Containment in Asia

The Korean War was the first war fought in support of the policy of containment, which contended that the spread of communism must be stopped wherever possible. Although the war ended in stalemate with the communist government halted near the 38th parallel—a situation which persists to this day—the spread of communism to other countries was an ever-present threat.

Now that there were two communist governments in the Far East, the U.S. government became more concerned that these countries, and the Soviet Union, might support communist insurgencies. This was especially true in places such as Korea, which had been colonies of the world's major powers.

In this topic, you will take a look at how the United States' desire to contain communism in Asia led the country to militarily intervene, eventually drawing its soldiers into the quagmire of Vietnam.

Essential Questions

• How did the Cold War influence conflicts in Eastern Asia after World War II?
• What was the policy of containment?