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Korean War (To what extent was the Korean War more of a civil war than a…
Korean War (To what extent was the Korean War more of a
civil war
than a
proxy war
)
Lead-up to the
outbreak
of
Korean War
Withdrawal of USA and Soviet Union
Both Soviet Union and USA withdrew from their
occupied zones
in late 1948 and June 1949 respectively
Both withdrawals of the two countries gave the impression that the superpowers had
no intention
in being involved with
Korean affairs
Limited support
from the USA but support from Soviet Union (1948- early 1950)
North Korea
Kim was able to
get support
from Stalin and Mao
Stalin encouraged by
Sino-Soviet Pact
and the exclusion of Korea from
US's defence perimeter
Stalin sent advisors to
train the NKPA
and
provide extensive military equipment
South Korea
USA saw situation as more
political than military
, thus they provided more
economic assistance
USA was
cautious
to provide military equipment to Rhee to prevent a
major conflict
Border clashes between
north and south Korea
Border clashes were initiated by the
South
in between 1949 and 1950 (
not successful
)
showed
inability
of the South to launch
successful attacks
USA was shocked by the
aggressiveness of Rhee
and were even more
reluctant
to send heavy weapons to
South Korea
By mid-1950, North Korea was ready to
invade the South
and expected a quick victory
Development of
Civil War
to
proxy war
Soviet support for
North korea invasion
soviet union trained and organised the NKPA and made them a
formidable fighting force
Invasion started late June 1950, by end of July 1950 NKPA
pushed
South Korean forces to
Pusan
(end of south korea)
Entry of USA to
support South Korea
Truman believed that the invasion was a
step
in Stalin's plan to
spread communism
in all of Asia
American involvement (with the help of UN) was
necessary
to contain communism
UN
sent a
UN joint force
to assist South Korean army to
drive NKPA
back into North Korea
In September 1950, UN forces pushed NKPA back to
38th parallel
Entry of China to
support North Korea
UN forces led by General McArthur had president Truman's permission to
push further
into North Korea, only if Soviet or China's forces were
not present
China warned it will
not hesitate
to defend her border with Korea (Yalu River)
McArthur defied Truman's instructions and
advanced
towards Yalu River
China forces responded and
rebelled
against the
UN forces
From Oct 1950 to Jan 1951,
NKPA
and
PLA
(chinese People's Liberation Army)
pushed
UN forces back to 38th parallel
Armistice Talks
(agreement made by both sides to avoid conflict for a while)
By April 1951, there was a
stalemate
around the 38th parallel
Although both Kim and Rhee wanted to
continue fighting
to
unify
Korea, superpowers were keen to
bring an end
to the Korean War
However, without the support of USA and Soviet Union,
neither side
could
pursue the war
they were also pressured to take part in the
armistice talks
, but it was not easy due to
differing expectations
of
both sides
armistice eventually signed on July 1953
How did Korean War
Impact
the development of
Cold War
Expansion of Cold War
beyond Europe
Korean War was the
first time
that the
Cold War
was
fought
outside Europe
using t
hird parties as substitutes
for
confrontations
between the two superpowers
After Korean War, two
superpowers
became
frequently involved
in
local conflicts
where they
took sides
and gave
military/ economic support
to the side that they supported
These conflict saw the
Cold War
manifesting in different parts of the world but the two superpowers
did not have any direct confrontation
with each other
Intensified
American involvement
in Asia-Pacific
Economic reconstruction of Japan
Japan was devastated after WW2
USA felt that a
weak Japanese economy
will lead to communist movement to
spread
and
gain popularity
important to
rebuild
Japanese economy and allow USA to
establish a base
in Japan to
strengthen
their presence in Asia-Pacific
With Korean War, Japan became an
important
and
convenient
base for military supplies to Korea
Led to
growth and expansion
in the us defence industry and
boost
Japan's economy
Formation of SEATO (South-East Asia Treaty Organisation)
set-up by USA and included Britain, USA, France, New Zealand, Australia, Philippines, Thailand and Pakistan
Set-up to
prevent the spread of communism
in Asia-Pacific
USA was afraid of
domino effect
of countries falling into communism
Korean War made US
value
Asia pacific as
anti communist base
;
strengthen partnerships
with key countries in region
Escalation of military tensions between Western and communist bloc
Korean War led to NATO members to
arm themselves
in preparation for a
Soviet-led communist aggression
Military exercises
held to
strengthen
NATO armies with
better military strategies
Military expenditure
also increased
coupled with armament
Soviet Union formed
Warsaw Pact
in response
(collective defence treaty established by the Soviet Union with seven other Soviet satellite states in Central and Eastern Europe)