johnson halt the bombing in March 1968, although he did not want to withdraw.-Nixon (1969-74) base his plan in the new concept of Vietnamization As public opinion did not comport him to send more troops to Vietnam, he would use the ones that were already there to re-army the Vietnamese army keep their own defence. That would allow gradually American troops to withdraw. However, he began a new wave of bombing in the north, but this time including Cambodia and Laos, as they were receiving supplies and troops from North Vietnam.Despite all the measures and policies, at the end of 1972, the Vietcong controlled almost the entire territory and several factors obligated the American intervention to reach the end. Eventually a ceasefire was agreed in January 1973. Then, American troops were withdrawn and in 1975 the Vietcong merged the whole country under a communism government by occupying Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam. Also in Laos and Cambodia the system was established the same year.Taking all these explanations into account, I can state that there were keen differences between the American policies in both the Korean and the Vietnamese wars. The main reason was the potential force used in each one, and China played an important part. It applies to the fact that the attack against them was not as merciless as in Vietnam, mainly due to Chinese power. While in Vietnam neither China nor Russia supported the army as directly as in Vietnam, in Korea China was directly invo lved since the problem was slighted link with the relationship between USA and Chiang Kai-Shek troops. For China, American troops recovered Manchuria, they would give back China mainland to them.Communist China was not willing to accept that, and USA knew that she was capable of fighting bravely to an extent that USA did not want to test, since the split of the Sino-Soviet agreement left China in an changeable situation from the international point of view We do not want the fighting in Korea to expand into a general war. Therefore, American government did not risk indeed and the only price was to lose North Korea.Nevertheless, in Vietnam they could use a more violent system as they communist China was already established and did not fear USA any more. Moreover, the conflict was seen under UN eyes solely for the enjoyment of restoring the Republic to its status prior to the invasion. For international support, it was a fight towards the human rights, since North Korea under commun ism did not want to hold elections. However, UN never supported the war in Vietnam and the international view of the war and American methods to be victorious pressed the government to reach the end of the conflict.Therefore, differences between the both wars was mainly due to internal factors of each country, but especially the foreign intervention that encouraged or restrained American actions to act in one way or another.