• AsianStudies.org
  • Annual Conference
  • EAA Articles
  • Annual Conference March 14-17, 2024
  • AAS Community Forum Log In and Participate

Education About Asia: Online Archives

The korean war 101: causes, course, and conclusion of the conflict.

people taking photos of a distant valley

North Korea attacked South Korea on June 25, 1950, igniting the Korean War. Cold War assumptions governed the immediate reaction of US leaders, who instantly concluded that Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin had ordered the invasion as the first step in his plan for world conquest. “Communism,” President Harry S. Truman argued later in his memoirs, “was acting in Korea just as [Adolf] Hitler, [Benito] Mussolini, and the Japanese had acted ten, fifteen, and twenty years earlier.” If North Korea’s aggression went “unchallenged, the world was certain to be plunged into another world war.” This 1930s history lesson prevented Truman from recognizing that the origins of this conflict dated to at least the start of World War II, when Korea was a colony of Japan. Liberation in August 1945 led to division and a predictable war because the US and the Soviet Union would not allow the Korean people to decide their own future.

Before 1941, the US had no vital interests in Korea and was largely indifferent to its fate.

photo of three men sitting together

Before 1941, the US had no vital interests in Korea and was largely in- different to its fate. But after Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his advisors acknowledged at once the importance of this strategic peninsula for peace in Asia, advocating a postwar trusteeship to achieve Korea’s independence. Late in 1943, Roosevelt joined British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Chinese Generalissimo Chiang Kaishek in signing the Cairo Declaration, stating that the Allies “are determined that in due course Korea shall become free and independent.” At the Yalta Conference in early 1945, Stalin endorsed a four-power trusteeship in Korea. When Harry S. Truman became president after Roosevelt’s death in April 1945, however, Soviet expansion in Eastern Europe had begun to alarm US leaders. An atomic attack on Japan, Truman thought, would preempt Soviet entry into the Pacific War and allow unilateral American occupation of Korea. His gamble failed. On August 8, Stalin declared war on Japan and sent the Red Army into Korea. Only Stalin’s acceptance of Truman’s eleventh-hour proposal to divide the peninsula into So- viet and American zones of military occupation at the thirty-eighth parallel saved Korea from unification under Communist rule.

Deterioration of Soviet-American relations in Europe meant that neither side was willing to acquiesce in any agreement in Korea that might strengthen its adversary.

a photo of several men in uniform

US military occupation of southern Korea began on September 8, 1945. With very little preparation, Washing- ton redeployed the XXIV Corps under the command of Lieutenant General John R. Hodge from Okinawa to Korea. US occupation officials, ignorant of Korea’s history and culture, quickly had trouble maintaining order because al- most all Koreans wanted immediate in- dependence. It did not help that they followed the Japanese model in establishing an authoritarian US military government. Also, American occupation officials relied on wealthy land- lords and businessmen who could speak English for advice. Many of these citizens were former Japanese collaborators and had little interest in ordinary Koreans’ reform demands. Meanwhile, Soviet military forces in northern Korea, after initial acts of rape, looting, and petty crime, implemented policies to win popular support. Working with local people’s committees and indigenous Communists, Soviet officials enacted sweeping political, social, and economic changes. They also expropriated and punished landlords and collaborators, who fled southward and added to rising distress in the US zone. Simultaneously, the Soviets ignored US requests to coordinate occupation policies and allow free traffic across the parallel.

a group photo of men in military uniforms

Deterioration of Soviet-American relations in Europe meant that neither side was willing to acquiesce in any agreement in Korea that might strengthen its adversary. This became clear when the US and the Soviet Union tried to implement a revived trusteeship plan after the Moscow Conference in December 1945. Eighteen months of intermittent bilateral negotiations in Korea failed to reach agreement on a representative group of Koreans to form a provisional government, primarily because Moscow refused to consult with anti-Communist politicians opposed to trustee- ship. Meanwhile, political instability and economic deterioration in southern Korea persisted, causing Hodge to urge withdrawal. Postwar US demobilization that brought steady reductions in defense spending fueled pressure for disengagement. In September 1947, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) added weight to the withdrawal argument when they advised that Korea held no strategic significance. With Communist power growing in China, however, the Truman administration was unwilling to abandon southern Korea precipitously, fearing domestic criticism from Republicans and damage to US credibility abroad.

Seeking an answer to its dilemma, the US referred the Korean dispute to the United Nations, which passed a resolution late in 1947 calling for internationally supervised elections for a government to rule a united Korea. Truman and his advisors knew the Soviets would refuse to cooper- ate. Discarding all hope for early reunification, US policy by then had shifted to creating a separate South Korea, able to defend itself. Bowing to US pressure, the United Nations supervised and certified as valid obviously undemocratic elections in the south alone in May 1948, which resulted in formation of the Republic of Korea (ROK) in August. The Soviet Union responded in kind, sponsoring the creation of the Democratic People’s Re- public of Korea (DPRK) in September. There now were two Koreas, with President Syngman Rhee installing a repressive, dictatorial, and anti-Communist regime in the south, while wartime guerrilla leader Kim Il Sung imposed the totalitarian Stalinist model for political, economic, and social development on the north. A UN resolution then called for Soviet-American withdrawal. In December 1948, the Soviet Union, in response to the DPRK’s request, removed its forces from North Korea.

South Korea’s new government immediately faced violent opposition, climaxing in October 1948 with the Yosu-Sunchon Rebellion. Despite plans to leave the south by the end of 1948, Truman delayed military withdrawal until June 29, 1949. By then, he had approved National Security Council (NSC) Paper 8/2, undertaking a commitment to train, equip, and supply an ROK security force capable of maintaining internal order and deterring a DPRK attack. In spring 1949, US military advisors supervised a dramatic improvement in ROK army fighting abilities. They were so successful that militant South Korean officers began to initiate assaults northward across the thirty-eighth parallel that summer. These attacks ignited major border clashes with North Korean forces. A kind of war was already underway on the peninsula when the conventional phase of Korea’s conflict began on June 25, 1950. Fears that Rhee might initiate an offensive to achieve reunification explain why the Truman administration limited ROK military capabilities, withholding tanks, heavy artillery, and warplanes.

photo of two men in military uniforms

Pursuing qualified containment in Korea, Truman asked Congress for three-year funding of economic aid to the ROK in June 1949. To build sup- port for its approval, on January 12, 1950, Secretary of State Dean G. Ache- son’s speech to the National Press Club depicted an optimistic future for South Korea. Six months later, critics charged that his exclusion of the ROK from the US “defensive perimeter” gave the Communists a “green light” to launch an invasion. However, Soviet documents have established that Acheson’s words had almost no impact on Communist invasion planning. Moreover, by June 1950, the US policy of containment in Korea through economic means appeared to be experiencing marked success. The ROK had acted vigorously to control spiraling inflation, and Rhee’s opponents won legislative control in May elections. As important, the ROK army virtually eliminated guerrilla activities, threatening internal order in South Korea, causing the Truman administration to propose a sizeable military aid increase. Now optimistic about the ROK’s prospects for survival, Washington wanted to deter a conventional attack from the north.

