1. Postwar America ( )
Lesson 2 The Korean War

2. Postwar America (1945-1960) Lesson 2 The Korean War
Learning Objectives
Explain how Mao Zedong and the communists gained power in China.
Describe the causes and the reasons for U.S. involvement in the Korean War.
Identify the long-term effects and outcomes of the Korean War.

3. Postwar America (1945-1960) Lesson 2 The Korean War Key Terms
Jiang Jieshi
Mao Zedong
38th parallel
Douglas MacArthur
limited war
Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO)

4. China Turns Communist
Europe had been the first focus of the Cold War. But in the early 1950s, U.S. involvement in the Korean War made East Asia the prime battleground in the long, hard Cold War struggle. The division between North and South Korea remains a source of international tension today.

5. China Turns Communist U.S. Policy During China’s Civil War
China Falls to Communism

6. China Turns Communist
Jiang Jieshi – (Chiang Kai-shek) nationalist leader of China
Mao Zedong – Communist leader of China
Joined forces to stop Japan – now fighting again
Jiang took American money and made himself rich while Mao promised to feed the people
Mao won and Jiang fled to Taiwan
Truman’s fault!

7. China Turns Communist
Jiang Jieshi, shown with his U.S.-educated wife Soong May-ling, led a nationalist Chinese government that attracted Western support.

8. U.S. Involvement in Korea
The focus of attention turned to the peninsula of Korea, separated from northeast China by the Yalu River. Once controlled by Japan, Korea had been divided into two independent countries by the United States and the Soviet Union after World War II. The dividing line was set at the 38th parallel. The Soviets installed a communist government and equipped the armed forces in North Korea. The United States provided smaller amounts of aid to noncommunist South Korea.

9. U.S. Involvement in Korea
North Korea Invades South Korea
Reasons for U.S. Involvement
The U.S. and Its Allies Counterattack
Truman and MacArthur Disagree on Military Goals

10. US Involvement in Korea
US and USSR divided Korea in two after WWII (just like Germany) along the 38th parallel
North became communist and south became democratic. Supposed to be a unification election but never happened (just like Poland)
1950, North Korean leader Kim Il-sung attacked.
UN War Resolution
South Korea and US forces held out at Pusan
MacArthur attacked at Inchon and cut off NK supplies
Truman wanted limited war – MacArthur wanted total victory
Pushed NK back to Yalu River (China)
China attacked and pushed US back
MacArthur fired – violated UN resolution

11. U.S. Involvement in Korea
Analyze Maps This map shows the Korean peninsula as war began. Which countries border North Korea?

12. U.S. Involvement in Korea
A U.S. soldier aims a missile while his fellow soldiers take cover during a Korean War battle. For President Truman, supporting South Korea in the Korean War was about stopping the spread of communism.

13. Outcomes of the Korean War
By the spring of 1951, Allied forces had regrouped and stabilized their position near the 38th parallel. The stalemate lasted until During that time, the two sides fought small, bloody battles with limited results. At the same time, diplomats tried to devise an acceptable peace agreement.

14. Outcomes of the Korean War
Short-Term Outcomes of the Korean War
Long-Term Outcomes of the Korean War

15. Outcomes of the Korean War
China took command of North efforts
Stalemate along the 38th parallel
Eisenhower negotiated a cease fire
It still holds today
Most conflicts now are resolutions, not declaration of war.
Today – both countries separated by DMZ (2.5 miles)
Kim Il-sung (1994), Kim Jong-il (2011), and now Kim Jong- un

16. Outcomes of the Korean War
Analyze Data After the Korean War how much more did the U.S spend on defense than before the war?

17. Outcomes of the Korean War
Ongoing military exercises between U.S. and South Korean forces, such as these on the Namhan River, emphasize the U.S. commitment to the safety and security of the South Korean people.

18. Quiz: China Turns Communist
Why did the United States support Jiang Jieshi during the Chinese civil war?
A. He promised to end starvation in China.
B. He was fighting against communist forces in China.
C. He had supported the United States in previous conflicts.
D. He wanted to reform the corrupt Nationalist political system.

19. Quiz: U.S. Involvement in Korea
How did the United States’ involvement in Korea differ from previous wars?
A. Truman instituted the first military draft.
B. It defied the agreements of the UN resolution.
C. Truman did not ask Congress for a formal declaration of war.
D. It sent troops into forced marches and heavy combat.

20. Quiz: Outcomes of the Korean War
What led the communists to agree to a cease-fire in Korea?
A. the Soviet decision to radically change military policy
B. the decision to divide Korea at the 38th parallel
C. the United States’ heavy bombing of North Korea
D. the warning that nuclear weapons might be used