1 / 15

The Korean war

The Korean war. Civil war and revolution in china. Beginning as early as 1920, Communist powers had tried to take control of China Mao Tsedong : Communist leader Chiang Kai- Shek : Nationalist/Democratic leader The take-over attempts were halted during WWII to hold off Japanese invasion

ezhno
Download Presentation

The Korean war

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The Korean war

  2. Civil war and revolution in china • Beginning as early as 1920, Communist powers had tried to take control of China • Mao Tsedong: Communist leader • Chiang Kai-Shek: Nationalist/Democratic leader • The take-over attempts were halted during WWII to hold off Japanese invasion • After the war ended, the U.S. tried to help the Nationalist movement with very little success

  3. By 1949 Communists captured the capital city of Beijing • U.S. withdrew aid to China in 1949 • The Nationalist group conceded defeat and withdrew to Taiwan • The People’s Republic of China was established in October of 1949

  4. The fall of China was a shock to the U.S. • In 1950, the Chinese signed a treaty of friendship and alliance with the Soviet Union • The U.S. was afraid China and the USSR would use this alliance to help Communist revolutions in the region • The fall of China changed the U.S.’s relationship with Japan • China had been the U.S.’s chief ally in Asia, but the Communist revolution forced the U.S. to shift its position with Japan • Japan was now a key part of defending Asia against Communism

  5. The korean war • When WWII ended, the U.S. and the USSR entered Korea to disarm the Japanese stationed there • The 2 allied countries divided Korea into 2 parts along the 38th Parallel • Soviets controlled the North • U.S. controlled the South • The initial goal was to unify the country

  6. As the Cold War began, talks of reunification broke down • A Communist Korean government was formed in the North, an American-backed government was formed in the South • Both governments claimed authority over ALL of the Korean Peninsula • The USSR provided a very large amount of military aid to the North, while the Americans were hesitant to build up their military in the South because we had just finished 4 years of fighting in WWII

  7. June 25, 1950: North Korean troops invaded South Korea • President Truman saw this action as a test of the Containment Policy • Ordered U.S. naval and air power into action • Called on the UN to take action • With UN cooperation, Truman ordered U.S. troops from Japan to the Korean Peninsula

  8. U.S. troops saw early successes in the war, especially after the U.S. effectively launched a surprise attack on the N. Korean port of Inchon

  9. Within weeks the North Koreans had retreated above the 38th Parallel • North Korean troops were pushed as far as the Chinese border • The involvement of UN troops and their quick advancement toward China got the Chinese government’s attention • China launched a massive attack in November of 1950 • Hundreds of thousands of Chinese troops flooded across the border into North Korea, driving UN forces back below the 38th Parallel

  10. Don’t get them confused!  • General Douglas MacArthur: Leader of the U.S. military forces in Asia • Joseph McCarthy: U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, responsible for the red scare of the 1950s

  11. General MacArthur demanded permission to expand the war effort • Specifically, he asked for a blockade of Chinese ports, the use of Chiang Kai-Shek’s Nationalist forces in Taiwan, and to drop atomic weapons on Chinese cities • President Truman refused to give in to MacArthur’s demands – he didn’t want to expand the war and did NOT want to use atomic weapons • MacArthur began to criticize Truman publicly: “There is no substitute for victory.” • Truman fired MacArthur for insubordination in April, 1951

  12. Truman was committed to limited war • Limited war: a war fought to achieve a limited objective, such as containing Communism • MacArthur was replaced by General Matthew Ridgeway • The Korean War settled into a series of relatively small battles • Peace negotiations began in November of 1951, but the fighting continued until July of 1953, when a cease fire was signed • 33,600 U.S. troops died in action

  13. Major effects of the Korean War: • 1: Shifted U.S. containment of Communism from political pressure and economic aid to military action • 2: U.S. embarked on a major military build-up • 3: Shifted the focus of containment away from Europe and toward Asia

More Related