Stalin worried about South Korea’s threat to North Korea’s survival. Throughout 1949, he consistently refused to approve Kim Il Sung’s persistent requests to authorize an attack on the ROK. Communist victory in China in fall 1949 pressured Stalin to show his support for a similar Korean outcome. In January 1950, he and Kim discussed plans for an invasion in Moscow, but the Soviet dictator was not ready to give final consent. How- ever, he did authorize a major expansion of the DPRK’s military capabilities. At an April meeting, Kim Il Sung persuaded Stalin that a military victory would be quick and easy because of southern guerilla support and an anticipated popular uprising against Rhee’s regime. Still fearing US military intervention, Stalin informed Kim that he could invade only if Mao Zedong approved. During May, Kim Il Sung went to Beijing to gain the consent of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Significantly, Mao also voiced concern that the Americans would defend the ROK but gave his reluctant approval as well. Kim Il Sung’s patrons had joined in approving his reckless decision for war.

a man in a suit holds his hand up in greeting

On the morning of June 25, 1950, the Korean People’s Army (KPA) launched its military offensive to conquer South Korea. Rather than immediately committing ground troops, Truman’s first action was to approve referral of the matter to the UN Security Council because he hoped the ROK military could defend itself with primarily indirect US assistance. The UN Security Council’s first resolution called on North Korea to accept a cease- fire and withdraw, but the KPA continued its advance. On June 27, a second resolution requested that member nations provide support for the ROK’s defense. Two days later, Truman, still optimistic that a total commitment was avoidable, agreed in a press conference with a newsman’s description of the conflict as a “police action.” His actions reflected an existing policy that sought to block Communist expansion in Asia without using US military power, thereby avoiding increases in defense spending. But early on June 30, he reluctantly sent US ground troops to Korea after General Douglas MacArthur, US Occupation commander in Japan, advised that failure to do so meant certain Communist destruction of the ROK.

Kim Il Sung’s patrons [Stalin and Mao] had joined in approving his reckless decision for war.

On July 7, 1950, the UN Security Council created the United Nations Command (UNC) and called on Truman to appoint a UNC commander. The president immediately named MacArthur, who was required to submit periodic reports to the United Nations on war developments. The ad- ministration blocked formation of a UN committee that would have direct access to the UNC commander, instead adopting a procedure whereby MacArthur received instructions from and reported to the JCS. Fifteen members joined the US in defending the ROK, but 90 percent of forces were South Korean and American with the US providing weapons, equipment, and logistical support. Despite these American commitments, UNC forces initially suffered a string of defeats. By July 20, the KPA shattered five US battalions as it advanced one hundred miles south of Seoul, the ROK capital. Soon, UNC forces finally stopped the KPA at the Pusan Perimeter, a rectangular area in the southeast corner of the peninsula.

On September 11, 1950, Truman had approved NSC-81, a plan to cross the thirty-eighth parallel and forcibly reunify Korea

Despite the UNC’s desperate situation during July, MacArthur developed plans for a counteroffensive in coordination with an amphibious landing behind enemy lines allowing him to “compose and unite” Korea. State Department officials began to lobby for forcible reunification once the UNC assumed the offensive, arguing that the US should destroy the KPA and hold free elections for a government to rule a united Korea. The JCS had grave doubts about the wisdom of landing at the port of Inchon, twenty miles west of Seoul, because of narrow access, high tides, and sea- walls, but the September 15 operation was a spectacular success. It allowed the US Eighth Army to break out of the Pusan Perimeter and advance north to unite with the X Corps, liberating Seoul two weeks later and sending the KPA scurrying back into North Korea. A month earlier, the administration had abandoned its initial war aim of merely restoring the status quo. On September 11, 1950, Truman had approved NSC-81, a plan to cross the thirty-eighth parallel and forcibly reunify Korea.

Invading the DPRK was an incredible blunder that transformed a three-month war into one lasting three years. US leaders had realized that extension of hostilities risked Soviet or Chinese entry, and therefore, NSC- 81 included the precaution that only Korean units would move into the most northern provinces. On October 2, PRC Foreign Minister Zhou Enlai warned the Indian ambassador that China would intervene in Korea if US forces crossed the parallel, but US officials thought he was bluffing. The UNC offensive began on October 7, after UN passage of a resolution authorizing MacArthur to “ensure conditions of stability throughout Korea.” At a meeting at Wake Island on October 15, MacArthur assured Truman that China would not enter the war, but Mao already had decided to intervene after concluding that Beijing could not tolerate US challenges to its regional credibility. He also wanted to repay the DPRK for sending thou- sands of soldiers to fight in the Chinese civil war. On August 5, Mao instructed his northeastern military district commander to prepare for operations in Korea in the first ten days of September. China’s dictator then muted those associates opposing intervention.

men in military uniforms

On October 19, units of the Chinese People’s Volunteers (CPV) under the command of General Peng Dehuai crossed the Yalu River. Five days later, MacArthur ordered an offensive to China’s border with US forces in the vanguard. When the JCS questioned this violation of NSC-81, MacArthur replied that he had discussed this action with Truman on Wake Island. Having been wrong in doubting Inchon, the JCS remained silent this time. Nor did MacArthur’s superiors object when he chose to retain a divided command. Even after the first clash between UNC and CPV troops on October 26, the general remained supremely confident. One week later, the Chinese sharply attacked advancing UNC and ROK forces. In response, MacArthur ordered air strikes on Yalu bridges without seeking Washing- ton’s approval. Upon learning this, the JCS prohibited the assaults, pending Truman’s approval. MacArthur then asked that US pilots receive permission for “hot pursuit” of enemy aircraft fleeing into Manchuria. He was infuriated upon learning that the British were advancing a UN proposal to halt the UNC offensive well short of the Yalu to avert war with China, viewing the measure as appeasement.

photo of two men in uniforms

On November 24, MacArthur launched his “Home-by-Christmas Offensive.” The next day, the CPV counterattacked en masse, sending UNC forces into a chaotic retreat southward and causing the Truman administration immediately to consider pursuing a Korean cease-fire. In several public pronouncements, MacArthur blamed setbacks not on himself but on unwise command limitations. In response, Truman approved a directive to US officials that State Department approval was required for any comments about the war. Later that month, MacArthur submitted a four- step “Plan for Victory” to defeat the Communists—a naval blockade of China’s coast, authorization to bombard military installations in Manchuria, deployment of Chiang Kai-shek Nationalist forces in Korea, and launching of an attack on mainland China from Taiwan. The JCS, despite later denials, considered implementing these actions before receiving favorable battlefield reports.

Early in 1951, Lieutenant General Matthew B. Ridgway, new commander of the US Eighth Army, halted the Communist southern advance. Soon, UNC counterattacks restored battle lines north of the thirty-eighth parallel. In March, MacArthur, frustrated by Washington’s refusal to escalate the war, issued a demand for immediate surrender to the Communists that sabotaged a planned cease-fire initiative. Truman reprimanded but did not recall the general. On April 5, House Republican Minority Leader Joseph W. Martin Jr. read MacArthur’s letter in Congress, once again criticizing the administration’s efforts to limit the war. Truman later argued that this was the “last straw.” On April 11, with the unanimous support of top advisors, the president fired MacArthur, justifying his action as a defense of the constitutional principle of civilian control over the military, but another consideration may have exerted even greater influence on Truman. The JCS had been monitoring a Communist military buildup in East Asia and thought a trusted UNC commander should have standing authority to retaliate against Soviet or Chinese escalation, including the use of nuclear weapons that they had deployed to forward Pacific bases. Truman and his advisors, as well as US allies, distrusted MacArthur, fearing that he might provoke an incident to widen the war.

