Korean War:
Paper details:
The division of Korea into South Korea and North Korea following World War II set the stage for the Korean War. The South proclaimed itself the Republic of Korea after efforts to reunify the peninsula failed. In 1948, the North established the People’s Republic of Korea. In 1949, fighting broke out along the border between the North and the South, and on June 25, 1950, North Korean forces invaded the South. To defend the Republic, the United States entered the fighting under the auspices of the United Nations, along with a few British, Canadian, Australian, and Turkish troops. By October 1950, China had joined the war supporting the North. The Korean War saw some of the most intense fighting and harshest conditions that the United States military had ever experienced. Within three years, the United States had lost nearly 37,000 soldiers, with the majority of those losses occurring in the first year of the war. As preparation for this discussion, view the following two video clips:
• The Divided Peninsula
• From Invasion to Stalemate
What do you think was the primary cause of the the Korean War? Support your answer with information from your readings.