1. THE KOREAN WAR
“THE FORGOTTEN WAR”: 1950-53

2. BACKGROUND
•SOVIETS LIBERATED NORTH KOREA, USA
LIBERATED THE SOUTH
•THE 38TH
PARALLEL BECAME THE BOUNDARY
BETWEEN THE TWO
•NORTH KOREA WANTED TO UNITE THE TWO
INTO ONE COMMUNIST NATION AND INVADED
THE SOUTH

3. Truman declared that the
Truman Doctrine
(containment) applied to
Asia as well as Europe
North Korean troops
captured almost all of the
South before being held at
Pusan

4. THE UN AND THE USA
•THE UNITED NATIONS PASSED A RESOLUTION TO
COMMIT TROOPS TO KOREA – A COALITION OF 16
NATIONS TOOK PART
•THE USA DOMINATED THIS GROUP
•GENERAL DOUGLAS MACARTHUR COMMANDED ALL
UN TROOPS
•THIS IS THE FIRST TIME AN INTERNATIONAL FORCE
WAS DEPLOYED TO STOP AGGRESSION – COLLECTIVE
SECURITY IN ACTION

5. • THE USA EMPLOYED AN AMPHIBIOUS LANDING AT INCHON AND PUSHED INTO NORTH KOREA
• MACARTHUR WANTED A WAR OF LIBERATION – KICK THE COMMUNISTS OUT OF NORTH KOREA
• HE PUSHED FORWARD TO THE YALU RIVER, NEAR THE BORDER WITH CHINA
• 1 MILLION CHINESE SOLDIERS ENTERED THE WAR AND PUSHED THE AMERICANS BACK TO THE 38TH
PARALLEL

7. THE MACARTHUR – TRUMAN SPLIT
• MACARTHUR WANTED TO TAKE THE FIGHT TO CHINA USING A-BOMBS
• MACARTHUR: LIBERATE, TRUMAN: CONTAIN
• TRUMAN FIRED MACARTHUR AND THE TWO SIDES BEGAN PEACE TALKS

8. PEACE TALKS
• TALKS BROKE DOWN OVER THE ISSUE OF POWS
• IN 1952 A NEW ADMINISTRATION WAS ELECTED IN THE
USA
• DULLES (SECRETARY OF STATE) FINALLY ENDED THE
KOREAN WAR BY THREATENING CHINA WITH A-BOMBS
IF THEY DIDN'T RETURN AMERICAN POWS
• THE CHINESE AGREED TO POW TERMS AND SIGNED AN
ARMISTICE
• HOWEVER, THE TWO NEVER SIGNED A PEACE TREATY –
REMAIN SEPARATE TODAY