What was the impact of the Korean War (1950-53) on domestic policy?

The Korea War

The Korean War was a UN operation. The UN troops fighting with the South Koreans were from 16 countries - but most were American (260,000 US troops and never more than 35,000 from the other 15 countries). The war was led by an American. At the end of the war, the US death toll (in combat) was 33,629. The border between North and South Korea did not change.

General MacArthur

MacArthur was in charge of the war in Korea from the start, and, from the start, he had wanted a very different war from Truman. He criticised Truman's limited war' policy and advocated nuclear bombing of North Korea, and even China, both publicly and privately, at a time when members of an administration were expected to support that administration's policy, no matter what they personally thought. His views were used to support the Republican backlash. He didn't stop at criticism. He disobeyed orders, on several occasions, in ways that could have led to all-out war. For example, on 5 November 1950, he bombed the bridges over the River Yalu (despite orders not to bomb within five miles of the border) and then took troops to the river despite orders to halt.

what happened on 25 June 1950?

North Korea invaded South Korea, with the help of supplies and advisors (but not troops) from the USSR.

what was Truman concerned with from the start?

to fight a limited war, keeping the North Koreans in North Korea, rather than entering a full-scale war.

what was the Korea war taking place in the context of?

the Second Red Scare, and he wanted to stop hysteria and calls for all-out war.

what did Truman stress in an early press conference?

it was not the USA going to war but the UN; a reporter asked if it was just a UN police action. Truman agreed; the phrase haunted him all through the war as he was criticised for not doing enough.

what did Korea emphasise?

the way the Cold War shifted presidential attention away from domestic policy and towards international policy. All domestic policy had to go through Congress; presidents had more freedom to act alone in foreign affairs.

what did The Cold war lead to an expectation of?

in the way the New Deal changed expectations about government involvement in social welfare, the Cold War led to an expectation that the USA should be involved in world affairs, as it was the only country capable of maintaining a balance of power with the USSR. The reins of domestic policy-making therefore began to shift back towards Congress.

how did many Republicans feel as the Second World War ended?

they were tired of being part of a co-operative Congress. They wanted to become a real opposition force again. They felt this even more when they lost seats in the 1949 elections.

what did Truman lose?

some key Republican allies in Congress, and a combination of the Second Red Scare and the Korean War (and Truman's handling of it) gave the Republicans their opportunity.

what were republicans critical of?

government policy, and of Truman, at every opportunity; in the 1951 elections, they gained five seats in the Senate and 28 in the House of Representatives. It was the start of a move in the Republicans favour.

what was one criticism that the Korean war encourages?

the cost, to the USA, of the Cold War in general as well as the Korean War itself. Defence spending hit a peak at 14 percent of US GNP. Some of the money for this came from government borrowing; however, Truman's administration did raise taxes. Every US government since has had problems balancing the tax/borrowing contribution to the defence budget.