The Korean War - What Happened?
Started as a war of movement - Dramatic changed in the first year
Followed by a stalemate that lasted until 1953
STAGE ONE - NORTH KOREAN INVASION
North Korea captured almost all of the entire Korean peninsula apart from Pusan (small pocket of land in the South-East)
STAGE TWO - UN COUNTER-ATTACK
MacArthur led the UN forces to lead an assault on Inchon - Wanted to split the North Korean forces in half
Recaptured Seoul within a month and pushed the North Koreans back to the 38th parallel
US decided on a policy of 'rollback' - Aimed to cross into North Korean territory to reunite Korea
October Pyongyang was captured
STAGE THREE - CHINESE COUNTER-ATTACK
Chinese warned MacArthur and he decided to push on the border with China at Yalu River anyways
27th November 1950 Over 200,000 Chinese and 150,000 North Korean troops and pushed the UN forces into retreat
December 1950 Pyongyang and all of North Korea was recaptured - UN forces suffered heavy casualties
STAGE FOUR - STALEMATE
War descended into stalemate along the 38th parallel
Truman decided to go back to the policy of 'containment' - MacArthur disagreed and threatened to use atomic bombs against China
MacArthur was fired by Truman
1951 Peace talks began
1953 Peace talks continues and an armistice was signed at Panmunjom in July
Causes of the Korean War
ONE - FAILURE TO UNITE KOREA AFTER WORLD WAR TWO
1945 Agreed by the superpowers to temporarily divide Korea and take joint responsibility for repatriating Japanese forces
38th Parallel was used as a dividing line with the USSR who occupied the north and the USA who occupied the south
December 1945 Council of Foreign Ministers' Moscow Conference the USA and the USSR agreed to create a provisional government in Korea that would lead to independence
Independence was never achieved and the Cold War developed superpowers who became less willing to co-operate
Separate governments emerged on both sides - The South (US) appointed Syngman Rhee an anti-Communist
In the North the USSR supported a Communist faction led by Kim Il Sung
Both fought the Japanese and wanted to end the division of Korea - Had different ideologies
America persuaded the UN to establish a commission to supervise the Korean elections - Refused entry to the North but observed a separate election in the South in May 1948
Republic of Korea (ROK) was set-up in the South and led by Synghman Rhee - Undemocratic and anti-Communist but recognised as legitimate by the UN general Assembly
September 1948 the North founded the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) - Founded by Kim Il Sung, recognised as a Communist Bloc
The failure of forming a unified Korean government the permanent division of Korea formed
Each side claimed to represent Korea and that each leader wanted to unify Korea
TWO - THE ROLE OF THE USA
Superpowers both began to withdraw troops
1948 Soviet troops left the North
Mid-1949 All US troops were gone
January 1950 Dean Acheson's 'perimeter' speech declared that the US wouldn't commit troops in mainland Asia
The withdrawal of troops left a power vacuum in Korea - Could develop hostiles between the two Koreas'
US withdrawal presented Kim Il Sung with an opportunity
THREE - THE ROLE OF KIM IL SUNG
Both Kim Il Sung and Synghman Rhee wanted to reunify Korea on their own terms - Neither side could unify Korea on their own
Kim Il Sung tried to persuade Stalin into supporting an attack on the South
Stalin wasn't to blame for the war although his support for Kim Il Sung significant when it came to the North making decisions
FOUR - THE ROLE OF STALIN
1950 Stalin eventually began to support the plans for a war - More hopeful of winning
Communist victory in China and the development of the USSR's first atomic bomb persuaded Stalin to act
The development of an anti-Communist Japan threatened Stalin's control within the region
Successful invasion of South Korean presented Stalin with the opportunity to spread his influence
FIVE - THE ROLE OF MAO ZEDONG
Kim Il Sung had the support of China - Mao was initially skeptical about the success of the invasion
Kim persuaded Mao that Stalin was more enthusiastic - Mao was keen to get support from Stalin and planned his attack on Taiwan
Mao ultimately gave his approval to invade the South
Effects of the Korean War
EFFECTS ON THE USA
Korean War heightened US fears of further Soviet aggression
NSC-68 recommendations to tripe the budget were approved
US forces were strengthened with NATO with new members Greece, Turkey and eventually West Germany