MacArthur’s recall ignited a firestorm of public criticism against both Truman and the war. The general returned to tickertape parades and, on April 19, 1951, he delivered a televised address before a joint session of Congress, defending his actions and making this now-famous assertion: “In war there is no substitute for victory.” During Senate joint committee hearings on his firing in May, MacArthur denied that he was guilty of in- subordination. General Omar N. Bradley, the JCS chair, made the administration’s case, arguing that enacting MacArthur’s proposals would lead to “the wrong war, at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and with the wrong enemy.” Meanwhile, in April, the Communists launched the first of two major offensives in a final effort to force the UNC off the peninsula. When May ended, the CPV and KPA had suffered huge losses, and a UNC counteroffensive then restored the front north of the parallel, persuading Beijing and Pyongyang, as was already the case in Washington, that pursuit of a cease-fire was necessary. The belligerents agreed to open truce negotiations on July 10 at Kaesong, a neutral site that the Communists deceitfully occupied on the eve of the first session.

North Korea and China created an acrimonious atmosphere with at- tempts at the outset to score propaganda points, but the UNC raised the first major roadblock with its proposal for a demilitarized zone extending deep into North Korea. More important, after the talks moved to Panmunjom in October, there was rapid progress in resolving almost all is- sues, including establishment of a demilitarized zone along the battle lines, truce enforcement inspection procedures, and a postwar political conference to discuss withdrawal of foreign troops and reunification. An armistice could have been concluded ten months after talks began had the negotiators not deadlocked over the disposition of prisoners of war (POWs). Rejecting the UNC proposal for non-forcible repatriation, the Communists demanded adherence to the Geneva Convention that required return of all POWs. Beijing and Pyongyang were guilty of hypocrisy regarding this matter because they were subjecting UNC prisoners to unspeakable mistreatment and indoctrination.

On April 11, with the unanimous support of top advisors, the presi- dent fired MacArthur.

a man holds newspapers and yells

Truman ordered that the UNC delegation assume an inflexible stand against returning Communist prisoners to China and North Korea against their will. “We will not buy an armistice,” he insisted, “by turning over human beings for slaughter or slavery.” Although Truman unquestionably believed in the moral rightness of his position, he was not unaware of the propaganda value derived from Communist prisoners defecting to the “free world.” His advisors, however, withheld evidence from him that contradicted this assessment. A vast majority of North Korean POWs were actually South Koreans who either joined voluntarily or were impressed into the KPA. Thousands of Chinese POWs were Nationalist soldiers trapped in China at the end of the civil war, who now had the chance to escape to Taiwan. Chinese Nationalist guards at UNC POW camps used terrorist “re-education” tactics to compel prisoners to refuse repatriation; resisters risked beatings or death, and repatriates were even tattooed with anti- Communist slogans.

In November 1952, angry Americans elected Dwight D. Eisenhower president, in large part because they expected him to end what had be- come the very unpopular “Mr. Truman’s War.” Fulfilling a campaign pledge, the former general visited Korea early in December, concluding that further ground attacks would be futile. Simultaneously, the UN General Assembly called for a neutral commission to resolve the dispute over POW repatriation. Instead of embracing the plan, Eisenhower, after taking office in January 1953, seriously considered threatening a nuclear attack on China to force a settlement. Signaling his new resolve, Eisenhower announced on February 2 that he was ordering removal of the US Seventh Fleet from the Taiwan Strait, implying endorsement for a Nationalist assault on the mainland. What influenced China more was the devastating impact of the war. By summer 1952, the PRC faced huge domestic economic problems and likely decided to make peace once Truman left office. Major food shortages and physical devastation persuaded Pyongyang to favor an armistice even earlier.

An armistice ended fighting in Korea on July 27, 1953.

men in military uniforms and signing documents

Early in 1953, China and North Korea were prepared to resume the truce negotiations, but the Communists preferred that the Americans make the first move. That came on February 22 when the UNC, repeating a Red Cross proposal, suggested exchanging sick and wounded prisoners. At this key moment, Stalin died on March 5. Rather than dissuading the PRC and the DPRK as Stalin had done, his successors encouraged them to act on their desire for peace. On March 28, the Communist side accepted the UNC proposal. Two days later, Zhou Enlai publicly proposed transfer of prisoners rejecting repatriation to a neutral state. On April 20, Operation Little Switch, the exchange of sick and wounded prisoners, began, and six days later, negotiations resumed at Panmunjom. Sharp disagreement followed over the final details of the truce agreement. Eisenhower insisted later that the PRC accepted US terms after Secretary of State John Foster Dulles informed India’s prime minister in May that without progress toward a truce, the US would terminate the existing limitations on its conduct of the war. No documentary evidence has of yet surfaced to support his assertion.

photo of men in military uniforms signing a document

Also, by early 1953, both Washington and Beijing clearly wanted an armistice, having tired of the economic burdens, military losses, political and military constraints, worries about an expanded war, and pressure from allies and the world community to end the stalemated conflict. A steady stream of wartime issues threatened to inflict irrevocable damage on US relations with its allies in Western Europe and nonaligned members of the United Nations. Indeed, in May 1953, US bombing of North Korea’s dams and irrigation system ignited an outburst of world criticism. Later that month and early in June, the CPV staged powerful attacks against ROK defensive positions. Far from being intimidated, Beijing thus displayed its continuing resolve, using military means to persuade its adversary to make concessions on the final terms. Before the belligerents could sign the agreement, Rhee tried to torpedo the impending truce when he released 27,000 North Korean POWs. Eisenhower bought Rhee’s acceptance of a cease-fire with pledges of financial aid and a mutual security pact.

An armistice ended fighting in Korea on July 27, 1953. Since then, Koreans have seen the war as the second-greatest tragedy in their recent history after Japanese colonial rule. Not only did it cause devastation and three million deaths, it also confirmed the division of a homogeneous society after thirteen centuries of unity, while permanently separating millions of families. Meanwhile, US wartime spending jump-started Japan’s economy, which led to its emergence as a global power. Koreans instead had to endure the living tragedy of yearning for reunification, as diplomatic tension and military clashes along the demilitarized zone continued into the twenty-first century.

Korea’s war also dramatically reshaped world affairs. In response, US leaders vastly increased defense spending, strengthened the North Atlantic Treaty Organization militarily, and pressed for rearming West Germany. In Asia, the conflict saved Chiang’s regime on Taiwan, while making South Korea a long-term client of the US. US relations with China were poisoned for twenty years, especially after Washington persuaded the United Nations to condemn the PRC for aggression in Korea. Ironically, the war helped Mao’s regime consolidate its control in China, while elevating its regional prestige. In response, US leaders, acting on what they saw as Korea’s primary lesson, relied on military means to meet the challenge, with disastrous results in Việt Nam.

