The Korea War (minus paper 3 content) Flashcards
Place the Korean War in Context
In 1910, Imperial Japan annexed Korea, where it ruled for 35 years until its surrender at the end of World War II on 15 August 1945
»_space;> Japanese occupation created divisions & inequality among Koreans
■ The United States and the Soviet Union divided Korea along the 38th parallel into two zones of occupation. Neither US nor USSR intended to permanently divide Korea
»> Believed they would eventually come up with a formula for a unified agreement)
but as a result of cold war tension, the occupation zones became two sovereign states. the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, was established in the north under the totalitarian communist leadership, the Republic of Korea, was established in the south under the authoritarian, autocratic leadership.
Describe the Chinese civil war, and its significance
was a military struggle between 1945 and 1949 fought for control of China waged between Nationalist Party (KMT)or the (Kuomintang) under Chiang Kai-shek and the Chinese communist party (CCP) under Mao Zedong. The U.S.support KMT and sold $900 million worth of military machinery to them for $175 million to help them win against the communists. The CCP, however, were not shaken but took the KMT capital of Nanjing in 1949 after winning many battles throughout 1948. With Nanjing under their control, Mao declared victory in October of 1949 and decreed that communism would rule the new People’s Republic of China. The KMT relocated to Taiwan, and set up a counterpart Chinese government in exile in December 1949.
Significance:
1) Communist victory in China represented a failure to contain the spread of communism (US supported Taiwan to counter this)
2) Asia become a sphere of Cold War tension. The balance in the region shifted in soviet favor when the communists of china won their civil war in 1949.
State the duration of the Korea War & place the event in context
Was a proxy war fought from June 25th, 1950 to Jul 27, 1953. Japan had officially annexed Korea in 1910 and occupied it up until the end of WW2. During their occupation, the Korean people became internally divided which over time consolidated the divide between diverging groups in Korea. In the aftermath of WW2, the Korean peninsula was split into two zones of occupation, divided along the 38th parallel. The U.S.-controlled South Korea and the Soviet union-controlled North Korea. Both the USA and the USSR were not directly controlling the governments, but had a heavily paternalistic approach to both countries, building the nations and their governments within their own models and visions.
State 2 possible causes of the Korea War
1) The role of Stalin
One could argue the role of Stalin played a significant role in causing the war. North Korea wasn’t strong and largely depended on soviet assistance. For example, Soviet soldiers were instrumental in the creation and early development of the North Korean People’s Army and Korean People’s Air Force, as well as for stabilizing the early years of the Northern regime between 1945 and 1950. Furthermore, prior to the outbreak of the Korean War, Stalin also equipped North Korean force with modern tanks, trucks, artillery, and small arms. Thus, Stalin’s decision in April 1950, to give the“green light” on Kim’s plan to attack South Korea, following China becoming communist in 19494 and the soviets successfully detonating an atomic bomb on august 29 1949, arguably led to the outbreak of the war as it gave Kim’s regime the confidence to execute an invasion of South Korea on June 25, 1950.
2) The role of Kim Il-sung (His ideology)
Although Truman saw Stalin as being responsible for the start of the war, in reality, it was a result of North Korea’s actions. Kim was determined to achieve the unification of the peninsula as a communist country. Kim argued that the south would welcome his rule and would willingly become part of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Kim Il-Sung put pressure on Stalin to support him in an invasion of the South. Stalin initially refused to help. and only agreed after many appeals from Kim Il-Sung. With Stalin’s backing, Kim Il-sung authorized a full-scale invasion of South Korea on 25 June 1950 sending near an estimated 90,000 North Korean troops across the 38th parallel. By 27 June North Korea controlled most of Peninsula and within a few weeks, North Korean forces captured Seoul (the capital of South Korea).
