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Postwar Japan. German Occupation Zones. 1) The postwar reconstruction of the devastated islands of Japan was accomplished with much greater ease compared to Germany because the United States represented the sole occupying force in the Pacific theatre. Postwar Japan.
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Postwar Japan German Occupation Zones 1) The postwar reconstruction of the devastated islands of Japan was accomplished with much greater ease compared to Germany because the United States represented the sole occupying force in the Pacific theatre.
Postwar Japan 3) Supreme Allied Commander in the Pacific, General Douglas MacArthur, quickly moved to radically transform the fascist Japanese empire into a democratic society based upon individual liberty.
Postwar Japan 4) The changes in Japanese culture and government during the U.S. occupation were astonishing. The formerly bloodthirsty and imperialistic Japanese now seemed eager to “westernize” their society in the shadow of the American military.
Postwar Japan 5) Western culture and government united with a determined and industrious Japanese people to bring about a miraculous economic recovery. Within twenty-five years, Japan developed into one the world’s greatest industrial powers, particularly in the automobile and electronics industries.
Postwar Korea Korea 1) The militaristic Japanese took over the Korean peninsula in the early 1900s as an initial step toward building their Asian empire. After Japan was defeated in September 1945, the colony of Korea was granted its long awaited independence.
Postwar Korea 2) However, American forces had accepted the Japanese surrender in the southern half of Korea and the Soviet forces had done so in the northern half. The two occupying forces were divided by the 38th parallel of latitude that ran though the center of the country.
Postwar Korea 3) Similar to postwar Germany, the rival occupation forces set up their own regimes in the defeated territories. Northern Korea was established as a Soviet supported Communist dictatorship and South Korea was a U.S. backed democratic government.
Postwar Korea 4) The U.S. and Soviet forces officially withdrew in 1949 and left two heavily armed governments that both wanted to reunite the two Koreas under their own rule. 5) The tense situation finally erupted on June 25th, 1950 when the North Koreans poured over the 38th parallel with Soviet-made tanks and armaments. In just a few weeks the unprepared South Koreans were surrounded with their backs to the sea in a defensive line around the city of Pusan.
Postwar Korea 6) The invasion seemed to vindicate the Truman Doctrine of containment by serving as proof that even the slightest relaxation of America’s guard was an invitation to communist aggression around the world.
Postwar Korea 7) President Truman took advantage of a Soviet absence from the United Nations Security Council on June 25th, 1950, to attain a condemnation of North Korea as the aggressor. Other UN members cooperated with the United States to lend vital financial and military support to the struggling South Koreans.
Postwar Korea ? 8) Without consulting Congress, Truman ordered U.S. forces stationed in Japan and the Pacific under General Douglas MacArthur to help defend South Korea. War would never officially be declared and the conflict would be fought as a UN “police action,” despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of troops were American.
The Korean Conflict 1) Surrounded by the North Korean Army at Pusan, General MacArthur planned a daring amphibious invasion behind enemy lines by landing UN forces on the western South Korean coast near the port of Inchon.
The Korean Conflict 2) The brilliantly planned Inchon landing on September 15th, 1950, achieved total surprise and successfully pushed the North Koreans back across the 38th parallel within two weeks.
The Korean Conflict 3) South Korea had been restored and the stated goal of “containment” had been fulfilled, but the war turned on a new offensive when South Korean troops crossed the 38th parallel during their pursuit of the retreating North Koreans.
The Korean Conflict 4) The United Nations and the Truman administration quickly approved of the use of UN forces to topple the North Korean government. However, the Chinese warned that they would not allow aggressive troops to threaten their border with North Korea along the Yalu River.
The Korean Conflict 5) MacArthur didn’t take the Chinese threat seriously and UN forces were driven back to the 38th parallel by over 150,000 Chinese troops that poured over the Yalu River in November of 1950.
The Korean Conflict 9) The Korean War degenerated into a stalemate around the 38th parallel and truce negotiations began during the summer of 1951. However, peace talks continued for close to two years before a cease fire was declared. ?
Massive Retaliation 1) In early 1954 the Eisenhower administration shifted foreign policy away from conventional military action to a policy of deterrence that was supported by building a massive nuclear arsenal.
Massive Retaliation 2) Eisenhower established an air fleet of super-bombers known as the “Strategic Air Command” (SAC) in order to carry out massive nuclear assaults at a moments notice.
Massive Retaliation 3) A policy of “Massive Retaliation” was announced in an effort to deter possible Soviet and Chinese threats around the globe. Eisenhower ensured that if the United States or its allies were attacked, the U.S. would respond with a massive nuclear strike against the communists.
Massive Retaliation 4) However, the massive retaliation policy proved ineffective and impractical as the Soviet Union continually challenged U.S. foreign policy in a number of minor situations around the globe. The U.S. couldn’t possibly justify the use of nuclear weapons merely in such limited engagements merely to support a policy of deterrence.
Massive Retaliation 6) Deterrence was actually achieved on both sides of the Cold War because a mutual policy of massive retaliation led both superpowers to the conclusion that “mutually assured destruction” would result from any nuclear strike, no matter who fired first.
Space Race 1) The superiority of American science and technology was severely challenged in 1957 when the Soviet Union successfully launched the “Sputnik” satellite into orbit around the earth.
Space Race 2) It was a truly sobering thought that a Soviet nuclear attack could now be launched in the form of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBMs) that could hit the United States.
Space Race 3) The Eisenhower administration responded by increasing funds for science and technology education in American public schools. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was also created and funded with billions for missile development.
Space Race 4) Despite renewed American commitment to the space program, the Soviets narrowly beat American astronauts into space when they launched cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin into orbit on April 12th, 1961. Twenty-three days later, American astronaut Alan Shepard was the first to enter orbit for United States.
Space Race 5) The newly elected President Kennedy made the space program paramount and launched the famous Apollo program with the ultimate goal of sending an American to the moon by the end of the decade.
