What happened in August 1949 for the ussr
They tested the first atomic bomb-three years ahead of US expectations
What did Mao Zedong proclaim
The creation of the People’s Republic of China
Marked a successful communist take over
What was NSC68
Secret document from Truman about how the USA saw the world and how Truman planned to respond to soviet threat
How did the USA see the world
The ussr was aiming at world domination- starting with campaign in Europe and Asia
What created a real imbalance with the USSR
The USA had slashed military expenditure since 1945.
USA spent $10.9 billion in contrast to $13.1 billion
What were the numbers of army members
USA had 640,000 men and one armed division whereas the USSR had 2.6 million and 30 armed divisions
How did the USA respond to soviet threats
USA had responsibility to provide an alternative political and economic model of communism
Should be prepared to engage in limited wars
USA should increase military spending and develop a hydrogen bomb to regain initiative in arms rac
Long term threats of Korean War
Between 1910 and 1945 Korean was controlled by Japan
Korea was divided into a soviet zone in the north and a
US zone in the south after japans defeat in WW2
USA and USSR agreement on Korea was impossible so divide remained
Medium term causes of Korean War
Syngman Rhee was seen as extremely vulnerable
Government was extremely unpopular with the South Korean people
It relied heavily on the support of US troops
1949, USA and USSR agreed to withdraw troops from Korea
Led to Kim II Sung(leader of North Korea) to believe the South Korean government could be overthrown with ease
Short Term Causes
In 1950, the USA refused to give aid and military assistance to South Korea
This led Kim II Sung to believe the USA would not stop a communist invasion of South Korea
Kim II Sung persuaded Stalin to agree to a North Korean invasion of South Korea
When and who invaded North Korea
With Stalin’s backing, Kim II Sung ordered his troops to invade South Korea
June 25,1950
US reaction
Evidence of
communist desire for world domination
Congress already Truman for doing too little during the Cold War
Truman responded by appealing to the UN.
He hoped that a UN force would have more authority than purely a US force because it represented the international community.
Impact of Korean War on superpower relations
Marked a shift in focus in the Cold War, from Europe to Asia.
Armistice was signed following Stalins death in 1953
Indicated a new generation of Soviet leaders were prepared to pursue a less confrontational relationship with the US
USA had contained communism but failed to roll it back
US government used a communist aggression in Korea
to justify military spending, one of its major policy initiatives.
Indeed, military spending increases threefold between 1950 and 1954.
Communist powers had reasserted control over North Korea, but failed to extend their territory.
