America's role in the greatest wars in the 20th century |
The Cold War including the korean war and vietnam war
The Cold War
Many war experts believe the Cold War began around the time of World War II. A confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union did not erupt during that time because both joined forces to fight a common enemy which was Nazi Germany. The Cold War broke out after World War II when Germany was divided among the allies. The idea was to install new governments and once they were able to govern themselves all forces would pull out of their designated zones. The Soviet Union installed a pro-Russian government in their zone and invaded several World War II destroyed countries. The Cold War at its core was a fight between Communism (the Soviet Union) and Capitalism (the United States), and was not fought primarily on the battlefield, but through espionage, propaganda, the nuclear arms race, and proxy wars. The United States and the Soviet Union both were involved in obtaining information about each other through spies and airborne surveillance. Propaganda was used primarily to garner support for each other's causes. The Nuclear Arms Race occurred when both the United States developed more powerful nuclear weapons in an effort to be prepared for nuclear war during the Cold War. The Cuban Missile Crisis was the most important event during the nuclear arms race, and pitted the United States against the Soviet Union and Fidel Castro's Cuba. Cuba depended on the Soviet Union for military supplies and aid, and the Soviet Union decided to increase its nuclear strike range by placing nuclear missiles on Cuban soil. After a tense showdown between all three sides, the Soviets decided to back off which ultimately lead to a dismantling of their nuclear program. The Cold War was also fought by proxy war in the Korean War and the Vietnam War between America and the Soviets. The Cold War ended when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Many people perished during the proxy wars, and during the Cuban Missile Crisis almost every United States citizen prepared for the end of the world due to nuclear war. Although the Cold War did not involve many deaths (compared to World War I and World War II), the psychological toll was overwhelming for all citizens involved in the war.
The Korean War
The Korean War acted as a proxy war during the Cold War between the United States who sided with South Korea and the Soviet Union and China who sided with North Korea. America was committed to stopping the spread of Communism, so the United States battled against North Korea and China in the Korean War. At the end of the World War II, the Soviet Union occupied North Korea after declaring war on Japan, while the United States occupied South Korea at the same time. The governments that were appointed felt they were each legitimate governments of Korea. In 1950, North Korean forces (with the aid of the Soviet Union and China) invaded South Korea thus starting the Korean War. American forces helped push North Korean forces close to the Chinese border when China sent divisions of Chinese soldiers which proved effective against war-weary American and South Korean forces. The Korean war ended in a armistice on July 27, 1953 that ended the fighting and still exists today. The Korean War caused over 1 million casualties including most who were civilians. Korea became a war torn country, while the United States and Russia continued along the Cold War.
The Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was another proxy war during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. Like the Korean War, the United States supported South Vietnam who were anti-communist, while the communists Soviet Union and China supported North Vietnam. South Vietnam, in conjunction with allies like the United States, also fought the Viet Cong who were South Vietnamese supported by North Vietnam. The war was characterized as both a physical and psychological war where both sides dropped messages (leaflets) to garner support for their cause. The leaflet practice still exists today. The Vietnam War was the least supported war in the 20th century. The 1960s in the United States was overrun by people taking up movements to support peace and civil rights. Americans were not supportive of the war effort because there was no reason to be there. Grose (2007) writes about students who attempted to make change across University campuses as well. U.S. citizens were aware that American forces were suffering heavy losses and politicians were aware of the anti-war efforts of the American people. Don Gordon (n.d.) was a part of the Ninth Marines in Vietnam, and remembers people were realizing that the U.S. was losing the war. He even remembers how often his unit was outnumbered during battles during strategic mistakes. A lack of support from home and also from South Vietnam led to the United States pulling out of Vietnam fully on April 30, 1975. The war had ended. Like in Korea, the whole country of Vietnam was destroyed and casualties have been estimated at around 3 million people including mostly civilian deaths.