korean war

Background

• Had been under Japanese occupation since 1910
• USA and USSR divided it along the 38th parallel
• UN demanded free elections, US had 2/3 of the country- no agreement was reached
• Republic of South Korea set up, Syngman Rhee
• democratic people's republic of korea, Kim Il Sung
• 1949 USSR and US troops withdrew, 1950 N invaded the S

who started it?

• N blamed the S- shelled an area of the ongjin penisula & 17th regiment seized the town of haeju
• S blamed the N, S only acting in retaliation

context of the CW

• USA felt under threat in its rivalry with USSR
• 1949, USSR tested first A bomb -USA lost its nuclear superiority
• China falling to CM was another blow to containment
• USSR had China as a powerful ally in Asia for future expansion
• Domino theory fears

domestic pressure

• Reps thought T was too soft on CM
• McCarthy withchunts began, strong anti CM feeling in the US
• Hawks wanted CM to be dealt with agression
• NSC 68- stronger F.policy for containment
• Korea was an excuse to implement NSC 68 and to justify the raise in taxes

USA change in aims

• initial reason for intervention was to save the south from the north
• T authorised invasion of N, now committed to removing CM in K
• MacArthur escalated the war further into China
• when China invaded they reverted back to the 38th parallel

results of US intervention

• turned a local civil war into a battle between CP and CM
• US had regained territory of the south and inflicated a defeat on the N
• after escalating the war, China gained all of the land N of the 38th
• 1951 a stalemate developed, Mac demanded the use of A bombs
• peace talkes began in 1953, Stalins death and Kennedy paved the way to the armistice in july 1953

impact of military tech

• 6 million soldiers, 33,000 killed
• air power v effective inflicting half the casualties
• aircraft carriers allowed them to strike further into NK
• considered nuclear weapons X2, to stop NK advance and to halt the Chinese army

impact on E/W relations

• US committed to Chiang Kaishek in Taiwan - US 7th fleet sent to the seas of Taiwan as a warning to Mao
• USA had lil sympathy for the French struggle in Vietnam - wanted to distance from Euro imperialism
• Indochina seen as crucial in the fight against CM $1 billion in aid
• NATO and ANZUS (aussies and nz's)
• SEATO- bulwark to communism
• First Hot war of the Cold war
• avoided using nukes and insteaad used conventional weapons

Impact in USA

• unpopular in Murica bcuz it was prolonged and loads of casualties
• US pub didnt understand the nature or causes of the conflict
• NSC68, $10 billion on the army, $260 mill on the H bomb
• ceasefire was basically the 38th parallel...idiots

results of the war, Korea:

• a disaster, country was devasted with 5 mill homeless and it remained divided
• Syngman remained president

USSR & China:

•  failure as they had not intervened on behlaf od the N, China emerged as the leader of the CM movement

UN:  a tool of US f.policy