The Korean

War
Mia Zvulun (ft. Louise
Oddsdottir)
 Table of contents

Background Phases of the

01. and causes 03. war

How did the The end of the

02. US react? 04. war
01
Background
and causes
What was happening and
how did it happen?
The global spread of communism

Berlin
The Czechs Blockade
Taken over by communist Brought the US and
government Russia to conflict

Chinese civil Nuclear

war weapons
The communists won USSR started
the Civil War producing weapons
Response: National Security Council
Continued with the Withdraw behind
1 USA’s existing 3 the shield of
policies? “fortress USA”?

Start a program
2 Fight a preventative
war? 4 of massive
rearmament?
“I can deal with Stalin. He is honest, but
smart as hell.”

—Truman
 The North-South Korean conflict
● From 1910 to 1945, Korea was a Japanese colony.
After the war, it was liberated by Soviet troops and it
was divided and ruled by occupying forces. The North
was led by communists and the US had installed a new
Anti-Communist government in the South.

● Fighting soon broke out.

● The North leaders required assistance if they were

going to invade the South, so they approached Stalin,
and he rejected it

● A year later, when nuclear weapons came along, he

decided to give the North his support, and they
launched a full-scale invasion
 What happened?

● The Southern forces were ill-equipped and

poorly-trained. They soon retreated, and
the capital city of Seoul was taken swiftly,
all Korea was occupied
02
How did the
US react?
What was happening and
how did it happen?
 How did the Americans react to the
invasion
The invasion came as a surprise to the Americans. They had taken control of the South for years in the
40s. They were happy to withdraw their forces, but reconsidered after the changing events in Asia,
hoping for containment. They were also concerned for the Chinese revolution, and the change in
leaders.

Events at the UN took a surprising turn when the USSR refused to attend the Security Council, and any
meetings relating to it. This became a grand opportunity for the Americans, who used this to establish
a coalition against the spread of communism.