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Section 2
Korean War Background -Japanese controlled Korea from 1910-45 -Lost it at the end of WWII -China becomes communist nation in 1949 -Leader: Mao Zedong -Allies divide Korea into 2 parts -Divided it at the 38th Parallel -Soviets got North; US got the South -Considered a temporary solution until something could be worked out -North and South Korea both set up separate gov’ts -Each claimed to be “real” gov’t -North -Communist -Redistributed land to poor peasants -Gov’t controlled most of economy -Did do some good things: equal rights for women, better education -South -Very unstable -US did not want NK taking over SK -Helped build up SK army -In 1949, US and Soviets pulled out of Korea
The War-NK invades SK on June 25, 1950 -United Nations calls for immediate cease-fire -Soviets boycotting UN -Could have vetoed action (Security Council) -June 27, 1950àTruman pledges to help out SK -UN Security Council claims NK is an “aggressor” -Told members to help out SK -Truman starts sending air and ground troops -General Douglas MacArthur in charge -Was a UN mission, but US did most of the work -By August, 1950àNK takes almost all of SK -Sept. 1950àUS launches major counter-attack -Lots of NK surrendered -By October, US had taken most of NK -In NovemberàChina sends 300,000 troops to help NK -US pulls out of NK -MacArthur wants an all-out war against China -People fear that it would drag Soviets into war -Truman tells MacArthur “no” -MacArthur refuses to accept “no” for an answer -Truman fires MacArthur -By Summer 1951àstalemate
End of the War-Eisenhower elected president in 1952 -Orders more attacks on NK -Hints that he might use “the bomb” -On July 27, 1953àcease-fire agreed to -2 separate countries divided at 38th parallel -NK and SK still technically at war today -54,000 US soldiers killed -103,000 US soldiers wounded -1,500,000 Chinese and Koreans killed
Eisenhower and the Cold War -Ike was more aggressive than Truman in dealing w/Cold War -Brinksmanship -US would go to brink of war to fight communism -Arms race -USSR got atomic bomb in 1949 -Hydrogen bomb (H-bomb) -1,000 times more powerful than Hiroshima bomb -Each started building more and more powerful weapons -Middle East -In 1948, Jews given own country (Israel) -David Ben-Gurion was leader of this movement -Land taken from Palestine (Arabs) -Made Arabs mad (didn’t want land taken away) -Attacked Israel (Arab-Israeli War) -In 1949, part of Israel put under Arab control -Space race -Soviets launched first satellite -Sputnik -Embarrassed US -Invested billions in space exploration -Soviets shoot down spy plane (U-2) in 1960 |