Share this:

  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

SUGGESTED RESOURCES

Kaufman, Burton I. The Korean Conflict . Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1999.

“Korea: Lessons of the Forgotten War.” YouTube video, 2:20, posted by KRT Productions Inc., 2000. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi31OoQfD7U.

Lee, Steven Hugh. The Korean War. New York: Longman, 2001.

Matray, James I. “Korea’s War at Sixty: A Survey of the Literature.” Cold War History 11, no. 1 (February 2011): 99–129.

US Department of Defense. Korea 1950–1953, accessed July 9, 2012, http://koreanwar.defense.gov/index.html.

  • Latest News
  • Join or Renew
  • Education About Asia
  • Education About Asia Articles
  • Asia Shorts Book Series
  • Asia Past & Present
  • Key Issues in Asian Studies
  • Journal of Asian Studies
  • The Bibliography of Asian Studies
  • AAS-Gale Fellowship
  • Council Grants
  • Book Prizes
  • Graduate Student Paper Prizes
  • Distinguished Contributions to Asian Studies Award
  • First Book Subvention Program
  • External Grants & Fellowships
  • AAS Career Center
  • Asian Studies Programs & Centers
  • Study Abroad Programs
  • Language Database
  • Conferences & Events
  • #AsiaNow Blog

causes of korean war essay

  • History Classics
  • Your Profile
  • Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window)
  • Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window)
  • Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window)
  • Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window)
  • Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window)
  • This Day In History
  • History Podcasts
  • History Vault

By: History.com Editors

Updated: May 11, 2022 | Original: November 9, 2009

Soldiers Walking Down Road(Original Caption) As soldiers at right are briefed, other ROK Troopers move up the road to forward positions for counterattack against Chinese Communists who launched one of the fiercest assaults of the Korean War on the central front. ROK Troops regained more than 60 square miles of territory lost in the Red assault, by July 20th, Korean time.

The Korean war began on June 25, 1950, when some 75,000 soldiers from the North Korean People’s Army poured across the 38th parallel, the boundary between the Soviet-backed Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the north and the pro-Western Republic of Korea to the south. This invasion was the first military action of the Cold War. By July, American troops had entered the war on South Korea’s behalf. As far as American officials were concerned, it was a war against the forces of international communism itself. After some early back-and-forth across the 38th parallel, the fighting stalled and casualties mounted with nothing to show for them. Meanwhile, American officials worked anxiously to fashion some sort of armistice with the North Koreans. The alternative, they feared, would be a wider war with Russia and China–or even, as some warned, World War III. Finally, in July 1953, the Korean War came to an end. In all, some 5 million soldiers and civilians lost their lives in what many in the U.S. refer to as “the Forgotten War” for the lack of attention it received compared to more well-known conflicts like World War I and II and the Vietnam War. The Korean peninsula remains divided today.

North vs. South Korea

“If the best minds in the world had set out to find us the worst possible location in the world to fight this damnable war,” U.S. Secretary of State Dean Acheson (1893-1971) once said, “the unanimous choice would have been Korea.” The peninsula had landed in America’s lap almost by accident. Since the beginning of the 20th century, Korea had been a part of the Japanese empire , and after World War II it fell to the Americans and the Soviets to decide what should be done with their enemy’s imperial possessions. In August 1945, two young aides at the State Department divided the Korean peninsula in half along the 38th parallel . The Russians occupied the area north of the line and the United States occupied the area to its south.

Did you know? Unlike World War II and Vietnam, the Korean War did not get much media attention in the United States. The most famous representation of the war in popular culture is the television series “M*A*S*H,” which was set in a field hospital in South Korea. The series ran from 1972 until 1983, and its final episode was the most-watched in television history.

By the end of the decade, two new states had formed on the peninsula. In the south, the anti-communist dictator Syngman Rhee (1875-1965) enjoyed the reluctant support of the American government; in the north, the communist dictator Kim Il Sung (1912-1994) enjoyed the slightly more enthusiastic support of the Soviets. Neither dictator was content to remain on his side of the 38th parallel, however, and border skirmishes were common. Nearly 10,000 North and South Korean soldiers were killed in battle before the war even began.

The Korean War and the Cold War

Even so, the North Korean invasion came as an alarming surprise to American officials. As far as they were concerned, this was not simply a border dispute between two unstable dictatorships on the other side of the globe. Instead, many feared it was the first step in a communist campaign to take over the world. For this reason, nonintervention was not considered an option by many top decision makers. (In fact, in April 1950, a National Security Council report known as NSC-68 had recommended that the United States use military force to “contain” communist expansionism anywhere it seemed to be occurring, “regardless of the intrinsic strategic or economic value of the lands in question.”)

“If we let Korea down,” President Harry Truman (1884-1972) said, “the Soviet[s] will keep right on going and swallow up one [place] after another.” The fight on the Korean peninsula was a symbol of the global struggle between east and west, good and evil, in the Cold War. As the North Korean army pushed into Seoul, the South Korean capital, the United States readied its troops for a war against communism itself.

At first, the war was a defensive one to get the communists out of South Korea, and it went badly for the Allies. The North Korean army was well-disciplined, well-trained and well-equipped; Rhee’s forces in the South Korean army, by contrast, were frightened, confused and seemed inclined to flee the battlefield at any provocation. Also, it was one of the hottest and driest summers on record, and desperately thirsty American soldiers were often forced to drink water from rice paddies that had been fertilized with human waste. As a result, dangerous intestinal diseases and other illnesses were a constant threat.

By the end of the summer, President Truman and General Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964), the commander in charge of the Asian theater, had decided on a new set of war aims. Now, for the Allies, the Korean War was an offensive one: It was a war to “liberate” the North from the communists.

Initially, this new strategy was a success. The Inch’on Landing , an amphibious assault at Inch’on, pushed the North Koreans out of Seoul and back to their side of the 38th parallel. But as American troops crossed the boundary and headed north toward the Yalu River, the border between North Korea and Communist China, the Chinese started to worry about protecting themselves from what they called “armed aggression against Chinese territory.” Chinese leader Mao Zedong (1893-1976) sent troops to North Korea and warned the United States to keep away from the Yalu boundary unless it wanted full-scale war.

'No Substitute for Victory'

This was something that President Truman and his advisers decidedly did not want: They were sure that such a war would lead to Soviet aggression in Europe, the deployment of atomic weapons and millions of senseless deaths. To General MacArthur, however, anything short of this wider war represented “appeasement,” an unacceptable knuckling under to the communists.

As President Truman looked for a way to prevent war with the Chinese, MacArthur did all he could to provoke it. Finally, in March 1951, he sent a letter to Joseph Martin, a House Republican leader who shared MacArthur’s support for declaring all-out war on China–and who could be counted upon to leak the letter to the press. “There is,” MacArthur wrote, “no substitute for victory” against international communism.

For Truman, this letter was the last straw. On April 11, the president fired the general for insubordination.

The Korean War Reaches a Stalemate

In July 1951, President Truman and his new military commanders started peace talks at Panmunjom. Still, the fighting continued along the 38th parallel as negotiations stalled. Both sides were willing to accept a ceasefire that maintained the 38th parallel boundary, but they could not agree on whether prisoners of war should be forcibly “repatriated.” (The Chinese and the North Koreans said yes; the United States said no.) 

