Korean War
Overview of War
Major Players: North Korea had the support of communist allies including Soviet Union and China. South Korea had the support of the west including US.
Where: Korea
When: June 25, 1950 - July 1953
How long: 3 years
Death Toll: around 5 million
Outcome: Neither side won. War goes on to this day since combatants never signed a peace treaty.
Definition of War
My definition: War is a spontaneous event that results from some form of social conflict that creates organized duties for the people.
I think that my definition is too broad specifically for the war that I chose, but I think that it is good that it is a little broad so that it fits in with most wars.
I think that my definition does fit my war because the Korean War was the result of North Korea and South Korea and their allies disagreeing about communism which is a social conflict. The war created organized duties for all that were involved.
Causes of War
Statism/Capitalism: This is a very important cause because the main conflict of the war was communism, North Korea actively supported it but South Korea did not. Communism is an example in the definition of statism. South Korea, on the other hand, based its economy on capitalism, which is the opposite of communism and statism. This was a huge problem, so North Korea invaded South Korea trying to take them over.
Egoism: The United States and the Soviet Union joined the war because of egoism. North Korea and South Korea were fighting and they both joined in with their ally to fight. Their morals did not line up and they both fought for what they wanted. They refused to sacrifice anything and that is why the war never ended.
Collectivism: Communism is the philosophy of creating a structured society and this is a part of collectivism. This was a huge disagreement of spreading communism during the Cold War which lead to the Korean War.
Honesty: This is a cause of the Korean War because both sides didn't deny the fact that there was a conflict. They knew what they wanted and didn't back down until they got it. They recognized that their opinions differed and did something about it instead of evasion, ignoring what is really going on.
Impacts of War
Economic Effects
Social Effects
Cost: $30 billion then, $276 billion now, 5.2% of gross domestic product
Who paid for it to happen: North Korea and South Korea
Cost to the people: Compensation benefits for Korean War veterans and families still cost $2.8 billion a year. Surviving spouses qualify for lifetime benefits if the veteran died from war wounds. Veterans' children receive benefits until age 18. If the children are disabled, they receive lifetime benefits.
Benefited the most: Americans were not asked to sacrifice through rationing and other programs but taxes were raised. The increased military spending did generate some positive economic benefits. There were more jobs available and there was economic growth in the technology sector of business.
Lost the most: Both Koreas entire economic system was corrupted. North Korea lost about $3.5 billion and South Korea lost about $2 billion and lots of property damaged. North Korea fell into poverty and could not keep up with South Korea's economic pace.
“Causes of the Korean War.” History Crunch - History Articles, Summaries, Biographies, Resources and More, www.historycrunch.com/causes-of-the-korean-war.html.
Amadeo, Kimberly. “The History of the Korean War and How Much Money Was Spent.” The Balance, www.thebalance.com/korean-war-facts-definition-costs-and-timeline-4153091.
National Geographic Society. “The Korean War.” National Geographic Society, 15 Nov. 2019, www.nationalgeographic.org/media/korean-war/.
Population decrease because of lots of casualties, wounded and missing people - totaled around 5 million.
Psychological Disorders that could be attributed to war: Depression, PTSD, anxiety, psychosomatic problems such as insomnia, or back and stomach aches.
Compare Wars: Vietnam and Korean War
Causes Of War
Statism: I included statism for a cause for both. There was a difference in that for the Vietnam War we said there was statism in religion and economy, but in the Korean War, there was no conflict over religion.
Collectivism: I mentioned collectivism for both as well. They are very similar because in both, somebody wanted the other to think in a communist way.
Capitalism: I had capitalism for Vietnam and capitalism with statism in Korean War even though they are opposites because one side wanted one and the other wanted the other. For Vietnam, the south was trying to protect themselves.
Altruism Egoism and Honesty: These were the last ones left which clearly differ. For Vietnam, America stepped up to help South Vietnam.
Casualties
Vietnam War had over 3 million deaths, but Korean War had around 5 million, so Korean War had lots more casualties.
Impacts Of War
For Vietnam War, the war boosted the economy out of a recession caused by the end of the Korean War. So, these wars are connected in the sense of economy. Congress then approved a tax cut which boosted economic growth.