THE KOREAN

WAR
 Setting the
Scene
“America’s forgotten war”
Americans struggled to
push back the
Communists, who had
made huge advances
Both sides dug into
their positions
“sitting war”
 Roots
Chinese Civil War
Foreign powers exerted influence on
and held some small possessions of
Chinese territory
Japan and Germany were involved
Japan got control of German
possessions there after WWI,
increasing Japanese power in China
China called for a stronger, more
independent country
Democracy, nationalism, or
communism
 Nationalist Party
Nationalists in the
north (Chiang Kai-
shek)
Communists in the south
(Mao Zedong) around
Shanghai
This led to a civil war in
1927 when Chiang sent
troops to attack the
Communists and their
 Mao
Gained support for the Communist
cause by redistributing land to the
peasants and offering the schooling and
health care.
This division continued for a long
time between the groups, after
WWII
Nationalists lost support b/c of their
harsh treatment of the population,
high taxes, and corruption
Mao’s land reforms and his promise
of equality and military victories led
Communists to power in 1949
Nationalists fled to Taiwan
 Dividing
Korea
Before WWI, Japan also
annexed the Korean peninsula
Harsh rule by the Japanese
Koreans hoped that the defeat of
Japan would lead to restoration
of their own power
WWII ended before the plans for
Korean independence could be
worked out
 Major
Players

Kim Il Sung: unify Korea under

Communism. Ruled from
1948 to 1994.
Syngman Rhee: anti-
Father of Kim Jong-Il. He ruled communist dictator.
from 1994 to 2011
Family
Lineage
 38th Parallel
Allies agreed on a temporary solution
Soviet soldiers accepted the
surrender of Japanese troops north
of the 38th parallel, which was the
latitude line running across Korea at
the midpoint of the peninsula
Americans did the same south of
the parallel
It was never meant to be
permanent
It created a Soviet-occupied
northern zone and an American
occupied southern zone
 Korean
Koreans wantedWar
to unify their
nation on both sides of the line
North Korean troops streamed
across the 38th parallel, hoping to
reunite Korea by force
Americans thought this was
Soviet- led, a case of aggression
Truman felt that if the Americans
did not respond, Communism
would spread
He believed WWIII would start if
the US did not intervene
 UN Police
Action
The UN blocked Communist
China’s admission to the UN
in 1949
Soviets walked out in protest
Thus could not exercise its veto
power when Truman brought
up the issue of North Korean
aggression to the UN
The US gained unanimous
approval for resolutions that
branded North Korea as
an aggressor
 Truman’s steps
Protected Taiwan
Ordered US air and naval
support for the South Koreans
Sent ground troops in
He did NOT go to Congress
and ask for a declaration of
war, but Congress was very
supportive
UN set up 16 nations to
contribute troops or arms, but the
US was 80% of the force
 Douglas
MacArthur
MacArthur was Truman’s
choice to lead the UN forces
in Korea
Based in Japan
Responsible for
establishing
western democracy there
and for creating Japan’s new
democratic constitution
North Korean
advance
North Korean troops swept through
South Korea in a few weeks
MacArthur defended Pusan (SE
South Korea), and then landed
troops at Inchon (NW South
Korea) and attacked enemy supply
lines from behind
The strategy worked, and the
North Koreans fled back across
the 38th parallel
United Nations Police Action

Commander-in-
Chief of the
United Nations
Command.
July August
1950 1950
 China’s warning
China was concerned that the
South Koreans and
Americans would take power
They threatened the US not
to advance any further
MacArthur ignored them
“Home by Christmas” drive: Nov.
24, 1950, designed to drive the
enemy across the North Korean
border at the Yalu River in to
China and end the war
 That didn’t work...
Chinese troops poured
across the Yalu River into
North Korea to take the
offensive
Chinese and North Korean
troops pushed the UN
forces back into South
Korea
Led to a stalemate
MacArthur’s next
steps
Wanted to open a second front to
break stalemate
He wanted Jiang’s forces at
Taiwan to return to the Chinese
mainland to attack the Chinese
Communists
Truman was opposed to this,
fearing it could lead to a
widespread war in Asia
 The
letter
MacArthur sent a letter to
House Minority Leader Joseph
Martin in March 1951
Attacked the president’s policies
Martin made the letter public
On April 11th, Truman fired
MacArthur for
insubordination
He received a hero’s
welcome when he came
back
 United Nations Police Action

October- November- Until July 1953:

November 1950 January 1951 Truce Line
 War continues...
The war dragged on for over two
more years
Truman now very unpopular, did
not have a good approval rating
Eisenhower came in, wanted
peace talks
Ike threatened to use
atomic weapons
A truce was signed in 1953,
leaving Korea divided at about the
38th parallel
 Effects of the
war
36,000 American soldiers
killed 103,000 wounded
Limited results
Communist forces were
pushed back
Containment occurred
without nuclear war
 Other
Korean Wareffects...
was the first in which
white and African Americans
served in the same units
Huge increase in military spending
By 1960, 1/2 of budget went
to defense
1/2 million soldiers stationed
around the world: permanent
mobilization
Military-industrial complex:
employed
3.5 million Americans by 1960:
 Military Industrial
Effects Complex

Lost any chance

of positive political
relations with
China.
Public
dissatisfaction
with not being the
“winners”.

Desegregated
military units.