Part 1:
History.com Editors. “Atomic Bomb History.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 6 Sept. 2017, www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history.
History.com Editors. “Vietnam War.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 29 Oct. 2009, www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-history.
History.com Editors. “Korean War.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 9 Nov. 2009, www.history.com/topics/korea/korean-war.
Part 2:
What were arguably the most significant major key factors of the Cold War were proxy and nuclear weapons. During WWII, America acquired new menacing weaponry that changed the art and nature of militarism forever through the form of nuclear bombs. In the pacific, the United States went to war with Japan in retaliation for the bombing of Pearl Harbor. To defeat Japan, the US used two atomic bombs, swiftly defeating them in 1945. The destruction caused by those bombs made mankind question the existence of God for no destruction has ever been possible. It remains the first and only time nuclear weapons were used in combat. America was the only country to possess nuclear weapons until Russia obtained nuclear intel through atomic espionage (spying). Despite its deadly capabilities, in a way it created, in a wicked sense, peace. Since humanity created and witnessed such a powerful weapon, all countries feared nuclear annihilation and its capabilities of destroying the world. This universal fear changed the landscape of warfare to avoid a nuclear war. Now it is done differently in a way that changed and effects the modern-day world: proxy wars.
A proxy war is a conflict between two major parties (the US and USSR in this case) fight each other indirectly through minor league parties whom they exert influence through. It’s complicated to understand initially but the nature of proxy wars will be better understood after reading some examples of real proxy warfare during the Cold War. There were many proxy wars during the Cold War but the most prominent proxies were the Korean War, Vietnam War and the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Korean War is a good way to grasp a simple understanding of proxy wars and how they effect the modern day world.
The Korean War was a Civil War between the North, which is communist, and the South, which was democratic. It started in 1950. North Korea, who was supported by the Soviet Union, dispatched 75,000 North Korean soldiers to invade South Korea. This invasion forced the South side to reach to their allies, America. The US aided the South Koreans to not only push forward but to attempt to liberate communism in North Korea. This plan was ultimately halted by North Korea’s neighbor, China. China’s leader, Mao Zedong, feared the expansion of democracy being close to their turf, so he sought to even the odds and help maintain communist rule in North Korea. After sending Chinese troopers, China forced backed South Korean soldiers back to their territory causing a stalemate between the 38th parallel, the line separating what was once a united country into North and South. The war “ended” in 1953 but the 38th parallel divide continues till this day as well as the tension and animosity between North and South Korea.
Another major proxy war was the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13 day military standoff between the US and USSR. After Fidel Castro rose to power, he sought military and economic aid from Nikita Khrushchev, leader of the USSR at the time. Russia installed nuclear missiles in Cuba causing America to act due to possible nuclear threats being only 90 miles from US shores. As retaliation, US president John F. Kennedy set up a naval blockade that was prepared to use military action if necessary to eliminate the perceived threat. The world feared we were on the brink to nuclear war. After 13 days, Khrushchev gave in and came to an agreement. The USSR would dismantle their nuclear missiles if the US did not invade Cuba and dismantle their nuclear missiles in Turkey. Khrushchev’s decision to pull operations out of Cuba caused him to lose credibility among the USSR and Chinese leader, Mao Zedong who called him a coward. The Cuban Missile Crisis is remembered for being the closest to a nuclear war.
The Vietnam War is not only another major proxy war, but a controversial war that is arguably a stain on American soil. The start of the Vietnam War has similar historical circumstances like the Korean War but with a more drastic and distasteful set of events. After Japan’s brutal defeat in WWII, they withdrew their political involvement in Vietnam, allowing the country to govern themselves. All Vietnamese wanted to govern their own independent country, but two distinct parties wanted it to be run their way rather than the opposing party.
Ho Chi Minh was the leader of communist North Vietnam, known as Viet Minh or Viet Cong. They were supported by the USSR by receiving military support. The opposing side was South Vietnam under anti-communist leader Ngo Dinh Diem who was supported by the United States. The US got involved in the Vietnam War in 1954. With training from US military personnel, Diem sought to track down and arrest anybody he presumed to be Viet Cong within his territory, leading to the arrest of some of 100,000 people. This mass internment resulted in tortures and executions of not only Viet Cong, but Southern Vietnamese under Diem’s regime. This branded Diem as a brutal dictator, causing him to lose support of his party and create enemies within his own territory. A resistance was formed against Diem’s brutal regime called ‘The National Liberation Front’ and a coup was plotted to assassinate Diem. It succeeded, furthering political chaos and instability in South Vietnam.
After Diem’s assassination in 1963, President Lyndon B. Johnson, LBJ, pushed for more US military and economic support of South Vietnam. In 1964, ships that were supposedly of North Vietnam attacked two US destroyers. This is now known as the Gulf of Tonkin incident which was a hoax by the US government to motivate war activity in Vietnam. This prompted Congress to pass the Gulf on Tonkin Resolution, giving LBJ the opportunity to increase warfare in Vietnam. In 1965, LBJ sent 82,000 troops and 175,000 more by the end of the year to fight in Vietnam.
