part 1 - conflict in korea

• origins of Cold War

  
  

  • USA, Britain + prance disagreed with the USSR with what to do with the countries devastated due to the war
  • the UK and USA wanted to help Germany and Europe but the USSr was petty and disagreed with helping Germany - Stalin wanted Germany to be weak.
  • German was split into two - USSR has East German + USA + Britain has west Germany.
  • communists took over Bulgaria Poland and Hungary.
  • USSR claimed Finland Lithuania and Latvia also gained land from Romania.
• truman doctrine


  march 1947 - Truman claimed that the USA would aid any country w a threat to communism in order to contain it.
• marshall plan


  1948 - the use spent 13.3 billion to restore Western Europe countries
• Nato 


  Defence against the USSR - triggered the Cold War.

  • included USA,UK,belgium Canada and other European countries.
• Warsaw pact

  military alliance between the soviets and Albania, Bulgaria, Czech, east Germany, Hungary. Poland + Romania
• Korea and the Cold War - Japan

  in the early 1900s Japan took over korea until it was defeated at the end of ww2

  • this meant korea was split into two - the Japanese in the south surrendered to US troop and the Japanese in the north surrendered to USSR troops.
• who took power over North Korea before elections.


  Kim II sung

  • lived in the ussr from 1941-45 - major in soviet army
  • communist and nationalist
  • capital was Pyongyang
• WHO TOOK POWER OVER SOUTH KOREA BEFORE ELECTION

  syngman rhee

  • korean nationalist
  • harsh ruler - crushed political opponents
  • trained to be lawyer in the USA.
  • seol as capital
• what parallel was korea seperated at

  38th parallel
• one example of Us policy of containment

  americas support of change Kai-Sheks fight against communist forces

  • CONTEXT:
  • in 1931 the Japanese had invaded parts of china - at the time china was in the middle of a civil war between communists
  • so china and the communists united against the japanses- once defeated the civil war continued
  • the USA sent chains kia - Shek weapons
  • however communists won.
• what were USA fears after communism took over china

  1. US positions warned Truman that communists were going to take over Asia
  2. fear of communism spreading`
  3. US spies informed true that Stalin was helping communist countries attempting to make other countries communist
• the events of the Korean War

  1. both nk and sk claimed to be the rightful rulers of korea
  2. in 1949 Kim II sung asked the ussr for help to invade South Korea however Stalin refused
  3. in 1950 - stalin changed his mind
  4. the USSr began supplying weapons to North Korea + trained their soldiers - the south Koreas were unprepared
  5. in April 1950 Kim II sung invaded South Korea - the soviets made it clear that were not directly involved and if reinforcements were needed to ask china.
  6. 25th June North Korea invaded south korea
  7. 27th June - Truman declared that the USA would go and help South Korea.
• why did Stalin agree to helping Kim II sung to attack south korea

  spring of 1950

  1. the US troops had left korea
  2. communists had won in china
  3. USSR made a nuclear weapon
  4. the cracked US codes and were certain the US would not interfere.
• what was the US response to the Korean War

  • president Truman was facing elections in November 1950 hence he wanted to show that the USA was playing their part in trying to contain communism.
  • he ordered Us 7th fleet to patrol the seas around north Koreas and South Korea and send troops and supplies to help North Korea.
• what was the soviet response to the Korean War

  the USSR openly criticised the UN saying that their charter of rules stated that the UN was not able to get involved in internal events

  • they said that the USA wanted to make Korea an American colony which could be used as a US military base
  • the USSR confirmed that they would not interfere with events in korea.
• timeline of the United Nations at war

  1. by sep 14th 1950 - North Korea forces had pushed the South Korean army back to the area around pusan
  2. 15th sep - UN troops launched surprise attack from the sea at Inchon on the west coast of sk
  3. Inchon was captuerd by UN then pushed inland to recapture Seoul
  4. at the same Time the other UN forces and SK troops in the south near Pusan advanced north
  5. the two UN forces then moved towards each other attacking the norther Korean army from two sides.
  6. october all North Korean troops had been driven out of South Korea behind the 38th parralel
• Trumans views on the Korean War.

  1. felt defending SK was enough - and communism had been contained
  2. he was worried continuing the war w china might bring the USSR into the conflict - could result in a nuclear war.
• mcauthurs views on the Korean War

  1. send UN troops back to North Korea despite being ordered not to
  2. demanded chines surrender - threatening USA will use nuclear weapons if necessary
• why was McArthur sacked

  • truman was mad with MacArthur and sacked him - ordered him back to the USA
  • this was met w uproar among US public but truman stood by his decision
• 1951


  both sides (NK and SK) were facing each other from heavily fortified positions over the 38th parallel - they were at a stalemate
• how did the USA try and break the stalemate

  1. Air power - US planes began bombing North Korea with high explosives and napalm.
• why did Stalin cover up his involvement with the Korean War - 1951

  • Stalin did not want the use to find out abt soviet involvement
  • wanted to avoid a war between USSR + USA
  • soviets hid the involvement - eg soviet planes were painted with Chineses or North Korean markings + soviet pilots were banned from speaking Russian on the radio.
  • some pilots even wore Chinese uniforms.
• how long did both South Korea and North Korea fight in the air for? - how many casualties?

  fought for almost two years

  • UN lost 3500 planes
  • not Koreans Chinese and soviets lost 3000
• July 1951


  peace talks begin - both sides cannot come to any agreement
• November 1952


  president Truman is replaced by Dwight D Eisenhower - keen to end the war
• March 1953


  soviet leader Stalin dies - North Koreans and chines are confident no other soviet leader will support them like he did.
• 27 July 1953


  The UN, china and North Korea sign a peace treaty

  • NK + SK remain independent separate countries
  • border remains at the 38th parallel
  • there is a three km wide demilitarised zone between two countries as a buffer to prevent wars in the future.
• gains of the Korean War - Korea

  Korea and its allies grew stronger

  • USSR cancelled NK's debt and sent economic aid in 1953
  • china cancelled NK's debt and gave monetary aid and sent experts to help build the country.
• losses of the Korean War - Korea

  • huge civilian and military losses
  • 80% of Koreas industrial and government buildings were destroyed
  • housing and transportation network destroyed.
  • North Korea suffered a far greater damage.
• gains of the Korean War - USA

  US policy of containment had stopped the spread of communism into South Korea.
• losses of the Korean War - USA

  • large numbers of soldiers were killed or wounded
  • USA spent billions on the war - and a high human cost
  • failed to "SAVE" North Korea from communism
• gains of the Korean War - UN

  • role of the UN was strengthened by the war - it was made clear that the UN would take decisive action + stand up against aggressive nations.
  • USSR returned to various un organisations
• losses of the Korean War - UN

  • failed its aim to hold free elections and unite korea
  • some viewed the was as conformation that the UN was hugely influenced by the USA. - commander of UN was American and took orders from the US president.
• gains of korea - china

  • achieved a closer relationship with USSR
  • became a major military power - on world stage
• losses of Korean War - china

  • china was a poor country - war was very expensive
  • failed to win SK for communism
  • trae and political links with the USA ended for 25 years
• gains of Korean War - USSR

  • achieved a closer relationship with communist state - china
• losses of the Korean War - USSR

  heightened tensions with the USA - forces USSR into an expensive arms race with the USA