Reasons for U.S. Involvement in…
• WWI: – Lusitania / Zimmerman Note
• WWII:– Pearl Harbor
• Korean War: – ?????
Results of those Wars…
• WWI:– Treaty of Versailles/ League of Nations
• WWII: – Germany divided/ United Nations
• Korean War:– ????
Objective: To examine the results of the Chinese civil war and the Korean War
Growing Interest in China
Nationalists Led by Chiang Kai-shek
CommunistsLed by Mao Zedong
People’s Republic of China:• In the 1920’s and 1940’s, China was embroiled in a civil war.
• The U.S. gave the Chiang Kai-shek millions of dollars, but the communists won the war.
• China became a communist country and Americans feared they would join forces with the Soviet Union and threaten the free world
After Japan is defeated and loses control of Korea…
• The Allies divided the Korean Peninsula• U.S. forces controlled the South (Democracy)• U.S.S.R. controlled the North (Communist)
• The U.S. wanted to reunite Korea under one government, but the Soviets blocked National elections. Why?
Fighting in Korea:• Korea was divided at the 38th parallel of latitude.
• North Korea was communist and supported by the Soviets, and South Korea was democratic and supported by the U.S.
•When the U.S. and U.S.S.R. left in 1949, both governments claimed the entire country
•In June of 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea.
•South Korea was easily no match for the North Korean military.
•UN intervenes but North Korea ignores
• The U.N. sent an international force to Korea in order to push the North Koreans out of South Korea.
United Nations forces fighting to recapture Seoul, South Korea, from communist invaders, September 1950.
Luxembourg - 7
Norway (noncombat role)
South Africa - 20
United States – 33,652
New Zealand - 31
Philippines - 92
South Korea – 137,899
Sweden (noncombat role)
Thailand - 136
Turkey - 721
United Kingdom – 1,078
United Nations - 932,964 troops served
Netherlands - 116Australia - 339
Belgium - 97
Canada - 516
Colombia - 146
Denmark (noncombat role)
Ethiopia - 122
France - 287
Greece - 194
India (noncombat role)
Italy (noncombat role)
United Nations Forces in Korea: (Nation – Number Killed in Action)
MacArthur’s daring plan.
• U.S. General Douglas MacArthur led the U.N. force, approximately 80% of which were U.S. soldiers.
MacArthur at Inch'on
landing
Ending the War:
•President Truman disagreed with MacArthur about attacking China.
•Gen. MacArthur wanted to attack China with support of Chinese nationalists.
• U.N. troops regained South Korea by March of 1951.•Chinese soldiers began fighting along side the North Korea
Election of 1952:
Korean War was becoming very unpopular
Democrats nominated Adlai StevensonRepublicans nominated Dwight Eisenhower (He chose Richard Nixon as his running mate)
The war ending
• Eisenhower threatened to use Atomic weapons if the war continued
• Joseph Stalin dies on March 5, 1953 (Nikita Khrushchev takes over)
• Casualties: • -Almost 37,000 U.S. soldiers• -Over 800,000 South Koreans• - 1.5 million North Koreans and Chinese • Over 3 million North and South Korean civlians
• On July 27 of 1953, the Korean War ended, in which almost 37,000 Americans died.