Transcript The Korean War

The Korean War
1950-1953
Occupation
• In 1945 Korea was occupied by
Soviet forces in the north and
American forces in the south.
• The line that was chosen to
separate the two was the same
one that Japan and Russia used
in the early part of the 20th
century.
• It was called the 38th parallel.
• Kim Il-Sung-North Korean Leader
(Communist)
• Syngman Rhee-South Korean Leader
(Democracy)
Divided Korea
• North Korea was led by communist leader Kim Il Sung (Communist
Government established)
• South Korea was led by Syngman Rhee and called itself the Republic of
Korea (Democratic Government established)
Syngman Rhee
http://en.wikipedia.org/wi
ki/Syngman_Rhee
Kim Il Sung
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Il-sung
Syngman
Rhee
Kim Il-Sung
•
Cold War
Leading Causes of the Korean War
•
Stalin encouraged the spread of communism as long as it did not result in a war with America.
He soon realized that nuclear war might be a possibility and wanted to avoid that and beat the USA using
more indirect means.
•
The Domino Effect/Theory – Eisenhower and Truman believed that if Korea fell to
communism, Japan (a major trading partner) would follow. Domino theory felt that if one
country was allowed to fall to communism, the neighboring countries of the new communist
nation would eventually fall to communism eventually.
•
Containment: The Truman Doctrine stated that the USA would lend aid to any country not
wishing to be suppressed by the political ideals (communism) of any other country.
•
April 1950 the American National Security Council issued a report recommending direct involvement (a
proxy war) against communism.
•
Stalin saw that the Korean War Was a chance for a war by proxy. Kim II Sung visited Stalin to persuade
him that he could conquer South Korea.
This map is from
an American
magazine from
1950. This shows
how much the US
feared
communism in
the far east.
U.S. Involvement
• South Korea was unstable economically
• The United States feared that South Korea would fall to communism
• U.S. government helped to build up the South Korean military (Containment
Policy/Truman)
• Both the U.S. and the Soviets removed their troops from Korea in 1949.
Fighting Begins
• North Korea invaded South Korea on June 25, 1950.
• The UN became involved and asked for an immediate cease fire
• The Soviets were boycotting the U.N. due to the denial of admittance of
China to the world governing body
The Start of the Korean War
Role of the United States
• South Korea was where the United States
had to take a stand against Communist
aggression.
• Truman ordered American naval and air
forces to support Korean ground troops.
• Truman asked the United Nations to
approve the use of force to stop the North
Korean invasion.
Role of the United Nations
• The UN Security Council supported the use
of force in Korea.
• Truman sent ground troops to Korea.
• The troops sent to Korea were to be a
United Nations force.
• Instead of calling this a war, the whole
effort was referred to as a UN police
action.
Support for South Korea
• June 27th-The U.N. Security Council labeled North Korea as
an aggressor and offered support to South Korea
• The U.S. sponsored this resolution
• U.S. forces entered South Korea under the direction General
MacArthur
• 15 other countries gave military and monetary support,
however no other country gave the same support that the
United States did.
Soviet Union-Indirectly Involved
• Soviets sold Chinese military
equipment, including artillery and
MIG fighter planes.
• The USSR also provided advisers
and military hardware to the North
Koreans.
• Soviet pilots flew MIGs against US
planes.
• However, Stalin was unwilling to
become involved with the United
States in a war over Korea.
Split Power
• By September the North Koreans had pushed the U.S. and South
Korean forces into a retreat
• September 15, 1950, General MacArthur led a counterattack and
recaptured Seoul, which is South Korea’s capital
• The UN and U.S. forces were hit with a counterattack from the
North Koreans and eventually had to settle with a defensive line
at the 38th parallel
China’s Involvement
• China aided North Korea in late November.
• Due to China’s involvement, General MacArthur called for a major
expansion of the war. His proposal included:
• Blockading China’s coast
• Invading the interior of China
Conflict Regarding the Plan
• Supporters of MacArthur’s plan said it would overthrow the Communist
regime in China
• Opponents argued that blockading China could entice the Soviets to become
involved
What happens next?
• October 14 to November 1, 1950
• Chinese send 180,000 of the People’s Volunteer Army to cross Yalu River
• They pushed the American forces back
• November 2
• UN realizes that the attack was done by Communist China
Why did China enter the war?
• UN forces pushed north to China
• Crossed 38th parallel
• Yalu River and border with China
• Mao Zedong already made it clear
that China would not tolerate
foreign forces on border
Truman’s Response
•
•
•
•
•
President Truman opposed MacArthur’s plan
Truman removed MacArthur from his position in April 1951
The war had reached a stalemate by the summer of 1951.
The war became a hot button issue in election of 1952
Truman decides NOT to run for re-election
General MacArthur Is Fired
• MacArthur said that the UN faced a choice between defeat by the Chinese or a major war with them.
• He wanted to expand the war by bombing the Chinese mainland, perhaps even with atomic weapons.
• Lieutenant General Matthew Ridgway stopped the Chinese onslaught and pushed them back to the 38th
parallel—without needing to expand the war or use atomic weapons.
• MacArthur disagreed with President Truman about the direction of the fighting and challenged the
authority of the president.
• Truman fired MacArthur.
• Many Americans were outraged at the firing of MacArthur.
Election of 1952
• Republican candidate Dwight
D. Eisenhower
• Democrat candidate Adlai
President Eisenhower
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/preside
nts/de34.html
Stevenson
• Eisenhower promised to end
the Korean war yet still resist
the spread of Communism
• Eisenhower won the electoral
college 442-89
The War Ends
• Eisenhower stayed true to his word to end the war
• Bombing raids increased by the U.S. in North Korea in May of
1953
• July 27th, 1953 an armistice was agreed upon.
• The outcome of the war was the same dividing line that was
present before the start of the war, approximately around the 38th
parallel
The Korean War Armistice
• Designed to insure an end to warfare
and all acts of armed force in Korea
until a definitive peaceful could be
achieved
• It was signed on July 27,1953
• Covered issues such as
- exchange of prisoners of war
- location of a demarcation line
• Intended as a temporary measure, but
the 38th parallel remains standing even
today.
• There was an armistice signed by
North Korea, China, and the UN
but not by South Korea.
• The armistice was NOT a peace
treaty, just a temporary cessation of
hostilities.
• Korea is still split up into North
Korea (communist) and South
Korea (non-communist)
• The border between the two
countries has remained one of the
most heavily-armed stretches of
land on Earth
Map of Korea
DMZ – Demilitarized Zone
an area where military equipment and activity are prohibited
After the Korean War (June 25 1950 – July 27 1953), South Korea and North Korea established a border that cut the Korean
peninsula roughly in half. The border is the Korean DMZ. Because the Korean war ended in a stalemate and of hostility between
the North and the South, large numbers of troops are still stationed along both sides of the line, each side guarding against potential
aggression from the other side.
The DMZ is 155 miles long and 1.5 miles wide.
Sporadic outbreaks of violence due to North Korean hostilities killed over 500 South Korean soldiers and 50 U.S. soldiers along the
DMZ between 1953 and 1999. However, despite the fact that this is the most heavily armed border in the world, it is extremely rare
that any fighting takes place.
Pictures of the DMZ (scroll down & note there are a few pages of pictures)
Korean DMZ Pictures