Analysis of the Korean War - Coursework Example

The Korean War Introduction: The Korean War which started in 1950 was to witness the active participation of American armed forces to prevent the expansion of communism into any more areas in Asia, with particular emphasis to the Far East. In Europe America and its North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies faced the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies, but with no actual movement against one another. Asia was a different issue. Communism was straining to expand from its already established areas into fresh territories, and the foreign policy of the United States of America towards this region was forced to change accordingly, and with that came the Truman Doctrine of containment of Communism in 1947. The Korean War was a test of the resolve of the United States of America to commit American armed forces in containing the spread of communism. Background History: Korea had been under Japanese rule from the nineteenth century onwards. The end of the Second World War witnessed the liberation of Korea, but it was divided into two parts along the 38th Parallel with Soviet Union forces occupying the north and American forces in the south. Encouraged by the United States of America, an elected anti-communist government was established in the south, while in a similar move a communist government was established in the north. An uneasy peace was the result of these actions between the two Korean parts. In the meantime communist forces in China defeated the non-communist forces, confining them to the island of Formosa and setting up a communist government in China. This victory for communism in China was to have serious implications on the situation in Korea and the communism containment strategy of the United States of America. Emboldened by this success, in 1950 communist North Korea decided to use force to unite the non-communist South Korea with it, and this necessitated the American response, which led to the Korean War from 1950 to 1953 (1). Analysis: On June 27 1950, President Truman made a statement committing American armed forces into the support of the South Korean forces to the stem the invasion from communist Korea. This statement of President Truman had several implications for the citizens of United States of America, the American allies in NATO, the Soviet Union and the world in general, as it showed a willingness of the United States of America to commit its armed forces to preventing anti-communist nations succumbing to the force used in overthrowing the anti-communist governments and converting them to communism, irrespective of the distance from United States of America and areas of its priority concerns. (2). The statement marks a huge change in the international policy of the United States of America and came at a time when the American allies, the Soviet Union and the world as a whole believed that the United States would be more concerned at the recent strategic changes that occurred in Europe than the probable advance of communism in some distant land. The demonstration of the Soviet Union of nuclear capabilities in 1949, removed the deterrent effect of the nuclear capabilities of the United States of America on the larger ground forces of the Soviet Union and its allies, which meant that a concentrated effort was required to make the ground forces of America and its NATO allies capable of withstanding the ground forces of the Soviet Union and its allies without the threat of the use of the nuclear capabilities available to them. Such a situation meant that the United States may choose to neglect the anti-communist regimes in lands far away from the centers of American interest. This statement of Truman put to rest any such thoughts around the world and showed that America would not hesitate to go to the assistance of these anti-communist allies irrespective of where they were located in its aim to contain the spread of communism. (3). An added issue in this was the level commitment. The extension of support to such areas in Asia had been essentially in terms of arms and ammunitions. The statement made it clear that in the objective to contain the expansion of communism, the United States of America would be willing to commit the blood and lives of Americans through its deployment of American forces in the fighting lines. This was another new development in the American international policy of containment of communism to areas of its initial spread (3). Committing American armed forces into new areas required home support and international approval. The home support was required as American lives would be lost and American blood would be spilt in the defense of people of some far away land. Such support would come only if there could be sufficient justification for this new course in international policy (2). International approval was necessary as the United States did not want to seen as the aggressor in this new front against communism and encourage other nations to fall to the wooing of communist calls. Hence from an international perspective it was necessary that the American action was considered to be a just action in the defense of a non- communist nation facing naked aggression from its communist neighbor. It was to address these twin issues that the statement defines the communist action in Korea as “aggression in Korea in defiance of the charter of the United Nations”, and the American action as an attempt to “uphold the rule of law” to prevent the consequences of the “rule of force”, and calling upon the nations of the world to consider the implications of the aggression in Korea against a non-communist regime. The United Nations had called for the invading forces in Korea to withdraw beyond the 38th parallel and cease hostilities and it was to ensure this desire of the United Nations that American armed forces were being committed to the field of action in Korea. (2). The resolve of the United States to contain the spread of communism in