Finally, after more than two years of negotiations, the adversaries signed an armistice on July 27, 1953. The agreement allowed the POWs to stay where they liked; drew a new boundary near the 38th parallel that gave South Korea an extra 1,500 square miles of territory; and created a 2-mile-wide “demilitarized zone” that still exists today.

Korean War Casualties 

The Korean War was relatively short but exceptionally bloody. Nearly 5 million people died. More than half of these–about 10 percent of Korea’s prewar population–were civilians. (This rate of civilian casualties was higher than World War II’s and the Vietnam War’s .) Almost 40,000 Americans died in action in Korea, and more than 100,000 were wounded. Today, they are remembered at the Korean War Veterans Memorial near the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., a series of 19 steel statues of servicemen, and the Korean War memorial in Fullerton, California , the first on the West Coast to include the names of the more than 30,000 Americans who died in the war.

causes of korean war essay

HISTORY Vault

Stream thousands of hours of acclaimed series, probing documentaries and captivating specials commercial-free in HISTORY Vault

causes of korean war essay

Sign up for Inside History

Get HISTORY’s most fascinating stories delivered to your inbox three times a week.

By submitting your information, you agree to receive emails from HISTORY and A+E Networks. You can opt out at any time. You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States.

More details : Privacy Notice | Terms of Use | Contact Us

  • Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Korean War, a ‘Forgotten’ Conflict That Shaped the Modern World

causes of korean war essay

By Liam Stack

  • Jan. 1, 2018

The Korean War has been called “the Forgotten War” in the United States, where coverage of the 1950s conflict was censored and its memory decades later is often overshadowed by World War II and the Vietnam War.

But the three-year conflict in Korea, which pitted communist and capitalist forces against each other, set the stage for decades of tension among North Korea, South Korea and the United States.

It also helped set the tone for Soviet-American rivalry during the Cold War, profoundly shaping the world we live in today, historians said.

As tensions between North Korea and the United States continue to mount amid missile tests and taunts, here is a brief guide to the Korean War and the impacts that linger more than 60 years after its end.

How did the Korean War start?

The Korean War began when North Korean troops pushed into South Korea on June 25, 1950, and it lasted until 1953. But experts said the military conflict could not be properly understood without considering its historical context.

Korea, a Japanese colony from 1910 until 1945, was occupied by the United States and the Soviet Union at the end of World War II. The United States proposed temporarily dividing the country along the 38th Parallel as a way to maintain its influence on the peninsula, which bordered Russia, said Charles K. Armstrong, a professor of Korean history at Columbia University.

“A divided Korea was something unprecedented,” he said.

But the divide lasted in part because of competing visions among Koreans for the country’s future. “Fundamentally it was a civil war, fought over issues going back into Korea’s colonial experience,” said Bruce Cumings, a professor of history at the University of Chicago.

In 1948, the American-backed, anti-communist southern administration, based in Seoul, declared itself the Republic of Korea. It was led by Syngman Rhee, who lived in exile in the United States for many years and was installed as the South Korean leader by the Office of Strategic Services, a predecessor to the Central Intelligence Agency, Professor Cumings said.

Soon after, the Soviet-backed, communist northern administration, based in Pyongyang, declared itself the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Its leader was Kim Il-sung, who fought alongside communist forces during the Chinese civil war and was the grandfather of North Korea’s current dictator, Kim Jong-un.

Each regime was unstable, rejected the legitimacy of the other and considered itself to be Korea’s sole rightful ruler. Border skirmishes between the two were frequent before the Korean War began.

Who were the combatants?

The war pitted South Korea and the United States, fighting under the auspices of the United Nations, against North Korea and China.

Other nations contributed troops, too, but American forces did most of the fighting. “The South Korean Army virtually collapsed” at the start of the war, Professor Cumings said.

The Soviet Union supported North Korea at the beginning of the war, giving it arms, tanks and strategic advice. But China soon emerged as its most important ally, sending soldiers to fight in Korea as a way to keep the conflict away from its border.

The Chinese leader, Mao Zedong, also saw China’s participation in the war as a way to thank Korean Communists who fought in the Chinese civil war, Professor Cumings said.

“There was a lot of field contact between American and Chinese forces,” Professor Armstrong said. “In a sense, this was the first and only war between China and the United States, so far.”

How damaging was it?

The war devastated Korea. Historians said that between three million and four million people were killed, although firm figures have never been produced, particularly by the North Korean government. As many as 70 percent of the dead may have been civilians.

Destruction was particularly acute in the North, which was subjected to years of American bombing, including with napalm. Roughly 25 percent of its prewar population was killed, Professor Cumings said, and many of the survivors lived underground by the war’s end.

“North Korea was flattened,” he said. “The North Koreans see the American bombing as a Holocaust, and every child is taught about it.”

Damage was also widespread in South Korea, where Seoul changed hands four times. But most combat took place in the northern or central parts of the peninsula around the current Demilitarized Zone, which divides the countries, Professor Cumings said.

How did it end?

Technically, the Korean War did not end.

The fighting stopped when North Korea, China and the United States reached an armistice in 1953. But South Korea did not agree to the armistice, and no formal peace treaty was ever signed.

“There is still a technical state of war between the combatants,” Professor Cumings said.

Neither North nor South Korea had achieved its goal: the destruction of the opposing regime and reunification of the divided peninsula.

Since 1953 there has been an uneasy coexistence between North and South Korea, which hosts over 20,000 American troops. At one time hundreds of American nuclear weapons were based there.

“It was from the Korean War onward that we had a permanent, global American military presence that we had never had before,” Professor Armstrong said. Other countries that host American troops include Qatar, Japan, Italy and Germany. “It was a real turning point for America’s global role.”

In the decades after the war, South Korea transformed into an economic powerhouse. Professor Cumings said many of its citizens now know little about the conflict and have “a fatalistic orientation” toward the economically isolated North.

Meanwhile, North Korea became “the world’s most amazing garrison state with the fourth largest army in the world.”

“Its generals are still fighting the war,” Professor Cumings said. “For them it has never ended.”

Classroom Logo

  • Teacher Opportunities
  • AP U.S. Government Key Terms
  • Bureaucracy & Regulation
  • Campaigns & Elections
  • Civil Rights & Civil Liberties
  • Comparative Government
  • Constitutional Foundation
  • Criminal Law & Justice
  • Economics & Financial Literacy
  • English & Literature
  • Environmental Policy & Land Use
  • Executive Branch
  • Federalism and State Issues
  • Foreign Policy
  • Gun Rights & Firearm Legislation
  • Immigration
  • Interest Groups & Lobbying
  • Judicial Branch
  • Legislative Branch
  • Political Parties
  • Science & Technology
  • Social Services
  • State History
  • Supreme Court Cases
  • U.S. History
  • World History

Log-in to bookmark & organize content - it's free!

  • Bell Ringers
  • Lesson Plans
  • Featured Resources

Lesson Plan: The Korean War

Red Arrow

The Beginning of the Korean War

Description

On June 25, 1950, North Korea surprised South Korea by invading and advancing towards the capital city of Seoul. Soon after, President Truman sent U.S. troops to aid the South Korean military, and a U.N. Security Council resolution was pushed through to send additional troops and aid to bolster existing South Korean and U.S. forces. An armistice was signed in July 1953, ending the active fighting of the war and creating a demilitarized zone separating the two countries, although a peace treaty has never been signed. In this lesson, students will learn about the causes, significance, and legacy of the Korean War.

