Preview

How Far Was The US Involvement In The Korean War A Success

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1264 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
How Far Was The US Involvement In The Korean War A Success
How far was the US involvement with the Korean War a success? There were many ways in which United States involvement in the Korean war was seen to be a success, these include the most significantly, the US wanting to protect the independence of South Korea and to try and contain communism. Another reason being
Truman wanting to appear tough in the face of communism, and to avoid direct contact with the USSR. The US also wanted to protect Japan as their security was vital.
However there are still reasons on why US involvement wasn't a success. these reasons being the change of objective as the US now wanted to ‘roll back’, Truman looking weak and ineffective and also the way China was dealt with during the conflict.
Domestic issues was another very important reason on how the US involvement had also failed as people were losing faith in the war and opinions changed quickly, the war was also very costly which meant money that should of been spent at home, and money that could of gone towards helping the civil rights movement went towards the war. This allowed the war to become very unpopular with the American citizens. One of the most significant ways in which US involvement in the Korean conflict could be judged as a success is the fact that the US had got involved in the conflict to protect the independence of South Korea. This was very important as without the support of the
United States, South Korea would of been overrun within the first phase of the war. This was down to economic costs and the vast number of men that North Korea and their allies would of had on their front line invading the south. This was a great success of US involvement as they successfully helped South Korea regain control and push the North out. As well as protecting the independence of South Korea, the USA also got involved to
‘contain’ communism. The United States managed to keep South Korea non­communist after creating the halt line at the 38th parallel.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Paul G. Pierpaoli’s, Truman and Korea the Political Culture of the Early Cold War, written in 1999, focuses on the American decision to mediate in the Korean War and the political, military, and social impact it left behind. Pierpaoli provides an understanding into America’s first undeclared conflict and the building of the national security state. The main emphasis is to analyze how the nation mobilized for the war and how that affected the economic scene and political culture of the United States. He mentions how Korea was a turning point and how it essentially changed the political and economic scene in the United States encouraging the growth of the military-industrial complex. The historical significance is how the United States…

    • 539 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    - He decided to keep pushing against the enemy's border. He believed China did not have enough resources to fight back. He wanted to take out the Chinese army once and for all.…

    • 409 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Berlin Wall Dbq Analysis

    • 990 Words
    • 4 Pages

    According to document 5, the description written by Sook Nyul Choi in Korea between the end of WWII and 1950, Korea was actually a “victim country” for the Cold War that existed between the US and the USSR. This could be proven by the fact that people were affected negatively by these communist soldiers and weapons such as tanks and guns. The communist troops from both China and Russia not only threatened people which led to the Northern refugees to escape to Seoul, people who are “labeled” as traitors were shot with machine guns and hanged in the town square for other people to see as a bad example to not follow. Then looking at document 6a, the map shows the result of the Korean War from 1950-1953. North Korea and South Korea were being divided along the 38th parallel due to their difference in supporters and political views. These evidences shows how the Cold War made Korea into battlefields and by the Russians supporting communist in the north, and the Americans spreading capitalism in the south, this led to the Korean War. The war not only led to the division of Korea, it also caused millions of soldiers and civilians to lost lives and which destroyed the economy in both North and South…

    • 990 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Berlin Airlift DBQ

    • 690 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In Document C, it comments on the map mentioning, “The war drags on for several years, finally ending in 1953 very close to the original 1950 borders.” This war was a battle between Soviet Union-supported, North Korea and US-supported, South Korea. North Korea was a communist region and South Korea believed in the rules of containment. After many years of fighting, there was barely any change to the placement of the border between them.The US worded very hard, constantly supplying South Korea with supplies, food, and weapons so they did not have to lose their land. The fact that the United States aided South Korea, so they did not have to lose any land, where North Korea could have spread communism, shows their policy of…

    • 690 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The United States had just ended World War II, and the conflict in Korea had…

    • 5019 Words
    • 21 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Success: Large expansion of US military territory, leads to further expansion under Roosevelt and US entering world politics/conflicts…

    • 2228 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The 38th Parallel Line

