SBCS- Korean War Flashcards
Why did Stalin support Kim’s venture? How did USSR support?
The explosion of the USSR’s first atomic bomb in August 1949, and the success of the communists in the Chinese Civil War may have given Stalin the confidence and emboldened hum to view Korea as the logical and viable next step in the worldwide communist movement. Korea may have been viewed by Stalin as the foothold to counter US influence in the Asia-Pacific (Specifically, postwar-Japan).
No direct risk to USSR.
USSR provided the North with the weapons, training and expertise necessary to start the war.
Kim’s persistence and ambition in unifying Korea
Motivated by personal power and national unification, Kim IL-sung was responsible for triggered the war. Even though he did not invade until he had permission from Stalin, the initiative for the war came from him since he asked Stalin thrice for endorsement to invade the South.
US ambiguity in relation to Korea (focus on Europe)
US remained glued to a Europe-first strategy. With tensions high in Europe over the Soviet blockade of the western sectors of Berlin, military planners were anxious to strengthen American reserves at home. The US had no intention and thus no direct responsibility for starting a war in Korea.
US unintended ‘encouragement’
However, US may have encouraged a North Korean attack through Dean Acheson’s Press Club speech which indicated to USSR that US did not consider Korea within its defensive perimeters. Hence, giving the Soviets belief that America would most likely not act with vigour if NK moved against the South to reunify the peninsula.
MacArthur’s decision to shift from containment to rollback
MacArthur’s personal prestige and his desire to push northwards beyond the 38th had a part in influencing the US policy position.
China’s entry into the war turned the tide against the US
MacArthur’s offensive on 24 Nov 1950 was forced into retreat when approximately 300,000 Chinese soldiers launched their counteroffensive two days later.
All in all, China would deploy 2.3 million troops in Korea between 1950 and 1953.
Why China intervened in the KW;.
The CCP felt that it’s own revolution was threatened. The Chinese intervened because they were concerned that the communist cause would be threatened and weakened if America was allowed to whoop the NK and occupy NK or install America-friendly forces in Korea.
Mao also believed that there was a chance that if the Chinese didn’t intervene decisively and stalemate resulted, the US would declare war on China, which would threaten post-Chinese civil War economic reconstruction.
The US may also wage a war intending to dislodge the CCP from ruling China. Hence, they went on the offensive first
Significance of the dismissal of MacArhur
MacArthur’s dismissal is a clear sign that the US was committed to containment of communism, rather than aggressive roll-back. Showed to China and USSR that they would be safe from US ‘imperialism’
Significance of Stalin’s death
Stalin’s death shifted the focus of Soviet leaders inwards as they began to deal with Stalin’s succession. Believing that the policies of confrontation were straining the USSR’ resources without adding to its security, the new Soviet leadership, moved to defuse CW tensions. At the same time, Stalin’s death also removed Stalin-one of the roadblocks to an armistice agreement.
POW issue
The main substantive issue which impeded ceasefire was that of the repatriation of POW. With the UNC (United Nations Command) holding ten times as many POW as the Communists, the US insisted upon the principle of no forced repatriation: upon ceasefire, the US argued, Communist POWs were to be given the choice of whether they wanted to return to the PRC/DPRK. The Communists on the other had insisted on an all-for-all exchange.
This is because the Chinese were mortified of the prisoners defecting to Taiwan, which would represent a serious blow to the PRC’s legitimacy as a government, and an insult to the supremacy/validity of Marxism as an ideology.
The American position represented the principle of freedom of individual choice and the moral superiority of America and its ideology.
The POW issue was a local factor because Syngman Rhee and Kim used this contentious POW issue/disagreement to delay armistice talks.
Significance of Eisenhower
Eisenhower rode into office on a landslide victory by publicly promising to end the KW.
When negotiations on the repatriation of POWs stalled, Eisenhower threatened to unleash Chiang’s Nationalist forces on China while his
Secretary of State implied that the US would widen this war and use nuclear weapons if an agreement was not reached. This constituted at least part of the reason why the Communists accepted the agreement.
The Eisenhower Administration adopted strategies to restrain/ appease Rhee, whose actions at that stage still threatened progress of armistice. They promised a military security pact to defend the ROK and huge amount of economic aid, while making it clear that the ROK would receive no US aid if the South invaded the North. In any case, Rhee’s dependence on US power and aid put him in a weak position to defy Washington.
Why did local actors benefit from the CW in Asia?
West Germany and Japan enjoyed massive economic aid and political rehabilitation, and became world powers faster than if the KW had not taken place. Both countries also enjoyed the security of the US military, since defending them meant taking a stand against the Soviet-led international communism.
After the KW, Chiang’s government ‘gained a new lease of life as a result of the KW’ (Judge and Langdon) since the Americans poured in military and economic aid to prevent the ROC from falling to the PRC. In 1954, the US even concluded a mutual defence treaty with Taiwan.
Seeds of the Sino-Soviet Split- Why did PRC and US win?
PRC won because was now viewed as a major world power capable of holding its own against the USA. As such deeming it capable to challenge USSR for the leadership in the Communist sphere.
US won because it can now play China and Soviet off against one another.
Why did allies win because of militarisation of the CW?
SEA states such as the Philippines benefited as the US gave them huge amounts of military and economic aid as the US saw them as anti-communist bulwarks in the region.
