The Issue of War and Peace among Humans - Report Example

The issue of war and peace among humans Student’s name Course Date OUTLINE Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………..2 Development of the war…………………………………………………………………………2 Decision for war…………………………………………………………………………………4 United Nations response………………………………………………………………………..5 Impact of the Korean War……………………………………………………………………...6 Effects to the people of Korea…………………………………………………………………..6 Effects to the world……………………………………………………………………………..7 Attainment of peace……………………………………………………………………………..8 References……………………………………………………………………………………….9 The issue of war and peace among humans Introduction The Korean War began between the two Korean states, the South Koreans and the North Korean. Later as the war progressed it became an international affair when United Nations joined to support South Korean under the leadership of the US leaders1. Later the Republic of China entered the war in aid of the Northern Korea. The war left the two states of Korea broken and later developed to Asia. Development of the war As a result of the government disagreement on the type of governance, they wanted an emergent of the Korean war came to exist. The Korean government had two choices either to construct a communism governance structure or construct a democracy leadership. Due to a disagreement, there evolved a civil war between the two sides. The North Koreans were advocating a communism way of governance while the South Koreans were advocating a democracy way of governance. The North Koreans had acquired their hunch from the soviet and the south had acquired their hunch from the Americans and other countries in the NATO2. During the Japanese occupation, the two countries developed each other in terms of development and control, and that is where the two divisions were born. The North Koreans under the influence of communism believed they were the better nation to lead the two states. Pressure mounted on both sides as they compete to ensure their strategies succeeded in being the best. As a result, South Korean resulted to the war in order to stop the spread of communism3. Consequently, the Northern Koreans started attacking Southerners in order to prevail. In addition, the Americans and the Russians used the opportunities to engage in their cold war. The USA went to war in Korea because they had three reasons to join. One of the reasons is the ‘Domino theory’ where china was turned communist in 1949, and Truman had fears that the next domino would be Japan. The second reason was to create undermining authority in order to harbor the growth of communism. The Americans wanted to protect their own ways of life, and if communism had its ways, these ways would have been destroyed4. The third reason was Truman’s realization that the USA was in a competition with the USSR for world domination. Other observers indicated that the war between the two states was the continuation of the ongoing cold war between the USA and the USSR5. The two powers were able to manipulate the situations to look as the wars were originally Korean. The two super powers used the war to combat each other without necessarily going into war with each other physically6. Both powers had atomic bombs and as such, they hesitated into engaging on a physical war because the damage would have been mutual hence they used the Korean War. The USSR went to war because of the cold war that existed then. Stalin ambitions were to see communism expand, but not get involved. He avoided getting into a confrontation with the Americans in order to avoid ‘hot war’ among them7. The Northern Korean leader (Kim II Sung) pushed Stalin in a bid to ensure him that he could conquer the South Koreans. Without thinking that the Americans would later join the war, Stalin gave his agreement. Kim II Sung also advanced to meet the China leader, Mao Tse Tung, to get his support. The peak of the war came in 1950 when Syngman Rhee boasted openly that he was going to attack North Korea. Consequently, North Korea got a perfect excuse to invade the south and engage in an actual warfare8. Decision for war The Korean decision to attack South Korea surprised the super powers and especially the USA. The main reason as to bringing surprise especially to the USA was because the reporting agency ruled out possibilities of an outbreak that would occur within the period it took place. The fact that all the war parties were sure that the United Nations was unlikely going to intervene on the war triggered a decision on most of the parties to engage9. The USSR had boycotted council meetings and did not veto any move against the North Korea. Kim II Sung was confident that his army of 135000 was superior to that of South Korea. His army was made up of Korean, who had served in the soviet and Chinese forces. In addition, he had an armored brigade and 180 soviet aircrafts comprising of mostly fighters and bombers. On the other side, the south had 95000 men and was far less weak. They could not match the machinery of the north, so the south was very disadvantaged hence the north wanted to take that advantage. United Nations response After Truman and Dean Acheson, the then US secretary of states, had a meeting, they deemed it fit for the UN to act after the war broke in 1950. During the war, the united nation oversaw an election in South Korea. It later declared the election as fair. The Russians did not allow the United Nations in North Korea. As such the elections were not acceptable in the argument that they were flawed. This brought an even larger dispute between the two countries. After the war broke in 1950, the UN sends its troops in a bid to suppress the uprising10. The army was a huge success because it was able to settle the uprising. But later, the Chinese forces were able to push the united nation forces back paving way for the continuity of the war. Later a ceasefire was agreed upon that lasts till today. The South Korean gained its independence, and the Americans continued to offer their support. Russia dropped its boycott and rejoined its Security Council meetings11. Impact of the Korean War Effects to the people of Korea Many Korean civilians died during the war. Four million died. As a result, of the war. Two-thirds of the four million are plain civilians. China lost one million soldiers, and the US lost up to 37 thousand soldiers. Many civilians and soldiers were reported wounded12. The united nation troops also suffered gun wounds, and several of the soldiers died too. The Korean War brought great social damage to the Koreans especially the North Koreans. There was hardly any modern building left standing during the three-year war. Even so, the war reinforced the boundaries between the two nations. The north became a communist, and the south became a free republic13. The war separated families and displaced many civilians. Many people went missing and more than a million homes had been destroyed or damaged completely. Many civilians became refugees; they travelled by ship, crammed trains and by foot in order to seek refuge in nations that were at peace. The northern people sought shelter in the south because they feared religious persecution. Their religion could not hold as opposed to the south. Children were greatly affected with an estimated two million displaced from their homes. Family histories and connections would have ceased due to the loss of ties created by the 38th parallel14. Effects to the world The war brought diverse effects not only to the Koreans but the world. The war destroyed the economy of Korea and social wellbeing of the Koreans. On the opposite, the war was able to develop a rise in the economies of Japan and the US15. The war saw the legitimacy of the united nation come to effect. It also led to the united nation further development to military power. The war depicted clearly the anti-communism feelings growing in the US. The USA developed military bases in most places. The military expansion was geared towards fighting the spread of communism and the maintenance of peace under the watch of the United Nations16. Most of the weapons used on the war were obtained from the nearby Japan hence creating a boom in the sale of its armor. Japan developed economically. Apart from weapons, Japan supplied other basic needs such as food and clothing to the war victims and the soldiers. The war made china to be realized and acknowledged as an emerging world power. China developed to be an important ally to the North Korean. The war also led to close ties between the south and the US, the south being guaranteed military support any time they are in need17. Attainment of peace After the three-year war, the US, China, North Korea and South Korea agreed to an armistice. The armistice was aimed at bringing the Korean War to an end. The armistice brought to an end the American experimentation of the cold war concepts. In order for the attainment of peace, the US had threatened of a nuclear attack18. By 1953 all the parties to the war were ready to sign a peace agreement that would end the bloodshed. The signing of the armistice enabled the establishment of a committee of representatives from neutral countries. The committee was mandated to decide the fate of the prisoners of war on the two sides. The prisoners were given a chance to choose their own fate. There was the creation of a new border between the north and the south19. Bibliography C. Bragg, Vietnam, Korea and US Foreign Policy 1945-75 (Heinemann, 2005) A. Buzo, The making of a modern Korea (Routledge, 2002) J. Halliday and B. Cummings, Korea: The Unknown War (Viking, 1988) P. Lowe, The Korean War (Macmillan Press, 2000) R. Whelan, Drawing the Line: The Korean War 1950-53 (Faber and Faber, 1990) Y. Spurr, Twentieth Century History 1945-2000. (1st ed. Collingwood: History Teachers Association of Victoria, 2007.) Read More