Korean War and Vietnam War Similarities Essay
Essay 1
The Vietnam War and the Korean War had a lot of factors in common. First and foremost, both conflicts were launched with an ideological foundation. The United States government claimed that if Korea and Vietnam opted for communism, the US would have to intervene.
The usage of such a strategy appeared to be the only viable solution to keep communism from spreading across Asia and the world. However, the way battles, chemical weapons use, and millions of fatalities proved that those conflicts were unjust towards Koreans and Vietnamese. While the United States and the Soviet Union were resolving their ideological differences, millions of local people were drawn into the debate.
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Although both the Vietnam War and the Korean War were fought for similar causes, tactics of combat, and both countries were split into two parts where North parts were supported communism and South areas were backed democracy, they differed in several aspects. The duration of the conflicts is when comparing them: whereas the Korean War was fought for three years, the Vietnam War was a lengthy battle with Chinese soldiers joining in. In addition to this, there are many distinctions between them including how they progressed through their development.
After World War II, the world found itself in a new age of ideological conflict. The globe was divided between the United States and the USSR, democracy vs. communism, and capitalism. Given the spread of communism among Asian nations, the United States needed to devise strategies for countering communist expansion while also spreading democratic and liberalization ideals throughout Asia.
In the mid-to-late 1950s, when the Cold War began to become more public and transparent, the United States and the Soviet Union decided to see which political system was superior. According to The Cold War, Korean Conflict, and Vietnam , “it emerged from a longstanding dispute between the United States and the Soviet Union over which form of government generated the most liberty, equality, and prosperity.” (The Department of State publication)
Both of the nations were unwilling to start an open fight, particularly on their own soil. They picked Vietnam as the site for both systems to check their strength against one another in order to begin a conflict. This was the continuation of colonial domination, which had always existed on this part of the world but with a new guise.
A number of difficulties arose as a result of the conflict between two economic and political systems, communism and liberalism. The Vietnam War and the Korean War are just two of the military conflicts that resulted from this rivalry. Following World War II, Vietnamese leaders began to embrace the USSR’s system and see communism as the only choice and desirable system for their nation.
The conflict began in South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia during the mid-1950s (Edwards 1998). It was not at first a clear war; it was instead a hidden, latent struggle overgrazing to a serious and lengthy war. According to Digital History, the University of Huston’s initiative “between 1945 and 1954, the Vietnamese fought an anti-colonial insurrection against France and received $2 billion in economic assistance from the United States” (Digital History).
The United States took every effort to win the support and protection of this region. As a result, when Vietnam decided to move towards a communist system of development, the United States had no choice but to react.
The county was split into north and south parts. The United States sent 2,000 soldiers to help South Vietnam, which sought for liberalism in the country. In 1963, there were about 63,000 US troops in this region (Digital History). The battle continued until the 1970s and finally ended in 1973 when U.S. troops were withdrawn. Only in 1975 did South and North Vietnam reunite once again.
The Korean War was different. When North Korea, along with the USSR, invaded South Korea in 1950, this war began as an apparent military conflict. North Korea embraced communism, but South Korea attempted to establish a nation based on liberalism.
The country was once again a base for the clash of two political and economic systems backed by the United States and the USSR, as it had been in Vietnam. The existence of a third force is one of the most significant differences between the conflicts in Vietnam and Korea. China sent troops to fight in Korea as a result of its national interest in this sector and its desire to safeguard it.
The UN’s role and influence in the Vietnam War and the Korean War were comparable. The war is always a terrible occurrence that must be prevented as soon as feasible. Regardless of who began the quarrel and why, the UN must work to bring both sides to negotiate a peaceful settlement.
The UN, on the other hand, has had more than one failure in recent memory. However, in the case of the Vietnam and Korean Wars, the UN did not provide an effective answer. It is clear that the UN might do something and prevent conflicts. During the Cold War, however, international politics were convoluted; even though the UN tried to alter it, it couldn’t.
The United Nations backed South Korea during the Korean War. The UN Security Council agreed to assist South Korea and prevent North Korea’s military from attacking. In 1971, the UN supported the US and South Korea in establishing a peace settlement in Vietnam. Tho, prime minister of North Vietnam, and Secretary of State Kissinger were both rewarded with the Nobel Peace Prize as a result of this agreement.
In both cases, the United States and the Soviet Union sought to safeguard their own interests while the communist regime attempted to assist. It would be incorrect to suggest that the United States’ involvement in these conflicts was limited. Both countries supplied military support to Vietnamese or Korean forces, and both initiated those conflicts; furthermore, both desired this outcome.
