The Korean War, 1950-53 Flashcards
When was the Korean War?
June 1950 - July 1953
What happened to Korea at Potsdam?
Taken from Japanese control and divided across the 38th parallel into two occupied zones. Soviets in the North and US in the South.
What was the capitalist state in Korea called?
Republic of Korea
What was the communist state in Korea called?
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Who was the leader of the provisional government in the Soviet’s north Korea?
Kim Il Sung
Who was the leader of the provisional government in the USA’s south Korea?
Syngnam Rhee
What were both leaders in Korea committed to?
A united Korea under a single leader
What did Rhee want? What did this mean?
Reunite Korea as a country that would not tolerate any form of communism. This meant removing communism from the North and resisting threat from the USSR.
What did Rhee need from the USA?
A guarantee that they would protect South Korea from attack from the north and provide military aid for the south for reunification.
How did Kim Il Sung aim to achieve unification?
Use of guerrilla actions to destabilise the south and undermine Rhee’s regime.
What 4 things did Rhee say to persuade Stalin to support an attack on the South?
- it would be a rapid and decisive victory
- there was a hard core of 200,000 communist supporters already in the south
- there was well organise communist guerrilla force operating in the south
- the USA wouldn’t have to intervene
In 1949 what did Stalin tell Rhee?
That he wouldn’t support an attack on the south but strengthen the guerrilla forces in the south to undermine the gov.
By 1950 what did Stalin do in relation to Korea?
Provided North Korea with 1600 pieces of artillery, 178 military aircraft and 258 T-34 tanks.
Why did Stalin not commit Soviet troops to Korea in 1950?
- a war in Korea may bring in the USA which could lead to a US-Soviet conflict (costly)
- a united communist Korea as an ally would be positive (strengthen soviet borders, pressure on Japan + economic opps)
- if he stalled Rhee may turn to China which would undermine Soviet influence in the region
What did Stalin make clear to Rhee?
That even if the Soviet backed troops failed he wouldn’t commit Soviet troops as he didn’t want direct military confrontation with the USA.
What were Mao’s views at the start of the Korean War?
That he would take on action that may inflame the USA. He wanted to focus on the future of Taiwan
Why did China become involved in the Korean war?
- Truman ordered the US 7th Fleet to defend Taiwan by positioning itself between Taiwan and China
- Pressure from Stalin to support communism
True or False: The struggle between north and south Korea was of secondary importance to the USA
True
The USA’s national security priority in Asia was Japan
What did the North’s invasion of the South do to the USA’s policy towards Korea?
Re-orientated it
What did Acheson believe would happen if the communists won in South Korea?
It would destabilise the Far East which may weaken the established stability in Europe.
What did the USA do as soon as the North invaded the South? What were the USSR doing at this point?
Requested a special session of the Security Council.
USSR were boycotting the Security Council.
Why were the USSR boycotting the Security Council in 1950?
There was a majority decision that Jiang Jieshi’s Republic of China as the legitimate government.
Why was the USSR’s boycotting of the Security Council important?
Meant they could not veto to block Security Council action.
What did the Security Council pass in favour of the USA?
An immediate ceasefire