War served as a Catalyst to form new policies / accept them
1952 US and Japan signed the Treaty of San Francisco - Allowed the US to build military bases in Japan and the US to rebuild the Japanese economy
US increased support for Chiang Kai-Shek in Taiwan and continued to isolate China
1954 South-East Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO) was formed - Anti-Communist containment bloc, included Thailand, the Philippines, Pakistan, USA, UK, France, Australia and New Zealand
EFFECTS ON KOREA
300,000+ civilians had lost their lives, property damage was also a major consequence
The Peninsula was permanently divided - No hope of reunification
38th Parallel became the new heavily defeated frontier of the Cold War
North Korea remained under Communist rule, South Korea formed into a successful democratic and capitalist nation
EFFECTS ON CHINA
China's reputation few after the war for successfully pushing back US forces - Helped to consolidate the Communist revolution in China
Stalin's reluctance to help Mao led to division between the two powers - China became more independent
Mao's aim to unite with Taiwan was now harder because the US increased their support for Chiang Kai-Shek
EFFECTS ON THE USSR
USSR wasn't directly involved with the Korean War, gave tacit consent to North Korea
The war damaged Soviet interests
USA's decision to triple military spending and rearm Western Germany, maintain troops in Europe and aim to contain Communism in Asia - USSR was being driven into a global conflict
Stretch Soviet commitments throughout the world - Economical issues
EFFECTS ON SOUTH-EAST ASIA
Korean War was an attempt by the US to contain Communism in Asia - Asia was now a battleground for the Cold War
Nationalist countries such as, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Philippines wanted independence from their Colonial powers - Some movements were Communist and relied on the support of the USSR or China
US policies confused national Communist groups allied with Moscow - Lead to the US involvement in the Vietnam War
EFFECTS ON THE COLD WAR
Korean War globalised the Cold War
Increasing militarisation - Both sides increased their military budgets
The USSR increased the size of the Red Army from 2.8 million to 5.8 million
Started as a war of movement - Dramatic changed in the first year
Followed by a stalemate that lasted until 1953
STAGE ONE - NORTH KOREAN INVASION
North Korea captured almost all of the entire Korean peninsula apart from Pusan (small pocket of land in the South-East)
STAGE TWO - UN COUNTER-ATTACK
MacArthur led the UN forces to lead an assault on Inchon - Wanted to split the North Korean forces in half
Recaptured Seoul within a month and pushed the North Koreans back to the 38th parallel
US decided on a policy of 'rollback' - Aimed to cross into North Korean territory to reunite Korea
October Pyongyang was captured
STAGE THREE - CHINESE COUNTER-ATTACK
Chinese warned MacArthur and he decided to push on the border with China at Yalu River anyways
27th November 1950 Over 200,000 Chinese and 150,000 North Korean troops and pushed the UN forces into retreat
December 1950 Pyongyang and all of North Korea was recaptured - UN forces suffered heavy casualties
STAGE FOUR - STALEMATE
War descended into stalemate along the 38th parallel
Truman decided to go back to the policy of 'containment' - MacArthur disagreed and threatened to use atomic bombs against China
MacArthur was fired by Truman
1951 Peace talks began
1953 Peace talks continues and an armistice was signed at Panmunjom in July
Causes of the Korean War
ONE - FAILURE TO UNITE KOREA AFTER WORLD WAR TWO
1945 Agreed by the superpowers to temporarily divide Korea and take joint responsibility for repatriating Japanese forces
38th Parallel was used as a dividing line with the USSR who occupied the north and the USA who occupied the south
December 1945 Council of Foreign Ministers' Moscow Conference the USA and the USSR agreed to create a provisional government in Korea that would lead to independence
Independence was never achieved and the Cold War developed superpowers who became less willing to co-operate
Separate governments emerged on both sides - The South (US) appointed Syngman Rhee an anti-Communist
In the North the USSR supported a Communist faction led by Kim Il Sung
Both fought the Japanese and wanted to end the division of Korea - Had different ideologies
America persuaded the UN to establish a commission to supervise the Korean elections - Refused entry to the North but observed a separate election in the South in May 1948
