Ib History Ia: Why Did Mao Intervene in the Korean War?

In my generation, this was not the first occasion when the strong had attacked the weak. Communism was acting in Korea just as Hitler, Mussolini, and the Japanese had acted ten, fifteen, and twenty years earlier. I felt certain that if South Korea was allowed to fall, Communist leaders would be emboldened to override nations closer to our own shores. (Truman, 1955)

The Korean War was a defining part of the United States foreign policy in the Cold War Era and was a response to threats from the Soviet Union. The Korean War was a culmination of tensions between North and South Korea that had resulted from the influences the United States and the Soviet Union inculcated into the countries during their occupation. When the Korean War was initiated, by the invasion of South Korea by North Korea, the United States and their allies in the United Nations perceived the invasion as a bold communistic expansion effort that occurred without provocation. (Document A). Further validating this idea was the fact that the attack was endorsed by the USSR, and partially lead by Red China, both of which were communist countries

As a result of the regimes isolationist policy the people of North Korea suffered greatly in both mental and physical health. The hold the state had over the beliefs of the citizens presented in “Nothing to Envy”, varied from absolute belief to uncomfortable awareness. The reader is presented often with Mrs. Song’s dedication to the regime, and Kim Il-sung himself. A mother of four she was often gone from home, working and attending ideological training sessions. “Fridays she stayed especially late for self-criticism. In these sessions members of her work unit- the department to which she was assigned- would reveal to the group anything they had done wrong—Mrs. Song would usually say, in all sincerity, that she feared she wasn’t working hard enough” (Pg. 43).When Kim Il-sung died, she

In June 1950, 90,000 soldiers from the communist Korean People’s Army crossed the 38th Parallel into South Korea. The most important reason for a military response from the US was the document NSC 68, which stated that they must meet communism wherever it arises. Due to this document, it was the US assumption that the invasion on South Korea was not a Civil War due to the events in Korea, and the permanent divide in 1948. However, there was also US domestic policies, and Truman’s fear of being accused of being ‘soft on communism,’ as well as the US based organisation, the UN, which was a new institution, which Truman had to support. Furthermore, containment in Europe and Asia and the

The East, represented by the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies, advocated the destruction of capitalism and the establishment of Communism throughout the world. Opposing them were the United States and its North American Treaty Organization (NATO) allies that attempted to contain Communist expansion efforts, defending its actions through the Truman Doctrine and the Domino Theory. The Domino theory stated that if one nation fell to Communism, the neighboring nations would be affected and falls to Communism, eventually resulting in the inevitable spread of Communism throughout the world. One of the first nations that the United States and Soviet Union sought to establish control was in Korea. After 1949, when Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong proclaimed the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, the spread of communism began to target the country of Korea. Following the end of World War II, Korea was divided along the 38th parallel into “Soviet” North Korean and “American” South Korea occupation zones. Heavily armed with artillery and tanks, North Korean troops crossed and invaded South Korea on June 25th, 1950. Abiding to the containment of the Domino theory, United States immediately responded to the unprovoked attack. Under the leadership of the supreme commander of the United Nations coalition forces, General Douglas MacArthur, the South Korean forces managed to push back the

The USSR pressured North Korea to invade South Korea, later they decided to attack. Now in Document C, The North Korean troops invaded South Korea and almost won the war, then the USA came in to support South Korea. Which after the USA came in, they pushed the North Koreans to the Yalu River. Since the ally of North Korea, China was concerned, they joined in and pushed the UN troops back to 38th Parallel. Then after some fighting, it ended in a stalemate. This also shows USA’s way of containing communism since South Korea was about to fall to communism and the domino theory might of worked. To quickly summarize. The North Korean army attacked South Korea and almost made it communist, later the USA joined and pushed them to Yalu river. Then China joined and pushed them to the 38th parallel. Later, it ended in a

During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, China’s position quickly dwindled from being the dominant power in the East to struggling against encroaching Western powers that desired its territories, one of its main opponents being Russia. After the 1917 Russian Revolution, the newly established Bolshevik regime offered to return various territories seized by the Tsarist empire to China, but they failed to deliver on their promises when they seized Outer Mongolia and $2 billion in machinery soon after. This instance, among many others, contributed to hostile Sino-Soviet relations during the twentieth century.

