The Korean war June 1950 - July 1953

By Ruth Fitzmaurice

Background

• The Korean War started on June 25th 1950, with North

Korea’s invasion of South Korea. • On August 10, 1945, after the US dropped atomic bombs on

Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan surrendered to the US. Soviet troops, immediately began pouring into Korea.

• World War II divided Korea into a Communist, northern half and an American-occupied southern half, divided at the 38th

parallel • The US were worried that the Soviets would turn Korea into a

communist state.

Divided Korea

Causes• The Cold War was an important cause in the Korean War. • Relations between the USA and the USSR were bad • When China became Communist in October 1949, the President of

the US ,Harry Truman, was very worried that other countries around China may also become Communist, such as Japan.

• The Korean war was Stalin’s chance to show that Russia could beat the US.

• Truman had just spent a lot of money to make the American Army much bigger

• The Americans wanted to see this new powerful Army in action.

Fighting June 1950

• North Korea invades South Korea and pushes all the way down to around the southern borders and the South Korean Army retreated to Pusan.

July 1950

• UN Forces landing at Inchon• United Nations army intervenes and land at Inchon, from here on they fight

the North Korean army and push them past the border separating North and South Korea and right up the Chinese border, just under the Yalu River.

• October 1950

• The Chinese army, invades North Korea and helps the North Koreans fight the UN until the UN are pushed past the border separating North and South Korea. Because their warning to the UN was ignored.

• February 1951

– Fighting continues until order is restored and neither army is in the other country. Peace talks start happening.

• March 1951 -

– No peace has been declared but a peace agreement has been signed by both countries and the UN withdraw.

Results

• USA• Good Results• Contained Communism. • Greece and Turkey joined. • The Truman Doctrine had been upheld. • NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) was created.

• Bad Results• Far too aggressive, this made other countries nervous and the other

countries feared them.

• UN• Good Results• First major success

• Bad Results• Could only win through violence, not peace talks.

• Both Koreas• Good Results• North Korea got a treaty with China.• South Korea stayed Capitalist

• Bad Results• Both lost lots of money, civilians, property.• No chance of re-unification

• China• Good Results• Reputation went up.• Were united in defense against the UN

• Bad Results• USSR relations got worse.• Banned from the UN Security Council

• USSR• Good Results• They had helped North Korea stay Communist.• Got to test their Air Force against America

• Bad Results• Chinese relations got worse.• Lost lots of money.