Republic of Korea (ROK) was set-up in the South and led by Synghman Rhee - Undemocratic and anti-Communist but recognised as legitimate by the UN general Assembly
September 1948 the North founded the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) - Founded by Kim Il Sung, recognised as a Communist Bloc
The failure of forming a unified Korean government the permanent division of Korea formed
Each side claimed to represent Korea and that each leader wanted to unify Korea
TWO - THE ROLE OF THE USA
Superpowers both began to withdraw troops
1948 Soviet troops left the North
Mid-1949 All US troops were gone
January 1950 Dean Acheson's 'perimeter' speech declared that the US wouldn't commit troops in mainland Asia
The withdrawal of troops left a power vacuum in Korea - Could develop hostiles between the two Koreas'
US withdrawal presented Kim Il Sung with an opportunity
THREE - THE ROLE OF KIM IL SUNG
Both Kim Il Sung and Synghman Rhee wanted to reunify Korea on their own terms - Neither side could unify Korea on their own
Kim Il Sung tried to persuade Stalin into supporting an attack on the South
Stalin wasn't to blame for the war although his support for Kim Il Sung significant when it came to the North making decisions
FOUR - THE ROLE OF STALIN
1950 Stalin eventually began to support the plans for a war - More hopeful of winning
Communist victory in China and the development of the USSR's first atomic bomb persuaded Stalin to act
The development of an anti-Communist Japan threatened Stalin's control within the region
Successful invasion of South Korean presented Stalin with the opportunity to spread his influence
FIVE - THE ROLE OF MAO ZEDONG
Kim Il Sung had the support of China - Mao was initially skeptical about the success of the invasion
Kim persuaded Mao that Stalin was more enthusiastic - Mao was keen to get support from Stalin and planned his attack on Taiwan
Mao ultimately gave his approval to invade the South
Effects of the Korean War
EFFECTS ON THE USA
Korean War heightened US fears of further Soviet aggression
NSC-68 recommendations to tripe the budget were approved
US forces were strengthened with NATO with new members Greece, Turkey and eventually West Germany
War served as a Catalyst to form new policies / accept them
1952 US and Japan signed the Treaty of San Francisco - Allowed the US to build military bases in Japan and the US to rebuild the Japanese economy
US increased support for Chiang Kai-Shek in Taiwan and continued to isolate China
1954 South-East Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO) was formed - Anti-Communist containment bloc, included Thailand, the Philippines, Pakistan, USA, UK, France, Australia and New Zealand
EFFECTS ON KOREA
300,000+ civilians had lost their lives, property damage was also a major consequence
The Peninsula was permanently divided - No hope of reunification
38th Parallel became the new heavily defeated frontier of the Cold War
North Korea remained under Communist rule, South Korea formed into a successful democratic and capitalist nation
EFFECTS ON CHINA
China's reputation few after the war for successfully pushing back US forces - Helped to consolidate the Communist revolution in China
Stalin's reluctance to help Mao led to division between the two powers - China became more independent
Mao's aim to unite with Taiwan was now harder because the US increased their support for Chiang Kai-Shek
EFFECTS ON THE USSR
USSR wasn't directly involved with the Korean War, gave tacit consent to North Korea
The war damaged Soviet interests
USA's decision to triple military spending and rearm Western Germany, maintain troops in Europe and aim to contain Communism in Asia - USSR was being driven into a global conflict
Stretch Soviet commitments throughout the world - Economical issues
EFFECTS ON SOUTH-EAST ASIA
Korean War was an attempt by the US to contain Communism in Asia - Asia was now a battleground for the Cold War
Nationalist countries such as, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Philippines wanted independence from their Colonial powers - Some movements were Communist and relied on the support of the USSR or China
US policies confused national Communist groups allied with Moscow - Lead to the US involvement in the Vietnam War
EFFECTS ON THE COLD WAR
Korean War globalised the Cold War
Increasing militarisation - Both sides increased their military budgets
The USSR increased the size of the Red Army from 2.8 million to 5.8 million