korean war Flashcards
amercian occupation of japan
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
fall of china
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.
korea after ww2
-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
leader of south korea
syngman rhee wins US-held elections
leader of north korea
kim il sung placed in power by soviets. claimed sovereignty over all of korea
invasion of south korea
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)
soviet involvement in invasion
-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
US reaction to invasion
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)
commander of US/UN forces in korea
gen. Douglas MacArthur
where did MacArthur’s troops land
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
truman quote about invasion
‘communism has passed beyond the use of subversion to conquer independent nations and will now use armed invasion and war’
MacArthur quote inchon
‘we shall land at inchon and i shall crush them’
chinese intervention
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
chinese counteroffensive
over 200,000 men on 25 oct 1950
macarthur disagrees with truman
-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
stalemate
period of brutal fighting
-US pushed below 38th parallel. lose seoul
-later regain seoul
-stalemate around 38th parallel
macarthur quote
stated that he ‘could have won the war in a maximum of 10 days’ with nuclear weapons
truman restraint
-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
truman approval rating + election
fell to 22% + decided not to contest 1952 election
eisenhower elected 1953
elected in 1953 on commitment to end war.
stalin death
1953
armistice
-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
american deaths
36,500
south korean civilian deaths
374,000
