The Korean War, 1950-53 Flashcards
1
Q
What was established at Potsdam in regards to Korea?
A
- Korean Peninsula was taken from the Japanese and divided into two zones of occupation
- this division was at the 38th parallel - soviet zone in the north, and American zone in the south
- initially only seemed to be of marginal interest to the allies
2
Q
What did the US create in August 1948?
A
- the creation of the capitalist Republic of Korea
3
Q
What did the USSR create in September 1948?
A
- the creation of the communist democratic people’s republic
4
Q
What were the aims of the US in Korea?
A
- wanted to install leaders they believed they could control (in the USA’s case, this was Syngman Rhee)
- provisional government made up of anti communist representatives drawn from the political right and centre
- committed to a restoration of a united Korea under their desired leader (anti communist)
5
Q
What were the aims of the USSR in Korea?
A
- setting up a provisional communist government
- determined to avoid any coalition that included no communist groups
- unite Korea under a communist leader
6
Q
Who was Syngman Rhee?
A
- both nationalist and virulent anti communist leader of South Korea
- wanted to reunite Korea as a sovereign country that would not tolerate communism in any form.
- this meant eradicating communism from the north and focus on making Korea stronger to resist threats from the USSR
- argued that defending the border of Manchuria was better than defending the border at the 38th parallel
- Rhee needed a guarantee from the US that it would defend the south from an attack from the north and provide military aid to enable the South Korean army to enforce the national reunification of Korea
7
Q
Who was Kim Il Sung?
A
- nationalist, also desired to reunify Korea under his leadership
- although he was a communist, he was in no sense a puppet of the USSR or China
- committed to using force as the vehicle to achieve unification
- this process began with the extensive use of guerrilla action by the north, which aimed to destabilise the south and undermine rhee’s regime
- fully aware of the wider Cold War context,he was conscious of the significance of the USSR’s nuclear technology
8
Q
What was Kim Il Sung’s strategy?
A
- developed a strategy based on winning external support
- aimed to use the collective power of the communist world in order to increase the north’s strength against the south and its western allies
- pressurised both the USSR and china
- focused on 4 issues 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 a well organised communist guerrilla force operating in the south
- the USA would not have time to intervene
- Kim used the same tactics with china;in the process he attempted to undermine Stalin’s support when talking to Mao, and mao’s support when talking to Stalin
9
Q
When was General Douglas MacArthur fired?
A
- April 1951
- due to seeking to expand the Korean War into a major conflict that would “result in a solution for the Chinese communist question”
- MacArthur’s aggressive stance had an overwhelming amount of support
10
Q
How many Korean civilians died as a result of the war?
A
-3.5-4 million
11
Q
How many combatants died from both sides?
A
- 1.2 million
12
Q
What happened in the winter of 1951?
A
- 50,000 to 90,000 South Korean national defence corps soldiers starved to death due to their commanding officers embezzling funds earmarked for their food
13
Q
How many bombs did the US drop on North Korea?
A
- 635,000 tons of bombs - including 32,557 tons of nepalm
14
Q
What was the result of the Korean War?
A
- july 1953: after 2 years of negotiations which went on whilst fighting continued, the adversaries signed an armistice
- this agreement drew a new boundary near the 38th parallel that gave South Korea an extra 1,500 square miles of territory
15
Q
How many times did Kim Il Sung beg Stalin to invade South Korea?
A
- 48 times
16
Q
When did Stalin finally give approval for NK to invade SK?
A
- April 1950
17
Q
What are the two leading causes of the Korean War?
A
- Cold War superpower politics
- conflicts rooted in Korean society
18
Q
Why did Cold War superpower politics cause the war?
A
- USSR’s support of Kim Il Sung
- USSR acquired their own nuclear monopoly in September 1949 after successfully detonating an atomic bomb
- America had not directly intervened in the communist party victory in china
- through out 1949+50, the Soviets continued to arm Kim Il Sung
-after the communist victory in Chinese civil war, ethnic Korean units in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) were sent to North Korea- the combat veterans from china, the tanks, artillery and aircraft supplied by Soviets + the rigorous training increased North Korean military superiority over the south - Americans had not given rhee any indication that the USA would send military aid in case of a North Korean invasion
19
Q
Why did conflicts rooted in Korean society cause the war?
A
- the southern regime wad deeply unpopular + only managed to stay in power through American military support : made it easier for North Korea to invade
- South Korea on the verge of civil war - guerilla activity was taking place in the south deliberately against the Rhee regime to conjure up support for NK, so when they finally invaded, resistance was minimal
20
Q
How many crypto-communists did Rhee order the execution of during the North Korean invasion?
A
- 100,000-200,000
21
Q
What was the 1946 Autumn Uprising in South Korea?
A
— an 8,000 strong railroad worker strike began in southern city of Pusan
- sparked a peasant uprising across SK - was against the presence of the American military in Korea + their support of the Rhee regime
- American military helped to suppress the rebellion - sending in US troops + tanks and successfully crushed the uprising
- consequences = 38 policemen killed, + 73 civilians
22
Q
What was the Jeju Uprising in April 1948?
A
- lasted until may 1949
- between 14,000 and 30,000 individuals were killed or executed by Rhee’s government
- resulted in deaths and destruction of villages + inspired more rebellions
23
Q
What was the Yeosu-Sunchean Rebellion in October 1948?
A
- largely caused by the government’s suppression of jeju uprising
- SK soldiers seized weapons + took control of the town -residents paraded a red communist flag through out the town
- American forces were used to suppress the rebellion = eg American aircrafts were used to transport soldiers
24
Q
What were the consequences of the war for Korea?
A
- massive loss of life + significant economic hardship, especially in the north because it faced an extensive American bombing campaign
- NK’s capital - Pyongyang saw 75% of the city destroyed
- South Korea established itself as a state firmly in the western camp with American troops stationed thee= containment was successful
25
What were the consequences of the war for japan?
- probably the major beneficiary for the Korean War
- gained a lot economically - it was the key base for operations + the recipient of much of direct American defence spending eg - Toyota company relied an order in July 1950 from the USA for 1,000 trucks
- by 1954= the Japanese defence industry had earned $3 billion from sales to the US
- Japanese PM said the Korean War was the “grace of heaven”
26
What were the consequences of the war for china?
- over 150,000 troops were killed
- economic cost was immense
- war also prevented the complete defeat of the GMD = Rather than invade Taiwan + defeat Jiang, the PLA was pre-occupied with Korea + as a result of the war, Taiwan + KMT were to be protected by the American 7th fleet
- Mao did see the war as a success on balance - communist china had stood up to the outside world and taken on one of the most powerful countries(USA)
27
Consequences of the war for the USA?
- USA $18 in fighting the Korean War
- helped boost US economy = more things were being brought + sold - therefore industrial jobs were created= economic growth = increased demand for motorways, steel production etc
- American economy became dependant on a huge defence budget
- After Korea, the American economy became increasingly centred around high levels of defence spending
28
When did the Korean War start?
- June 25th, 1950 - North Korea invades
29
What were some important events of the first phase of the war?
- 4th battle of Oscan; Americans discover that North Koreans will be a formidable adversary
- 26th July 1950 - North Korea captures Seoul
30
What were some important events of the second phase of the war?
-in October 1950, Mao sent 300,000 Chinese troops across the Yalu river into North Korea, which led to a major counter-attack against the UN forces
31
What were some important events of the third phase?
- February 1951- the UN condemned china as an aggressor
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