Week 9 Quick Review
Chairman Mao: Revolution to Great Power
1949: Mao Zedong's Chinese Communist Party successfully overthrows Chiang Kai Shek's Nationalists (Kuomintang) and declares the 'People's Republic of China' Chiang Kai Shek flees to Taiwan China is most populous country in the world by this point Feb 1950: Mao signs Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Alliance & Assistance with Stalin 1953-1958: Mao wanted to emulate the Soviet model of economic growth and adopts first '5 year plan' for industrialization. Plan is successful in creating industrial growth, but agricultural productivity couldn't keep up 1958-1961: China undergoes the "Great Leap Forward", an attempt to rapidly transform society into a Great Power by expanding heavy industry and collectivizing agriculture. Results in a famine that kills 15-30 million people.
Ridgeway La Peste
1951-52: governments of the People's Republic of China, USSR and North Korea all accused the US of using biological weaponry Serious allegations came after a smallpox outbreak in a Chinese Volunteer Regiment near Inchon. More cases of Cholera and the Plague in other Chinese soldiers raised suspicions even higher Ridgway immediately denied the allegations as a hoax 1953: Chinese capture two US pilots. Col. Frank H. Schwable and others allegedly went on record saying that had been tasked with carrying out bacteriological weapons tests The Red Cross and World Health Organization ruled out that the US was possibly at fault, and the Chinese accused them of Western bias. They went instead to the World Peace Council Soviet affiliated World Peace council, headed by a British scientist, found the evidence to be convincing and officially stated that it believed the US to be experimenting with bio-weapons
The use of A-bomb
As Chinese forces pushed back the United States forces from the Yalu River, Truman stated during a 30 November 1950 press conference that using nuclear weapons had "always been [under] active consideration", with control under the local military commander. Both the Pentagon and the State Department were nonetheless cautious about using nuclear weapons because of the risk of general war with China and the diplomatic ramifications Truman and his senior advisors agreed, and never seriously considered using them in early December 1950 despite the poor military situation in Korea. In 1951, the U.S. escalated closest to atomic warfare in Korea. Because China had deployed new armies to the Sino-Korean frontier, pit crews at the Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, assembled atomic bombs for Korean warfare, "lacking only the essential pit nuclear cores" When Eisenhower succeeded Truman in early 1953 he was similarly cautious about using nuclear weapons in Korea, including for diplomatic purposes to encourage progress in the ongoing truce discussions.
China entering the war
October 1950: MacArthur leads US/UN forces to an apparent imminent victory against NK forces, against the advice of US Joint Chiefs of Staff, pushes the invasion to the North most regions of Korea Chinese troops respond by crossing the Yalu river in North Korea and surprise attacking US/UN forces. They push them back all through Dec/Jan 1951, and Truman publicly stated that the war had become "an entirely new kind of war" and that the US were considering using the A-bomb Although the Chinese forces were classified as "volunteer units" they fought incredibly well, given their battle-hardened experience of civil war and Japanese occupation. The logic for China entering the war is that they wanted North Korea to serve as a buffer state between them and the US controlled South Korea. Because the US broke its promise not to cross the 38th parallel, they were worried they wouldn't keep their word and invade Manchuria afterward. Ridgway took control of the US/UN ground forces and took a much more cautious approach than MacArthur had. This contributed to a great deal of success, but at the expense of what many considered the concession of a stalemate between the two sides
The Korean War
The Truman administration falsely believed that the USSR's world domination plan was behind the Korean invasion Korean war was the first regional conflict clearly set in a the new, bipolar global context Sentiment in US was to "bring our boys home" and use the A-bomb instead of expending American lives Britain was terrified of the Korean war escalating into a global nuclear war. Escalation was avoided when Truman sacked the overzealous General MacArthur The Korean war also significantly contributed to McCarthyism and the Red Scare, as well as the rise of the US security apparatus and international military presence The Korean war can be viewed as 'a lesson they didn't learn from'; it was the precursor to the Vietnam war
The American Security Perimeter
The Truman administration was unprepared for the invasion. Korea was not included in the strategic Asian Defense Perimeter outlined by Secretary of State Dean Acheson.[126] Military strategists were more concerned with the security of Europe against the Soviet Union than East Asia. At the same time, the Administration was worried that a war in Korea could quickly widen into another world war should the Chinese or Soviets decide to get involved as well. On 12 January 1950, Secretary of State Dean Acheson gave his famous Aleutians speech at the National Press Club, Washington, DC. Acheson said that United States would adhere to the principle of non-interference with respect to the Chinese question and that the American defense line in the Pacific was one that connected Alaska, the Japanese archipelago, Okinawa, and the Philippines. He said the US Pacific "defense line" or "defensive perimeter" "runs along the Aleutians to Japan and then goes back to the Ryukyus.... We hold important positions in the Ryukyu Islands, and these we will continue to hold... The defensive perimeter runs from the Ryukyus to the Philippine Islands," he said. This -- Acheson tried to explain much later -- was no more than what the US Joint Chiefs of Staff and Gen. Douglas McArthur held at the time, "that the U.S. line of defense starts from the Philippines and continues through the Ryukyu Archipelago, which includes its main bastion, Okinawa. Then it bends back through Japan and the Aleutian Island chain to Alaska." But just because he did not include South Korea as part of his "defensive perimeter," it was said later on that such omission had served to give the communists "the green light" to try to overrun Korea. Emboldened by the exclusion of South Korea from the American defense line in the Pacific zone in the so-called Acheson Declaration, Kim Il-sung decided to launch an outright invasion of the South.
Kim and Rhee
US vs USSR 'race through Korea' ends with the surrender of Japan and the division of Korea along the 38th parallel on Aug 17, 1945 (General Order No.1) North had most of the country's heavy industry, South was the 'rice bowl'; grain farming land US put Syngman Rhee in charge of the South: anti-communist, military strongman, was a Japanese collaborator during the occupation; "totalitarian and harsh, but the important thing is that he is against communism" USSR put Kim Il Sung in charge of the North: very communist, was part of the anti-Japanese resistance during the occupation, wanted to unify Korea with him as the leader June 25th, 1950: Kim attempts to unify Korea by attacking the South Soviet Union backs this decision and supplies arms, but not troops. US/UN sends troops led by zealous General Mcarthur. Successfully takes back South and much of the North, but then China surprises them and counter-attacks in late 1950 War once China enters is long, bloody, and essentially a stalemate July 27th 1953: Tense armistice signed, Korea divided again, Cold War persists
