The Korean War
The Korean War was one of the first major wars of containment, |
brought about by America’s fear of the spread of Communism. Before the Korean War began Korea had suffered multiple years of unrest since the Soviet Occupation of the North and the American occupation of the South, which lead to further border skirmishing and threats in 1949, after the two major political powers withdrew. On June 24, 1950, the Korean War began, when the North crossed the 39th parallel into South Korea. Although the Soviet Union did not fight directly against South Korea or America, it supported the People’s Republic of China in their decision to both politically and militarily support Northern, communist Korea, the support that the People’s Republic of China provided saw their ascendance as a major political and military power throughout the Cold War period.
|
The Truman Doctrine played a major role in the Korean War and its outcome. Harry S. Truman followed through with their new policy of containment in an attempt to block the aggression from the Soviet Union and halt the spread of communism, as a loss to communism was thought of as a loss to everywhere. This idea lead to the creation of the Domino Theory in its early form of when one place fell to communism, it would spark a slow spread across Europe. Stalin’s motivation for his support of the North’s invasion of the South was a serious matter of speculation in the American Government. There were many opinions formed including Truman’s own view that a communist success in Korea would provide the Soviet Union with a material gain, a geopolitical edge against the transformation of Japan into an American ally and a propaganda victory after their humiliating back-down over Berlin (in the Berlin Blockade). [The Cold War Breaks Loose 1949-54, Page 82]
|
As soon as the North Koreans crossed the 38th Parallel, America immediately condemned them, ordering American Soldiers to the Peninsula under a United Nations (UN) Banner. The American support of the Southern ‘democratic’ government was, however, met with a great deal of force, as both government of the North and South wanted to reunite the peninsula under their particular ideology. [Hickman, Kennedy; MilitaryHistory.about] With the UN’s assistance, the North Koreans were pushed back over the 38th Parallel, with hopes of ending the war before the Christmas of 1950, whilst ignoring the warning that the China would intervene. [Hickman, Kennedy; MilitaryHistory.about]
|
In October 1950, |
Chinese forces entered combat. The large number of soldiers China had provided to North Korea, pushed the South and America backwards, across the border and into South Korea, however under new leadership in April 1951, the American forces repelled the Chinese offensive, stopping north of the 38th Parallel. In July of 1951 armistice negotiations ensued, however these talks were damaged by Prisoner of War issues, as many North Korean and Chinese prisoners did not want to return home. The UN’s airpower continued to force the Chinese and North Korean forces. In 1953, negotiations began again, putting the armistice into effect in July. No formal peace treaty was signed that ended the war, however both sides agreed to a heavily demilitarised zone along the 38th Parallel .
|
The results of the Korean War were a critical turning point in the theory of containment, because under the policy of containment, the American Government had involved themselves in a war, in order to protect themselves from the prospective spread of communism. It introduced a new political threat to America and Democracy, China, a newly communist government that had proven their strength in this war, and had long-lasting impacts on the surrounding region. Korea was split along the 38th Parallel, the origin of the beginning of the Korean War into North (Communist) Korea and South (‘Democratic’) Korea. The divide in Korea also complicated any possibility for accommodation between the United States and China. Although The United States failed to unify the country, the Korean war only encouraged the policy of containment and militarisation of defined parameters in Asia. This encouragement of the containment policy also led the U.S attempts to prevent Vietnam from falling to communism.
|