Outbreak, course and impact of the Korean war, 1950-3

What happened in Korea after Japan was defeated in WW2?

Korea was occupied by the armed forces of US and USSR, so Korea was divided along the 38^th parallel into 2 separate states

How and why did the US fail in their occupation of South Korea?

Wouldn’t work with People Committee’s, demonstrations of 15,000, worked with Japanese to restore order which offended the Koreans, ignorance about Korean culture + stubbornness of the military bureaucracy led by General Hodge resulted in a lack of cooperation

How was North Korea under Soviet occupation?

Stopped deliveries + supplies across parallel, riots broke out due to shortages, around 1.6 million people fled south

Examples of US foreign policy against the spread of Communism

Truman Doctrine, Containment, Rollback, Domino Effect, Redscare

What was NSC-68?

Introduced 7th of April 1950, aggressive policy of development of Hydrogen bombs, wanted spending to increase from $50b rather than the $13b assigned

What was McCarthyism?

Senator McCarthy declared in February 1950 that there were 250 alleged communists in the state department, Truman also feared Republican takeover in Congress in the Nov 1950 elections

What was the world balance of power?

By 1950 all of Eastern Europe and half of Germany disappeared behind Stalin’s Iron Curtain, Truman lost China in 1949 and there were communists insurgencies in Vietnam, Philippines and Malaya

What was the ‘Defence Perimeter’?

Speech by Secretary of State Dean Acheson in Jan 1950, huge arc from Aleutian Islands through Japan and the Philippines – excluded Taiwan and Korea

What was US public opinion on entering the war?

Polls shows 75% supporting aid of South Korea, Congress cheered when he asked for $10b in July 1950, but ultimately is was called ‘Truman’s War’

What was the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Alliance and Mutual assistance?

Signed by Stalin and Mao in February 1950, however both still concerned about influence in Asia

Why did China enter the war?

Korea offered an opportunity to re-establish prestige and status on the world stage + NK had also helped them during their civil war, Stalin asked Mao to intervene

How did the UN intervene?

15 members fought but US/SK provided 90% men, 32 nations ended up helping with aid

When did China intervene?

When US/ROK forces reached the Yalu River in Oct, China sent 150,000 men into North Korea, US was blindsided as surveillance didn’t detect them + marched overnight

How many North Korean troops entered South Korea?

135,000 and 50,000 of them took part in the Chinese Civil War

What was the military the North Koreans were equipped with during the invasion?

7 divisions, 87 tanks, 200 Russian air-crafts

What was the number of South Korean troops during the North Korean invasion?

95,000

Describe the North’s push into the South

On the 25^{th of} June, they launched an all out assault pouring across the border, captured Seoul on the 29^th and then moved towards Pusan

When did the US arrive in the Korean peninsula and with which infantry?

1st of July with the infantry from Japan that was very weak. They only had 24 Bazookas

What was the Inchon Landing?

15^th September, MacArthur advocated an amphibious landing 200 miles behind NK lines of 75,000 troops, he was lucky, and they were taken by surprise + US recaptured Seoul on the 27^th Sept

When and why did Truman dismiss MacArthur?

11^th April 1951, demanded use of nuclear weapons, Truman wanted to discuss peace – MacArthur released communique insulting China

How much did US military expenditure rise by?

4% to 14%

What was the impact on Japan?

Toyota made 1000 trucks for US military, trade value of $500m, defence industry earned $3b from sales, Yoshida considered the Korean war ‘the grace of heaven’

What was the impact on NK?

600,000 homes destroyed, population reduced by 2 million, stuck in a Stalinist time-warp

What was the impact on SK?

415,000 ROK troops killed and 429,000 wounded

What was the impact on the US?

33,651 troops killed, ‘forgotten war’, shifted Cold War focus to Asia, strengthened NATO

Describe the Orthodox/Western/Conventional view

NK attack was the result of Stalin’s expansionist desire in Asia, he controlled Kim’s decision to go to war and wanted a Soviet bloc, US threat to escalate with nuclear weapons ended the war, US intervened because of communist aggression + contain communism

Describe the revisionist/alterative view

Opposed soviet-element of Orthodox view, War was Korean, driven by nationalism, not a USA/USSR ideological conflict, Kim’s actions alone were responsible for the outbreak of war – he acted alone, US selfishly intervened for their own political/economy hegemony  

Describe the post-revisionist view

NK attack motivated by Korean nationalism, desire for reunification rather than communist aggression, looked at newly available Soviet/Chinese archival sources