-
Soviet Successful Testing of the Atomic Bomb
- US had not expected USSR's success til mid-1950 or 1951
- End of US atomic monopoly which had been a military and diplomatic asset
- Acted as deterrent against invasion of W. Europe
-
Fall of China
CCP was victorious in the Chinese civil war:
- USA feared "domino effect"
- USSR quick to cement alliance
- Feb 1950: 30 year mutual assistance treaty, USSR provide China with $300mil in credits
- USA refuse to open diplomatic r/s -
Kim Il Sung's Aims
- Nationalist, aimed to unify Korean peninsula
- thought the war would last a matter of days based on Dean Acheson's defence perimeter speech
-
Extent of Soviet Influence
- warned that Russia would not intervene directly in invasion of S.Korea LIMITED IN NATURE
- only agreed on 30 Jan 1950 *w/o Stalin agreement, KW may not have materialised = "Kim Il Sung proposed but Stalin disposed" = Stalin could be resp. for CW *PROXY WAR = using N.Korea to achieve USSR aims
-
Extent of China's Influence
- limited support to Kim's invasion
-
Truman authorises devt. of hydrogen bomb
- based on fusion process
- could only rely on nuclear SUPERIORITY
-
NSC68
Came as a result of:
1. Republican pressure
2. Repraisal of US policy
Aimed to confine Communism, erode Soviet power gradually, cause the downfall and transformation of the Soviet system
*substantial increase in military strength as compared to use of money to wage the CW -
Period: to
Turning Point: War in Korea
-
Going to War
American troops ordered into Korea
*not a CW conflict as USA was DIRECTLY involved
*int'l conflict as it involved USA and its ideological concerns -
Dramatic Change in Fortunes
- MacArthur pushed on towards 38th Parallel
- UN troops broke out of Pusan border and advanced rapidly north
-
Change in War Aims
- jettisoned originial arim of expelling N.Korean forces from South
- no longer pursuing a policy of containment but one of ROLLBACK, recovery of territory under Communist control *US working "under the cover of" UN
-
REGIONAL CONFLICT: China joins the War
- MacArthur's underestimation of Chinese troop numbers
- intervened as presence of USA troops on Chinese border was a threat to security + feared counter-revolution by Chiang
- 260,000 puoured across the Yalu River in defence against USA troops
-
Devtelopemt After China Joined
- US troops penned in by Chinese in NE Korea at temps below subzero
- in Dec, suffered 11,000 casualties in 2 days, 3,000 dead
- Communists launched major counter-offensive, recaptured Seoul and reoccupied Pyongyang
-
USA Reversion Back to Original Aims
- rejected the option of an all-out war
- reverted back to original American war aim
- fight a LIMITED war = minimised risk of confrontation with USSR
-
Stalin's Position towards Conflict
- strategy of limited war suited Stalin, who never watned war with US
- avoided action which might result in conflict with US
- pretended not to be involved: PROXY WAR
- practicing RESTRAIN => characteristics of CW conflict
-
Period: to
Peace Talks
-
Stalemate at 38th Parallel
- Stalin influencing negotiations from afar => MAJOR MANI MINOR
- urging Mao, Kim to extract further concessions from US => LIMITED IN NATURE
- China, NK rej principle POW should not be returned to native countries against their will = IDEOLOGICAL DIFF *ppl would stay in SK as democracy>communism = NK, China desperate not to let their people choose
-
Stalin's Death
- resulted in an armistice in July 1953
- major cause of end of KW despite Syngman Rhee's attempts
