Korean Crisis Flashcards
Korean independance
1950, no longer under rule
Korea is free from years of Japanese and chinese occupation
Korean war
1950-53
Korean Economic State in 1950
Extremly poor with limited resources due to years of pilgramge
Divison of Korea
Yalta Conference in February 1945 saw Korea divided into zones at the 38th Parallel, Soviets in the North and GB, US in the south
North Korea (PDRK)
Led by Communist Kim Il Sung
South Korea (PRK)
Led by Capitalist Syngman Rhee
North invasion
Crisis
June 25 1950, 75,000 NK troops
Backed by Soviet but no Soviet Troops
Pushed back to Busan within months
Chinese influence
Mao’s influence forced the Soviet hand on the intervention in the war
Crisis Status
Proxy War
Korean people
Korean people did not want intervention
American Ideology
- Preventing Communism
- Appointment of Rhee who was anti communist, not democratic
UN Coaliton
UN deployment of troops into Korea
90% of troops were US, Funded by Us, led by Us general Macarthur
Soviet Failure in the UN
Boycotted UN Security Council from January to August 1950 to protest the UN’s refusal to seat representatives of the PRC instead of the Kuomintang (Republic of China) government, which the UN and its allies recognized.
Backfired because, without USSR present to exercise its veto power, the SC was able to pass resolutions authorizing UN military intervention in the Korean War to defend South.
Kim Il Sung justifciation
South provoked them
UN counter
Macarthur pushes North back to 38th parallel and threatens to take China with Nuclear force.
Macarthur sacked in 1951
Chinese intervention
China intervened in the Korean War in October 1950.
-Support North Korean forces against advancing United Nations troops. Prior to this, Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai had officially warned the United States that China would intervene if UN forces crossed the 38th parallel into North Korea, but this warning was largely dismissed by U.S. policymakers
-Motivated by concerns over national security, the threat posed by U.S. forces near China’s border, and ideological commitments to support North Korea
-By the end of 1950, the PVA strength had increased to approximately 450,000 troops and pushed the UN coaliation out of North Korea by December.
Propganda for Mao
Beating Americans was the best thing he could of asked for
Armistice
1953, Armistice signed not peace treaty
US and Soviet pulling out as a result of new leadership
(Eisenhower and Khrushchev)
Consequences
-First proxy war or ‘hot war’
-Reinforced Cold War bipolarity; set precedent for proxy wars; strengthened Western alliances.
-Justifcation of NSC-68 and it became official policy after the outbreak of the Korean War later that year
-Armistice left Korea divided and a permanent U.S. military presence in South Korea.
-4 mil dead
Seato
South East Asian Treaty Org
(1954)
American containment
Sino-Soviet pact
1950
Soviet expansionism
