The Division of the Koreas 1945-1953 Flashcards
1
Q
East Asia: From Cold War to Hot War
A
From 1946/7
- Increasing confrontation:
– US works with conservatives in Japan to make country into Cold War ally
– USSR begins supporting CCP in Chinese Civil War
– Both sides build state in their part of Korea: entrench division North/South
From 1948
- Actual conflict:
– Division of Korea in 1948 in two hostile states
– Establishment of PRC in 1949 changes the power balance
– Korean War 1950-53 hot conflict in Cold War: PRC and US square off
– Japan now US main ally in region: economic boost
2
Q
Chinese Civil War 1946-1949
A
- Fighting between KMT and CCP broke out in Manchuria in April 1946
- KMT lost Manchuria in October 1948
- KMT lost succession military campaigns in central and south China in 1948-49
- KMT Retreat to Taiwan 1949
3
Q
Reasons for Civil War Outcome
A
- KMT Failure:
– Inability to control hyperinflation and restore economic production
– Heavy-handed control of dissidents
– Alienated local administrators (hiring outsiders for government jobs)
– Corrupt soldiers & bureaucrats
– Increasing unpopularity among ordinary people
– Conclusion: Lost support, legitimacy, and personnel - CCP Success:
– Unofficial Soviet assistance
– Cunning military strategy
– Restored economic stability
– Mobilized disenfranchised classes to implement land reforms
– Disciplined party members and soldiers
– Strategic recruitment of enemy personnel
– Conclusion: Won hearts and minds of people
4
Q
Taiwan as a province of the ROC 1945-1949
A
- KMT leaders from mainland seen as outsiders
- Local Taiwanese excluded from provincial government
- De-Japanization campaign alienates locals
- Rise of corruption and poverty
- Increasing tension mainlanders (ROC regime) and locals
5
Q
1947: February 28 Massacre
A
- In Taiwan known as “ererba” 228
- Anti-government uprising against KMT/ROC regime
- Crackdown: estimated 10k-30k deaths
- Beginning of “White Terror”
6
Q
1949: Retreat of ROC government to Taiwan
A
- When Chiang Kai-shek and the Nationalist government lose the Civil War, they flee to Taiwan
- With ROC government 2 million people flee to Taiwan in 1945-1949 “temporarily”
- “Project National Glory”: officially KMT plans to retake mainland China after regrouping
- This serves as excuse to oppress locals, instate martial law, and “delay” democratisation
7
Q
Chiang Kai-shek and the ROC 1949-1975: White Terror
A
- 1950-1953: worst period of oppression
- But, broad meaning: 1947-1987
- Martial Law: May 1949-July 1987
- For opposing KMT:
– 140k people imprisoned; around 4k executed
– Victims: Taiwan’s intellectual elite, independence activists, democracy activists, indigenous leaders
– But also a surprising number of mainlanders who had come with Chiang Kai-shek
8
Q
1 October 1949: People’s Republic of China
A
- “The Chinese people have stood up”
9
Q
Geopolitical Significance of 1949
A
- 1948: USSR disadvantaged
– Berlin blockade
– Domestic tension: Stalin obsessed with “rootless cosmopolitans” (Jews) - 1949: Two big breakthroughs for USSR
– Atomic bomb
– New ally in East (PRC) - Stalin’s conclusion: US had not intervened in Chinese Civil War so they will not intervene in East Asia from now on
10
Q
The Division of Korea 1945-1953
A
- “For Americans, the war began with a thunderclap in 1950. For Koreans, it had already started in 1945.”
- 1945: Joint Trusteeship between US and USSR
- Influx of returning pro-independence leaders; as well as a rise of domestic political groups
- Critical question for US and USSR: which Koreans to work with
11
Q
Committee for the Preparation of Korean independence (CPKI)
A
First steps towards Korean self-government, independence, and democracy in generations
- Founded in last days of Empire by members of independence movement already in Korea
- Local self-government: “People’s Committees”
- Great variation according to local needs:
– New experiments with democratic decision-making
– Aimed at removing Japanese and pro-Japanese Koreans from power
– Land reforms
– Ensure smooth and orderly transition of power
12
Q
Yo Un-hyung (1886-1947)
A
- Central figure in Korean independence movement
- Involved with founding Provisional Government in Shanghai 1919
- Unifying figure: between left and right
- Personal views very progressive
- Leader of independence movement within Korea by the early 1940s: founder of CPKI
- Only modern leader revered in both North and South Korea today
13
Q
People’s Republic of Korea (PRK) 12 September 1945
A
- Provisional government rooted in network of the “People’s Committees
- Not a state
- Not communist!
