The Korean War
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1950-1953
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61 Terms
What divided North and South Korea in 1945?
38th Parallel
What country ruled Korea until 1945?
Japan
What happened to the north half of Korea in 1945?
Liberated by USSR, became communist.
Who ruled North Korea in 1945?
Kim Il Sung (Communist leader who had been trained in the USSR)
What happened to the south part of Korea in 1945?
Liberated by Americans, became anti-communist.
Who ruled South Korea in 1945?
Syngman Rhee
Why did the USA support the south of Korea?
Anticommunist.
When did the North Koreans attack South Korea?
1950
When was most of South Korea communist controlled?
September 1950
What did Truman do when North Korea attacked South Korea?
Sent advisers, supplies and warships.
Who was the biggest contributor to the UN budget?
USA
What did UN superpowers do to each other in the 1950s?
Denounced & opposed each other.
What was the USSR doing in 1950 to the UN? Why?
They were boycotting the UN because communist China wasn’t allowed to join the UN.
Why was the UN resolution 84 passed?
USSR was boycotting the UN - wasn’t at the meeting —> couldn't use veto power.
How many states provided support to South Korea?
18
What did the UN Resolution 84 say?
‘The UN will render such assistance to the Republic of Korea as may be necessary to restore international peace and security to the area’
When was the UN Resolution 84 passed?
1950
Who was the commander?
General MacArthur, American
What happened in September 1950?
UN forces stormed at Inchon.
UN forces + South Korean troops advanced from Pusan.
What happened in October 1950?
MacArthur had achieved UN aim and removed all North Korean Troops from South Korea.
Where had US troops reached in October 1950?
Yalu River (Border with China)
Who was the Chinese leader in 1949?
Mao Tse-Tung
What did Mao Tse-Tung warn in October 1950?
If the USA pressed on, China would join the war.
How many Chinese fighters joined North Korea in late October 1950?
200,000
What were the Chinese soldiers called?
People’s Volunteers
How many tanks and planes did the USSR supply to North Korea?
150 T-34 Tanks
150 Yak-9 Planes
Why did the North Koreans and Chinese have such an advantage on the Americans?
Cold + Snowstorms in winter of 1950-51, so Chinese were familiar with fighting in these conditions.
What did MacArthur believe in April 1951?
Wanted to carry on the war, was ready to invade China and use nuclear weapons if necessary.
What did Truman believe in April 1951?
Saving South Korea was enough - Communism had been contained.
What happened in March 1951?
MacArthur openly Threatened attack on China.
What did General Omar Bradley say in 1951?
MacArthur’s approach would have “involved America in the wrong war, in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and with the wrong enemy”
Who was General Omar Bradley?
An Army Leader.
What happened to MacArthur in April 1951?
He was sacked.
When was a stalemate reached?
June 1951
Where was the stalemate reached?
Around 38th Parallel.
When did the Peace Talks begin?
June 1951
When was Truman replaced? By who?
In 1952, replaced by Eisenhower
What did Eisenhower think about the war?
He wanted it to end.
When did Stalin die?
March 1953
What was the effect of Stalin’s death?
Made North Koreans and Chinese less confident.
When was an armistice signed?
July 1953.
How many American soldiers died?
30,000
How many South Korean soldiers died?
70,000
How many South Korean civilians died?
500,000
How many UN soldiers died?
4,500
How many North Korean + Chinese soldiers + civilians died?
780,000
Compare deaths in Korean War to deaths in Vietnam war?
More deaths per year of conflict in Korea than Vietnam.
Why was Korea a success for containment?
Showed that USA had will + means to contain communism.
How did Korea show the limits to policy of containment?
USA had to accept that North Korea remained communist.
What did Korea highlight?
Tensions amongst American leaders (MacArthur sacked in April 1951)
What did North Korea develop after Korean War?
Communist Dictatorship and became a nuclear power, threatening US allies Japan and South Korea.
What did America focus on after Korean War?
1) Securing Alliances
2) Developing powerful weapons.
What anticommunist alliances did USA make?
1) SEATO (South East Asia)
2) CENTO (Central Asia + Middle East)
What did the alliances mean?
USA would supply money, arms, advice to allies —> they would suppress communist influences in their countries.
What did the USSR accuse the USA of doing with the alliances?
Trying to encircle the communist world
When was the Warsaw Pact?
1955
Who was in the Warsaw Pact?
USSR + all communist east European countries except Yugoslavia.
When did the Americans develop their first atomic bomb?
1945
When did USA drop first atomic bombs?
In 1945, in Hiroshima and Nagasaki
How many people died because USA dropped their first atomic bombs?
70,000
Why was sending soldiers to fight all wars a problem?
It was expensive and ineffective.