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AQA A Level History US intervention in Asia essay
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‘A catalogue of failures.’ How accurate do you think this is with reference toUS policy in Asia during the 1945-53 period?
The USA’s involvement and policy in Asia cannot be considered a ‘catalogue of failures’
between 1945 and 1953 because the main objective of US foreign policy at this time was the
security and success of Japan and its economy, which was successfully prospering by 1953.
In regard to US involvement in other countries, there was less success as Jiang Jieshi did not
win the Chinese Civil War (1945-50), and nor did Syngman Rhee win the Korean War (June
1950 – July 1953). However, these failures were less important to the US government than
Japan was, due to the the belief that Japan was the economic engine of East-Asia.
In regard to Japan, US policy was certainly a success – following the end of World War II,
MacArthur was tasked with reforming Japan, and by May 1947 this was highly successful.
Some of these reforms included the abolition of slavery, giving women the vote and
legalising the communist party, whilst creating a new pro-capitalist, democratic
government. Article 9 of the new constitution was particularly unpopular with the right wing
in Japan because it prevented Japan from having a standing army; however, the passing of
this article was a significant success for the US because it increased American security and
made Japan part of its Defensive Perimeter. The US put $500 million into Japan to boost its
economy and successfully instated Japan as a powerhouse in Asia. The outcome of the San
Francisco Peace Treaty in September 1951 was also a success for the US and Japan because
it meant that Japan could continue to develop without paying significant war reparations or
admitting war guilt. On the US side, the treaty was accompanied by the Bilateral Security
Agreements that gave the US access to Japanese military bases, further securing America’s
safety and demonstrating how successful US policy was in Japan.
With regards to Korea, and the Korean War, Japan was the real winner of the war. This is
because Japan’s economy soared with all the production demand from the US. For example,
in July 1950 Toyota received an order for 1000 trucks from the US military. Despite the fact
the war cost the US $18 billion, and involved the using-up of 63500 tonnes of bombs,
approximately 32500 tonnes of napalm and the sending of 70000 troops, South Korea still
didn’t win. But Japan’s success meant US success. So, while the US didn’t succeed in
defeating North Korea, it did succeed in containing it, so the Korean War was still a success
in regard to US policy as Japan was their primary concern. Furthermore, the Korean War did
see many small successes like the naval landing at Ichon and the Battle of Osan, where 500
US troops managed to hold off 5000 North Korean troops for roughly 6 hours. This success,
however, led to divisions in the US elite because Republican MPs had been supporting
MacArthur, but Truman fired him because he wanted to expand the Korean War into a
major conflict that would “result in a solution of the Chinese Communist question”.
Therefore, the containment of communism in North Korea and the economic growth of
Japan meant that the Korean War was overall a success for the US.
The only significant failure the US had in Asia between 1945 and 1953 was the Chinese Civil
War (1945-50). Despite the US supplying $3 billion to Jiang, Mao still claimed victory in
October 1949 with the support of Stalin (albeit reluctantly). As a result, Jiang fled to Taiwan,
where he forcefully took control. This failure led to the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and
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