- Program: land reform, democratization, gender equality, universal suffrage, labour rights, true independence, and non-alliance USSR/US
- Central question: what is US/USSR attitude towards grassroots Korean democratisation and independence?
14
Q
People’s Republic of Korea (PRK) in Southern Korea
A
- Southern Korea
– US refuses to recognize PRK and “People’s Committees”: threat to their control of the region
– Refusal to meet Yo Un-hyung for first month
– US has no interest in aligning with leaders of Korean independence movement
– 12 December 1945: US outlaws the PRK
– “One of our missions was to break down this Communist government”
15
Q
People’s Republic of Korea (PRK) in Northern Korea
A
- Northern Korea
– USSR works with “People’s Committees” at start (not PRK)
– Similar goals
– But, slow co-optation of the “People’s Committees” by communists
– By February 1946: “Provisional People’s Committee for North Korea” dominated by North Korean Workers’ Party
– Slowly non-communist independence activists in north arrested and killed
16
Q
If not the “People’s Committees”, then who?
A
- Southern Korea
– Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea?
– “President” Kim Gu returns to Seoul in August 1945
– Important centre-right figure; rare among exiled leaders, he is well-known in Korea
– Great reputation among people because of history of violent resistance to Japanese
– But General Hodge refuses to meet with him, due to Kim’s opposition to joint trusteeship
17
Q
If not the “People’s Committees”, then who in Southern Korea?
A
- Conservative elites
- Pro-Japanese collaborators
- Colonial-era National Police
- Right-wing refugees from the North
- Leader transplanted from US: Syngman Rhee
18
Q
Syngman Rhee (1875-1965): ROK President July 1948-April 1960
A
- Compromise candidate between different conservatives factions, as well as US
- Clear backing from US military government meant that other conservatives fell in line behind him
- Abroad for 30+ years
- Chosen for English ability and years in the US
- For US: easier to deal with Rhee than to try and understand Korea
- Not well-known in Korea
- Unimaginative, uninspiring, rigid, reactionary
- Opposed to left/right and north/south cooperation from start
19
Q
Syngman Rhee (1875-1965)
A
- Rhee’s promise: he will not touch elites and pro-Japanese Koreans in return for their support
- Oppression of all progressives and leftists
- Excludes them from political decision making
- Lobbies US for establishment of state in south
- February 1946: “Representative Democratic Council” with Rhee as head
- Neither representative nor democratic
- US almost loses patience with Rhee around 1947
20
Q
Pak Hon-yong (1900-1956)
A
- Founder of Korean Communist Party in 1925
- In USSR 1926-1940
- Leader of communists in colonial era
- Communist power base in southern Korea
- 1945: Most communists in south
- From 1946: South Korean Workers’ Party (SKWP)
- 1948: DPRK foreign minister and Deputy Prime Minister
21
Q
Kim Il-Sung (1912-1994)
A
- Selected as Korean leader by the USSR
- Had not been in Korea for 26 years
- Did not speak perfect Korean
- Guerilla fighter against Japanese in Manchuria
- Power base among these guerillas
- No power base within Korea
- February 1946: Head of “Provisional People’s Committee of North Korea”
- Leader of North Korean Workers’ Party
22
Q
Kim Il-Sung (1912-1994)
A
- Why him?
– Selected by Lavrentiy Beria (Stalin’s right-hand man and secret police chief)
– Probably: his lack of connections within Korea made him easy to control (= mistake)
– In 1945 most Korean communists are in south so there were few communists in north to work with
23
Q
Northern Korea (1945-1948)
A
- Very successful land reform managed by Soviets: popular among people
- Labour reform, industry nationalisation, women’s rights, etc.
