10 Things Everyone Should Know About the Korean War

1.In September 1949, Communists in China defeated the Nationalists (anti-communist) in a civil war and Mao Zedong became head of the Communist state there. The Nationalist government then went to Taiwan, an island off the coast of mainland China. Many Americans saw this as the Communist's plot to take over the world.
2.Korea had been a Japanese colony, and when Japan surrendered to the Allies, Soviet Troops occupied Korea north of the 38th parallel (line of latititude) since 1945 and Americans occupied Korea south of that line. In North Korea, Soviets helped a Communist government get to power and in South Korea, a oncommunist leader was in power.
3.June 1950- North Korea invaded South Korea and the US appealed to the UN to stop the communist move into South Korea and 16 nations gave soldiers to the UN force, but Americans made up most of the force and did most of the fighting. This war lasted for 3 years and is called the Korean War.
4.Early on, North Korea pushed South Korea back to Pusan (South Korea had a small wedge of land near the ocean) but MacArthur (commander of all UN forces) turned the situation around and landed his troops at Inchon, a port city behind North Korean lines. This plan was dangerous, but luckily it worked. Because North Koreans were being attacked from both sides, they retreated behind the 38th parallel.
5. MacArthur asked for permissionm from the US and UN to go after the North Korean troops and they said yes. Truman hoped this would reunite the 2 Koreas and when UN forces pushed north, beyond the 38th parallel toward the Yalu River, the boundary seperating China and North Korea, the Chinese warned them to stop.
6. Communist China thought the UN invasion into North Korea would threaten China's security and because China had warned the UN troops about advancing further and the UN ignored the warning, China entered teh War on November 25, 1950 and attacked across the Yalu River into North Korea and drove UN troops back into South Korea.
7. General MacArthur asked Truman for permission to blockade and bomb China, but Truman refused. MacArthur then tried to win support for his war aims by speaking and writing to newspapers and writing to Republican Leaders. Truman thought that this was undermining civillian control of the military and fired MacArthur.
8. The war was draggin gon and was very unpopular and Truman accepted a Soviet suggestion for truce talks which lasted for 2 years and continued through the 1952 elections. Dwight D Eisenhower was elected and promised to end the war quickly.
9. Eisenhower talked with North Korea and China and they agreed to compromise to end the war, but warned that he would use nuclear weapons and carry war into China.
10. In July, 1953, a cease-fire ended the war. The Koreas were left basically where they were when fighting had started and the border was near the 38th parallel and communism had been contained in Korea.