The Korean War-Vietnam, Part 1

By: Wendy McElroy

Narrated by: George C. Scott

Length: 2 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's Summary

After WWII, Korea was divided in half at the 38th parallel. To the north were the Communists; to the south were the United Nations peacekeeping forces. In June 1950, North Korean soldiers backed by Soviet-built tanks poured across the parallel. The Korean conflict became one of the first expressions of the Cold War between Russia and America. It was an attempt to balance the power that had been thrown so badly out of alignment by WWII. But Korea would bring victory to neither side. It would merely reaffirm the deadlock.

In 1954, the country of Vietnam was also divided in half at the 17th parallel. To the north was the Communist regime of Ho Chi Minh; to the south was the America-backed regime of Ngo Dinh Diem. Elections to unify the country were scheduled for 1956, but they were never held. Instead, each side used military means to accomplish political goals.

To America, Vietnam symbolized her ability to contain communism in Asia. To the Communists, Vietnam symbolized their ability to defeat America in warfare. It became a struggle to the death between East and West, not only between military forces but also between opposing ideologies. Meanwhile, the fabric of Vietnamese society had been torn apart.

By 1961, the Cold War was escalating, with John F. Kennedy in the White House and Nikita Khrushchev in the Kremlin. Both Sides held nuclear weapons, and they tested each other for weakness. But by 1964, Kennedy had been assassinated and the Soviets were at odds with communist China. The new American president, Lyndon B. Johnson, found himself trapped in a war without end. His solution was to escalate America's military commitment in Vietnam. Between November 1963 and July 1965, Johnson transformed America's limited engagement in Vietnam into an open-ended commitment.

©1990 Knowledge Products, Inc. (P)1990 Knowledge Products, Inc.

A whirlwind history of the Korean & Vietnam conflicts.

After listening to this history of the Korean & Vietnam wars, I am very displeased with myself concerning my previous ignorance of basic facts about these matters. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing for one’s complacency.

Like a podcast

Great for reference and the additional voices speaking the passages and excepts are a fantastic touch.

Kept falling asleep

I don’t know if it was the person talking or the information but I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I find history & war information interesting normally but it didn’t hold my attention enough. At least that’s what I assume when I fall asleep to it.

a quick overview

George c Scott as a narrator is one of the best things about this book. but the second great thing about this book is the choice of quotations to contemporary quotations which do eliminate the times

good overview, annoying narrators

new to audiobooks, but I don't like the multiple narrator format. the information given was succinct but seemed lacking in lots of details. also some of the "voices" seemed a tad racist

Very interesting and informative

I found this book to be very interesting and informative. If you have any interest in the current political situation in North Korea and are to young to have experienced the events of the war in 1950 first hand, I highly recomend this book. To understand the presant you have to fully understand the past. The second part of this book On the Vietnam War, was just as interesting

Excellent

A convincing account of the many and complex conflicts involved in the widest possible sense.