Transcript Slide 1
THE KOREAN WAR 1950-1953 The Korean Peninsula • Korea split into North and South after WWII by USA and USSR • North = Communist • South = Democratic • Korea divided at the 38th Parallel • Allies had promised Korean Independence after WWII but failed to deliver “Losing China” • Truman was preoccupied with Europe. • Events in Asia would soon bring charges from Republicans that the Democrats were letting the Communists win. • After “losing” China, the United States sought to shore up friendly Asian regimes. The War in General • Greatest see-saw war in History • North and South both had chances to overtake the whole country, but couldn’t deliver final blow • Closest USA gets to directly fighting USSR and China in Cold War • “The Forgotten War” War Begins > June 25, 1950 • 135,000 Communist troops from North Korea invade South Korea • South ill equipped and ill prepared – only 38,000 in army • North supplied by China and Soviet Union • South Capital city Seoul falls in 3 days World Reaction to Invasion • USA fearful this could be WWIII • United Nations (UN) condemns invasion and orders the North to withdraw • North can’t get a quick surrender from the South, despite being overrun • By September the North has almost pushed the South off of Korea to Pusan UN and USA Intervenes • Under UN rules, termed “Korean Conflict” • USA can enter conflict without getting War Declaration from Congress • Becomes a UN “Police Action” • President Truman must “contain” Communism • Can’t repeat 1938 Munich and appear to “appease” Communists US Landing at Inchon September 15, 1950 • US General Douglas MacArthur and US troops deployed to S. Korea • US forces land at Inchon behind enemy lines and at Pusan • Seoul quickly recaptured • North pushed back across 38th Parallel and up to the northern border with China Civilian Atrocities • Retreating North Korean Army massacres countless numbers of civilians • Bodies packed into Trenches (Taejon, South Korea) • Thousands of Refugees created with War’s destruction USA Fears • MacArthur wants to extend the war into China and unite the Koreas • Truman does not want to provoke China & orders MacArthur to be cautious at the border • South Korea has been saved • US General MacArthur disregards orders and continues to the Chinese border China Attacks • China Army of 270,000 masses at Yalu River border • China very fearful of MacArthur’s intentions • Attacks on Oct. 25, 1950, pushes UN forces back to 38th Parallel • UN has to pull a “Dunkirk” type evacuation to save the army MacArthur Clashes with Truman • MacArthur misjudged Chinese strength • Ignored Truman’s orders to be cautious with China • Became erratic on battlefield • With Chinese attack, openly demanded use of Nuclear weapons on China • Truman had enough Truman replaces MacArthur • USSR only supplying pilots and planes for bombing missions • Truman has to keep USSR out of War any more • Concludes MacArthur’s actions in violation of Truman’s role as Commander-in-Chief of the Army and also the Constitution • Relieves MacArthur of command on April 15, 1951 • Decision agreed with by Joint Chiefs of Staff • Makes Truman very unpopular in USA War Ends in Stalemate • Back and forth fighting would last another 2 years before cease-fire signed • New US President Dwight D. Eisenhower oversees end of combat • Border drawn around the 38th Parallel line • To this day, no peace treaty has ever been signed (only a ceasefire) Korean War Memorial The Cold War in the 1950s: USSR • Nikita Khrushchev -1953. – He repudiates Stalin’s use of the vast Gulag (or labor camp complex) and attempts to separate Stalin’s “crimes” from true communism. • Repression and Dissent – Polish and Hungarian intellectuals and students held demonstrations calling for free elections, withdrawal of Soviet troops, etc. – 1956 – Soviet Crackdown in Hungary • Soviet tanks were sent in to crush dissent. The Cold War in the 1950s: USSR • October 4, 1957 – USSR launched the first satellite, Sputnik, into orbit. – The Sputnik launch confirmed the Soviet Union’s superpower status. • Two months earlier they had tested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). • Khrushchev – “We will bury you” The Cold War in the 1950s: U.S. • Dwight Eisenhower takes over from Truman in 1953. – Democrats charged Republicans for “missile gap” – Eisenhower responded. • Enlarged defense spending; National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) • By 1962-63, the U.S. had 450 missiles and 2,000 bombers capable at striking the Soviet Union, compared to 50-100 ICBMS and 200 bombers that could reach the U.S. The Third World • By the middle of the 1960s, as the euphoria of decolonization evaporated and new states found themselves mired in debt and dependency, many Third World nations fell into dictatorship and authoritarian rule. The Third World • By the middle of the 1960s, as the euphoria of decolonization evaporated and new states found themselves mired in debt and dependency, many Third World nations fell into dictatorship and authoritarian rule.