Containment in Asia

The defeat of Japan in WWII had enormous consequences for the Far East. During the early part of the 20th century, Japan was one of the dominant imperialist powers in the region, annexing Korea in 1910, Manchuria in 1931, and other parts of China and Southeast Asia during WWII. With Japan's defeat, the people in these liberated places sought to establish independent governments free from foreign influence.

Meanwhile, the Western powers had interests of their own. The Americans sought to contain communism for fear that it would spread to new countries which would ally with its enemy, the Soviet Union. France looked to re-establish the colonies that it had lost to Japan during WWII.

All of these factors laid the groundwork for communist revolutions in China and Vietnam, and determined the response of the Western powers to these events.

The Chinese Revolution (1911 - 1949)

Starting in 1911, China experienced changes in the government, foreign domination, and civil war before the communists triumphed in 1949. Although hostilities have ceased, the end of the civil war has never in fact been recognized. Mainland China, run by the communists, still has plans to reoccupy Taiwan, run by the Nationalists who lost the civil war. In this timeline interactivity, examine the buildup to civil war in China and the major events that took place during the conflict. Click the player to begin.

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The Vietnam War

After World War II ended, many colonial territories struggled to achieve independence from their colonial rulers. Vietnam had been under French rule for over one hundred years and later was occupied by Japanese troops during the war. When communists took the lead in the struggle for independence and succeeded in defeating the French, the U.S. would become entangled in the most deadly conflict of the Cold War: the Vietnam War. In this timeline interactivity, take a look at the causes and outcomes of the Vietnam War.

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The Chinese Revolution and the Vietnam War Review

In this interactivity, identify the different events and people that were associated with the Chinese Revolution and the Vietnam War. Read each question and select the term or terms associated with each conflict. Then, click Submit. Click the player to get started.