containment (korea, cuba, vietnam) general

what was the Korean war referred to as, and why (3)?

the forgotten war

• timing

  • fells between WW2 and Vietnam war (both huge and world-changing so public attention drawn to those)

• outcome

  • essentially a draw, ends up basically where they started

  • unlike WW2/Vietnam war where there were clear winners - Korea is a more complicated narrative

• censorship

  • Vietnam was most reported on - journalists have almost complete access, unlike Korean war which was more restricted - much less public awareness/sources for future historians

Korean war dates

25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953

when did China become communist under Mao

and why had support for the Communist party grown

1949

corruption, high taxes, food shortages and a desire for land

(chinese man)__________ had led the communists to defeat the _________ Government which was backed by US _________ aid

Mao Zedong had led the communists to defeat the Nationalist Government which was backed by US financial aid

Who ruled Korea before 1945. What happened after the war

Until 1945, the Japanese Empire ruled over the Korean peninsula.

At the end of WW2, the North of Korea was liberated by the Red Army, while the South was liberated by the US

where was Korean divided to begin with

and where was this decided

divided at the 38th parallel

decided at Potsdam!

In August 1945, the division between North and South was supposed to be a _______ arrangement.

• supposed to be __________ within __ years

division - a temporary arrangement

supposed to be independent within 5 years (but seems increasingly permanent)

How did North Korea invade the South + when

• how many days did it take them to reach Seoul

• eventually all but _______

• with how many troops

25th June 1950 (surprise attack and invaded South Korea which overwhelmed their army)

• captured Seoul within 3 days

eventually conquered all but the Pusan area of South Korea

around 100,000 troops come across north korea border

How did the US respond to this (overwhelming communist wins of Korea?)

and why was USSR unable to veto actions

and result?

The US responded by taking the issue to the UN Security Council.

• USSR couldn't veto any actions as they were boycotting the United Nations for not recognizing Mao's government in China

• As a result, the UN sent forces (mainly, 90% US troops) to Korea.

who lead the UN/US army

General MacArthur, a World War Two veteran

initially very successful:

UN forces were able to take control of the South Korean capital within ___ months and had reached the border by ________(month).

took back Seoul within 3 months and reached the original border by October 1st.

what happened with the Chines border?

US army got too close to the Chinese border, despite warnings that they should back off or China would get involved in the war.

China crossed the Yalu river, launching a massive counteroffensive against UN forces in late October.

How did the British and French respond to that

French and British leaders asked for the US to negotiate a peace settlement to end the war

as UN forces were forced to retreat, and another of General McArthur’s offensives failed

General MacArthur continued to ask for _______, while British Prime Minister _____________ was persuading Truman to ____ the war.

Again, Truman _______ with MacArthur's counterattack in January _______, and this time is was a ________, pushing North Korean and Chinese forces back to the ______ Parallel.

General McArthur continued to ask for FURTHER ACTION

while CLEMENT ATLEE persuaded Truman to end the war.

Still, Truman AGREED with McArthur’s counterattack plan for JANUARY 1951

which was successful and pushed North Korean/Chinese forces back to the 38th (original) parallel.

What happened soon after with McArthur, once Truman decided a peace treaty was necessary.

MacArthur wanted to continue fighting and criticised Truman and the idea of a peace settlement with China.

As he was ignoring Truman's order, he was dismissed on April 11th 1951. 

to this day who claims to have won the war

North Korea still claims that it won the war.

how did America argue that it was right to go and defend Korea

aggressive expansionist Soviets/Communists

fear of the domino effect - that if South Korea falls to communism, surrounding countries will as well

how to argue America wasn’t right to interfere

it’s initially a Korean Civil war (before US/China intervene)

and around the time there were disagreements between Russia/China/N. Korea about what to do

how did the Korean war set terms for the future of the Cold War?

• beyond the focus of Europe (global conflict, sphere in Asia)

• firmly established America as global policy setter - willing and capable of using military, financial, political power for containment

how does the Korean War also add another country into the mix of the cold war

China

as a major player now in the world/cold war

• huge influence in Asia (Soviets and US wary of that)

how did the Korean war affect US relations with Britain

• made them stronger (ideological divide that they are on the same side of, and GB owes the US for Marshall aid)

what did GB do differently with recognition of the new Chinese regime

GB had recognised it, US didn’t

how many troops did GB send and where to

how many end up seeing action

initially 10,000 to the UN for Korea

but nearly 60,000 ended up seeing action

(expressed concern about USA’s aggressive stance)

what was actually signed on July 1953

estimate how many total died

armistice but NO PEACE TREATY

3 million total deaths

how many GB troops died

1,100

how many Americans died

37,000

estimate of what percent of North Korean population died

11%

how many South Korean civilian casualties

almost 1 million

how many South Korean soldiers died

around 150,000

and three times that were injured (450,000)

how many other countries helped US troops

15 other countries

how many Chinese and North Koreans dead

UN sources put the figure at up to a million Chinese and half a million North Koreans dead

why did the US go through the UN instead of just on its own

to legitimize the US-led intervention in the conflict by framing it as a collective security

to gain international support (politically + militarily)

successes of the Korean war (3)

• Contained communism (didn’t spread to South Korea)

• firmly established US as willing and able to use military force for containment

• lead to the creation of SEATO (South East Asian equivalent of NATO)- an anti-communist military alliance

• acted quickly - UN drawn up fast and outcome reached quickly - better than inefficient League of Nations

failures of the Korean war

• costly (life + money) - more Americans died per year than in the Vietnam War

• North Korea not liberated

• tension between American leaders - to contain or win over countries

• new threat of China emerged

• The USSR had realised that it should never boycott the UN Security Council again as it was clear that the power of veto was important in blocking US attempts to stop the spread of communism.

causes of the Korean War (4)

• China had fallen to communism in 1949 – fear of growing Red influence in the east.

• In line with Truman’s policy of containment – Marshall Aid in Europe…and beyond

• Because the USSR had boycotted the UN – it had an opportunity to act without fear of the veto.

• To ensure democracy remained in South Korea – the North had invaded after all

how did the USSR help North Korea

provided weapons, money, etc.

Soviet generals with combat experience from World War II, who were sent to North Korea as advisors. 

after China’s communist win, American policy-makers look for new ways to combat communism.

Containment issues: Europe-focused, limited powers

so draw up a National Security Paper that would make US accept that the Cold War will not be over quickly.

This paper was initially rejected by Truman - what made him change his mind

That it was the Korean war and criticism of Truman’s administration for being weak and allowing the war to happen, that increases support for thinking the report was right.

In this, US agrees to be more aggressive, build up weapons

Between 1948 and 1953, USA almost ______ defence spending

almost triples

why does the US think N. Korea invaded?

Because the USA wasn’t clear enough about being actively willing to defend the South

So they decide to be more clear, and the National Security Paper (acknowledging and giving resources to further containment) lets them do that