Because it was a genuine opportunity to display their abilities, the Vietnam War and the Korean War were two global superpowers’ games. The UN was unable to prevent the conflicts, but they were compelled to prohibit the usage of chemical weapons. Furthermore, over 40 years after the Vietnam Conflict ended, one may see that no one was held accountable for harming Vietnamese people.
The combat methods used in those conflicts were among the many factors that distinguished them. As a result, the Vietnam War is remembered first and foremost for its use of chemical weapons and their disastrous effects on the country. As a consequence of this, “the United States lost 58,000 soldiers and inflicted 350,000 injuries; it also cost between one and two million Vietnamese lives” (Digital History).
As previously said, this conflict began as a simmering tension; hence the tactics of combat were different than in the Korean War. Despite the fact that both South Korea and South Vietnam received armaments, ammunition, and military advisors from the United States, Vietnam’s ballet was more aggressive and deadly. Millions of Vietnamese were poisoned as a result of chemical assaults, resulting in incurable illnesses. The country continues to be impacted by those events even today.
While the same factors led to both the Vietnam and Korean conflicts, the situations and distinctions were quite different. The two wars shared an ideological foundation, a rivalry between two superpower nations, the United States and the Soviet Union, as well as their economic and political systems. The Vietnam War was a long struggle that lasted more than 10 years, whereas the Korean War lasted just three. The Vietnam War was one of America’s most disgraceful periods in history.
During the Vietnam War, nerve agents were employed. The outcome of two conflicts was contrasting: South Korea was safeguarded but South Vietnam was lost by the United States. Furthermore, the country’s territory was severely damaged, including people’s losses, disease dissemination , and widespread devastation of cities and villages.
Essay 2
The Korean and Vietnam conflicts are comparable in that they were both efforts by the United States to combat communism by fighting a far-flung third world nation. Both struggles were unpopular in the US, and neither produced a victory.
The Korean War and the Vietnam War are eerily similar, from the United States’ backing of a dictatorial and corrupt anti-communist regime to its perception of communism as a monolithic entity that all communist countries were required to be allies of rather than individual nations to be dealt with individually. Vietnam era policymakers, on the other hand, did not take lessons from the Korean War and apply them to the Vietnam conflict.
The Vietnam and Korean conflicts also have numerous distinctions. The outcome of the two conflicts was significantly different. South Korea was defended by democratic nations like the United States, while it fell to communism in South Vietnam. This was due in part to the manner in which each conflict was fought.
In Korea, communists resorted to sheer numbers in an attempt to overwhelm the United States. North Korea was unable to defend itself, so China sent a million soldiers from the People’s Liberation Army. General Douglas MacArthur wanted to widen the war into China. Each side engaged in a majority of their fights on open terrain. This gave the United States a military advantage because of its greater air power and more advanced technology.
The American forces were fighting effectively and swiftly, which resulted in a successful offensive that drove the communists back to their starting line of division. On the other hand, because of its smaller fighting force and environment, Vietnam resorted to guerilla warfare. The Vietnamese had previously constructed underground tunnels during their resistance campaigns against the Japanese and French.
They continued their network of tunnels and built a large network that stretched more than 250 kilometers. The majority of these tunnels were immune to American air assaults, some even under US military bases.
Essay 3
Despite the fact that the United States effectively forced the North Koreans to come on board, China immediately dispatched troops to assist North Korea once the US began moving into its territory. President Truman was hesitant to involve the Chinese for fear of a total war, and he started negotiations with the North Koreans in July 1951.
The negotiations culminated in an armistice signed in July of 1953, which halted the fighting, reinforced Korea’s division at the 38th parallel, and established a 4,000-kilometer wide demilitarized zone. Almost five million people had perished during the conflict, with around 2.7 million Korean civilian fatalities and more than 30,000 American deaths.
The Vietnam War began in 1955 and ended in 1975, two years after Nixon ordered the withdrawal of US troops. France had colonized Vietnam since 1887. Like Korea, Japan had occupied Vietnam during World War II. The Japanese were defeated and fled from Vietnam after their defeat. Ho Chi Minh, a communist political leader, rapidly seized power in North Vietnam while Emperor Bao Dai stayed in the South under French protection. The two sides signed a Geneva agreement that split Vietnam along the 17th meridian with Ho Chi Minh running things north of the line and Bao Dai managing things south of it.
