Korean War and its Consequences - Weekly Report After WWII Europe was the main focus of both

the Soviet Union and the United States The Soviets worked to expand their influence into the Eastern half and the USA wanted to make sure Western half was anti-Communist/liberal democratic United States finally achieved dominance in the Pacific Soviets already had dominance in northern Asia Korean War would kick stared the Cold War Soviets would support all leftist movements around the Globe meanwhile the USA would oppose them and support their rivals claiming these movements were Communist or Soviet puppets After WWII decolonization happened throughout the world as former imperial powers like Britain and France no longer had the economic ability or justification to maintain colonies Koreans want to be independent especially from China and Japan Soviets had liberated the North from the Japanese and the Americans liberated the South, both split in the country in half as a temporary solution Korean businessmen who cooperated with the Japanese were seen as anti-Communist and were put in charge by the Americans Korea is a low priority for the Americans even though reports indicate the North has a better army and would overrun the South if the US withdrew their stationed troops The Soviets felt that Achesons speech meant the Americans did not consider Korea important Stalin wanted peace to build up their nuclear arsenal US feels Soviets going to war with Yugoslavia is likely considering their government insulted Stalin and declared neutrality This is a miscalculation as the Soviet-trained and equipped North Koreans launch an invasion to capture the South The also had a direct effect on American internally since it gave rise to militant opponents to social justice, racist politicians, Edgar Hoover, and McCarthyism Also led to the rise of the military industrial complex Truman is persuaded to send troops to fight the war because if the Americans did nothing they would lose credibility as an opponent to Communism And they viewed this as a test, if the Soviets succeed in Korea what would stop them from going somewhere else Truman was already accused of betraying China so he did not want to be accused of betraying the Koreans United Nations credibility and legitimacy was also at stake, they did not want to become like the League of Nations Although the South was poorly equipped compared to the North and the UN/American troops had little experience they eventually defeated the Northern invaders and liberated the South Truman government wanted to go past the 38th parallel to completely wipe out the Northern Communists

They concluded that Stalin would not come to aid the North Communists and the Chinese threats were not to be taken seriously Mao felt threatened because the Americans were in talks with Chiang and the Americans may have been preparing to invade China through Korea So when Americans crossed the border Chinese troops in huge numbers attacked and broke the moral of UN/American troops Americans were not ready to give up in Korea but also wanted to avoid WWIII so attacking mainland China was not an option Soviets cheered on the Chinese/North Koreans but never gave any real support instead opting to ensure Soviet interests were served first rather than the spreading of international communism Chinese achieved some success as they preserved the Northern Communists, gained prestige, and claimed victory over the imperialists Soviets stuck in a power struggle after Stalins death In the USA, Conservatives used this event to instil a huge fear of Communism (Red Scare) McCarthyism and the red scare would have likely been forgotten if it werent for the Korean War US focused on building a stronger NATO in order to combat Soviet aggression Japanese economically benefited from the Korean War since they supplied most of the goods and services to the American forces Japan in 1952 was given sovereignty once again and were considered to be an ally in Americas war against Communism For the Soviets the war was a disaster as they originally underestimated the American reaction For strongman and dictators like Chiang/Rhee they were winners since they would be early evidence of dictators able to gain American support as long as they take an anti-Communist stance regardless if they were extremely corrupt, repressive, or authoritarian For the United States, the winners were the opponents of the New Deal who connected it with Communism and anything remotely progressive like the Civil Rights movement or social justice advocates were branded Communists

Conclusion As a result of the Korean War the Chinese were no longer preserved as weak or docile but something to be taken seriously. The Soviets gamble that the Americans would initially not intervene into the war were wrong and this may have led them to let China handle the situation because Stalin did not want to go to war with the Americans. The Americans misjudged the Chinese but Generals like MacArthur felt the invasion of mainland China would give them the upper hand were refused since the

Americans like the Soviets wanted to avoid WWIII at all costs. The United Nations gained legitimacy since they actively participated in the Korean War. The Japanese could be called the biggest winners, since they benefited from the war both economically and politically. Organisations like NATO would become more powerful and this would result in Germanys remilitarization process. American conservatives wanted to roll back the New Deal so they criticized it calling it Communist and began a red scare in the USA making anyone who supported social justice or progressive movements a Communist supporter. So the importance of Korea was misjudged by both the Americans and Soviets. Both sides also thought that their allied Korean regimes would have quick victories but both were proven wrong. The Korean War can be seen as the first important armed conflict of the Cold War and its consequences for such a small country had major impacts on many different countries including the two superpowers.