Emerging Nations
After WWII, many former colonies gained their independence. The US and the Soviet Union soon were engaged in a competition to win allies among the new nations.
The Soviet Union made a major effort to win support among the newly independent nations. To counter this appeal, President John F. Kennedy in 1961 proposed that Congress establish a Peace Corps. The new program sought to build friendships between Americans and the people of other nations. It also sought to encourage economic growth in developing countries. Thousands of Americans, young and old, volunteered to serve in poor villages in Asia, Africa, and Latin America; they shared their skills and knowledge as teachers, doctors, nurses, carpenters, and farmers.
Developments in Africa
The Soviet Union quickly extended aid to the new African nations of Ghana and Guinea. To counter Soviet influence, the US expanded its own aid to other newly independent countries.
The Congo became a flashpoint for this competition between the US and the Soviet Union to gain influence in a region. In 1960, the former Belgian Congo gained independence as the nation of Congo. Soon, opposing groups were fighting over control of the new country. The US backed one side; the Soviet Union backed the other; both sides supplied airplanes, trucks, and technical advisers to its Congo allies…the fight for control became increasingly violent but in 1965 the Congo became independently controlled and called itself the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Philippines
With European nations weakened by WWII, many Asians saw an opportunity to seize the independence they longed for. The first Asian country to win independence in the postwar period was the Philippine Islands. The US had promised the Philippines independence in 1934; in 1946, the US lived up to its promise.
Unrest soon developed in the Philippines. Many Filipinos wanted reforms, especially land reforms. When the government moved too slowly toward making changes, fighting broke out. Some of the rebels were Communists; but in 1954 the government had defeated the rebels and made some of the needed land reforms.
After Ferdinand Marcos became president in 1965, however, the government became less democratic. In the years that followed, many groups continued to push for greater reforms.
On May 10, 2022 Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was elected the president of the Philippines.
Indochina
Indochina, which had been under French control, took a different path. After WWII, France struggled to maintain control. In one of the colonies, Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh led the fight for independence from France. Because Ho Chi Minh was a Communist who had Soviet backing, the US backed the French. In 1954, Ho Chi Minh’s forces defeated the French and won control of the northern part of Vietnam. Fighting in Vietnam would last for almost 30 years. Before it ended, the fighting would draw the US into a long and bitter war.
But we’re not quite there yet…and this deserves its own series of posts.
Latin America and the Cold War
In the 1950s, the Cold War moved close to the US, in Latin America. The nations of Latin America faced many critical problems, including widespread poverty and poor health care. The US hoped that moderate Latin American governments would gradually improve these conditions…but instead many anti-American groups rose to power, including one that was close to our southern border—Cuba.
The next crisis with Cuba was more serious. Called the Cuban Missile Crisis, in 1962 aerial photographs showed American leaders that the Soviets were building nuclear missile bases inside Cuba. The bases could be used to launch missiles against the US.
President Kennedy insisted that the Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev remove the missiles, calling them a “threat to world peace”. Khrushchev refused, and Kennedy ordered the US Navy to blockade Cuba, preventing Soviet ships from bringing missiles to Cuba. For 13 days, the world held its breath as Soviet ships sailed to Cuba loaded with missiles…but at the last minute, the Soviet ships turned around. Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles as long as the US promised not to invade Cuba.
