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Why The United States of America got involved in the Korean War - History…
Why The United States of America got involved in the Korean War - History Revision - Ela Nicholson
The fall of China to Communism in 1949-50 was a direct threat to the East.
The USA saw the fall of China as directly linked to influence from the USSR. The Chinese Communists, led by Mao Zedong, fought the Chinese Nationalists, led by Chiang Kai Shek.
The Chinese Communists, led by Mao Zedong, fought the Chinese Nationalists, led by Chiang Kai Shek.
The USA had supported Chiang from 1946-49 with millions of dollars in aid and military equipment.
When China still fell to Mao, Truman was heavily criticised for not doing more to prevent the Communist victory.
A Communist dominated Asia would be disastrous for US trade.
When the Union refused to hold universal elections in North Korea in 1947.
The USSR was boycotting the UN (refusing to be involved) so couldn't vote in any UN decisions.
In November the UN then formed the UN Temporary Commission on Korea, or UNTCOK which supervised free elections in 1928, bringing Rhee to power as President of the Republic of Korea.
Truman took the problem to the United Nations.
The US had been hugely involved in establishing Syngman Rhee as leader, with help from the UN.
The United Nations Security Council met in a few hours and passed the UNSC Resolution 82 criticised the North Koreans.
The UN therefore voted for intervention against Il Sung.
The USA therefore had the justification she needed to get militarily involved in the conflict.
The resolution was adopted mainly because the Soviet Union, a veto-wielding power, had been boycotting the proceedings since January, in protest that the Republic of China (Taiwan) and not the People's Republic of China held a permanent seat on the council.
The USA was a capitalist country, and the USSR was a communist country.
The Cold War in Europe was developing; Stalin's Red Army was occupying Eastern Europe, Truman had set up the Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, and the general US policy was 'Containment of Communism'.
This meant that there was an increase in division and mistrust between the USA and USSR.
In summary, President Truman had read the Korean situation as part of the fight to contain and stop communism. Here are some of the things he said in relation to communism in Korea:
"I felt certain that if South Korea was allowed to fall, communist leaders would be emboldened to override nations closer to our own shores."
"If the communists were permitted to force their way into the Republic of Korea without opposition from the free world, no small nation would have the courage to resist threat and aggression by stronger communist neighbours."
"Communism was acting in Korea, just as Hitler, Mussolini, and the Japanese had ten, fifteen, and twenty years earlier."
In September 1948, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was formed with Kim Il Sung as the leader.
The North Korean Army invaded the South in the pre-dawn hours of Sunday, June 25th 1950, crossing the 38th parallel.
The US viewed this as a direct attack upon the capitalist South.