korean war

Question 1

amercian occupation of japan

Answer 1

350,000 US troops under gen. macarthur occupy japan after surrender (14 aug 1945, occupation begins 2 sep)
-key strategic importance following fall of china (1949) + beginning of korean war
-US spending boosted japanese economy
-occupation ended 1952

Question 2

fall of china

Answer 2

mao zedong’s communists won civil war over chiang kai-shek (supported by truman and US)
-took control oct 1949
-defeat of containment
-generated domino theory + launched red scare when senator jospeh mcCarthy blamed it on communists in the state dept.

Question 3

korea after ww2

Answer 3

-occupied by japanese forces at time of surrender
-US and USSR agreed to divide country along 38th parallel with plans to unify -> resisted by soviets
-outbreak of cold war led both sides to establish sympathetic govts (‘puppet regimes’) in territories
-1949 UN agreement for unity elections in 1950 -> removed forces

Question 4

leader of south korea

Answer 4

syngman rhee wins US-held elections

Question 5

leader of north korea

Answer 5

kim il sung placed in power by soviets. claimed sovereignty over all of korea

Question 6

invasion of south korea

Answer 6

after US troops left south before unity elections, 100,000 strong NK army invaded on 25 june 1950 with plans to est. unified communist state
-by sept. south koreans forced back to tiny pocket in south east corner of peninsula (near pusan)

Question 7

soviet involvement in invasion

Answer 7

-considerable debate whether acting on stalin’s orders
-kim visited moscow in months before
-supplied with weapons by soviets
-unknown if stalin gave order to invade

Question 8

US reaction to invasion

Answer 8

Truman called upon UN to act. voted to send troops to repel invasion. (USSR absent due to refusal by UN to recognise communist govt. in china)
-also sent advisors, warships and supplies from US bases in japan
-US/international troops sent under banner of UN
-led by MacArthur
-truman involved US without approval from congress (UN loophole)

Question 9

commander of US/UN forces in korea

Answer 9

gen. Douglas MacArthur

Question 10

where did MacArthur’s troops land

Answer 10

Inchon, behind communist forces, near the capital (Seoul).
-by oct, successfully repelled northern invasion + pushed back over original border
-northern forces retreat to border with china

Question 11

truman quote about invasion

Answer 11

‘communism has passed beyond the use of subversion to conquer independent nations and will now use armed invasion and war’

Question 12

MacArthur quote inchon

Answer 12

‘we shall land at inchon and i shall crush them’

Question 13

chinese intervention

Answer 13

had warned UN that they would enter war if they didn’t stop their advance
-ignored by macarthur who pushed to chinese border at yalu river
-chinese launched counteroffensive of over 200,000 men

Question 14

chinese counteroffensive

Answer 14

over 200,000 men on 25 oct 1950

Question 15

macarthur disagrees with truman

Answer 15

-disagrees over running of war + very vocal in media
-wanted to attack china + called for use of nuclear weapons
-believed truman was ‘limiting’ the army
-truman removed him in april 1951 for challenging civillian control of military

Question 16

stalemate

Answer 16

period of brutal fighting
-US pushed below 38th parallel. lose seoul
-later regain seoul
-stalemate around 38th parallel

Question 17

macarthur quote

Answer 17

stated that he ‘could have won the war in a maximum of 10 days’ with nuclear weapons

Question 18

truman restraint

Answer 18

-declined macarthur’s appeals to attack china and use nukes
-fear of ww3 and wider conflict
-USSR also had nukes, fear they would respond (MAD)
-kept war localised in korea

Question 19

truman approval rating + election

Answer 19

fell to 22% + decided not to contest 1952 election

Question 20

eisenhower elected 1953

Answer 20

elected in 1953 on commitment to end war.

Question 21

stalin death

Answer 21

1953

Question 22

armistice

Answer 22

-stalins death + EHs election helped end war
-armistice signed in july 1953
-border/ceasefire line re-established along 38th parallel
-no full peace agreement reached -> technically still at war

Question 23

american deaths

Answer 23

36,500

Question 24

south korean civilian deaths

Answer 24

374,000

Question 25

south korean soldiers deaths

Answer 25

138,000

Question 26

chinese deaths

Answer 26

400,000

Question 27

north korean soldier deaths

Answer 27

215,000

Question 29

results of war for containment

Answer 29

-success despite military failure (SK did not become communist)
-war stayed localised in korea, no direct escalation between superpowers
-truman refused to use nukes
-stalin refused to send troops
-criticism that communism had not been destroyed in china fuelled support for mccarthy

Question 30

push for rearmament

Answer 30

pressure on US resources -> pushed for german rearmament (buffer zone against communism)
-led to germany joining NATO in 1955, led to warsaw pact

Question 31

international support

Answer 31

-wide support for intervention
-used to build network of alliances in asia as US role there expanded
-1951 treaties with japan/philippines
-1951 ANZUS pact (australia, NZ, US)
-SEATO (based on nato but didn’t reach same level of cooperation/integration)

Question 32

limitations of containment shown by korea

Answer 32

-despite military advantage unable to defeat chinese
-did not anticipate that china would invade
-unable to use nukes because of MAD
-prolonged war + casualties -> became unpopular at home ‘war weariness’

Question 33

truman quote about peace

Answer 33

‘we can well afford to pay the price of peace. our only alternative is to pay the terrible cost of war’

Question 34

eisenhower’s foreign policy

Answer 34

-staunchly anti-communist
-‘new look’ policy planned massive nuclear retaliation if US attacked, ‘brinkmanship’ (confrontation of soviets globally), + ‘roll back’ of communism