1. The Korean War

2. The Origins
After Japan was defeated in WWII, The USSR liberated North Korea and the US liberated South Korea.
The US and USSR agreed that Korea would unify after 5 years, but both countries established biased govts.
Kim il Sung and Syngman Rhee wanted to united Korea under their own rule.
Armed with Soviet weapons, N.K. antagonized S.K. at the border.

3. The War
Pres. Truman believed North Korean aggression was a test of America’s will to resist communism so the US convinced the United Nations to assist South Korea.
North Korean forced pushed coalition forces to the southeast corner of Korea.
Gen. MacArthur invaded Korea, which resulted in the UN forces occupying the entire peninsula.
China viewed this as an act of aggression and joined the war, decimating coalition forces and pushing them back to the 38th parallel.

5. The Results
The war ended in 1953, resulting in 54,000 killed and 100,000 wounded.
Both sides occupied the same territory as before.
Dwight Eisenhower was the first Republican president in 20 years and won on a platform of ending the war.
It was the first desegregated war.