Communism within Asia + Korean War Flashcards
Who were the two leading figures during the Chinese civil war? What parties did they lead?
Chiang Kai-Shek (Chinese Nationalists)
Mao Zedong (Chinese Communist Party)
How did the USA support Kai-Shek? Was this successful?
They funded the Nationalist party with $2 billion aid
Failure - by late 1949, Mao’s communist forces had defeated Kai-Shek’s forces as they fled to Taiwan
What was China reformed to in 1949?
‘The People’s Republic of China’ by Mao Zedong, their new communist leader
What implications did the loss of China to communism have on Truman? (2 examples)
Truman’s doctrine had backfired on him
Republicans and the American public blamed Truman’s Democrat party for the ‘loss’ of China
Why was the fall of China worrying in terms of Soviet relations? What had also happened the same year with the USSR?
A renewal of the Sino-Soviet alliance was in the talks which threatened the US
The Soviet Union had also developed their own atomic bomb - ‘First Lightning’ - which was identical to the Nagasaki Bomb (‘Fat Man’) - this broke the USA’s atomic monopoly and increased fear
What did the Chinese Representative at the UN (Chiang Kai-Shek’s Taiwan) say after the loss of mainland China?
Tsiang Tingfu - warned that the loss of China will cause a ripple event through Asia of more communist uprisings taking place - proven right by 1950 with Korea/Indochina
What was the situation in French Indochina after WW2? Why was this the case?
The Indo-Chinese Communist Party (which had used guerrilla warfare against Japan in WW2) pushed for liberation from the French Empire
Who was the leader of the Indo-Chinese Communist Party? And which country did he expect help from?
Ho Chi Minh
He expected help from Truman and the US due to their belief in ‘self-determination’ (The idea of letting people of a nation decide on their own government)
Did the US support the Indo-Chinese Communist Party? What did they do and why?
No - they instead covered for 78% of the costs for French involvement in reinstating their command in Indochina
The loss of China was still fresh in Truman’s mind - saw Ho Chi Minh as a puppet of Stalin
What was the situation in Korea prior to 1950? Who were the leaders of their respective areas?
Korea was divided between the two occupying powers (Soviets - North / US - South) - split by the 38th Parallel
Syngman Rhee was elected leader of South Korea
Kim Il Sung was instated as leader of North Korea
When did North Korea invade South Korea? And how many troops did they have?
25th June 1950
A force of 100,000 North Korea troops launched a surprise invasion into South Korea with little opposition
Why was Truman compelled to act to the invasion of South Korea? How did he do this?
He had to contain communism but also offset criticism that he was ‘losing’ Asia to communism
He accomplished this by launching a UN intervention to support S. Korea in July, 1950
The UN intervention was labelled as what? And who contributed and who led these forces?
It was labelled as a UN ‘police action’ led by US General Douglas MacArthur
The forces primarily consisted of US troops, but also Canadian and British troops
What was the casualty rate as the N. Korean forces made great advances into S. Korea?
As S. Korean forces would retreat - the casualty rate hit 30%
What amphibious assault led by MacArthur turned the tide for S. Korea? And when was it?
September, 1950
A naval assault on Inchon which forced a N. Korean retreat back behind the 38th Parallel
This successful assault on Inchon changed Truman’s goals in Korea from what to what?
Truman no longer wanted to just drive the communist forces out of S. Korea - he now sought the destruction of North Korea and the reunification of Korea (‘rollback’ was the name giving to this by Republicans)
How did the American public react to Truman’s new goal within Korea? Why was this?
The ‘rollback’ of communism was supported due to the belief that North Korean aggression should be punished and the morale of S. Korea would be hurt if nothing was done
Why did MacArthur specifically push for the ‘roll-back’ of Communism in N. Korea?
As a long enthusiastic supporter of Chiang Kai-Shek, his overall goal was to invade China and suggested the use of atomic bombs on Chinese cities to avenge the Nationalist’s loss in 1949
What was China’s response to the Korean conflict rapidly approaching their border of Manchuria?
They warned that if UN troops crossed into N. Korea - they would join the war
What was MacArthur’s assurance to Truman about the Chinese threat during the Korean War? Was he right?
That they wouldn’t actually intervene - they did as UN and S. Korean forces were pushed back behind the 38th Parallel
Why did tension between Truman and MacArthur about Korea in 1951 ultimately lead to MacArthur’s dismissal as UN General?
MacArthur was more concerned about the defeat of North Korea + China rather than the protection of lives - insubordination via ordering troops to continue fighting without Truman’s approval
Why was MacArthur’s firing as UN General detrimental to Truman’s popularity?
MacArthur was a war hero, and widely praised by the American public
Who replaced MacArthur as General during the Korean War?
General Matthew Ridgway
By 1951, why had the Korean War stabilised?
Ridgway’s tactic of ‘Dynamic Defense’ which revitalised UN troops against over-whelming numbers and caused a surge of UN victories against China-backed North Korean troops
June, 1951 - China proposes an armistice
Why was the armistice proposed by China only agreed in July 1953, two years after it’s initial proposal?
Truman deliberately prolonged the war by insisting that Chinese prisoners of war not be returned to China
What was the American losses of the Korean War? (3 examples)
138,000 US soldiers were killed or injured
It cost 14% of the US GDP in it’s final year
Truman’s approval rating had dropped to 22% due to the lack of success in Korea in 1952
What were the global/domestic impacts of the Korean War? (6 examples)
- Asia had replaced Europe as the central Cold War arena
- Inspired Truman to give further support to dictatorial regimes of Syngman Rhee and Chiang Kai-Shek while also supporting French colonialism in Indochina
- Greatly embittered Chinese-American relations
- The US + USSR had both dramatically increased their military expenditure
- It intensified America’s anti-communist hysteria (McCarthy)
- It also suggested that neither the US, China or the USSR were willing to risk a third world war - as China proposed an armistice in 1951, Truman rejected MacArthur’s suggestion of atomic bombs and the USSR stayed out of the Korean War