Despite the fact that there was no border between them, numerous Vietnamese communists known as the Viet Cong began attacking the Southern government in 1965. The US was concerned about a domino effect, believing that if one Southeast Asian country fell to communism, the others would quickly follow. As a result of this, more troops were sent to support South Vietnam during Viet Cong attacks under both Kennedy and Johnson administrations. In August 1964, North Vietnamese torpedo boats attacked two American ships in the Gulf of Tonkin; as a result of these attacks, the United States bombed North Vietnam and sent additional troops to be stationed in South Vietnam.
The nation’s top periodicals devoted their September 1943 covers to depictions of women in war occupations, resulting in approximately 125 million advertisements. Womanpower advertisements, most of which were full pages, were among the inside pages of these publications. Motion pictures, newspaper ads, radio programs, business press advertising, employee literature, and in-store displays all played important roles. Museums also got involved; the Museum of Modern Art in New York ran a contest for the best magazine covers.
Unlike the Korean War, which attracted little media attention in the United States, the Vietnam War garnered a lot of coverage. Anti-war demonstrations started in the United States, forcing President Johnson to pick up negotiations to end the conflict. After winning reelection in 1968, President Nixon took over peace talks and concentrated his efforts on “Vietnamization,” which entailed withdrawing American forces from Vietnam and supplying South Vietnamese troops with resources they need to continue fighting without the US.
In January of 1973, the United States and North Vietnam reached a ceasefire agreement. The US withdrawal from the war was finalized in early 1973. South Vietnam surrendered to North Vietnam two years later, and Vietnam was reunified under communist domination. There were about two million Vietnamese losses as a result of the conflict, as well as over 60,000 American deaths.
Essay 4
The Korean War fueled the demand for a strong executive in both countries. As the Second World War came to an end, Republicans became weary of being part of a co-operative Congress – they wanted to reclaim their old role as an effective opposing force.
The Republicans seized the opportunity to take back control of the Congress and, as a result, President Truman lost some key Republican allies in Congress. The Korean War presented a chance for the Republicans due to their loss of support from prominent Republican leaders during the Second Red Scare and Truman’s management of the conflict. The media began by offering Truman its support, anticipating access and information similar to that which they had under Roosevelt during World War II.
Truman, on the other hand, made the mistake of suppressing the press because he did not want to fan anti-communist sentiment. Because they were eager for news, journalists took their information from a variety of sources, including Republicans; and they became more critical and speculative. On July 7th 1950, stories announced that Truman wished to increase troops (true), using conscription (not true) and was thinking about using the atomic bomb (not true).
Similarities
- Both Korea and Vietnam were examples of how the Cold War had taken center stage in American politics, with presidents devoting less attention to domestic issues in order to focus on international concerns. Presidents had more autonomy to act alone in foreign policy matters than they did when it came to domestic legislation.
- Both conflicts were against communism.
- In both cases, the president was urged to escalate the war effort and take a tougher line against Communism by both Democrats and Republicans.
- During the conflicts, various aspects of the government’s actions exacerbated popular distrust with and dislike for the presidency and the entire political structure.
- In both conflicts, the United States suffered substantial losses (both in terms of men and resources as well as legitimacy) – especially since their involvement in Vietnam.
- The Vietnam War triggered identical budget worries as the Korean War. According to reports, the war’s high costs fueled inflation during the era.
Differences
- The Vietnam War began when communist Vietnamese rebels drove the French out of Vietnam in 1954. The UN stepped in to split the country into a democratic South and a Communist North. Truman, on the other hand, was interested in fighting a “limited war,” keeping North Koreans inside their own country by fighting a “limited war.”As a result, Truman stressed that it was the UN, not the United States, that would go to war (he was criticized for not doing enough as the events took place during America’s Second Red Scare).
- The United States did not lose the Korean War, yet it is incorrect to assert that either side achieved significant advantages. While people were relieved the US was no longer participating, they were also ashamed of having fought a ‘dirty’ war, lost it, and had to flee.The first war in which the United States had suffered defeat was Vietnam, and it was also the first to be viewed by so many as having been fought less than honorably and ending disgracefully. Many individuals were now more likely to examine the president’s role and conduct during any future conflicts.
- Between 1965 and 1973, the United States was engaged in a guerrilla conflict in Vietnam, during which it couldn’t always tell friend from foe – some members of the population were assisting the fighters while others were not. The last US troops withdrew from Vietnam in 1975, following several troop withdrawals that began in 1969.
- There was a large reduction in public confidence in the government and presidency, as they started to push for unpopular laws following the Vietnam War getting out of hand. For example, on December 1st, 1969, a lottery was held to select men aged 18-26 to fight in Vietnam.