Present 2 pieces of historiography around the Causes of the Korean War
1) Historian Warren Cohen describes Stalin’s actions in agreeing to support Kim as his ‘most disastrous Cold War gamble’ (holding Stalin responsible)
2) Bruce Cumings says it was Kim’s choice alone, notes that Stalin immediately withdrew soviet advisors from north korea when war began
Describe US’s & UN response to North Korea’s invasion of South Korea
The US brought the matter behalf the UN security council. The security council of the UN met. Soviets were boycotting the UN because of their refusal to recognize the republic of china. United states too advantage of this, and on 27 June 1950, the UN nd condemned North Korea’s aggression and agreed to take military action against the invading North Korean forces. One that same day, Truman ordered US air and sea forces to help South Korea. Fifteen countries (including Canda, Australia, New Zealand, UK etc) agreed to send troops to defend South Korea but the majority of foreign troops were US. Douglas McCarthur was the commanding officer of all UN troops sent from nations that agreed to defended south Korea in the UN security council.
Discuss the success of the Chromite plan and the build-up welfare that lead to a stalemate
The chromite plan was Douglas MacArthur’s military strategy to deploy UN forces by sea and launched an attack with the UN forces from the Sea at the port of Inchon in the hope of encircling North Korean forces and pushing them past the 38th parallel to the Yalu River, near the border of Korea and China and forcing a surrender. This plan was successful as it enable UN forces to capture many North Korean troops, recapture seoul, and pushed North Korea forces close to the border with China in Nov 1950 (near the Yalu river). Because Truman defied China’s warning given October 1950for US troops to not crossed the 38th parallel into North Korea, In January China sent 250,000 troops across the border into North Korea and Pushes UN forces back behind the 38th parallel and captured Seoul again. By March 1951, a Stalemate developed around the 38th parallel as both South Korean troops with the help of UN troops and North Korean troops with the help of Chinses troops were going back and forth across that line.
Discuss the relationship between Harry Truman and Douglas MacArthur
General Douglas MacArthur turned the tide of war (the chromite plan) was successful but Truman and he had different views on how to approach the war
Truman wanted to limit involvement, and Macarthur wants to take more extreme and aggressive action. Macarthur went so far as to suggest the use of nuclear weapons as a means of warfare in the Korean war which Truman was against because of fear of the USSR retaliation which led to Macarthur being relieved of his command in April 1951 and replaced by General Matthew Ridgway.
One school of thought argues Truman and Macarthur were both right and wrong
1) Truman held the view that Korea was the wrong war at the wrong time
- – but there was no substitute for victory
2) MacArthur wanted more aggression which could have led to WW3
- – but failure in the Korean war was not an option
Discuss how the Korea war ended & the change of leadership in the US & USSR
Given the stalemate held between South Korean troops with the help of UN troops and North Korean troops with the help of Chinses troops saw no territorial exchanges but only destruction of the Korean peninsula, armistice negotiations between the two sides began on 10 July 1951. And on June 27th, 1953 an armistice agreement was signed by both sides to stop fighting. (Though this agreement unlike a peace treaty doesn’t assume the war is over despite the ceasefire – the war is technically not over). In the aftermath of the Armistice, the 38th parallel became a demilitarized zone
Stalin’s death in 1953 was also at the end of the Korean War. Eisenhower then came into power in the USA, and an armistice was signed between the Koreas on the 27th of July 1953.
Explain historian Warren Cohen view of the significance of the Korea War US-Soviet relations
Warren Cohen writes that the war ‘altered the nature of the Soviet-American confrontation, changing it from a systematic political competition into an ideologically driven, militarized conflict that threatened the very survival of the globe.’
State 2 political impacts of Korea on the US and 3 Diplomatic/Military impacts of Korea on the US
Political Impacts
1) Truman lost public support – he was not re-elected. Furthermore, Failure to win war in Korea undermined credibility which Republicans could capitalize as they could undermine Truman who was a democrat
2) First war in which US forces fought in desegregated units gave a boost to the civil rights movement
Diplomatic/Military impacts
1) Defense cuts in the conventional military forces were initiated by Eisenhower on the advice that nuclear weapons were an effective deterrent. This led to the policy of brinkmanship.
2) West Germany was given the membership of NATO in 1955 to strengthen its European alliance and in response to the Soviets’ establishment of the Warsaw Pact alliance.
3) The recommendations of NSC 68 (a US policy to massive up its military spending tripled the US defense budget which fueled the arms race.
