The USA and events in Korea, 1950-3

• Background of the Korean War

  • In 1905, Japan owned Korea
  • In 1945, Japan surrendered to the Allies, ending the Second World War
  • Soviet troops were in the north of Korea
  • US troops were in the south of Korea
  • The terms of Japan’s surrender included the division of Korea
  • The Allies split Korea into two territories along the 38th Parallel
  • This divided Korea into two equal-sized zones
  • Historians believe that Korea was divided to prevent the USSR from taking the whole of Korea
  • The USSR monitored North Korea
  • The USA oversaw South Korea
• 38th parallel

  Latitude line marking the border between North Korea and South Korea, established in 1945, post WW2
• Leader of South Korea, monitored by USA

  Syngman Rhee

  • Unelected
  • corrupt
  • unpopular
• Leader of North Korea, monitored by USSR

  Kim II Sung

  • Unelected
• Korean war: events of April 1950

  • In April 1950, many South Koreans voted in favour of the reunification of Korea
  • Rhee was an unpopular leader
  • Many Koreans wanted to reunite their country under the Communist Kim Il Sung
  • In June 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea
  • North Korea had the support of the USSR and China
  • Both countries sent financial and military aid
  • North Korea’s army was more powerful than South Korea’s
• Why the USA got involved in Korean War

  Domino Theory

  • USA wanted to stop Korea from falling to Communism. They believed that if Korea fell, Japan would be next

  Trade with Japan

  • Japan was an important market for US exports. The USA wanted to protect Japan’s capitalism

  Truman Doctrine

  • In 1947, Truman declared that the USA would protect any country in threat of a Communist uprising. The US public put pressure on government to protect South Korea

  Distrust of USSR

  • The USA blamed the USSR for North Korea’s actions. USSR had acted aggressively in Eastern Europe and blockaded Berlin
• UN involvement in Korean War- USA

  • The USA persuaded the UN to intervene in the Korean War because:
  • Truman placed pressure on the UN Security Council
  • The USA contributed the most money to the UN budget of any other country
  • It could threaten to lower their contribution if the UN did not support South Korea
  • The USSR boycotted the UN in January 1950
  • The USSR demanded representatives of the Communist People’s Republic of China in the UN Security Council. The UN refused
  • The boycott meant that the USSR could not veto action against North Korea
• UN involvement in Korean War- troops

  • The UN agreed to send troops to stop North Korea’s invasion
  • 18 member states provided troops
  • The USA sent the most troops under the command of General McArthur. McArthur was:
  • The commander of US troops in Japan in the Second World War
  • Essentially in control of Japan from 1945 to 1951
  • UN forces landed in Inchon in September 1950
• Korean War: events

  June-September 1950

  • NK army make huge advance

  September-October 1950

  • UN forces under General McArthur push NK back to Yalu river, by Chinese border

  November 1950-January 1951

  • Fearing Invasion, Mao orders invasion of Korea. With Chinese support, NK recapture capital city. UN troops fall back behind 38th Parallel

  Jan-July 1951

  • UN forces retake Seoul. McArthur asks Truman to approve nuclear attack on China. Truman, fearing retaliation from Stalin, refuses+fires McArthur

  July 1951-July 1953

  • War on land reaches stalemate. Conflict still occurs in skies. Armistice signed
• what happens in 1953 when Korean War reaches an end

  Dwight Eisenhower becomes US president, promising to end the war in Korea. The death of Stalin in 1953 persuades North Korea to sign an armistice
• Positive consequences of the Korean War

  1. The peace treaty kept Korea divided. The USA had ‘protected’ South Korea from Communism. This was a success for containment
  2. The UN stood up against North Korea’s aggressive actions. This made the UN more successful than the League of Nations had been before the Second World War
• Negative Consequences of the Korean War

  1. North Korea remained Communist+formed closer ties to China showing following containment could stop but not push back Communism
  2. The Korean War caused four million casualties and the deaths of 50,000 US soldiers. The USA had underestimated the impact of fighting against Communism
  3. The USA created anti-Communist alliances in Southeast Asia (SEATO) and Central Asia (CENTO). The USSR felt surrounded by enemies 
  4. Tensions increased between the USA and the USSR. Both began a nuclear arms race, creating hydrogen bombs and ICBMs. This threatened world peace