In document 1 Mao Zedong says “ several hundred million peasants wilol rise like a mi9ghty storm, like a hurricane a force so swift and violent that no power however great will be able to hiold back”. Thi is an example of the communists reconizing the chinease peasants strengths and informing other people that peasants that support the communists will sweep imperilaists, warlords, corrupt officials, local tyrants, and evil landdowers down and take authority. The communsits wanted to use the peasants as the main force un their fight against the jaanese. Document 5 is also a good example of communists reconizing that the peasants where the fuel to their fight woth japan, “ recognize that peasants constitiute the basi strength of the anti Japanese war, accordingly it is the policy of the part to assisit the peasaent, reduce feudal exploitation by the land lords, support civili liberty, political right and economic rights of the peasants in order to improve their living conditions and enhance the anti Japanese war”. This is a good example of the Comminsts supporting the chinease in order to gain their support for the fight against the Japanese, they might have only given support in order to gain power of japan and become the ruling power in china. The relashonship betweent eh chinease and the communists wwas beneficial but over all fake because

In June 1950, North Korea invaded and overran most of the country. In July 1950, American troops were sent to Korea to fight the communists out of the south. By September that same year, the Americans forced the North to retreat close to China’s border. Mao Zedong, alarmed by the success of the Americans, sent hundreds of troops to aid the North. This led to a stalemate as the North forced the South to retreat back to the same division line as before the war (Document C). This is the strongest example of the U.S. policy of containment as American troops were sent in only a month after the first attack, which showed how fast the U.S. responded to the spread of communism to a noncommunist

MacArthur approached the situation in Korea in a stronger, more confident manner. He saw that there was also a risk in not engaging Asian communism: an alliance between the USSR and the PRC. He acknowledges that the communist threat is a global one. Its successful advance in one capitalist sector threatens the destruction of the other sectors, and you can?t appease communists in Asia

B-Summary of Evidence It was just five years before, that World War II had ended and no one was expecting another war to happen. Korea was on its own with no money and government or army. The United States and Soviet Union were allies at that time and they agreed to occupy different parts of Korea. The Soviet Troops occupied the area north of the 38th parallel and the United States occupied the south of the 38th parallel.

Prior to Communism in China, it was known to be a chaotic country on the brink of self-destruction. With the emergence of the party leader Mao Zedong, came a new hope, which filled its inhabitants with the belief that China would return to its former historical greatness. American and Chinese relations before 1971 were in simple terms described as “uneasy”, due to the American, Soviet Cold War. It was not until President Richard Nixon visited China and realized the high value of having China as a ally that relations between the two powers began to become positive. Unknown at the time, it is assumed in the book Chinese Lessons written by John Pomfret, that the relationships he formed with the people he met in China would change his outlook on life and Communist China forever.

Efforts to unify Korea resulted in more than 100,000 deaths due to guerilla warfare. In April 1950, North Korean leader Kim II Sung persuaded Joseph Stalin to back an invasion of South Korea, convincing Stalin that the United States would not intervene. Stalin agreed to provide arms, equipment, and advisors to the North Koreans (“Korean War”). Kim II Sung did not stop there as he also persuaded the newly communist Chinese to aid the North Koreans. The Korean War, (June 25,1950 – July 27, 1953), occurred when over 75,000 North Korean Army invaded the land across of the 38th parallel. American president Harry Truman was feeling heat after “letting China fall”, so Truman ordered American troops into action on South July, the United Sates entered the conflict on South Korea’s behalf. The next three years would be the darkest and most horrific in Korean history. As seen in American reporter Bill Shinn’s account, “the North Koreans were gruesome…during the occupation of South Korea, they killed over 165,000 civilians. Also, I witnessed a South Korean mass execution of civilians suspected of having helped the communists. Korea was a mess” (“The Forgotten War Remembered: Korea, 1950-1953). This shows the depths of the horror that was perpetrated in Korea for three years.

The United States and China were eagerly ready to be drawn into the Korean War. Why wouldn’t they be? After WWII, Japan was forced to relinquish Korea, among other territories that it claimed , and Korea was left to fend for herself. Korea was managing but the country could not come to an agreement on a major topic: The type of government the country should fall under as a unified nation. The northern half, lead by Kim II Sung, wanted to operate under the communist rule; but the southern half, lead by Syngman Rhee, wanted to operate under a democracy (non-communist and independent ruling). This was like a set of twin siblings arguing and fighting over which of the two of them should carry the basketball as they walk down the street to the basketball court. They are that they both want to play basketball together but they can’t agree on who should be in charge and carry the ball. Well, the older and more experienced neighbors, The United States and China, wanted to play too but since it was Korea’s court, they decided to just sit back and await a decision but could only bear to watch the argument and fight for so long. They too had an opinion about who should carry the ball or should I say which governmental theory to abide; therefore, they wanted to intervene.

While the occupant powers were struggling to set ground for securing their interests, the Korean nationalism was at the most heated phase. Suffered through the Japanese colonial rule since 1910, the leaders of the two governments were determined to reunify Korea under their political regimes, and from their point view the only way to reach their aims was war. However, the United States and the Soviet Union were cautious not to take a role in initiating the war since neither of them was eager to prompt another to intervene. Being aware of their dependence on the superpowers, both leaders first had to gain the support of these countries to reach their goals. Until the beginning of the war, Kim Il-Sung particularly struggled hard to convince his mentor Stalin to provide him support in the war against the south.