Conflict in Korea Flashcards
Who occupied Korea up until 1945?
Japan
When did China become a communist country
1949
When did the Korean war begin and end?
1950-1953
Why did the cold war take place?
-USA and USSR were the two superpowers with very different ideologies
-Both countries believed that their system was the way a country should be ran.
-Both countries were paranoid the other country was trying to spread their ideology worldwide.
What was the Truman Doctrine?
Where the USA would come to aid of any county threatened with a communist takeover.
What event happened in 1949 happened to make the USSR an even bigger threat to the USA
They developed their first successful test of a nuke
What were the key features of the Cold war?
-Both sides avoided fighting but fought proxy wars
-It was a war of bluff, threats and propaganda
-Each side feared the other as there was a constant threat of nuclear war
-Each side spied on the other
-Each side built up their army
-Each side tried to win propaganda victories: eg first man on moon
What were the causes of the Korean war?
-NK aggression
-Emergence of the cold war
-Short term actions of China, US, Russia and the UN.
What were 3 reasons why NK invaded SK
-Korea was divided
-Tensions between the 2 leaders
-Support from China and USSR
Why was the division of Korea a problem and how was it caused?
-The Japanese army in the north surrendered to the Russians whereas those in the South surrendered to the Americans. This division was only meant to be temporary.
-The UN planned to hold elections regarding Koreas unification
Who was Kim Il sung and why did he have ties to the USSR?
-Leader of NK
-He had been trained in the USSR
-He was a dictator who was a puppet for the USSR
Who was Syngman Rhee and why did he have ties to USA?
-Leader of SK
-He was a capitalist and hated communism, therefore the USA supported him.
-He was democratically elected
How were the two leaders of the Koreas similiar?
-Nationalists
-Both wanted to reunite Korea under their own ideology
How did the support of China give Sung confidence to invade SK?
-Mao had seized power in China and made them a communist country
-This meant they were an ally of NK right on their doorstep
How did the support of the USSR give Sung confidence to invade SK
-USSR had developed nukes and believed USA wouldn’t intervene
-USSR support Sung with tanks, artillery, aircraft and began to train NK soldiers.
-Stalin gave him permission to invade the south
What was the initial result of the Norths invasion
-Captured Seoul
-Cornered SK forces in the south east, around the city of Pusan.
What did anti-communist senator, Tom Connolly say about the Norths invasion of the South?
“If the UN is ever going to do anything, then this is time”
What did the US state department conclude Korea as
“A symbol to the watching world, the world will feel we have lost another round in our match with the USSR”
How did Truman initially react to the invasion of SK
-Sent advisers, supplies and warships to waters around Korea.
-He also pressured the UN security council to condemn the actions of NK
-He said NK must be forced to withdraw its troops
How did the UN react to the invasion of SK?
-Passed a resolution saying it would protect SK to “restore international peace and security”
-UN now committed to using its troops to drive the North Koreans out of the south.
Why could the USSR not veto the UNs resolution.
They were boycotting the UN due to them not allowing communist China to join and instead recognising Taiwan as the official government of China
How many countries provided troops for SK?
19- Largest of which was USA
Who was in charge of the UN forces
General MacArthur
When and where did the UN forces land in Korea?
In September 1950, the UN forces stormed Inchon
