I.

Korean War: Important because one of two hotwars US involved in during cold war A. Effects of Korean War 1. Greatly intensified hostilities between west and communist block nations, especially communist China, delayed normalization of relations between US and Peking Gave powerful impetus for nuclear rams race between US and Soviet Union which transformed US from ill-armed democracy into the highly militarized society we have today. Gave root to the belief that the spread of communism could be check or contained by limited American military power, which leads to US involvement in Vietnam (much in the same way that WWI leads to WWII) Fostered a national climate which strengthened the appeal of McCarthyism and other repressive ideologies and unseated the democrats who had held power of 20 years.

2.

3.

4.

B.

The opening of the Korean war is still something of a puzzle, although we now know a great deal more about that than until very recently. 1. At the time: a) b) West believes Soviets responsible for NK attack we thought Soviet Union encouraged Kim Il-sung to attack (1) c) North Koreans not happy with partition of Korea in 1945.

Khrushchev asserted in his memoirs that the attack was not Stalin idea, although Stalin did not try to s dissuade Il-sung New evidence supports this view. (1) The invasion was Kim idea and he actively s sought Soviet endorsement

d)

(2)

Stalin motive may have been to s demonstrate that he was doing as much as the Chinese to spread the revolution in the Far East. What happens if Stalin refuses? Kin turns to China, who might help (a) If china helps, then Soviets lose out to Chinese as leader of the communist camp.

(3) (4)

e)

Regardless, Kim goals were more militaristic than s Stalin had hoped for. (1) (2) Stalin only gives approval AFTER he comes to conclusion that US won intervene. t That the US did intervene meant that Soviet Union had been drawn into a broader conflict than they had hoped for.

2.

US able to get UN backing for operation in large part because Soviet Union had boycotted council. If Soviet Union is there, they can veto US desire to protect s South Koreans a) b) Puzzle: why did Soviet Union skip critical meeting? A variety of answers: (1) Stalin may have desired US an China to get into big dispute, thereby ruling China out of UN (a) If this is true, then Stalin intents are s not spreading communism per se but increasing Soviet Union influence relative to China s This view likely wrong though, Soviet Union reason for boycotting was the s US refusal to admit China

(b)

(2)

Stalin may have hoped that US invasion backed by UN would reveal that the UN was
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a toadiest tool of US and lead to its implosion (a) Problem here is that Soviet Union returns to UN in August and uses UN to obstruct US desires in war. s

(3)

Gromyko (Soviet Union deputy for minister at time) claims Stalin pulled out of UN in January 1950 in a fit of pique at US s insulting ;letter to UN about Korea.

c) d) e)

Clearly, no master plan, so far anyway. US swift response throws Soviets for a loop. s 6 months prior, Acheson (Sec of State) had implied that SK was largely irrelevant (1) Further, shortly after the beginning of war, Soviets appear to be trying to distance themselves from it.

C.

Truman reaction: s 1. very swift: a) within a week (1) (2) (3) b) US committed ground troops to SK pushed through UN a resolution labeling NK as aggressor moved 7the fleet between Formosa and mainland China to prevent an attack there.

Militarily war was very fluid for first few months. (more on Wed). (1) (2) (3) North Koreans push to Pusan MacArthur lands at Inchon and then moves close to Chinese border. As MacArthur passes 38the parallel, US has to decide quickly, support 1945 partition, or reunify?

(a)

Partition resulted from temp agreement after Japanese leave, Soviet Union takes top, US occupies bottom, but then Soviet Union and USA can t agree on how to reunify the country so it stays partitioned.

(4) c)

Initial UN resolution was just to get back to 38th parallel.

