Extension of the Cold War outside Europe: Case study of Korean War, 1950-1953
G3 Elective History - syllabus K336, 2027
Why did the Korean War begin, draw in the USA and China, and leave Korea divided? The 1950 invasion, changing war aims and the 1953 armistice.
- Why Korea was divided
A line drawn in 1945 to split the occupation of Korea became the border between two rival governments, each wanting the whole country.
- Why Kim thought he could win
Kim wanted to rule all of Korea; Soviet and Chinese backing, and doubts about US support for the South, made him think a quick win was possible.
- Why the USA and the UN stepped in
The USA saw the invasion as a test of containment and the UN as a threat to peace, so they defended the South, then pushed north.
- China joins and the war stalls
Chinese troops saved North Korea from defeat in late 1950, and by 1951 the war had become a stalemate near the old line.
- What the 1953 armistice settled
The 1953 armistice stopped the fighting and created the DMZ, but Korea stayed divided and no peace treaty was signed.
- How Korea changed the wider Cold War
The Korean War made containment more military, with more US bases and treaties in Asia and a stronger NATO in Europe.
- Put it together: Whose aim was achieved?
The 1953 armistice left both Korean states in existence. Choose an actor, identify its aim, and compare that aim with the result and its costs.
What you will be able to do
I can weigh up how the rise of communist China in 1949 raised Cold War tensions in Asia.
Syllabus K336, The Cold War, Learning Outcomes. Assess the impact of the emergence of Communist China on Cold War tensions.
Taught in Why Kim thought he could win, China joins and the war stalls
I can weigh up why the Korean War and the Vietnam War broke out, and what followed each war.
Syllabus K336, The Cold War, Learning Outcomes. Assess the reasons for the outbreak of the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and their aftermath.
Taught in Why Korea was divided, Why Kim thought he could win
I can judge how far the superpowers got involved in the Korean and Vietnam wars, and what difference it made.
Syllabus K336, The Cold War, Learning Outcomes. Evaluate the extent and impact of superpowers involvement in civil wars with reference to the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
Taught in Why the USA and the UN stepped in, China joins and the war stalls
I can examine how the end of the Korean War and of the Vietnam War changed the Cold War.
Syllabus K336, The Cold War, Learning Outcomes. Examine the immediate aftermath of the Korean War and the Vietnam War on Cold War developments.
Taught in What the 1953 armistice settled, How Korea changed the wider Cold War
Sources and context
Background reading for this chapter.
- Truman Library: statement of 27 June 1950
Paraphrase of President Truman's public statement of 27 June 1950, held by the Truman Library.
- FRUS: Zhou statement, December 1950
Paraphrase of Chinese foreign minister Zhou Enlai's statement of 22 December 1950, transmitted to the UN on 23 December and reproduced in a US diplomatic telegram of 24 December.
- National Archives: Korean Armistice Agreement
Paraphrase of the Korean Armistice Agreement, 27 July 1953, preamble and Article I, held by the US National Archives.
- Truman Library: statement of 27 June 1950
An original cartoon drawn for these notes in the style of an American newspaper cartoon published in July 1950, soon after the UN Security Council asked member states to help South Korea. It is not a copy of a real cartoon.
- Truman announces American action, 27 June 1950
Extract from President Truman's public statement on the situation in Korea, 27 June 1950, two days after North Korea invaded. A US government document in the public domain; text from the American Presidency Project.
- the UN Security Council resolution, 27 June 1950
Extract from United Nations Security Council Resolution 83 (1950), adopted on 27 June 1950 by 7 votes to 1 (Yugoslavia), while the Soviet representative was boycotting the Council. A UN record.
- China's warning, October 1950
Extract from a circular telegram from the US Acting Secretary of State to US diplomatic posts, 5 October 1950, two days before American forces crossed the 38th parallel. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1950, volume VII, document 614. A US government document in the public domain. (Abbreviations as in the original.)
- MacArthur advises Truman, 15 October 1950
Extract from the record of the meeting between President Truman and General MacArthur at Wake Island, 15 October 1950, compiled by General Omar Bradley from notes kept by the officials from Washington. Top Secret. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1950, volume VII, document 680. A US government document in the public domain.