Causes and Effects of the Korean War
causes of the Korean War #3 the role of Kim Il Sung
- Kim Il Sung persistently tried to persuade Stalin into supporting an attack on the South, in which he eventually agreed.
causes of the Korean War #2 the role of the USA
- Soviet troops left the North in 1948 while the US troops left by mid-1949. - in Dean Acheson's 'perimeter' speech in January 1950, the US declared that they wouldn't commit troops in mainland Asia (a.k.a. South Korea). - therefore the removal of US troops gave Kim Il Sung an opportunity to attack the South.
causes of the Korean War #4 the role of Stalin
- Stalin wasn't to blame for the war although his support for Kim Il Sung was significant in the North's decision making. - Stalin eventually supported plans for a war at the beginning of 1950. - some potential reasons for Stalin to support the invasion: Communist victory in China & their development of the atomic bomb in 1949, development of anti-communist Japan by the USA. - a successful invasion meant he would be able to spread his own influence.
effects on the Cold War
- effectively globalized the Cold War, no longer just a European conflict. - led to increased militarization: - USA's military budget = 10% of GNP in 1950s - USSR increased the size of the Red Army from 2.8 to 5.8 million troops!
Korean War "what happened?" background
- following the stalemate, Truman reverted to a policy of containment. - MacArthur disagreed and even threatened to drop atomic bombs on China. Due to this Truman fired him! - peace talks began in 1951 but war continued until 1953 when an armistice was signed in July.
effects on the USA
- heightened US fears of further Soviet aggression elsewhere, leading to the NSC-68 recommendations being approved. - strengthened US land forces in Europe along with NATO; added Greece, Turkey and eventually West Germany(1954) as members. - Korean war served as a catalyst for these policies: - Treaty of San Francisco with Japan in 1952, allowed the US to build military bases in Japan. - US began increasing its support in Taiwan, while continuing to isolate China. - NSC-68 tripled defense spending resulting in US forces in Europe being strengthened. - South-East Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) created in 1954 as an anti-communist containment bloc. prime example of the domino theory.
causes of the Korean War #1 failure to unite Korea after WWII
- in 1945 it was agreed by the US and USSR to temporarily divide Korea and take joint responsibility for removing the Japanese forces there. - 38th parallel = the dividing line between the North and South - at the council of foreign ministers' Moscow conference in December 1945, the two superpowers agreed to create a provisional government in Korea, eventually leading to independence. however, as the Cold War progressed, the two nations became less willing to co-operate. Separate governments emerged on either side, South = anti-communist, appointed Rhee, North = communist, appointed Kim Il Sung. Though both men had fought the Japanese and wanted to reunite Korea, their ideologies were very different. - due to Cold War tensions, the US and USSR agreed to officially divide Korea in 1947. - the US persuaded the UN to create a commission which would supervise Korean elections. it was refused entry into the North but observed an election in the South in May 1948. - the failure of the superpowers to create a unified Korean government led to the permanent division of Korea into two hostile states. - each claimed to represent all of Korea and each leader wanted to unify Korea.
effects on USSR
- in the long term, damaged Soviet interests - since the USA became more involved in containing communism in Asia and building up forces in Europe, the USSR's economy grew weak; it costs a lot of $ to keep military overseas!
effects on China
- reputation grew positively due to pushing back US forces during the war, led to Mao's reputation growing as well, allowed him to consolidate the communist revolution in China. - isolated by the USA, not recognized until 1971, condemned as an aggressor nation by UN.
What was the Korean War? *facts/actions in beginning of war
- started on June 25, 1950 when over 90,000 North Korean Soldiers crossed the 38th parallel and launched an invasion of South Korea. - Truman immediately sent aid to the South Koreans to help maintain the credibility of the US policy of containment and remove the idea from the minds of Americans that he was 'soft on communism.' - US called on the United Nations to create a military that would help the South fight back against the North, would be comprised of soldiers from all nations who were members of the UN. This mission was passed on June 27, 1950. The army comprised of soldiers from the US and 15 other countries arrived on July 1, 1950 and was led by American General Douglas MacArthur - was the reason to why the Cold War became global; US sought to fight Communism in Asia as well as in Europe.
effects on Korea
- war had led to the deaths of over 300,000 civilians and extensive property damage. - peninsula was permanently divided, no hope of reunification. - 38th parallel became a heavily defended frontier in the Cold War, still exists today. - North Korea remains under communist rule while South Korea became a successful democratic and capitalist nation.
causes of the Korean War #5 the role of Mao
- was initially skeptical about the success of the invasion - keen to get support from Stalin for his planned attack on Taiwan. - Kim Il Sung convinced him that Stalin was more enthusiastic about the invasion than he actually was, and Mao therefore gave him approval for the invasion.
Korean War *what happened? 4 stages
stage 1: the initial invasion by the North led to them capturing almost all of the South Korean territory, apart from a small pocket of land in the South-East around the city of Pusan. This was due to the fact that the attack was a complete surprise to everyone, including the US. stage 2: general MacArthur led the UN forces in a daring amphibious assault on Inchon, hoping to split North Korean forces in half, which is exactly what happened. because of this, MacArthur had recaptured Seoul and driven the North Koreans back to the 38th parallel. The US then decided to cross into North Korean territory and- following the policy of 'rollback'- attempt to reunite Korea. stage 3: despite warnings from the Chinese, MacArthur pushed on to the border of China at the Yalu river. on November 27, 1950, over 200,000 Chinese and 150,000 North Korean troops counter attack and forced the UN forces to retreat back toward the 38th parallel. By December 1950, they had recaptured all of North Korea and the UN forces suffered massive casualties. stage 4: the war quickly descended into stalemate along the 38th parallel.
