2. US and UN Involvement in the War in 1950

Question 1

Why Truman Entered the Korean War

Answer 1

• Anti-Communism - Americans believed security threatened + Communist nations may refuse trade with US + damage US economy
• McCarthyism + domestic political concerns - Rep. Senator McCarthy declares on Feb 1950 that there are communists in Truman’s State Department - Truman feared Dem. loss in Nov elections
• NSC-68 - claimed USSR wanted domination of Europe + Asia, recommended US build up of military + taxes to fund this
• Fears for Japan - valuable US ally - only 100m from Korea
• UN + lessons from history - Failure of League of Nations in 30s - meant Truman thought collective security should be supported + appeasement avoided - thought failing to support UN and appeasing NK as an aggressor could cause another world war
• US world domination? - viewpoint of communists - some say an attempt to ensure capitalist-dominated world economy

Question 2

The Significance of the US Entry into the Korean War