Korea Flashcards
when did the korean war take place?
june 1950- july 1953
identify two values of communist USSR
- one party state
2. government control over the economy and distribution of wealth
describe the relationship between the USA and USSR during the cold war
tense
hostile
competitive
what was the truman doctrine and when was it announced?
america’s policy of containment - preventing the spread of communism
1947
how did america try and prevent the spread of communism in asia?
$2 billion was given to nationalists in china
which country in asia became communist in 1949?
china
when did china become communist?
1949
what was the domino theory and who believed it?
americans believed that if one country turned communist, the neighbouring countries would follow
what happened to north korea after WW2?
it became communist
who was the leader of north korea after WW2?
supreme leader kim il sung
what happened to south korea after WW2?
the country became anti-communist and won the support of america
who was the leader of south korea after WW2?
president syngman rhee
what was the border between NK and SK?
38th parallel
what was expected to take place in 1948?
elections to reunite korea
when were the elections in korea, that were expected to reunite the country?
1948
did elections in korea in 1948 go as planned? if not what happened instead?
no - president syngman rhee held and won elections in south korea and kim il sung said NK was separate and independent
what were two of NK’s aims for the war?
- successfully take over SK territory
2. unite korea as a communist country
describe 2 of america’s aims during the war
- contain the spread of communism in korea and asia
2. for president truman to win the support of the american people
who was the president in america during the korean war?
truman 1950-1952
dwight eisenhower 1952-1953
what were 2 of china’s aims during the war?
- establish international status and military strength
2. aid the spread of communism
what was the USSR’s aim during the war?
- aid the spread of communism
what was NK’s army called?
north korean people’s army
when did the north korean people’s army invade SK? how many soldiers invaded?
june 1950
75,000 soldiers
from june to september 1950, how much of south korea had NK occupied?
the whole country except the south east region
how did america respond to the invasion of south korea from june to september 1950?
- sent advisers, supplies and warships to the surrounding waters of SK
- put pressure on the UN security council to condemn NK’s actions and ask them to with draw troops
what is the UN and when was it set up?
international organisation that aims to prevent war and promote cooperation. set up after WW2 in 1945
why was the USSR boycotting the UN?
america had stopped china’s entry into the UN because they turned communist in 1949
what did the UN agree to do in south korea?
help SK militarily by forcing NK out of the south and restore peace and protect the region.
who was sent by the UN to force the north koreans back?/
General MacArthur
when did UN troops arrive in SK?
sept 1950
how successful were the UN forces in SK? how long did it take them?
september 1950 - october 1950
very successful: the UN forces drove the NKs back to the yalu river on the chinese border
how did america’s/the UN’s policy change during the war?
went from containment to rollback (pushing the NK forces beyond the 38th parallel)
when did china enter the korean war?
october 1950
why did china enter the war in october 1950?
the UN forces had pushed the NK forces to the yalu river on the chinese border - threatening for chinese
how did the soviet union support china and NK during the war?
provided military advice and equipment like modern tanks and planes
what was china’s army called?2
People’s Volunteers
how successful were the chinese troops in their involvement in october 1950 and in what years did they do this?
october 1950 - january 1951
very successful: the UN troops were pushed back beyond the 38th parallel into SK
how would you describe the war between 1951 and 1953?
it was a stalemate/standstill on the 38th parallel. neither side forced the other beyond the border
why was general macarthur sacked and when?
1951 - he wanted to use aggressive tactics like nuclear bombing on china
truman didn’t want to risk a war between america and the USSR and China
macarthur didn’t follow instructions and threatened war in china in march 1951 so he was fired
when did peace talks between NK and SK start?
june 1951
why did the peace talks fail?
the countries disagreed over an exchange of prisoners and the fighting started again
who was elected president after truman and in which year?
eisenhower 1952
who died in march 1953 and how did this help end the war?
josef stalin (USSR leader)
after this china and NK were not sure that the USSR would continue supporting the war
when did josef stalin die?
march 1953
when was the armistice (peace agreement) finally signed?
july 1953
how many korean casulties were there in the war?
1.3 million (almost 50:50 in SK and NK)
give 2 negative effects of the war on korea?
industry and agriculture was ruined
millions forced to flee their homes
how american soldiers died during the war?
33,000
how many chinese deaths were there in the war?
over half a million
what happened to relations between the US and USSR after the war?
further tension and competition
did america meet its aims during the war?
yes - SK remained independent
no - NK was communist (rollback failed)
did china meet their aims during the korean war?
yes - china established its reputation as strong. NK remained communist and protected china’s borders (buffer state)
no - china’s involvement failed, as SK was not taken over
did NK meet their aims?
no - failed to take over SK
did SK meet their aims?
yes - remained independent and not taken over by NK
did the UN meet its aims?
yes - taken quick direct action and prevented a take over of SK.
how many nations worked together in the UN to provide supports and troops?
18 nations
