FCPS U.S./Virginia History SOL Standards: VUS 13b
Korean War (1950-1953)
You mean America became involved in a civil war in Korea?
Who Fought?
Prior to World War II, Korea was taken over by Japan. After the war,
the victorious Allied nations divided Korea into two nations at the 38th
Parallel line. American military forces occupied South Korea and
created a capitalist economy while Soviet forces in the North established
a communist society. North Korean forces invaded South Korea in
June 1950 in an attempt to unify the country under communism. The
United States led a United Nations military force to help South Korea
fight against the North. About twenty countries provided soldiers and
aid to South Korea. China and the Soviet Union supported and fought
with the North Koreans.
Why Did the United States Enter the War?
U.S. President Harry Truman had issued his Truman Doctrine in 1947
outlining America’s policy of containment of communism. When the
North Korean army invaded South Korea, America wanted to protect
nearby Japan and prevent communism from spreading into the rest of
Asia from the Soviet Union and China. America called on the United
Nations to use force against North Korea and the United Nations Joint
Command agreed to provide troops.
In September 1950, American General Douglas MacArthur led a coalition
of UN troops that landed at Inchon in South Korea and advanced into North
Korea. This resulted in communist Chinese forces coming to the aid of
North Korea and driving UN troops back across the 38th Parallel to South
Korea. Eventually the Soviet Union, another communist country, provided
military aid to the North Korean army as well.
The Korean War, 1950-1953
1 Farthest Advance of North Korean
Forces, September 1950
2 UN Landing, September, 1950
3 Farthest Advance of UN Forces,
October-November 1950
4 UN Defensive Line after
Chinese Entry, January 1951
5 Cease fire Line, July 1953
UN Forces
Communist Forces
« Capital cities
«
«
North and South Korea divided at the 38th parallel
http://www.kingsacademy.com/mhodges/03_The-World-since-1900/09_The-ColdWar/pictures/P+D-648_map_Korean-War.jpg
General MacArthur disagreed with President Truman on how to handle the war and was relieved of his command in April,
1951. UN forces counterattacked and the war went back and forth with each side gaining and losing territory before the
war eventually came to a stalemate. The cease-fire was signed on July 27, 1953, and has never been replaced by a
formal peace treaty. It set up a 4-kilometer demilitarized zone along the 38th parallel. It was signed by North Korean and
Chinese military leaders on one side, and by the U.S.-led United Nations command on the other. No South Korean
representatives signed the agreement.” Officially the war has never ended, but rather is in a “paused” condition.
What Were the Results of the War?
The ceasefire produced no clear winning side of the Korean War. The border between
North and South Korea was restored to the 38th Parallel, the same it had been before
the war started. This area became a demilitarized zone (DMZ) and exists to this
day. Today, South Korea is known as the Republic of South Korea and is a successful
democracy with a healthy economy. North Korea is a totalitarian dictatorship named
the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and is known for human rights abuses and
militarization. As a result of the Korean war, racial integration efforts in the U.S.
military increased. African Americans fought in integrated units for the first time.
President Harry Truman greets General Douglas
MacArthur in 1950.
Among the 1.8 million American soldiers who fought in the Korean War there were
Source: Wikimedia Commons: Truman_and_MacArthur.JPG
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Truman_and_MacArthur.JPG more than 100,000 African Americans. Also, for the short duration of the war, casualty
numbers were very high. The Korean War was the first major war of the Cold War era.
FCPS HS Social Studies © 2012
Korean War (1950-1953):
(cont.) FCPS U.S./Virginia History SOL Standards: VUS 13b
U.S., UN, and North Korean Casualties
in the Korean War
Dead
United States United Nations North
Korea
54,246 628,833 Between
Wounded
103,824
215,000 - 350,000
1.1 million
303,000
Captured
7,140
92,970
Combined
Missing
8,177
470,267
120,000
Source: American Battlefield Monuments Commission
Key Vocabulary
38th Parallel: circle of north latitude that
divides North and South Korea
United Nations: international peace-keeping
organization after World War II
Communist: an authoritarian system of
government in which a single party controls a
state-owned economy
Trucks crossing the Korean divide. Today the nation is still divided at the 38th parallel
Source: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uvxD2aMpZSs/Tb6s6eROzhI/AAAAAAAAAkY/n4R6p90SRWs/
s1600/crossing_the_38th_parallel.jpg
Capitalism: a governments’ economic system
that is based on private property, including private
ownership of the means of production, and
profit motive
Containment: America’s policy of stopping
communism from spreading
Stalemate: a military situation in which neither
side can gain an advantage
Truman Doctrine: policy that America would
provide economic and military aid to any nation
fighting communism
Demilitarized zone: a region between countries
in which no military activity is permitted
Militarization: a society organized around
preparing for military conflict
Quick Review
America’s Reasons for
Entering the Korean War
North Korea invades South Korea
Stop the spread of communism
?
1. What is the best choice to complete
the graphic?
2. Why did China give aid to North Korea?
A. It wanted to take over Korea.
B. It was a long-time enemy of America.
C. Both were communist countries.
D. Both wanted to conquer America.
3. Today, the demilitarized zone shows that:
A. There is still tension between the North
and South.
B. Korea is a united country
C. The North and South will soon be united
D. America has abandoned helping
South Korea.
A. Defeat the Soviet Union
B. Protect Japan
C. Show off its military strength
D. Unite Korea under communism
FCPS HS Social Studies © 2012