Korean War Flashcards
What are the contradictory characteristics of the struggle historians term the ‘Cold War’ ?
It indicates that the struggle did not involve weapons or direct military action
What events after the First Berlin Crisis stimulated globalization of the superpower struggle ?
The fall of China (1949)
The Korean War (1950-1953)
Why did the fall of China trigger panic in the USA ?
The Red Scare - The public became super suspicious, anyone could be a communist spy
How was Truman impacted by the Fall of China and how did he react to it ?
China would become a communist Country. The US would suspend diplomatic ties for decades
How did Korea become the first battlefield of the Cold War ?
The Soviets supported NK’s attack bringing the US to support SK’s defence
Why did Kim Il Sung attack South Korea ?
To gain control over the entirety of the peninsula. He called this the Fatherland Liberation war
How was the USSR implicated in the Korean War’s start ?
US Secretary Dean Acheson announced that Korea lay outside of its Asian defence perimeter. This inspired Soviet generals to help plan NK’s invasion of SK
How did the myth of monolithic communism shape the US response to events in Korea ?
Americans believed their freedom was being threatened by communists
Why did Truman and MacArthur decide to cross the 38th Parallel ?
- They figured that China’s threat to intervene was a bluff
- China lacked the AirPower to properly intervene
- MacArthur wanted to finish off Kim Il Sung’s remaining forces
Why did the Chinese decide to intervene in South Korea
Mao preemptively intervened in the Korean War because of the US’s support for Chiang Kai-shek and his runaway Republic in Taiwan
Mao did not want the US to have Korea as a base making Asia easily accessible
Why did Truman forbid the use of nuclear weapons ?
Korea was being used as an ideological battle, they didn’t want to escalate it
How did Korea serve as a test case for the USA’s containment strategy and establish the rules for limited war that would define most of the Cold War struggle ?
By deeming NK’s attack “Communist Aggression”, the US was able to intervene in the civil war.
What is Resolution 83 ?
Resolution 83 authorized the UN’s intervention in the Korean War (despite technically being a civil war)
