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Essay on America's Involvement in the Korean War

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America's Involvement in the Korean War

The USA emerged from WWII as the dominant Western, democratic superpower. She quickly established for herself a role as world policeman, and defender of the "free world". When, on June 25th 1950, Communist North Korean forces invaded the South of the country, the USAwas quick to step in, and with UN support and approval, sent in military forces to restore the balance. However, it is questionable whether moral principles were the only reason for America's involvement in the Korean War, or whether perhaps the Truman administration had other validation for such a huge scale military campaign.

Although the USA and USSR had been allied in WWII, US-Soviet …show more content…

In August 1949, the USSR exploded its first atomic bomb, years before American prediction anticipated. In September, Communist forces led by Mao Tse-tung pushed back the Chinese Nationalist army, led by Chiang Kai-shek forcing them to flee to Formosa. The USA had had high hopes for China's emergence as another non-Communist superpower, which was one of the major reasons for allowing her a permanent position on the Security Council of the United Nations when it was established, and her fall to Communism was seen as a major blow.

In America, the domestic situation was also deteriorating, with public approval for the Truman administration waning. A series of high profile spy scandals, like that of Alger Hiss, were reported in the press. It also became clear that the USSR's rapid progress in mastering atomic energy had been aided by information gathered by spies from the US nuclear program. Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy, grabbed the headlines by declaring in early 1950 that the Truman administration was infiltrated by Communist agents and sympathisers. A modern-day witch-hunt broke out, with widespread panic ensuing. Anti-communist feeling intensified and many people, especially the Republican opposition, claimed that the government was not being tough enough on Communism,

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