Proxy Wars and Containment: U.S. Foreign Policy in the 1950s

Miacademy & MiaPrep Learning Channel

This educational video provides a detailed examination of United States foreign policy during the 1950s, focusing on the strategy of containment and the use of proxy wars during the Cold War. Using a clear analogy of medieval kings to explain the concept of proxy warfare, the narrator guides students through three significant case studies: the Korean War, the CIA-backed coup in Iran, and the intervention in Guatemala. The video highlights how the U.S. sought to curb the spread of communism and protect its economic and political interests abroad without engaging in direct nuclear conflict with the Soviet Union. The content explores key historical themes such as the Domino Theory, the role of intelligence agencies like the CIA, and the intersection of corporate interests with national policy. It introduces major historical figures including Kim Il-Sung, Syngman Rhee, Mohammad Mossadegh, the Shah of Iran, and Jacobo Árbenz. Specific events like the division of Korea at the 38th parallel, the nationalization of Iranian oil, and the agrarian reforms in Guatemala are dissected to show the cause-and-effect relationships of U.S. intervention. This video is an excellent resource for U.S. History and civics classrooms. It helps students move beyond simple dates and battles to understand the complex motivations behind Cold War geopolitics. By presenting three distinct types of intervention—military assistance in Korea, a covert political coup in Iran, and a corporate-driven overthrow in Guatemala—it allows teachers to facilitate deep discussions about the ethics of foreign intervention, the definition of national security, and the long-term legacies of these actions in current global politics.