Chapter 1 - causes of the Korean war

• what was the cold war ?

  • a period of openly hostile relations between the USA and the USSR
• what were the USSR

  communist
• what were the USA ?

  capitalist
• why did the cold war begin ?

  toward the end of WW2 the countries couldnt decide what to do with those countries devastated by the war
• what did each country want for Germany ?


  USSR- to keep Germany weak

  USA - to pay money through the Marshall plan to help Germany
• describe the trumane doctrine & containment

  • president truman agreed to supply military & economic aid to countries under communist threat ( march 1947 )
  • USA would try to contain communism
• why did tension increase ?

  • USSR had developed nuclear weapons meaning the 2 most powerful countries had nuclear weapons
  • NATO was formed
  • Communist countries created the Warsaw pact in response
• what happened to Korea after WW2 ?

  • Japan originally controlled korea
  • once Japan lost the war, Japanese soldiers in the north surrendered to Soviet forces
  • in the south they surrendered to the USA
  • Korea was split
• who was the nominated leader of the north ?

  Kim-il sung
• who was the nominated leader of the south ?


  Syngman rhee
• when did China become communist ?

  1949
• how did the Korean war begin ?

  • both north and south believednthey were rightful leaders
  • Kim Il sung wants to invade but wants stalins help
  • Stalin didn't believe the timing was right
  • once US troops had left that when Stalin gave the go ahead
• when did US troops leave the north (prior to the Korean war) ?

  1950
• when did the north initially invade the south ?

  25 June 1950
• what did the UN do ?

  • ordered the north to leave the south
  • north ignored, so UN put an invasion force together
• what did the USA do ?

  • ordered a 7th fleet to patrol seas around the north
  • gave south supplies and troops
• what did the USSR do ?

  • said they would not interfere
  • supplied military aid