Asia was further demonstrated by the virtual guarantee of protecting Formosa from any attempts of Communist China in subjugating it by the use of its military might and the extension of cooperation to other non-communist forces embroiled in conflicts with communist forces in Asia. Thus the umbrella of American action was being extended to any nation under the threat of communist expansion planes in Asia. (2). To the European allies and to the communist adversaries in Europe this emboldened resolve of the United States of America provided clarity that there would be the United States of America would throw into the fray its military might to prevent the expansion of communism in Asia and through this sent a reassuring message to the European allies that they would be supported in preventing any expansion plans that the Soviet Union and its allies may contemplate in the European region. (1) The containment of the spread of communism spearheaded by the United States of America had thus leapt from the European region to Asia with emphasis on the Far East. The American foreign policy had to take into consideration this shift and the likelihood of the change of focus in the thrust of communism to other regions of the world from Europe. It was a reflection of this threat that is seen in the strong resolve of the United States of America in the statement of President Truman and the necessity to throw into the fray the American armed forces and the fighting might of the United States of America. Many of the poorer nations in the world spread over the regions of the world were already tottering and a determined thrust by the communist nations led by the Soviet Union could sway these nations into communism. Hence it was necessary for the United States of America to commit itself fully to the defense of the anti-communist states like South Korea, which were acting as barriers to the communist expansion plans. Success in holding back the communism on the boundaries of these nations would have twin benefits in that these anti-communist nations would continue to remain as bulwarks against communism with even greater determination and nations tottering towards communism would realize that the spread of communism was not all that much of a reality and check the slide into communism. It was a combination of all these factors that led the statement of President Truman committing the armed of the United States of America to Korea and displaying the resolve of the United Sates of America that any attempts of expansion of communism from its previously established areas by the use of force would be resisted strongly by the United States of America. Korea was to be a standing example of this commitment of the United States of America for the world to see. Korea thus became one of the foci of the moves and counter moves being played out during the Cold war. (4). Impact: The immediate impact of the document was that the mini and independent states in Asia that were created for the purpose of acting as bulwarks against the spread of communism were reassured of firm and resolute support of the United States of America and the build up of American forces in the Philippines would remain a reminder of this. American armed might would be used to face of the threat of the combined forces of North Korea and China, with the proxy support of the Soviet Union to over run anti-communist South Korea. (5). Among the longer term implications is the continued support to Taiwan (former Formosa) in preventing China from using its military might to cause a reunification. The 1996 confrontation across the Taiwan Strait between the United States of America and China could be viewed as an extension of the impact of the statement of Truman wherein American support was pledged in case of the threat of the use of force by mainland China. (6). The Vietnam War was yet another long term impact of the document. The United States of America began its involvement in Vietnam in support of the French forces and its allies fighting communism in Vietnam. This support gradually developed into a full fledged involvement support of the anti-communist South Vietnam. The United States of America continued its support in terms of armed forces and materials even after all the allies had pulled out. The Vietnam War was a bloody conflict from which the United States had to finally pull out allowing communist North Vietnam to take control of ant-communist South Vietnam. (7). Conclusion: South Korea was one of the anti-communist states set up in Asia as a strategic ploy by the United States of America to contain the spread of communism. It was also the first anti-communist to come under the threat of invasion by communist forces, when North Korea attacked it in 1950. The statement of President Truman in 1950 reflects the resolve and commitment with which the United States of America would go to the aid of these ant-communist allies in Asia. Thus the Korean War was a test of the resolve of the United States of America to commit American armed forces in containing the spread of communism. Works Cited 1. “Police Action: The Korean War, 1950-1953”. NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES. 25 July 2007. . 2. “Statement of President Truman, June 27, 1950”. In The Cold war: A History Through Documents”. Eds. Edward H. Judge & John W. Langdon. New Jersey: Prentice Hall (1999), p. 70. 3. William, R. Keylor. “The Twentieth Century World: An International History, Second Edition. New York: Oxford University Press (1992), p. 261-295. 4. Lofgren, A. Charles. “Mr. Truman’s War: A Debate and its Aftermath”. The Review of Politics, 31.2 (1969): 223-241. 5. Dingman, Roger. “1950: The Fate of a Grand Design”. The Pacific Historical Review. 47.3 (1978): 465-471. 6. Ross, S. R. “Navigating the Taiwan Strait: Deterrence, Escalation, Dominance, and US-China Relations. International Security. 27.2 (2002): 48-85. 7. Rosen, S. P. “Vietnam and the American Theory of Limited War”. International Security. 7.2. (1982): 83-113. Read More