INTRODUCTION

As a class, view the following video clip and then discuss the questions below.

Video Clip: The Beginning of the Korean War (6:14)

Explain the circumstances in Korea between 1945 and 1950 that led to the Korean War.

Why did North Korea want to invade South Korea, beginning in 1948? What dissuaded them from invading at that time? What emboldened them to invade in 1950?

How did the Truman administration view the invasion? What steps did the administration take?

  • Explain the decision of the United Nations Security Council. According to Mr. Brazinsky, what was the view and reaction of the U.S. Congress in relation to President Truman and our involvement in Korea?

Break students into groups and have each group view the following video clips. Students should take notes using the handout provided, and then share their findings with the rest of the class.

HANDOUT: Korean War Handout (Google Doc)

Video Clip: North Korea Invades South Korea (1:39)

The U.S. Army "Big Picture" episode shows footage of the North Korea invasion and the United Nations response.

Video Clip: President Truman Korean War Address (0:51)

President Truman addressed the nation on why the U.S. must intervene in the Korean War.

Video Clip: The Countries Involved in the Korean War (2:19)

Christopher Kolakowski described the role of the United Nations and the countries involved in the Korean War.

Video Clip: Korean War Military Action (3:52)

Professor Lisa Brady gives an overview of the military strategy and progress during the Korean War.

Video Clip: Gen. Douglas MacArthur's Role in the Korean War (2:32)

GWU History Professor Gregg Brazinsky discusses Gen. Douglas MacArthur's role in leading U.S. forces during the Korean War, and his interactions with President Truman and his administration.

Video Clip: China's Involvement in the Korean War (1:43)

GWU History Professor Gregg Brazinsky on China's involvement in the Korean War, including their concerns over America's involvement in the war.

Video Clip: The Armistice and Legacy of the Korean War (2:16)

Christopher Kolakowski described the armistice to end the fighting of the Korean War and its signficance today.

TAKE A STAND

After discussing the findings from the video clips with the entire class, have the students take part in a "Take a Stand" activity with the following question.

"The United States made the correct decision in entering the Korean War"

Have students line up on a continuum based on their opinion from “Strongly Agree” to “Strongly Disagree.” Ask several students from different points on the line to share their reasoning and defend their position.

After completing the "Take a Stand" activity, have students write an essay (or similar culminating activity) that includes the following information. Students should cite specific examples from the videos and class discussion.

The causes of the Korean War and the involvement of the United States and United Nations

Major military actions and the role of General MacArthur

The significance of the armistice then and today

  • The impact of the Korean War in the context of the greater Cold War

Additional Resources

  • ON THIS DAY: Korean War
  • BELL RINGER: Korean War
  • 38th Parallel
  • Demilitarized Zone
  • General Douglas Macarthur
  • North Korea
  • South Korea
  • United Nations

The answers to this question and all your GCSE/iGCSE history topics is only a click away.

Download our FREE app for Android and iOS .

The Causes of the Korean War

  • ❖ The Cold War .
  • ❖ The US policy of containment.
  • ❖ The division of Korea .
  • ❖ Different governments in Korea.
  • ❖ The development of communism in China .
  • ❖ Interference from other countries.
  • ❖ The Korean War was a proxy of the Cold War . The world's two leading superpowers - the USA and the USSR - were in an ideological conflict, competing for dominance. However, they could only fight through proxy wars due to the threat of nuclear warfare.
  • ❖ When communist North Korea invaded South Korea, the USA was able to fight communist Russia without direct confrontation. The Korean War was an extension of the Cold War .
  • ❖ The Cold War rivalry between the USSR and the USA was a critical cause of the Korean War , as North Korea would not invade South Korea without Stalin's permission. He gave it as it strengthened his position in the context of the Cold War.
  • ❖ In 1947 the President of the USA, Harry S Truman, committed to helping any country under threat from a communist takeover. This was known as the Truman Doctrine and meant that, when North Korea invaded South Korea, America helped the south.
  • ❖ Until 1950, most of the USA's efforts in fighting the spread of communism were focused on Europe. However, in 1949, the communists came to power in China despite America's efforts to support the anti-communist government.
  • ❖ Truman and the US government believed communism would spread throughout Asia. The USA was worried the fall of China would lead to neighbouring countries following suit - South Korea and then Japan.
  • ❖ Stalin's support of the invasion alone did not bring about the war. The USA was determined to prevent any more nations in Asia falling to communism.
  • ❖ The division of Korea along the 38th parallel was supposed to be temporary. North and South Korea both wanted to unite, but had different ideas about the style of government. The North wanted a united communist nation, while the South wanted a united capitalist nation.
  • ❖ The division of Korea , and the different styles of government, meant the USA and the USSR were both committed to supporting opposing sides. It was, therefore, an extension of the Cold War .
  • ❖ North Korea was controlled by the communist Kim II-Sung , who had strong links to the USSR .
  • ❖ Kim II-Sung was committed to uniting Korea as a communist nation.
  • ❖ Kim II-Sung persuaded Stalin , leader of the USSR , and Mao Zedong , ruler of China , to back an invasion of South Korea. Stalin saw this as an opportunity to continue the Cold War through proxy.
  • ❖ South Korea was controlled by anti-communist Syngman Rhee , who had boasted about planning an attack to take over the north and unite Korea as a capitalist nation. This was the excuse Kim II-Sung needed to invade.
  • ❖ The USA intervened to support South Korea. President Truman sent warships and offered advisers and supplies. Without this, the South would not have been able to fight the war.
  • ❖ Kim II-Sung had asked for Stalin's support to invade the south in 1949, but Stalin had refused. Kim II-Sung could not launch an invasion without aid from the USSR or China . Even though Stalin gave permission in 1950, he made it clear his troops would not fight in the conflict directly, and any reinforcements must come from China.
  • ❖ In 1949 the communists won the civil war in China , against Chiang Kai-shek's non-communist government. China became a communist country.
  • ❖ Because of its policy of containment , the US had supported Chiang Kai-shek's efforts, trying to prevent China from turning Communist. This strategy failed when Chiang Kai-shek lost the civil war.
  • ❖ When China became communist , America was scared communism would spread through Asia, as it believed in the domino theory . The USA was committed to ensuring communism did not take hold in South Korea.

Welcome to Clever Lili!

Turbocharge your history revision with our revolutionary new app! Clever Lili is here to help you ace your exams.

Enhanced Learning

Study guides, android and ios app, alexa and google home, ask question in facebook messenger, gcse history.

A text and voice app that allows you to easily revise for your GCSE/IGCSE exams wherever you are. Whether you’re at home or on the bus, GCSE History provides you with thousands of convenient bite-sized facts to help you pass your exams with flying colours. Great for student and teachers.

phone with showing GCSE History app chat screen

The Causes of Korea War and How It Epitomized Cold War Essay

Introduction, causes of the korean war, how it epitomized cold war, works cited.