- Those opposed often move to south
- Slow establishment of communist political structures
- Kim Il-Sung established the Korean People’s Army (KPA): slow militarisation
- Strong Soviet support makes Kim Il-Sung more powerful than other leftist leaders in independence movement: but there is factional struggle
24
Q
From 1947: Increasing State Formation in both North and South
A
25
Q
Yo Un-hyung Unification Attempts
A
- May 1946: “Left-right cooperation movement”
- Coalition government to bring together right/left in southern Korea and eventually north and south
- Yo Un-hyung to Pyongyang 1946-47
- Several assassination attempts against him
- Americans refuse to protect him
- Assassination on 19 July 1947:
– By right-wing extremist probably linked to Syngman Rhee
26
Q
Jeju Uprising (April 1948-May 1949)
A
- To oppose separate elections in southern Korea in May 1948
- Led by South Korean Worker’s Party
- Jeju Massacre
– Brutal crackdown: 14k-30k dead (30% of island)
– 40k flee to Japan - Large communist insurgency in whole ROK from 1948-1950
27
Q
Republic of Korea (ROK) 15 August 1948
A
- Immediate economic problems and instability
- Most industry based in north
- Reliance on American aid
- President Rhee very authoritarian
- National Security Law to oppress dissent
- Regime has legitimacy issues from start due to reliance on pro-Japanese collaborators
- Prevalence of right-wing violent groups
- 400k refugees from north
- US forces retreat soon after founding of ROK
28
Q
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) 9 September 1948
A
- Kim Il-Sung and Korean Workers Party had undisputed control
- Much more stable than south
- Sweeping reforms: adult literacy, nationalisation of industry, de-Japanisation, etc.
- Two-year economic plan very successful
- Pre-1948 land reform success in countryside and formed backbone of regime’s legitimacy
- Anti-Japanese guerilla legacy of leaders means no legitimacy issues like in south
- Korean People’s Army quickly develops into formidable fighting force
- Kim Il-Sung aware that he is in a powerful position to unify the country (both Kim and Rhee desire liberation/unification)
29
Q
Early 1950: Stalin approves war
A
- Conditions:
1. Mao must approve
2. Must appear defensive
3. When in trouble: don’t call us, call the Chinese - Mid-May: Mao approves reluctantly
- 25 June 1950: Attack
30
Q
Two tactical mistakes of Korean People’s Army
A
- One week halt after taking Seoul in July
- Incheon poorly defended (2k men) and no mines!
31
Q
October 1950: PRC enters the Korean War
A
- 200k People’s Volunteer Army (PVA) soldiers enter North Korea on 25 October
- US intelligence had considered Chinese intervention unlikely
- Late Nov-Late Dec: Major PVA/KPA offensive
- UN troops have to retreat back to south quickly
- Inside the US pressure build to extend war to China
- Allies move to restrain the US: worried that long US war against PRC would give USSR free hand in western Europe
32
Q
Four Phases of the Korean War
A
- Pusan perimeter
- Incheon landing
- PRC enters war
- Armistice line (DMZ)
33
Q
The Destruction of North Korea
A
- 635k tons of bombs (including 32k tons of napalm) on Korea: more bombs than in entire Pacific War
- 85% of buildings in North Korea destroyed
- Roughly 25% of the North’s population believed to have been killed in the war
- After South Vietnam and Laos, most bombed country in absolute terms
- In 1953, dams also become target
- Use of atomic bomb “always under active consideration” President Truman
- Essential for trying to understand North Korea today
34
Q
July 1951-July 1953: Stalemate
A
- Fighting continues but no major territorial shifts
- Armistice negotiations in deadlock: main issue is Prisoners of War
- Stalin wants to tie down the Americans?
- 20 January 1953: Eisenhower inaugurated
- 5 March 1953: The death of Stalin
- Korean Armistice Agreement signed on 27 July 1953.
35
Q
Geopolitical Significance 1950-1953
A
- All US allies richer (Marshall Plan; Japan economic boost)
- From 1953 great unrest USSR allies: Berlin uprising 1953; Hungary 1956
- End of USSR’s postwar popularity boost?
- East Asian nations enter trajectory that continues until today
– Japan (US ally)
– ROC in Taiwan
– PRC in Mainland China
– DPRK in North Korea
– ROK in South Korea
