Elias Chamoun
20th century topics
R5 – Richardson
The Korean War
Referred to by many as being “the forgotten war”, the Korean War played a big role in shaping the cold war, though many people tend to disregard that. It began with the North Korean surprise attack in June 1950. The reasons for that attack are still a mystery till this day. After WW2, Korea was divided into two sections, North and South, by the 38th parallel. The Soviet Union occupied North Korea and a communist government was established under the leadership of Kim Il Sung. The United States on the other hand, occupied South Korea, and a democratic government was set up there under the leadership of Syngman Rhee. After failing to agree on the fate of Korea and the type of government that should be established, both superpowers contented with the 38th parallel and thus Korea was divided between a communist North and democratic South. Many explanations were given to what caused the North Korean attack. Some suggested that Stalin wanted to create problems for China because of Mao’s refusal to submit to Stalin’s authority. Others suggest that Mao was seeking to expand his influence in East Asia and started with Korea. And finally, some suggest that the Korean War was an internal affair, in which the North wanted to incorporate the South into its authority. Those were possible, but unlikely explanations. The one reason, which a lot of historians seem to favor is that the attack that caused the war, was a probing action by the Soviets to test the West. A perfectly reasonable explanation considering the developments that occurred and where occurring in Europe before the war. Setting aside the causes of the North Korean attack, the development of events after it was truly amazing. The day following the invasion of South Korea by the North, the American government was already working on the crisis. What’s even more fascinating is the American immediate resolve to settle the conflict in Korea through the infant United Nations. The crisis was immediately raised in the UN Security Council where the American-sponsored resolution was adopted; North Korea was to be driven out of South Korea by force. A coalition of UN forces, largely American, under the command of General Douglas MacArthur was sent to help the South Koreans drive back the North Koreans back behind the 38th parallel. What’s most surprising was the Soviet absence from the meeting, which was probably in favor of the US and its supporters in the Security Council. If the Soviets were present, they would have surely vetoed the resolution, thus making any intervention in Korea under UN heading impossible. It seems that the war in Korea was for the most part caused by the North Korean invasion of the South. Though the US decision to intervene, under the heading of the United Nations, is another major cause of the Korean War. The Americans were hasty to intervene; though at the same time the Truman administration was truly committed to the UN, and sought its cooperation before any action was taken. The UN did follow the lead of the US, who was given control of the UN military forces that would drive back the North Koreans behind the 38th parallel.
