[TMJC] Theme I The Development of the CW EXTENSION

1 A WORLD DIVIDED BY THE COLD WAR: KOREAN WAR CONTENTS OUTLINE 1. Background to the Korean War 2. Nature of the Korean War 3. Consequences of the Korean War 4. CHECK POINT A 1. BACKGROUND TO THE KOREAN WAR Chronology: 1948 July Separate Korean govts established in North and South Korea August US formally recognized South Korea’s independence and began to withdraw; the Soviets made similar arrangements. 1949 Sept Truman announced detonation of Soviet’s first atomic bomb. October People’s Republic of China established 1950 12 Jan Dean Acheson’s Defense Perimeter Speech April Syngman Rhee did badly in the South Korean elections 25 June North Korean forces invade South Korea 27 June UN Security Council voted in favor of sending UN forces to defend South Korea 28 June North Korean forces captured Seoul 1 July First UN forces arrive at Pusan in South Korea 15 Sept UN forces made surprise amphibious landing in Inchon 28 Sept UN forces re-captured Seoul 29 Sept Truman authorized MacArthur’s advance north of 38th parallel 7 Oct US forces cross the 38th parallel 10 Oct Chinese govt threatened to enter war against the US 20 Oct UN forces captured Pyongyang 26 Oct Chinese troops entered the Korean War Dec MacArthur recommends recapture of North Korea, defeat of Communism in China and even use of atom bombs against China. 1951 1 Jan Chinese troops crossed the 38th parallel 4 Jan Chinese troops took Seoul March Communist forces pushed back to the 38th parallel 24 Mar MacArthur publicly criticized the idea of negotiating a deal with China 11 April Truman relieved MacArthur of the command of UN forces in Korea 23 June Armistice talks began, but no agreed ceasefire 1952 Nov Dwight D. Eisenhower elected as President of the United States 1953 5 March Death of Stalin 27 Jul Armistice signed at Panmunjom ended the Korean War First time the Cold War became a “hot war” where physical fighting occurred ▪ Korea was divided at the 38th Parallel after WWII ▪ Both Korean leaders claimed the right to rule over the whole of Korea USSR Influence: North – The People’s Democratic Republic – DPRK (under Kim Il Sung) ▪ USA Influence: South – The Republic of Korea (under Syngman Rhee) ▪ By 1950, both powers had withdrawn their troops having set up regimes in the 2 halves ▪ These 2 men wanted to unify their country under their own leadership through military means. ▪ North’s Surprise Attack against the South, 1950 o Kim Il Sung thought he had a good chance of unifying Korea after (1) US troops withdrew from South Korea, (2) Korea not mentioned in US’ defense perimeter, (3) Establishment of Communist PRC o Persuaded USSR and China to give him permission to invade South Korea, and received weapons and advisors from them o Capital of South Korea, Seoul, fell to North Korea in 3 days

2 ▪ USA action: Authorised a force under the UN to be sent to Korea – 17 troops. ▪ Important: USA was the single biggest contributor to the UN budget and was therefore in a powerful position to influence the UN decision ▪ You see the final change in US policy – policy on Formosa coincides with policy on Korea. There is also the policy in helping French forces in Vietnam and Philippines against communist rule ∴ Truman Doctrine is being extended from Europe to Asia, and the Cold War is made a global affair. American troops in Japan were ordered to Korea even before the UN had decided what course of action to take ▪ UN sent troops under the UN flag, with the huge bulk of troops American and the command of them given to American General Douglas MacArthur ▪ By end-August 1950, only Pusan in the south-east corner of South Korea had not fallen to the North ▪ September 1950: MacArthur launched an amphibious landing at Inchon 200 miles behind enemy lines and from here an incredible swift collapse of North Korean forces followed MacArthur later chose to advance north towards the Chinese border at the Yalu River with the approval of the UN and Truman (Clear now that MacArthur and Truman were striving for a bigger prize – to remove Communism from Korea entirely) ▪ This provoked the Chinese to launch a massive attack, driving UN forces out of North Korea to the 38th Parallel again (end of November) ▪ The war became static warfare (reached a stalemate – 2 years of military diplomatic stalemate) as both sides were entrenched in their positions (April 1951) ▪ Peace talks started at Panmunjom and lasted for two years ▪ An armistice (ceasefire that is temporary, no stable element to it) was signed in 1953, but no peace treaty was signed *For a quick background on what happened prior to 1950. Refer to Annex B – Creation of the 38th Parallel and US-Soviet Trusteeship. Main Issues to consider for the Korean War: 1. What was the NATURE of the Korean War? a. What were the motivations of the various parties involved? b. Was the Korean War a nationalist civil war, Cold War Conflict or a regional conflict? 2. To what extent was the Korean War a TURNING POINT in the Cold War? a. What was the impact of the Korean war on regional and international relations and politics? Interpretations • Cold War ‘revisionist’ – scholars who assigned the US major share of the responsibility for the Cold War: usually focuses on economic motives for American policy & actions • In Korea, most scholars attribute to the US - the desire to revive the Japanese industrial base – the ‘great crescent’ – (Greater East Asian Co-prosperity Sphere?) – BUT ideological contest always more important –Japan was 1 of the crucial 5 centers of industrial productivity in Kennan’s formulation

3 2. NATURE OF THE KOREAN WAR Demonstration of powerful understanding: 1. Students can identify multiple short-term and long-term causes and consequences of an historical event and recognizes complex relationship. 2. Students can analyze the causes of a particular historical event, ranking them according to their influence. 3. Students can identify the interplay between the actions of historical actors (agency) and the conditions at that time (context) ISSUE 1 : What was the NATURE OF THE KOREAN WAR? ▪ The nature of a conflict may evolve across the broad phrases of development – at its origins, the course, the end. ▪ To determine the nature of the Korean War, we will therefore have to look at the three separate phases of a conflict – origins, course, end and examine the motivations displayed by the various players, the level and type of involvement, * The following are not exhaustive. It is possible to bring in other views from your own research. This is just a base for you to work from. MOTIVATIONS SOUTH KOREA NORTH KOREA IDEOLOGY1 Each produced ideological constructs to mobilise support and propagate this aim Syngman Rhee: A Nationalist? “One-People Principle”, which maintained that ‘our race has been one race, our territory has been one unity, and our Volkgeist has been one, and one has been our economic class’. The rhetoric was of organic wholeness, of racial and class homogeneity. Rhee had devoted his whole life to the cause of an independent Korea with the ultimate objective of personally controlling that country. Kim II Sung: A Nationalist? On the other side of the border, Kim called for the creation of ‘a unified,self-reliant, independent state free of foreign interference’ which would ‘develop an independent economy, and economic foundation to make our Motherland a wealthy and powerful independent country’. He ‘never believed in peaceful unification, and only stuck to the idea of armed unification.’ 1 Ideology - set of aims/ideas/beliefs that directs one's goals, expectations, and actions (worldview) AGENTS FORCES CONTEXT

4 POSSIBLE PERSPECTIVE - • Kore