Causes+of+the+Korean+War


 * Causes of the Korean War: **

**1949: The Fall of China** **Cause for USSR:** When China "fell" to Mao Tse-Tung in 1949 it became the People's Republic of China, a communist nation, it drew Stalin deeper in issues in Asia because his position as leader of world communism was now challenged. Stalin had to keep his position as the leader of world communism, so he had to allow Kim Il Sung to attack South Korea the second time he asked because if he did not, Kim Il Sung might ask Mao for help. This again would have put Mao in the position to compete for leader of world communism. In order to keep his name as leader of world communism, Stalin was drawn into issues in Asia, being a large cause of the Korean War.

**Cause for USA:** When China fell to communism in 1949, America was shocked because it believed that America did not successfully contain communism in Asia. It also believed in the domino theory and that if one nation fell to communism, many would follow. "The fall of China sent shock waves across America."-Mason. In essence, Truman had failed at containing communism because he had removed Chiang's aid, which put him under a lot of pressure and scared America. The United States also believed that Stalin was the mastermind behind Kim Il Sung's invasion of South Korea. Bell states "America thought they faced aggression by a single, monolithic bloc." America believed that a loss to communism anywhere was a loss everywhere, so they could not lose Korea. Painter says that Truman was pressured to do something to prevent communism from spreading because the policy of non-involvement was too big of a price to pay.

**1949: The USSR Develops the A-bomb **

**USA's Reaction:** Painter says that because the Soviet Union developed the Atomic Bomb, America’s fears grew. Faced with loss of atomic monopoly, leaders feared that without corrective measures the world distribution of power could turn against “free world”. Because of the loss of the atomic monopoly, Truman had to do something to contain communism. He chose to do so by getting involved in issues in Korea to show that he was serious about containing communism.

**McCarthyism ** McCarthy began to make accusations about supposed communists in the state department after the fall of China and explosion of the A-bomb. This idea began to take hold and society and politics began to pressure Truman into action. According to Bell, "Communism was not so much on the march as advancing like an express train." Truman was under pressure to stop this advancement. He chose to do so by getting involved in Korea.

** Defensive Perimeter ** Because Korea was outside of the United State's defense perimeter, the Soviet Union believed that the US was unlikely to get involved in Korea, therefore he felt comfortable allowing Kim Il Sung to attack. One of the criteria was the assurance from Kim Il Sung that the US would not get involved, because of this he felt more secure and allowed Kim Il Sung to attack South Korea.

 **Was Stalin Cautious or Confident? :** After the USSR developped their A-bomb, did Stalin continue in his policy of caution or did he have extra confidence?

<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">**<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Confident Stalin: **Bell states that the Soviet Union's successful explosion of the A-bomb allowed the Soviet Union to look at America as equals, militarily. Bell also considers that successful testing of the A-bomb resulted in extra confidence on Stalin's side, allowing him to make the decision to allow Kim Il Sung to attack South Korea.

<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Cautious Stalin:** When Kim Il Sung asked to attack South Korea the first time, Stalin refused. The second time, he agreed, but only under strict conditions that America would not get involved and Korea would get China to promise to support them in war. He also showed he was cautious by pulling out his troops in 1948. Stalin was also more focused on Europe, not on Asia.

<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">**<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">﻿ ** <span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">﻿ **Cautious America:** The US withdrew its troops from Korea in 1949 and created a defensive perimeter which did nt include Korea, showing that he did not want to get involved.
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Did America want to get involved? **