The Making of the Korean War and Its End Term Paper

The Making of the Korean War and Its End - Term Paper Example With the help of communists, North Korea was sure of a swift win in South Korea and never thought that the United States would come to the assistance of South Korea in time. However, the South Korean communists had been suppressed harshly with no chance of helping North Korea forces. After successfully defeating the South Korean army and on the brink of winning, a combined United States and United Nations forces attacked North Korean forces successfully pushing North Korean forces past the 38th parallel. Kim had grossly underestimated the United States armed forces capacity in the region and the U.S commitment to Ryee’s government. North Korea invaded South Korea starting the civil war in which Koreans fought each other on their own soil. Had Kim not invaded the south the civil war would not have started but still it could not have been fought if the communist Russians and the United Nations had not divided the country at the 38th parallel splitting the country into an industr ial north and an agricultural south after World War II. North Korea had a superior army and quickly overwhelmed the South Korean Forces. With military support from Stalin and blessings from Mao, South Korea could not hold long, and they did not; they had a weaker army and were not prepared for war. North Korea’s leader had unified his country with swift reforms and nationalistic policies, which increased his popularity in contrast to Ryees government, which had embarked on a campaign to root out communists. It was his unification ambition and his brutal leadership that had prevented the United States from strengthening his military strength. Kim’s army had the support of the Soviet Union and without Stalin’s support; he would have delayed his attempts at unifying Korea through military means. Why Did United States and Russia Interfere In The War? Failing to unify their country due to bad communications and different ideologies, Kim and Ryee had to involve extern al powers to unite Korea. Stalin initially did not support Kim in attacking South Korea, he changed his mind when China’s communist took china’s leadership and the Soviet Union acquired and tested their first atomic bomb. NATO was established when Russia’s relation with the west was very poor. They could not support the war because the country’s sovereignty was threatened by the west and he did not want to aggravate the situation1. The atomic bomb made the Soviets more secure and hence they stopped being concerned with the reaction of the United States if they actively supported the war. The United States could have attacked the Soviet Union from the south but through Acheson statements America weakening involvement in Asia was evident. Russia wrongly interpreted this as a weakening of the United States military capabilities and influence around the region. If Russia did not have the capability to defend itself against the west, Stalin would not have cons ented to the war. The increasing communist successes in the region concerned the United States government. Communist governments spread would weaken their influence in the region. If South Korea had suppressed North Koreas attack, Washington would not have a valid reason to attack. By defending the South Korea nationalistic government, it would empower the people through democracy, but Bruce Cumings disagrees claiming that the United States and South Korea committed sustained atrocities during the war. He claims that many unarmed civilians were shot