The Korean War was fought in Korean Peninsula between armies from North and those from South Korea. The war began in the wake of June 25, 1950 at 4:30 AM and fighting proceeded until July 27, 1953. It is estimated that two million Koreans perished, majority of who were northerners. There was blame from both sides as to who might have started the war. The north, having been led by communist Kim Il-Sung, got help mostly from People’s Republic of China, and the USSR.

The south, led by nationalist Syngman Rhee, got support from many countries in the United Nations, and especially the United States. The war ended with a truce and with devastating consequences. Even now in the 21 st Century, South Korea and North Korea are still officially and technically at war and United States still keeps troops in South Korea in case North Korea ever invades again. North and South Korea are separated by the 38th parallel.

As for any war, its root causes can always be classified as tangible and intangible. The Korean War had both of these elements. The only and main cause of the Korean War was the invasion of South Korea by North Korea in 1950. The annexation of the Korean peninsula in the early 1910 by Japan was also a possible cause because they might have developed some sections of Korea leaving other sections marginalized.

After World War II ended, American and British forces set up a pro-Western country in the southern part of the peninsula while the Soviet Union set up a Communist government in the north (Hunt 35). The war, then, as can be construed was an attempt to use force to unify the entire peninsula under Communist rule.

The Cold War was an important cause in the Korean War to be ignored when intangible causes are discussed. Relationship between the United States and the USSR had badly been damaged after the war. China joined Communism in October 1949. The President of the United States of America, Harry Truman, was very worried that other countries around China might also become Communist, such as Japan (Hunt 55).

Thus in trying to maintain reputation, Truman spent a lot of money to make the American Army much bigger and Americans wanted to see this new powerful Army in action. Joseph Stalin’s people also wanted to see Stalin get better results in his conquests for popularization of communism. Stalin had just lost the fight for the Berlin Wall and wanted another chance to prove that he could beat United States; the Korean War was his chance and opportunity.

The Korean War can be judged to have epitomized the cold war in very many aspects. The cold war was characterized by war of words and propaganda, economic sanctions and supremacy, the arms race and nuclear proliferation, space race and exploration. Even though the United States rejected MacArthur’s suggestion for use of nuclear weapons against Chinese troops, the North has been struggling to adopt the technology to possibly use it to disturb neighbors (Hunt 75).

The emergence of South Korea as an economic power perhaps indicates that capitalism is far more superior to communism which has left the North in a mismanaged economic wasteland. The solidification of the political policy of containment which made United States to invade Vietnam is also testimony.

Hunt, Michael. The World Transformed: 1945 to the Present . Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2004. Print.

  • Chicago (A-D)
  • Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2024, February 23). The Causes of Korea War and How It Epitomized Cold War. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-causes-of-korea-war-and-how-it-epitomized-cold-war/

"The Causes of Korea War and How It Epitomized Cold War." IvyPanda , 23 Feb. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/the-causes-of-korea-war-and-how-it-epitomized-cold-war/.

IvyPanda . (2024) 'The Causes of Korea War and How It Epitomized Cold War'. 23 February.

IvyPanda . 2024. "The Causes of Korea War and How It Epitomized Cold War." February 23, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-causes-of-korea-war-and-how-it-epitomized-cold-war/.

1. IvyPanda . "The Causes of Korea War and How It Epitomized Cold War." February 23, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-causes-of-korea-war-and-how-it-epitomized-cold-war/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "The Causes of Korea War and How It Epitomized Cold War." February 23, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-causes-of-korea-war-and-how-it-epitomized-cold-war/.

  • Syngman Rhee and Kim II Sung as Nationalists
  • The 38th Winter Fancy Food Shows in San Francisco
  • The Origins of the Korean War
  • Douglas MacArthur, American General
  • Douglas MacArthur as a Great Captain
  • "The Wasteland" by Thomas Eliot
  • “America Wasteland” a Book by Jonathan Bloom
  • Craft Managerial Styles and Heuristics
  • The history of Egypt and the Fertile Crescent
  • Beatrice and Gertrude Comparison
  • The Costs Effects of the War in Afghanistan
  • What the U.S. Should Do in Afghanistan
  • China's Support for North Vietnam in the Vietnam War
  • The Relationship between China and Vietnam in 1979
  • Appy, C. and Bloom, A., Vietnam War Mythology and the Rise of Public Cynicism, 49-73

The Causes of the Korean War Essay Example

There were many factors that contributed to the start of the Korean war but 

-> China

Were the most substantial 

The first reason Stalin's actions were the greatest contributor to the Korean war was that he gave permission for North Korea to invade South Korea, in April 1950 Stalin gave the leader of North Korea - Kim Il Sung - permission to invade South Korea and then in June 1950 North Korea went through with the invasion.

This led to the start of the Korean war because the koreans wouldn't have been able to invade South Korea without USSR support seeing as they were too weak to fight them alone and would need support from a greater power. 

Consequently,Stalin giving permission to North Korea to invade South Korea was the biggest factor in causing the outbreak of the Korean War.

A second reason is that the USA was the biggest factor in causing the Korean War was that the USA went against Stalin's plans, in 1949 a meeting was help to discuss who would take the chinese seat on the UN board, the USA supported Kai-shek [a chinese nationalist] to take the chinese sea instead of Mao zedong [a chinese communist].

This led to the start of the Korean War because this act angered Stalin as he wanted a communist leader on the UN board alongside him, so after USA vetoed the decision to let Mao zedong take the seat Stalin storms out the UN meeting in anger and frustration, this caused more tension between the 2 superpowers as Stalin could have seen this as an attack on communism as he already knew that the US hated communism.

Consequently the US going against Stalin's plans was the biggest factor in causing the outbreak of the Korean War.

The final reason was that China was the most important factor in starting the Korean War was that China sided with the USSR in helping North Korea.

When the Chinese civil war came to an end and Mao Zedong - leader of the People's Republic of China [a Chinese communist party] - won he turned China into a communist country. This led to the start of the Korean war because once Mao zedong won, he became close allies with the USSR and later supported North Korea with their invasion of the south by providing them with military aid, troops and financial aid, this meant that North Korea had the support of 2 superpowers in their plan to spread communism.

Consequently China siding with the USSR was the biggest factor in causing the outbreak of the Korean War.

In conclusion, i agree that stalin was the most important factor in causing the outbreak of the Korean War, but out of the points i have made i think that Stalin giving North Korea permission to invade South Korea was the most important because if Stalin had not have giving his permission Kim Il Sung would have never been able to go on with his plan - because he didn't have a big enough army or the support of a greater country - This also would have created tension between the US and USSR seeing as they control either sides of Korea, stalin probably knew this forwell and would have liked to push USA to their limit seeing as the USA had angered the USSR when they didn't let Mao zedong take the chinese seat at the UN meetings.