Chinese warn that if US persists and continues to move north, they will intervenes. (1) (2) Huge intelligence failure MacArthur (against orders) crosses Yalu river and Chinese enter the war. Threat of a western led united Korea on Southern border several thousand North Koreans had fought for Mao, this can be seen as recompense. Establish Chinese influence in NK at the expense of the Soviets and establish the Chinese as a great power in Asia, again. First is most important. China was quite hesitant to enter war, in part because it would require substantial military aid from Soviet Union. Strident rhetoric (threat to use bomb). Goal of restoring 38the parallel;. British PM Attlee argues that US is being to strident, and that we should talk to Chinese and possibly make amends in a hop of splitting Soviet Union and Chinese. (a) Can do this: t

d)

Why did Chinese enter war? (1) (2) (3)

(4) (5)

e)

Truman response: s (1) (2) (3)

(b) (c)

we are firmly backing Chang in Formosa also hold view that accommodation to communism in one place meant that it would burst out elsewhere (NSC-68).

(4)

Bellicose rhetoric aside, Truman did not want wide-war with Chinese. (a) (b) (c) In this context MacArthur becomes something of a problem After Chinese come in, US is pushed back to 38 parallel. MacArthur advocates taking war to the Chinese and even attacking in to China, This becomes a problem for Truman and he is forced to recall MacArthur who returns to huge hero welcome. s

(d)

(5)

War stabilizes at 38th parallel, and stalemate ensues. (a) (b) It takes two years for fruitful negotiations to get an armistice. The Democratic lose in in no small 52 part as a result of Eisenhower saying I will go to Korea. Jan-July see bitter fighting, 53 although stalemate like WWI.

(c) (6)

North Koreans and South Koreans work hard to block negotiations. (a) US, China and Soviet Union content to maintain status quo, NK and SK both want to rule a united Korea. US threaten to use Nukes to Bring North Koreans to table, this along with Stalin death succeeds. s
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(b)

(c)

South Koreans become obstructionist and US concludes agreements without South Korea signature.

f)

War ends at status quo-ant on the ground, but strategic situation is different. (1) (2) (3) (4) NSC-68 is now the strategy for the future. Domino theory has been accepted by most policy makers ideological anti-Communist fervor in US raised several notches Brain-washing of US POWs pointed to the frailty of the capitalist ideology or at least how it was taught...solution up the rhetoric, It during the Eisenhower administration s that the words Under God are added to the pledge of allegiance to the flag that school children said every morning. (a) I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. According to the legislation of 1954, one is supposed to stand upright, remove any headdress, and place the right hand over the heart while reciting the pledge.

(5)

(b)

II.

Next Strategy on the ground A. War has three phases 1. 1945-1949: Korean civil war a) Immediately following WWII, a peoples govt. rises and is in effect a unified national govt., or leaning that way. Soviets allow US in to country in south.
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b)

c) d)

US and Soviet split the country s Soviet allow much more democratic system, s peoples committees which react to the past Japanese colonialism, many see the US as the next in a long line of colonizers. (1) Soviets stay in background and allow North Koreans to decide their system (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (2) they let Koreans run the govt. they put anti Japanese resistance leaders up front (anti-colonialists) they supported radical land reform improved labor conditions supported women rights s

By 1946 North Koreans labor committee were chosen by popular elections (of course not everyone could run, but people that chose to leave NK for the south were allowed to do so.) by 1948 Soviets withdraw their troops

(3) e)

US does not support govt. in Seoul (people s committees) but supports a more conservative group led by Rhee. US supports a very conservative govt. that gains and maintains power by taking over the colonial system that had been put in place by the Japanese during 1946-7 large uprisings against the new boss who appears to be much like the boss old , the Japanese. From 1948-1950, armed guerrilla resistance takes place throughout the South. On island of Cheju, off south coast, ~30,000 KIA s, 12% of islands population, during guerrilla war against the totalitarian leaders in Seoul.

f)

g)

h) i)

j)

