consequences of korean war on cold war relations

Question 1

did the korean war escalate the nuclear arms race and why

Answer 1

it resulted in a rapid escalation of nuclear arms race between the US & USSR (both created so many more nuclear weapons/arsenals) because they both wanted to make sure the other wouldn’t try and influence on their sphere of influence

Question 2

increased tension & militarisation

Answer 2

it deepened the hostility between US & USSR because after the war, both became devoted to expanding their worldwide influence, which led to further militarisation and a disgnificant escalation of arms race.

Question 3

what did the USA do after the war (militarisation&increased tension) (2)

Answer 3

increased its military budget and committed to to containing communism in Asia and beyond.

Question 4

what did the US do in order to contain communism

Answer 4

formed an alliance called SEATO in 1954 to prevent communism from spreading in Asia

Question 5

what did the USSR do after the war (militarism & tensions) (2)

Answer 5

expanded its military and provided more support to communist movements globally

Question 6

division of Korea and ongoing tensions in Asia

Answer 6

the war solidified the division of Korea at the 38th parallel, with South Korea remaining capitalist and NK communist

the division created ongoing tensions in Asia and set a precedent for future conflicts in the region, (including vietnam war)

Question 7

korean peninsula after the war

Answer 7

remained a flashpoint for cold war rivarly, with both N & S korea recieving significant military and economic aid from their respective superpower allies

Question 8

strengthening the role of the UN

Answer 8

the UN played a huge role in supporting SK in the korean war, this made korea an important body for international conflicts and demonstrated the USA’s willingness to act within international frameworks to counter communism.

Question 9

how did it show the limitations of the UN (2)

Answer 9

• showing how it could be used to further superpower interests
• showing that with the power of veto, the superpowers could paralyse the UN’s ability to act

Question 10

closer relation to China, and emergence as a power

Answer 10

China’s role in the war gained respect amongst communist countries and temporarily strengthened its alliance with the USSR with the USSR, creating something like a communist block (all countries in that area were under Soviet influence)

Question 11

impact on foreign policy

Answer 11

after the war, the US’s sucess in containing communism made them believe that if they provided US military and financial aid, they would allow regimes to resist communist influence.

Question 12

what did the foreign policy lead to

Answer 12

increased american involvement in vietnam

Question 13

normalisation of proxy wars

Answer 13

as this was a proxy war (where the superpowers don’t physically fight each other but through supporting opposite sides) , this became a common pattern throughout the cold war as both the US & USSR wanted to expand their influence without risking a direct nuclear conflict.

Question 14

overall, the korean war (4)

Answer 14

• escalated cold war tensions
• reinforced the division of the east and west
• set a precedent for future conflicts where superpowers would fight indirectly
• marked a shift towards a more confrontational, globalised cold war

Question 15

how much did the USA spend on korean war

Answer 15

30 billion

Question 16

after the war, china owed money to who, and what was the state of their economy like

Answer 16

USSR, 55% of chinese spending had gone to the war effort and it weakened the economy so much it took 10 years to recover

Question 17

why did the alliance between china and the USSR break

Answer 17

because China felt like the USSR was too demanding and only helped because they would benefit financially

Question 18

arguments that communism was contained (4)

Answer 18

• North Korea wasn’t able to take SK and expand communism in Korea
• USA had shown it was willing and able to use military forces to stop spread of communism, even on the other side of the world
• the border of S & N Korea was settled and not changed since 1953
• Even with the support of the 2 biggest communist powers (China and USSR), it wasn’t able to spread beyond the 38th paralel

Question 19

Arguments that communism wasn’t contained (5)

Answer 19

• NK remained a communist country, and King Sung set up a strong dictatorship in NK.
• truman and macsrthurs policy to rollback communism failed, and was never pursued again
• tensions between N&S Korea remained, and they are still fearful of each other to this day
• it was the first war the USA fought where they didn’t secure a clear victory
• the war had shown division between american republic and the leadership, (some wanted containment more than others)