Korean War & Eisenhower Administration Semester 2 Week 8.

Korean War & Eisenhower Administration

Semester 2Week 8

Korean War StartsThe Allies divided Korea at the 38th

parallel of latitude◦ Soviet controlled the north; U.S. controlled

the southAs the CoW began, talks to reunify

Korea broke down. A Communist Korean gov’t was

organized in the northU.S.-backed gov’t controlled the south.

◦ Both gov’ts claimed authority over all of Korea

6/25/1950, North Korean troops invaded into the south, rapidly driving back the poorly equipped South Korean forces

Truman Asks the UN for Help

Truman saw the Communist invasion of South Korea as a test of the containment policy & ordered U.S. military into action

He then called on the UN to actTruman succeeded because the

USSR delegate was boycotting the Security Council over its China policy & was not present of UN troops

Truman ordered Gen. MacArthur to send U.S. troops from Japan to the Korean peninsula

MacArthur Pursues Pasts 38th ParallelThe U.S. & South Korean troops were

driven back into a small pocket of territory near the port of Pusan

Inside the “Pusan perimeter,” the troops stubbornly resisted the North Korean onslaught, buying time for MacArthur to organize reinforcements.

9/15, MacArthur ordered a daring invasion behind enemy lines at the port of Inchon.

W/i weeks they were in full retreat back across the 38th parallel

Truman then gave the order to pursue the North Koreans beyond the 38th parallel

MacArthur pushed the North Koreans north to the Yalu River at the border of China

Chinese Not HappyThe Communist Chinese gov’t saw

the advancing UN troops as a threat & warned the forces to halt their advance

10/1950, China launched a massive attack across the Yalu R.

100,000s of Chinese troops came across the border, driving the UN Forces back across the 38th parallel.

An angry MacArthur demanded approval to expand the war against China

McCarthy asked for:◦ blockade of Chinese ports◦ the use of Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist

forces◦ bombing of Chinese cities with atomic

weapons

MacArthur Fired!Truman refused MacArthur’s demands because

he didn’t want to expand the war into China or to see the atomic bomb used

MacArthur persisted. He publicly criticized the president, saying “There is no substitute for victory”

4/1951, Truman fired MacArthur for insubordination

MacArthur, who remained popular despite being fired, returned home to parades & a hero’s welcome

Truman remained committed to limited war - a war fought to achieve a limited objective, such as containing communism

ArmisticeTruman chose Gen. Matthew

Ridgway to replace MacArthurBy mid-1951, the UN forces

had pushed the Chinese & North Korean forces back across the 38th parallel

The war then settled down into a series of relatively small battles over hills & other local objectives

11/1951, peace negotiations began , but an armistice would not be signed until 7/1953

More than 33,600 American soldiers died in action in the Korean War

Legacy of Korean WarThe Korean War marked an important

turning point in the Cold WarUntil 1950 the U.S. had preferred to use

political pressure & economic aid to contain communism.After the Korean War began, the U.S. embarked on a major military buildup

Before 1950 the U.S. had focused on Europe as the most important area in which to contain communism

After the Korean War began, the U.S. became more military involved in Asia

Election of 1952: We Like IKE Tired of the criticism & uncertain he

could win, Truman decided not to run again

Dwight Eisenhower decided to run as the Repub. nominee for president◦ Sen. Richard Nixon (CA) nominated as VP

The Dems. nominated IL gov’r Adlai Stevenson

The Repub. adopted the slogan: “It’s time for a change!” The warm and friendly, known as “Ike,” promised to end the war in Korea. “I like Ike” became the Republican rallying cry

Despite Stevenson’s charming personality & skilled speech making, he had no chance against a Nat'l hero who had helped win WWII

Americans were looking for someone they could trust to lead the nation in its CoW struggle against communism.

Ike won by a landslide, winning the Electoral Collage 442-89

Ike as PresidentThe Ike admin. viewed business growth as vital to the nation

In an attempt to curb the federal budget, the president vetoed a school construction bill & agreed to slash gov’t aid to public housing

1956, Congress passes Federal Highway Act◦Largest public works program in American history

◦Appropriated $25 billion for a 10-year effort to construct more than 400 million miles of interstate highway

IKE’s Ideas for the Cold WarIKE was convinced that the

key to victory in the CoW was not simply military might but also a strong economy

The U.S. had to show the world that free enterprise could produce a better and more prosperous society than communism

At the same time, economic prosperity would prevent Communists from gaining support in the U.S. & protect society from subversion

Military Technologies IKE began development of

intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that could deliver bombs anywhere in the world

10/4/1957, the Soviets launched Sputnik, the first artificial satellite to orbit the earth

This technology triumph alarmed Americans, who took it as a sign that the U.S. was falling behind the USSR in missile technology

1958, Congress created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to coordinate research in rocket science & space exploration

Korean War Ends?IKE became convinced that the ongoing battle was

costing too many lives and bringing too few victories

He quietly let the Chinese know that the U.S. might continue the Korean War “under circumstances of our own choosing”– a hint at nuclear attack

The threat to go to the brink of nuclear war seemed to work

7/1953, negotiators signed an armisticeThe battle line between the two sides, became the

border between both Koreas; a “demilitarized zone” (DMZ) separated them

American troops are still based in Korea, helping South Korea defend its border

Korean DMZ

Issues in EgyptTo build support among Arabs, Dulles (Sec. of State)

offered to help Egypt finance the construction of a dam on the Nile River

The deal ran into trouble in Congress because Egypt had bought weapons from Communist Czechoslovakia◦ Dulles was force to withdraw the offer

A week later, Egyptian troops seized control of the Suez Canal from the Anglo-French company that had controlled it

10/1956, GB & French troops invaded EgyptUSSR threatened rocket attacks on GB & France & offered

to send troops to help EgyptUnder U.S. pressure, the British & French called off their

invasionThe USSR had won a major diplomatic victory

◦ other Arab nations began accepting Soviet aid as well

CIA Covert OperationsTo prevent Communist uprising in other countries, IKE decided to use covert, or hidden, operations conducted by the CIA

Many of the CIA’s operations took place in developing nations

Leaders looked to the USSR as a model of how to industrialize their countries

They often threatened to nationalize, or put under gov’t control, foreign businesses operating in their countries

Soviet Change of the Guard1953, Stalin dies & a power struggle began

in the USSR1956, Nikita Khrushchev had emerged as

the leader of the USSR1956, Khrushchev delivered a secret

speech to Soviet leaders, he attacked Stalin’s policies & insisted there were many ways to build a Communist society◦ Although the speech was secret, the CIA

obtained a copy◦ the CIA had it broadcasted to E’rn Europe

6/1956, riots erupted in E’rn Europe; By late October, a full scale uprising had begun in Hungary

Soon after the uprising began, USSR tanks rolled into Hungary & crushed the rebellion

Nikita Khrushchev