The War in Vietnam grew extremely unpopular back home in the United States. From the 1969 draft to the increasing number of casualties and wounded, protests against the war grew. Soldiers stationed in Vietnam no longer trusted the government resulting in many no longer on task. Instead, many deserted the war while others partook in fragging (attempting to or to deliberately kill your allied soldiers), did drugs or committed suicide. Back at home, thousands of people protested the war. A form of protest was draft dodging, or refusing to serve in Vietnam. Others protested by accusing the government of supporting dictatorship as well as targeting Vietnamese civilians instead of Viet Cong combatants.
In 1973, after constant failures to amount offense in the war as well as lack of domestic support, the United States concluded their animosity with North Vietnam and came to a peace agreement. Although the US withdrew from fighting in Vietnam, the war between North and South Vietnam continued on until April 30, 1975. As the last few US soldiers were airlifted out, the capital of South Vietnam, Saigon (later renamed Ho Chi Minh City), fell to the North and the Viet Cong claimed their victory. Many Vietnam vets experienced severe mental disorders that negatively impacted their lives permanently after witnessing and partaking in ghastly horrors. Not only did Vietnam vets experience psychological disorders but received severe hatred by citizens back home. Throughout the 19 year conflict, an estimated of over 58,000 US soldiers died and an overall estimation of 1-4 million people, including soldiers and civilians, were killed as a result of the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War is remembered as a failure as well as a human rights violation that America is negligent for.
Part 3:
In the source I used about atomic bombs, I agree how the invention of nuclear weapons changed the world forever: “The United States responded by launching a program in 1950 to develop more advanced thermonuclear weapons. The Cold War arms race had begun, and nuclear testing and research became high-profile goals for several countries, especially the United States and the Soviet Union.” Because these weapons were new and powerful, other nations wanted to obtain them to be a more powerful threat in case of international threats. Now that many countries have armed themselves with nuclear warheads as a means to protect themselves, thy all share the same fear: a nuclear war.
The alternative to nuclear weapon usage were proxy wars. Another detail I find intriguing is how overall unknown the Korean War was to the American people: “In all, some 5 million soldiers and civilians lost their lives in what many in the U.S. refer to as “the Forgotten War” for the lack of attention it received compared to more well-known conflicts like World War I and II and the Vietnam War. The Korean peninsula is still divided today.” This tells me that nuclear weapons did in fact change how the modern world fights wars in the new age. The art of fighting in proxies was something many people did not understand for decades because of how new this tactic is.
Another striking detail I discovered in my Vietnam War source is when studying the Vietnam War, many flaws in the American government system are revealed as a whole: “The anti-war movement, which was particularly strong on college campuses, divided Americans bitterly. For some young people, the war symbolized a form of unchecked authority they had come to resent. For other Americans, opposing the government was considered unpatriotic and treasonous.” This divide that was caused by the government’s deception and lies brings up a valid criticism of the nature of democracy that I quoted in my first entry: “It is criticized as a system [democracy] that allows the uninformed to make decisions with equal weight as the informed, and one which allows for oppression of minorities by the majority.” This quote is exactly what the government did by lying to keep the American people uninformed while coercing people to join through the draft. This divided American society amongst each other. In this case, the government did not disclose the hoax of the Gulf of Tonkin incident as well as fabricating the events in Vietnam. This makes me question the government’s overall credibility due to their historical constant premise of corruption and lies that that causes civil unrest both at home and other nations. Ex: Discovery of weapons of mass destruction in 2003 Iraq Invasion, COINTELPRO, Herbert Hoover’s response to the Great Depression, McCarthyism, Mai Lai Massacre.
Part 4:
“Unlike World War II and Vietnam, the Korean War did not get much media attention in the United States.”
“The Korean War was relatively short but exceptionally bloody. Nearly 5 million people died. More than half of these–about 10 percent of Korea’s prewar population–were civilians. (This rate of civilian casualties was higher than World War II’s and the Vietnam War’s.)”
“According to a survey by the Veterans Administration, some 500,000 of the 3 million troops who served in Vietnam suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, and rates of divorce, suicide, alcoholism and drug addiction were markedly higher among veterans.”
“In the United States, the effects of the Vietnam War would linger long after the last troops returned home in 1973. The nation spent more than $120 billion on the conflict in Vietnam from 1965-73; this massive spending led to widespread inflation, exacerbated by a worldwide oil crisis in 1973 and skyrocketing fuel prices.”
“Psychologically, the effects ran even deeper. The war had pierced the myth of American invincibility and had bitterly divided the nation. Many returning veterans faced negative reactions from both opponents of the war (who viewed them as having killed innocent civilians) and its supporters (who saw them as having lost the war)…”
“When the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s, there were still thousands of nuclear weapons scattered across Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Many of the weapons were located in Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. These weapons were deactivated and returned to Russia.”
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