Why did the United States become so deeply involved in the Korean War in the years 1950-53?
Why did the United States become so deeply involved in the Korean War in the years 1950-53?
Relative to the years 1950-53 it’s apparent that there are numerous factors that contribute to why the US became so heavily comprised in the Korean War. Primarily, the Soviet Union posed a huge communist threat that stemmed from military uprising during World War II. The National Security Council Report 68 (NSC-68) increased involvement because Truman deemed military engagement as a necessity to ultimately limit the spread the communism that of which had posed a threat for many years. Moreover, MacArthur’s strategy of ordering UN forces north of the 38th parallel China was highly relevant particularly for Truman who wanted to seem tough on communism following the securing China as a communist state under the leadership of Mao. Additionally, a general fear that South Korea might fall to advancing North Korean forces amplified the sense the hysteria that co-existed within capitalism and made the element of ‘Red Scare’ an increasingly worrying issue. However, in order to assess the full extent of this argument, further factors and reasons for increased US involvement must be considered.
Truman’s persistence to limit to spread of communist tyranny remained a factor that largely contributed to deeper US involvement in the years 1950-53. The Truman Doctrine of 1947 adopted the policy of containment and sought to keep the USSR within its existing boundaries and undermine Soviet influence whenever possible. Truman promised US support for ‘free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation… by outside pressures’. The policy acted as a foundation for greater involvement because the fears of communism potentially overriding countries who favoured capitalism where highly disfavoured among the US. The re-evaluation of America’s Cold War diplomacy strategy through the NSC-68 report shaped US foreign policy in the Cold War for 20 years. World War II had devastated many countries including Japan, France and Great Britain who suffered terrific losses and with the only two major superpowers left (USA and the USSR), it was clear that “a new fanatic faith” in communism would pose a new and frightening threat to US power. The Soviet Union sought nothing less than the imposition of absolute authority over the rest of the world and despite the fact that Truman was hesitant to publically support a program with an estimated investment of $50 billion, the Korean War promoted action and Truman agreed to embark on rapid military expansion. For the first time, there had been a reverse in the traditional US policy of isolationism and the US was no longer involved solely on the basis of direct interests being a factor. As a result, these factors contribute to the idea of the US being more deeply involved in the Korean War to eventually erode Soviet influence because it was vital to constrict communist movement as this would prevent the impact of the ‘domino effect’ whereby continually more and more countries would be subject to communist takeover.