Communism Spreads in East Vietnam China’s Communist Revolution • After WWII, Mao (communist) resumed civil war against the Chiang Kai-shek aka Jiang Jieshi (nationalists) due to his weak and corrupt leadership • Mao wins ▫ People’s Republic of China ▫ Communist ▫ Supported by Soviet Union • Nationalists fled to Taiwan ▫ Supported by USA ▫ Considered breakaway province by mainland China Why Mao Won?

• Support of peasants ▫ Redistributed land to peasants ▫ Ended oppression by landlords • Nationalists brought economic hardships, government corruption, reliance on West • Won railroads and captured city by city with help from peasants Mao’s Totalitarian State • One party • No religion: ▫ discouraged practice of Buddhism & Confucianism • Government control of landlords and businesses • Labor camps • Killed opposition • With Soviet help, build infrastructure • Collectivization: forced agricultural land and labor to increase productivity • Allied with the SU in 1950s Great Leap Forward

• People to make superhuman effort to increase farm and industrial output • Communes: several villages for agriculture and industry • Epic Fail: low quality, useless goods, food shortages ▫ Famine: 2 years= 55 million died • Mao reduces size of communes China’s Cultural Revolution • Goal: Free China of bourgeois (elite/upperclass) tendencies ▫ Red Guards (Mao’s “Gestapo”) beat and killed bourgeois ▫ Skilled workers and managers were forced to leave their jobs and do manual labor, some in labor camps ▫ Schools and factories closed ▫ Economy slowed and civil war loomed ▫ Mao backed off the revolution and restored order

A propaganda report emphasizes the effect of brainwashing and the cult of personality of Mao Zedong in communist China. China: The Wild Card

Despite sending economic aid, China & Soviet Union weren’t allies due to border and ideological disputes ▫ Soviets end up withdrawing aid & advisors in 1960 • USA support Kai-shek & nationalist movement to Taiwan ▫ Refused to acknowledge China for fear of threat of communism spreading throughout all of Asia ▫ BUT, strategic to improve relations with China against the Soviet Union ▫ 1971, USA allowed People’s Republic of China (communist China) to replace Taiwan in the UN ▫ 1972: President Nixon visits Beijing to open trade relations with China ▫ 1979: US set up formal diplomatic relationship Korea: WWII &

• Prior to WWII, Korea was occupied by • After WWII, Soviet Union and USA split Korea into North & South along the 38th Parallel north ▫ =communist, supported by Soviets; ruled by Kim Il Sung ▫ =democratic, supported by USA; ruled by North Korea begins war

• North wants control of whole peninsula & attacks the South- 1950 • , headed by USA & General MacArthur, sent troops to help South ▫ NOTE: MacArthur is eventually fired for wanted to invade China (allies with Soviets) • North takes most of peninsula, but stopped at Pusan • Inch’on: UN troops landed behind enemy lines, captured railroads, cutting North’s troops off from North and supply lines ▫ Led to North surrender in South • UN moved North to Yalu River (border of Korea & China) ▫ Mao, worried about USA/UN, sent Chinese troops to border ▫ With help from Chinese, North pushes South back to 38th Parallel Stalemate

• An Armistice will be signed - 1953- due to stalemate • Troops will dig in and still today occupy the DMZ-demilitarized zone: area with no military forces ▫ Along 38th Parallel • NO peace treaty has ever been reached • 2013: North Korea claims it is breaking armistice with nuclear buildup and testing Two • North: communist ▫ Economic decline ▫ Inefficient collective farms ▫ Build up of nukes ▫ Chinese give economic aid ▫ Isolated ▫ Poor-no electricity ▫ Cult of personality around dictator • South: democratic ▫ Capitalist ▫ Economic boom ▫ Economic & military aid from USA ▫ prosperous Vietnam French Lose Indochina

• French Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia) ▫ Wanted independence after WWII • Communist Guerrillas: small groups of communist soldiers making raids on French colonists • Ho Chi Minh: Communist who fought Japanese during WWII then turned on French ▫ national hero ▫ Uses USA Declaration of Independence to gain USA support to declare independence from French • USA backs France due to Ho’s ties to communism ▫ Economic aid, no military aid • Dien Bien Phu: French lose final battle in 1954 and leave Vietnam • Geneva Conference: USA, Britain, France vs SU, China, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam ▫ French Indochina becomes 3 independent countries:  Laos and Cambodia become communist ▫ Divide Vietnam at 17th Parallel Vietnam Divided • North Vietnam ▫ Led by Ho Chi Minh ▫ Communist ▫ Support of Soviet Union & • South Vietnam China ▫ Led by Ngo Dinh Diem  Send economic aid, but no ▫ “Democratic” troops  Corrupt and brutal ▫ Support of USA USA’s : -view that one communist victory would lead to rest of governments in region to fall to communism -USA wanted to prevent this Ho Wants Unified Vietnam

• Ho uses his Vietcong to attack the South • President JFK sends military advisors to train South’s army (Vietminh) ▫ Kennedy’s thoughts on Vietnam “It is their war. They are the ones who have to win it or lose it”  Did not like the growing USA involvement ▫ South’s Diem and USA’s JFK both assassinated  Wonder if outcome in Vietnam would have been different? • USA President LBJ increases USA military presence in Vietnam Gulf of Tonkin

• South raiding North on islands in Gulf of Tonkin • North attacks USS Maddox thinking it assisted in raids • President LBJ tells Congress about attack, but not raids ▫ Believing attack on Maddox was unprovoked, Congress passes Tonkin Resolution  President can take all necessary measures to prevent further aggression in Southeast Asia • USA begins bombing targets in North (Operation Rolling Thunder) ▫ > 2 million USA troops sent to Vietnam Ground War

• North Guerrillas: knew country better than USA ▫ Villages became military targets ▫ Couldn’t trust anyone  Aid USA during day, Vietcong by night • Ho Chi Minh Trail ▫ Supply line running from north to south through Cambodia & Laos  Forced war to expand into Cambodia & Laos (by President Nixon)

• 1968: North led massive attack in TET Offensive South on TET-Vietnamese New Year • Failed with massive casualties • BUT infiltrated South • Turning Point-positive for North because no part of South was secure from attack Issues for USA

• Highly televised war that divided the nation • Civilian casualties, American casualties = extremely high ▫ Large numbers of POWs and MIAs • USA morale was low • Due to tv and no explanation of civilian deaths (traitors), soldiers not heroes to many people • Tired of body bags for a war that didn’t involve us Paris Peace Accord: 1973

• USA involvement in Vietnam-longer than 10 years • Nixon signs cease-fire • USA withdraws with no victory • Separated North and South Vietnam at 17th Parallel and created a demilitarized zone (DMZ) • North promised not to invade South • South left to determine own future

• 1975: North conquered South & became communist ▫ USA applies embargo Khmer Rouge

• During Vietnam War, Khmer Rouge (communist guerrillas) overthrew Cambodian government • Khmer Rouge led by dictator Pol Pot ▫ 1/3 of population (1 million) was slaughtered, starved, or worked to death to rid country of western influence • After Vietnam unified, took over Cambodia and ended genocide Did the “dominoes” fall?

• After the USA withdraws from Vietnam, some dominoes did fall-former French Indochina ▫ Vietnam ▫ Laos ▫ Cambodia • Stopped there; other parts of Southeast Asia remained capitalist and democratic