The Korean War 19501953 - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

1 / 14
About This Presentation
Title:

The Korean War 19501953

Description:

South Korea became the Republic of Korea ... South Korea's Syngman Rhee North Korea's Kim Il Sung. WAR UNFOLDS ... Seoul returned to the control of South Korea ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

Number of Views:472
Avg rating:3.0/5.0
Slides: 15
Provided by: willp7
Category:

less

Transcript and Presenter's Notes

Title: The Korean War 19501953


1
The Korean War1950-1953
  • Origins Events UN Involvement
    OutcomeLegacy
  • A Summary
  • Grace Prince

2
Origins
  • After Nazi-Germany surrender, the Potsdam
    conference of victorious WWII allies in July of
    1945 brought Soviets into war against Japan.
    Japanese occupation of Korea finally ended with
    close of the War.
  • The Result WWII left Korea dividedalong the
    38th Parallel (right)
  • Soviet troops occupied the North American troops
    occupied the South
  • Most Koreans opposed occupation
  • Established a trusteeship between the occupiers
    who hoped the nations would become free and
    independent in due course

3
Origins Continued
  • UN called for troop withdrawal elections in
    Korea
  • North Korea became the Democratic Peoples
    Republic of Korea
  • South Korea became the Republic of Korea
  • U.S. and Russia backed different leaders both
    claimed sovereignty over the entire Korean
    peninsula
  • South Koreas Syngman Rhee North
    Koreas Kim Il Sung

4
WAR UNFOLDS
  • Kim Il Sung authorized the attack on June 25,
    1950, that breached the 38th Parallel after
    Stalin entrusted his support
  • On the 27th of June, the Security Council of the
    UN asked member states to contribute military
    assistance to the South Korean forces to repel
    their Northern aggressors
  • President Harry Truman and Secretary of Defense
    Dean Acheson agreed to defend the noncommunist
    South Korean state
  • President Truman wished to end East Asian
    communist expansion, citing the American
    Constitution as giving him the right to attack
    the ideology

5
Initial UN Involvement
  • Soviet Absence (Early 1950)
  • USSR boycotts the UN over Taiwan vs. China
    recognition
  • Thus, UN can condemn North Koreas Breach of
    Peace.
  • Sheriffs Posse UN uses U.S. and other great
    powers as agents acting under UN orders
  • Security Council authorizes military and
    equipment assistance to repel North Korea
  • Biggest strain on UN adapting to terms and
    circumstances unimaginable during drafting of the
    charter
  • Soviet Presence (1950-1953)
  • USSR ends boycott vetoes North Korean
    condemnation
  • The Security Council was paralyzed by the Soviet
    veto, powerless to actions of all great powers
  • Yet, UN already decided on measures to be taken
    Korean actions were complete
  • UN can no longer authorize military action in
    Korea as its own
  • The Uniting for Peace Resolution of 1950 hoped to
    unite the UN and formulate a peaceful resolution
    for the Korean crisis

6
Crisis in Korea The Sides
  • The War soon unmasked the unbridgeable
    differences between the Western Powers and the
    Soviet Union
  • Fighting alongside Truman and the U.S. in defense
    of the Republic of Korea was The Republic of
    Korea itself, Australia, Belgium, Canada,
    Columbia, Ethiopia, France, Greece, Netherlands,
    New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, Thailand,
    Turkey, the United Kingdom
  • Despite these efforts and the unofficial support
    of the United Nations, the war remained at least
    militarily a U.S. operation behind a blue
    international fig leaf flag

7
Crisis in Korea The Sides
  • Fighting alongside the Democratic Peoples
    Republic of Korea was The Peoples Republic of
    China and (less significantly) the Soviet Union

8
Nuclear Weapons the wildcard
  • The Korean War provided the first confrontation
    between two nuclear powers (USSR USA)
  • Decisive air strikes proved a certain strategy
    for U.S. military action. Less clear, however,
    would be the use of atomic capabilities
  • President Truman clarified that the U.S. had no
    intention of resorting to nuclear measures
    unless direly necessary
  • After realizing the probable ineffectiveness of
    nuclear actions against a peasant adversary,
    nuclear threats dissipated