US unable to pull troops out until June 1949, leave advisors al over country after main combat elements leave. ROK national defense forces were led by officers who had served the Japanese, obviously not terribly popular people, but anti-Communists. South Korea at this time was a police state, an agent for a small class of land holding landlords who were vibrant capitalists. (1) Walter Sullivan writing in the NYTs wrote that large parts of South Korea darkened are today by a cloud of terror that is probably unparalleled in the world. In the 100 of s villages across the guerrilla areas local village guards crouch in pyramided straw shelters and nights are a long cold vigil of listening. Guerrillas made brutal night assaults on the police and the policy take the guerrillas to their home villages and tortured them for information. Persistence of the guerrilla puzzles Americans there and the extreme brutality of the conflict. Govt. extraction very high. No one owns land, and govt. extraction from peasants was up to 70%.

k)

l)

(2)

m) n)

By 1950, more than 3,000 active guerrillas of the people army actively working in ROK. s Little evidence that the resistance movement in south was led by or dictated by Soviets or North Koreans. NK attack in large numbers, push down to Pusan MacArthur, Sept 25 lands at Inchon South Korea and American rapidly move North, s approach Yalu river
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2.

Mobile phase a) b) c) d)

e)

Chinese come into war in big way push south back to Seoul. Costs to this point quite low, 15,000 US deaths, 50,000 NK deaths. War of attrition, coercion huge bombing campaigns against north ultimately 2,000,000 North Koreans civilians killed, 500k soldiers. Chinese lost 1-3,000,000 soldiers. South Korea 1,000,000 civilians, South Korea battle deaths 47k, US battle deaths 54K. a-bombs (1) (2) (3) us has 450, soviets have 25. MacArthus asks for roughly 40, shipped to Zokinowa into pits there, al parts resent. Ulytimately we don use them. t

3.

Static phase a) b) c) d) e) f)

B.

Leads to fundamental shift in how we judge how well we are doing: 1. 2. 3. Enemy body count. KIA...how might you tell how well you are doing, in a limited war. Testimony to congress: how the war going? s a) b) going great, we lost 30,000, they lost a ve ve million. Problems from nuke lecture? (1) body count coercion doesn work when you t are facing a leader insensitive to costs or willing to run risks. in South Korea, we luck out because the Chinese are a status quo power, it the NK s s that are the problem (US and they don want t to return POWs)

(2)

(3) 4. 5.

We threaten deslacht when we destroy dams (water necessary to grow rice).

During the mobile stage, goals easy, get back land we lost, so gauging success is easy, miles of terrain. During static phase, much tougher. a) b) Fighting to coerce, so how to judge success until the coercion has happened. After MacArthur is sacked, Ridgeway comes in and leads to change towards body counts

6. C.

In a war over ideology, how would Clausewitz say that you are winning?

Equate goals with results, but this is problem when you are fighting to retain the status quo with a defensive doctrine. 1. 2. In South Korea an in Vietnam, US becomes to status quo power when trying to keep things from changing, how can you measure success? a) very difficult problem. We see how this very ll problems lead to the Vietnam war lasting for 10 years.

III.

Winners and Losers A. Winners 1. Syngman Rhee, leader of South Korea. Without US intervention he toast. Lasts for years afterwards until s his death NK reputation among 3rd world Chiang Kai-shek stays in power in Taiwan without firing shot, and suffers no destruction. NK and South Korea civilians a) NK civilian have to live in communist totalitarian state

2. 3. B.

Losers 1.

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b) 2. 3.

South Korea civilians have to live in a capitalist totalitarian state kept out of UN for 20 years Allowed US to convince much of the rest of the world that Stalin was on the march. Leads to rearmament of Germany and Japan Held responsible for outbreak of war by west Held accountable by east for not aiding its allies enough exacerbates Sino-Soviet tension which later enable US to engineer split there.

China (red) prevented from taking Taiwan a) a) b) c) d) e) Soviet Union (biggest loser of all)

4. 5. 6. 7.

Destroyed the Truman administration tore down the labor govt. in England and post-war recovery program Leads US into Vietnam McCarthyism explodes in US, 25,000 civil servants and academics lose jobs as a result.

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