Related Samples

  • American Dream in Literature Essay Example
  • The Negative Effects of Human Weaknesses on Society (Essay Example)
  • Working and Living Conditions During The Industrial Revolution Essay Example
  • Essay Sample about Industrialization in America
  • The Age of Acrimony Book Analysis Essay Example
  • Christopher Columbus Myth Versus Reality Essay Sample
  • Research Paper: Explain the Lifestyle of Ancient China
  • Essay Sample about Effects of the Industrial Revolution
  • Historical Events in 2006 Research Paper
  • Essay Sample about Fukushima: Tsunami and Nuclear Disaster of 2011

Didn't find the perfect sample?

causes of korean war essay

You can order a custom paper by our expert writers

IMAGES

  1. Causes of the Korean War Essay Example

    causes of korean war essay

  2. Consequences of the Korean War

    causes of korean war essay

  3. Causes and Effects of The Korean War

    causes of korean war essay

  4. The korean war 101 causes course and conclusion of the conflict

    causes of korean war essay

  5. Causes of the Korean War: Lesson for Kids

    causes of korean war essay

  6. Korean War

    causes of korean war essay

VIDEO

  1. Korean War Edit #history

  2. The Korean War: A Brief History |Part 1

  3. Korean War in 22 seconds|#countryballs #Korea

  4. The Korean War Summary 🇰🇷⚔️🇰🇵 // #shorts #history #korea #northkorea #southkorea #geography #ussr

  5. The Korean War be Like:

  6. Korean War #edit #history #trending #trend #europe #turkey #war #palestine #israel

COMMENTS

  1. What Caused The Korean War History Essay

    [ 1] The war that started in 1950 which lasted for three years can be analysed under two aspects: political and ideological. Analysing ideologically, communist within the region of China, Soviet Union and North Korea, desired to secure the Korean Peninsula to be a part of communist bloc.

  2. Causes and aftermath of the Korean War

    South Korea Summary South Korea, country in East Asia. It occupies the southern portion of the Korean peninsula. The country is bordered by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) to the north, the East Sea (Sea of Japan) to the east, the East China Sea to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west; to

  3. The Korean War 101: Causes, Course, and Conclusion of the Conflict

    An atomic attack on Japan, Truman thought, would preempt Soviet entry into the Pacific War and allow unilateral American occupation of Korea. His gamble failed. On August 8, Stalin declared war on Japan and sent the Red Army into Korea.

  4. What Caused the Korean War and Why Did the U.S. Get Involved?

    What Caused the Korean War? "The Korean War was a civil war," says Charles Kim, Korea Foundation associate professor, Department of History, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Korea had...

  5. PDF The Causes of the Korean War, 1950-1953

    ABSTRACT The causes of the Korean War (1950-1953) can be examined in two categories, ideological and political. Ideologically, the communist side, including the Soviet Union, China, and North Korea, desired to secure the Korean peninsula and incorporate it in a communist bloc.

  6. Korean War

    Explore the war's causes, timeline, facts and end. On June 25, 1950, the Korean War began when some 75,000 soldiers from the North Korean People's Army poured across the 38th parallel, the ...

  7. Causes of the Korean War

    The Korean War was the first major conflict following the end of World War II and the first war of the Cold War between the United States and Soviet Union. It was fought between North Korea and the South Korea throughout the early part of the 1950s. The north had the support of communist allies including the Soviet Union and China, while the south had the support of the west with the United ...

  8. Korean War

    Learn More. Korean War, conflict (1950-53) between North Korea, aided by China, and South Korea, aided by the UN with the U.S. as principal participant. At least 2.5 million people lost their lives in the fighting, which ended in July 1953 with Korea still divided into two hostile states separated by the 38th parallel.

  9. Korean War, a 'Forgotten' Conflict That Shaped the Modern World

    Who were the combatants? The war pitted South Korea and the United States, fighting under the auspices of the United Nations, against North Korea and China. Other nations contributed troops, too,...

  10. The Korean War

    After completing the "Take a Stand" activity, have students write an essay (or similar culminating activity) that includes the following information. ... The causes of the Korean War and the ...

  11. PDF Background Essay on the Korean War

    Background Essay on the Korean War _____ In 1945, the scars of World War II across the world were still fresh. The fear of having to engage in another world war was very real. A mere two years after the end of WWII, the Cold War began. The United Nations, which was formed to provide a forum to prevent future wars, included the membership of the

  12. The Korean War

    What caused the Korean War? - The Korean War - CCEA - GCSE History Revision - CCEA - BBC Bitesize GCSE CCEA The Korean War - CCEA What caused the Korean War? In June 1950, with the...

  13. Korean War: History, Causes, and Effects

    The causes of Korean War are generally American and Soviet military occupation in North and South Korea. The American and Soviet forces occupation in Korea divided the country on ideological basis. These differences resulted to the formation of 38 th parallel which was a border between South and North Korea.

  14. The Causes of the Korean War

    The policy of containment was a short-term cause of the Korean War and contributed in 4 key ways: In 1947 the President of the USA, Harry S Truman, committed to helping any country under threat from a communist takeover. This was known as the Truman Doctrine and meant that, when North Korea invaded South Korea, America helped the south.

  15. The Causes of Korea war and How it epitomized Cold War Essay

    The Korean War can be judged to have epitomized the cold war in very many aspects. The cold war was characterized by war of words and propaganda, economic sanctions and supremacy, the arms race and nuclear proliferation, space race and exploration. Even though the United States rejected MacArthur's suggestion for use of nuclear weapons ...

  16. Causes of the Korean War Essay

    Stalin - The Enabler Korea - Competing Regimes To what extent was Stalin Responsible for the Korean War? In assessing the causes of the Korean War, it is of paramount importance to understand what Stalin and key players had to lose in Korea.

  17. Korean War Essay

    Causes Of The Korean War roots of the Korean War go as far as the eve of World War Two, where two hegemons split the Korean peninsula along the 38th Parallel. The United States governed the southern half, while the Soviet Union occupied the north. In an effort to reunite Korea, North Korea invaded its southern neighbor in 1950.

  18. Essay on The Causes of the Korean War

    Free Essay: The Causes of the Korean War On 25th June 1950, ninety thousand North Korean soldiers invaded South Koreas border defences, The Korean war had...

  19. Korean War Essay

    United The Korean War started on June 25, 1950 when North Korea attacked South Korea. The War lasted until July 27, 1953 when an armistice was signed by both sides. The Korean War was devastating to both North and South Korea. There were millions of human casualties between soldier and civilian deaths.

  20. The Causes of the Korean War Essay Example

    There were many factors that contributed to the start of the Korean war but -> USSR-> USA-> China. Were the most substantial . The first reason Stalin's actions were the greatest contributor to the Korean war was that he gave permission for North Korea to invade South Korea, in April 1950 Stalin gave the leader of North Korea - Kim Il Sung - permission to invade South Korea and then in June ...

  21. Causes of the Korean war

    Went to the UN - allowed the intervention which massively exaggerated the war Limitations of the USA They were only forced to go to the UN because North Korea attacked - it was this aggression and threat that it posed which caused the US to feel the need to gather UN support

  22. Essay On The Causes Of The Korean War

    The causes of the Korean War were very similar to the Vietnam War with their roots in the Truman Doctrine and the Domino Theory, and events led to the War on Terrorism, however they did have differences and varying perspectives …show more content… The invasion surprised the South Koreans.

  23. Essay: Causes to the Korean War

    Download 15-page Essay on "Causes to the Korean War" (2024) … military conflict between North and South Korea that started on June 25, 1950 and lasted until the armistice signed on July 27, 1953. During the…