The korean war

THE KOREAN WAR“THE FORGOTTEN WAR”: 1950-53

BACKGROUND•SOVIETS LIBERATED NORTH

KOREA, USA LIBERATED THE SOUTH

•THE 38TH PARALLEL BECAME THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN THE TWO

•NORTH KOREA WANTED TO UNITE THE TWO INTO ONE COMMUNIST NATION AND INVADED THE SOUTH

Truman declared that the Truman Doctrine (containment) applied to Asia as well as Europe

North Korean troops captured almost all of the South before being held at Pusan

THE UN AND THE USA•THE UNITED NATIONS PASSED A RESOLUTION TO COMMIT TROOPS TO KOREA – A COALITION OF 16 NATIONS TOOK PART

•THE USA DOMINATED THIS GROUP

•GENERAL DOUGLAS MACARTHUR COMMANDED ALL UN TROOPS

•THIS IS THE FIRST TIME AN INTERNATIONAL FORCE WAS DEPLOYED TO STOP AGGRESSION – COLLECTIVE SECURITY IN ACTION

• THE USA EMPLOYED AN AMPHIBIOUS LANDING AT INCHON AND PUSHED INTO NORTH KOREA

• MACARTHUR WANTED A WAR OF LIBERATION – KICK THE COMMUNISTS OUT OF NORTH KOREA

• HE PUSHED FORWARD TO THE YALU RIVER, NEAR THE BORDER WITH CHINA

• 1 MILLION CHINESE SOLDIERS ENTERED THE WAR AND PUSHED THE AMERICANS BACK TO THE 38TH PARALLEL

THE MACARTHUR – TRUMAN SPLIT• MACARTHUR WANTED TO TAKE THE FIGHT TO CHINA USING A-BOMBS

• MACARTHUR: LIBERATE, TRUMAN: CONTAIN

• TRUMAN FIRED MACARTHUR AND THE TWO SIDES BEGAN PEACE TALKS

PEACE TALKS• TALKS BROKE DOWN OVER THE ISSUE OF POWS

• IN 1952 A NEW ADMINISTRATION WAS ELECTED IN THE USA

• DULLES (SECRETARY OF STATE) FINALLY ENDED THE KOREAN WAR BY THREATENING CHINA WITH A-BOMBS IF THEY DIDN'T RETURN AMERICAN POWS

• THE CHINESE AGREED TO POW TERMS AND SIGNED AN ARMISTICE

• HOWEVER, THE TWO NEVER SIGNED A PEACE TREATY – REMAIN SEPARATE TODAY