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The Cold War Heats Up

The Cold War Heats Up. The first atomic bomb was detonated on July 16, 1945 in the Trinity test in New Mexico; Oppenheimer remarked later that it brought to mind words from the Bhagavad Gita : "Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.". China Becomes a Communist Country:.

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The Cold War Heats Up

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  1. The Cold War Heats Up The first atomic bomb was detonated on July 16, 1945 in the Trinity test in New Mexico; Oppenheimer remarked later that it brought to mind words from the BhagavadGita: "Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."

  2. China Becomes a Communist Country: • Chinese nationalists led by Chiang Kai-shek struggled for many years to prevent Chinese communists led by Mao Zedong from taking control • The United States supported Chiang Kai-shek and gave the nationalists an estimated 3 billion dollars in economic and military aid • Chiang Kai-shek’s government was corrupt and unpopular with the majority of impoverished Chinese Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-shek with United States ambassador Patrick J. Hurley, 1945

  3. China Becomes a Communist Country: • A civil war ensued and Mao Zedong’s communist government would force the nationalists to flee the mainland to the island of Taiwan • the American public was stunned that China had become communist-containment had failed • the American government refused to recognize the new communist Chinese government Mao Zedong declares the founding of the modern People's Republic of China, October 1, 1949

  4. The Korean War: • After WWII ended, the 38th parallel divided a Korean nation between communist North and democratic South • On June 25, 1950, North Korean forces swept across the 38th parallel and attacked South Korea Territory often changed hands early in the war, until the front stabilized.

  5. The Korean War: • South Korea called on the United States and the UN to stop the invasion- the vote for military action passed in the UN • A force of an estimated 590,000 troops commanded by General Douglass MacArthur answered the call MacArthur observes the naval shelling of Inchon from USS Mount McKinley, 15 September 1950 with Brigadier General Courtney Whitney(left) and Major General Edward M. Almond (right).

  6. The United States Fights in Korea (1950-1953): • MacArthur staged a counterattack that captured half of the North Korean army and pushed the other half back across the 38th parallel • the Chinese helped North Korea with 300,000 troops and pushed the American led UN army into a steady retreat • sensing a bloody stalemate, Macarthur called for an extension of the war into China Chinese forces cross the Yalu River A GI comforts a grieving infantryman.

  7. The United States Fights in Korea (1950-1953): • publicly, he called for the use of nuclear weapons against Chinese cities • President Truman rejected the general’s recommendation noting that the Soviet Union and China had a mutual-assistance pact which would lead to a possible third World War • instead of attacking China, UN forces along with the U.S. 8th Army pushed North Koreans and Chinese soldiers back across the 38th parallel Atom bomb test, 1951. This was Operation Buster-Jangle Dog shot, on 1 November.

  8. The United States Fights in Korea (1950-1953): • Tension over President Truman’s plan for settlement and MacArthur’s plan to extend the war into China clashed • President Truman fired General MacArthur on April 1, 1951 On April 19, 1951, General Douglas MacArthur made a high-profile “farewell address” to a joint meeting of Congress. “Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.”

  9. The United States Fights in Korea (1950-1953): • Truce talks between both sides began with a cease-fire on June 23, 1951 • Both sides agreed on the exchange of prisoners and a demilitarized zone • An armistice was signed in July of 1953 ending the war • Over 54,000 American lives were lost and an estimated 67 billion dollars were spent on expenditures The DMZ as seen from the north, 2005. Korea War Memorial “the column”

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