9
War In KoreaTHE EVENTS
  • Forces then under UN designation landed at Inchon
    by the 29th of September, Seoul returned to the
    control of South Korea
  • The UN forces advanced beyond the 38th parallel
    and captured the Northern capital of Pyongyang on
    19th of October
  • After this early success, Truman made the
    unfortunate decision to advance continuously
    along the Chinese border, prompting involvement
    of the PRC in the conflict
  • This mistake proved to be nearly fatal Chinese
    involvement would prolong the war in Korea until
    1953

10
The Chinese Advance
  • November 24 Macarthurs supposed final offensive
    to restore peace and unity to Korea failed the
    next day when 300,000 Chinese troops attacked the
    UN forces causing retreat South.
  • Pyongyang fell to the Chinese on December 4, 1950
  • Seoul fell to the Communist forces once more on
    January 4, 1951
  • Macarthurs forces managed to mount a
    counteroffensive attack on the Communist forces
    South Koreans back in control of Seoul
  • Macarthur relieved of duty due to conflict
    between army command and White House

11
Outcome Peace at last?
  • Peace talks began July 10, 1951
  • War had reached a stalemate
  • Peace treaty delayed over disagreements between
    the two sides
  • 1953 War finally ended
  • Death tolls UN South Korea 550,000      
  • North Korean troops alone 1.5 million
  • To see more detailed statistics, go to
  • War --  Encyclopaedia Britannicahttp//www.britann
    ica.com/eb/article-9046072/Korean-War
    http//www.britannica.com/eb/article-9046072/Korea
    n-War http//www.britannica.com/eb/article-9046072
    /Korean-War

12
Koreas LegacyThe Irony Behind The Forgotten
War
  • Ceasefire prompted the designation of a
    Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a buffer zone cutting
    the peninsula directly in half The Korean War
    ended almost exactly where it began
  • Attempts at better negotiations in 1954 failed
    between the two hostile nations
  • Unofficial conflict continued, however,
    throughout most of the Cold War
  • Today, the DMZ is the most heavily armed border
    in the world
  • The two Koreas remain technically still at war,
    since no peace treaty was signed after the
    1950-53 Korean war.
  • We still remember the war today as risks of an
    East-Asian arms race escalate as North Koreas
    current nuclear capabilities could endanger all
    of East-Asia

13
Koreas LegacyThe Irony Behind The Forgotten
War
  • Kim Jong Ils power remains unchecked in the
    North Korean regime
  • The U.S. still houses some forces in Korea and is
    dedicated to protecting the interests of the
    South
  • Conflict between North Korea and the U.S. is
    still uncertain, but the possibility of a
    prolonged pre-war period could prove disastrous
    for the North Korean economy

14
Bibliography
  • Cold War Episode 5 Korea http//www.cnn.com/SPE
    CIALS/cold.war/episodes/05/maps/
  • Goodrich, Leeland M. The United Nations and the
    Korean War A Case Study Proceedings of the
    Academy of Political Science, 1953.
    http//www.jstor.com
  • North Korean Nuclear Standoff 26 Feb. 2007
    http//news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/2340
    405.stm
  • Ogawa, Takahira. Pyongyangs Test Whats the
    Impact? 9 Oct. 2006 http//www.businessweek.com/i
    nvestor/content/oct2006/pi20061009_448893.htm
  • Race for the Superbomb The Korean War
    http//www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/bomb/peopleevents/pan
    deAMEX58.html
  • United Nations and Changing World Politics The
    Reality of UN Security Efforts During the Cold
    War and The Theory of UN Collective Security
    Ed. Thomas G. Weiss (Westview Press, USA 2001)
Write a Comment
User Comments (0)
About PowerShow.com