World History- Proxy Wars

Vietnam

Soviet-Afghan

Angola

proxy

Nicaragua

wars

Starting at orange, read &/or watch the information in each color block, then complete the activities on your paper.

Korea

M.A.D Mutually Assured Destruction

Cold War / Proxy War Overview

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Mutually Assured Destruction

M.A.D

• Primarily associated with the Cold War between the US and Soviet Union
• The principle of MAD is that both sides having large stockpiles, would be discouraged from seeking open conflict, since any open war would be likely to result in the destruction of both sides.
• MAD assumes that both sides are roughly equal in terms of weaponry, and that any attack will lead to a response of equal or greater force. As such both sides will take steps to avoid escalation, since neither would survive.

• Because of this assumption of total destruction, the U.S and the Soviet Union instead engaged in Proxy Wars, conflicts in which groups not officially associated with one or both governments are used to further the goals of one government.

Cold War / Proxy War Overview

• Very common during the Cold War, since any conventional conflict could result in nuclear war between the U.S and the Soviet Union.
• Both sides worked to ensure that friendly governments were put into power in key nations.
• A proxy war is a conflict in which at least one of the parties is a non-state actor that is supported by a third party
• ex: the Mujahideen forces in Afghanistan were supported by the U.S against an Afghan government supported by the Soviet Union.

Korean War

• The Korean war took place from June 25th 1950 to July 27th 1953, though it is still technically still ongoing, since there were no official peace terms.
• After the surrender of Japan the U.S and the Soviet Union agreed to divide Korea into two zones of occupation along the 38th parallel, with the north being under soviet control and the south under U.S control.
• In 1950 the northern communist government attacked the democratic south, seeking to unite Korea under communist rule.
• By 1953 both sides had reached a stalemate along the original demarcation line.

• The U.S. was driven to oppose the expansion of communism under Domino Theory, the idea that if Vietnam were to become communist, other countries would follow.
• The U.S. maintained a small presence until the Gulf of Tonkin incident, in which U.S ships were attacked by North Vietnamese ships. This was followed by the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, in which the U.S committed more military effort to stop North Vietnam, and communism.
• The U.S government lied to the public about its activities in Vietnam creating the credibility gap, the difference between what the government was telling the public and the reality of the situation.
• The Vietnam War ended in 1975, two years after the United States withdrew from Vietnam following the Paris Peace Accords in 1973, with the capture of the South Vietnam capital of Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City).

Vietnam War

• Started as a war against French colonialism
• Ho Chi Minh led a rebellion against French rule over the colony from 1946 to 1954. In 1954 the Viet Minh (Vietnamese Independence League) captured the French airbase of Dien Bien Phu, driving the French out of Vietnam.
• The decision was made to divide Vietnam into two countries along the 17th parallel. The northern half of the country was to be communist, and the southern half was to be democratic, supported by the Soviet Union and the U.S respectively.
• In December 1960, North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam, intending to unite the entire country under communist rule. This invasion was led primarily by the Viet Cong (National Liberation Front).

Soviet-Afghan War

• Lasted from 1979-1989. It started with the Soviets invading the country to side with Communists in and ensuing Civil War in Afghanistan.
• Turned into a proxy war when America stepped in to take the side of the resistance fights, known as the Mujahideen, against the Soviet-backed government of Afghanistan.
• The Mujahideen would employ guerilla warfare tactics to combat the technologically advanced Soviet Military. The Mujahideen strategy would include ambushes, hit-and-runs, and the use of IEDs.

• Like the Vietnam War for the United States, the Soviet Afghan War drew to a stalemate. Even though the Soviets had considerable military victories, the war grew expensive and unpopular in the homeland.

Angolan Civil War

• Gained its Independence from Portugal in 1979. Even with the pride of having freed itself, Angola would suffer from many underlying political, economic, and social issues.
• A civil war broke out afterwards to fight for control of Angola.
• The Communist People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) fought against the Anti-Communist National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA).
• Gained fame for brutality and human rights abuse.
• Lasted from 1975-2002

• The Angolan Civil War served as a proxy war with the Soviet Union supporting the communist MPLA and the United States backing the UNITA. Through the years there were several attempts at peace between the two sides but because of the general mistrust and backing from exterior nations, the fighting raged on through the years.

Contra War

• The Contra War in Nicaragua started with the Sandinista Revolution in 1979, where a leftist revolutionary group called the Sandinista National Liberation Front (SNLF) fought to overthrow the authoritarian regime in Nicaragua.
• After the Sandinistas were victorious in the revolution they established a socialist government. The U.S. was upset by this because of how closely related the policies were to communism.
• The U.S. then helped an anti-Sandinista rebel group known as the Contras. The Contras would receive substantial support from the United States, who was trying to keep Communism out of the Western Hemisphere.

• Due to international pressure the conflict would come to a ceasefire in 1988.
• Peace conferences were held afterwards and democratic elections were in Nicaragua in the following years.