    • 278 Words
    • 2 Pages

    After World War Two the Korean peninsula was divided into two spheres of influence by the 38th parallel line. North of the line was the Communist North Korean regime, supported by communist states like the Soviet Union and China. while the south was supported by the United stated and western capitalist states. on June 25 1950 The Korean war began with the invasion of South Korea by 75,000 soldiers from the North Korean. Immediately the United Nation countered with security council resolution 83, allowing U.N members to aid South Korea military. So, by July of 1950 American troops lead by General Douglas McCarthy enter the war on behave of South Korea. November 1 1950, China became involved after seeing the Americans drive the North Koreans…

    • 278 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Korean war never formally ended, as the two sides reached a stalemate following massive casualties, but the United States took solace in the fact that they had at least stopped the Soviet Union from spreading communism throughout the whole of the Korean Peninsula (Foner 716). Although it was implied by the Truman Doctrine, the Korean War was significant because it affirmed that the United States was committed to anti-communist efforts in a global sense; they were prepared to use force to…

    • 860 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Containment Policy Dbq

    • 973 Words
    • 4 Pages

    When the Korean War was over communist North Korea had lost minor amounts of territory to American aided South Korea. In Vietnam the American forces lost the war and Vietnam became a communist country. It was necessary to fight both wars to ensure America maintained its reputation as a powerful country. The top priority in fighting the Vietnam War, according to document 32, was to avoid a humiliating defeat to the technologically inferior Vietnam forces. The maintained support of American allies was a factor in fighting the Vietnam War. Had America withdrawn “American allies would be shaken,” claimed Robert McNamara in document 31. To preserve its standing as a formidable country willing to stop at nothing to fight communism it was necessary for America to fight the Korean and Vietnam…

    • 973 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    China thought the United Nations was threatening them so they decided to act. They decide to act because North Koreans got pushed into China's territory because of the South Koreans. The North Korean communists invaded the South Koreans. A communist government…

    • 250 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Korean War Containment

    • 423 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Although the Korean War proved a moderate success for United States, the tense foreign relations with the Soviet Union and the disaster of the Vietnam war proved the policy of containment in the United States between 1945 and 1975 ultimately unsuccessful.…

    • 423 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    4. The Korean War caused the US to gain new alliances. These new allies included Germany, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, and…

    • 728 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Stalin wanted to test America’s commitment to their policies of containment so when they responded it showed that America was willing to continue stopping communism even 4 years after World War 2. When the United States waded into the muddy waters of battle they had one goal, contain communism and uphold the democratic state which was South Korea; and they did. The war shows again commitment to the cause and doing what is needed in order to fight off the USSR’s attempts to expand communist reign. Furthermore, the justifying quality of war was the end result. After the war ended, South Korea’s government system of democracy lived. For the U.S this was an embodiment of containment and the future seemingly boded in the side of the North Atlantic Treaty…

    • 397 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “The war was a defensive war-to get the communists out of South Korea.” It was also one of the hottest summers on record. Desperate Americans had to drink water from rice patties that were fertilized by human waste. Disease was common. After summer, President Truman and General Douglas MacArthur had set new war aims. “It was now a war to “liberate” the communists in North Korea.” “The strategy was initially a success, the troops were pushed back out of Seoul and when America crossed the 38th parallel and headed towards the Yalu River the communist Chinese were worried about protecting themselves Chinese leader Mao Zedong sent troops to tell the U.S to keep away from broader unless they wanted full-scale war.” Truman tried to prevent war with China but MacArthur tried to provoke it. In early April, MacArthur got fired because of insubordination. President Truman was thinking about using atomic bombs on Korea.…

    • 457 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    cold war

    • 1378 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Starting with the first of three documents of investigation is the Statement on the Korean War (1950) dictated by President Harry S. Truman. His statement was directed to inform the US citizen and to express the actual implications of his administration, as well their military position relating to Korea. With the rising scare of communist expansion on the forefront, and a clear intention from their organization, Truman had a delicate balance. How could he assure the American public that this matter is of the upmost importance to our western philosophy, to protect all sovereign nations, and cohesively avoid another subsequent World War? In such decisions to try and circumvent the possibility of creating or becoming embroiled in World War III, he made the executive decision to relieve U.S. General Douglas McArthur of his duties. While highly respected by President Truman, and recognized as an outstanding General, there was simply a serious difference of opinion. McArthur believed it was necessary and important to take the Korean conflict to Mainland China, while Truman recognized this very likely would start World War III. He made it very clear, in limiting the role of the United States in the Korean conflict that there…

    • 1378 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays