Following WWII, the Allied powers split up the Korean peninsula similarly to how Germany had been divided, with the Soviets controlling the North and the US controlling the South. This led to a communist North Korea and non-communist South Korea, and when these two wanted to unify, both wanted to do so on their premises. The North, then attacked the South to take over as a way to unify, leading to a war between the two. The US, as well as other countries, entered the conflict between the nations in order to combat or advocate for the spread of communism. The United States, one of the countries opposing communism under was led at this time by President Harry Truman. However, while leading the military campaign in Korea, President Truman was …show more content…
Throughout the speech, he mentions how his actions are preventing a “general war”, with the repetition of these phrase having the effect of making it seem very possible, and, therefore something to fear. Truman also knows that propaganda about the “red menace” has made the American people very anti-communist and that in alluding repeatedly to “communist aggression” or “aggressor” he is able to create a sense concern. As a speaker, he knows his audience when building the atmosphere with his word choice. The Korea War didn’t have an effect on American lives in the same way that WWII had in earlier years, which allowed for it to become a distant idea in the back of everyday American minds. However, these same people had just been through WWII, meaning the threat of another world war, or general war is a realistic possibility and makes the threat seem more tangible than that of a war an ocean away and taps into the fear associated with the last war. Furthermore, by pulling the threat of communism into the speech he finds another way to associate this faraway war with emotions that everyday Americans can relate to because of the mass amount of anti-communist propaganda happening since the end of the first World War. While the war, too many, seems far away, leaving most Americans unaffected, especially compared to WWII, Truman is able to tap into fear by making it seem more eminent a threat and more relatable. This
As stated the response was not due to the U.S. just wanting to be superior and not wanting to lose to Russia, there could have been more options if more patience was given, and there were many more casualties in this time. This matters because no matter what the situation is there is always a way to go about the situation and come up with the best solution. I feel Truman was not seeing how one thing could harshly affect the world and resulted in deaths. This should matter because every individual should be aware enough to know how badly things may go and not just make a decision so fast. Some might argue that the War ended faster and lives were saved because of this decision that was made.
Truman did not have an easy first few months as president because he became president during World War II. At the end of his first day, he was told that the US and Great Britain were working on an atomic bomb. Not much later, the bomb was tested in New Mexico and was more powerful
Throughout the days, many people disagreed with the fact that Truman had fired MacArthur but, over time, the numbers gradually decreased. On May 7th, the number of Americans that supported Truman were higher than the ones who did not. Americans were beginning to agree with the idea that the atomic bomb was a dangerous military weapon that should not be used if it affects a great number of people. Truman’s decision to not drop the bomb was right because it kept some sort of peace between the countries and did not set off WWIII. Furthermore, in document B(Textbook B), it explains how North Korea made the first move on the war.
The Korean War was an example of containment, where the U.S. aided South Korea against North Korea. North Korea is communist and had troops in South Korea, which they were ordered to withdraw by the United Nations. After they did not, America sent troops to aid South Korea and started a war. North Korea then got help from China and Russia, other communist powers. The issue with the Korean War was the controversy over the containment policy.
We were going through the Cold War, which meant that us and Russia were individually collecting an arsenal of world-ending bombs. As a new president, John F. Kennedy was getting inaugurated into office, he decided that he would make a statement about the silent war. JFK’s inaugural address focused on this issue of the constant threat of nuclear disaster, throughout the speech he would reference and comment about this, as well as the idea of our independence. His second and third paragraphs document this nicely. First, he speaks about the tradition of the inauguration, and on what it represents, “We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom--symbolizing an end as well as a beginning--signifying renewal as well as change.
The biggest challenges faced by America in the Korean War were, Korea not being able to defend itself, tactics Korean communist troops used against America and soldiers thinking the war as useless while questioning “What are we fighting for?” The Korean War lasted from 1950 to 1953, beginning when the North Korean communist army crossed the 38th parallel and invaded non-communist South Korea. As Kim II-sung's North Korean troops armed with soviet tanks, quickly overran South Korea and the United States came to South Korea's aid. If South Korea was not able to carry itself without the Unite States and the Soviet Union getting involved then that would cause another world war, because all of Korea would become communist because of North Korea
The alternative, they feared, would be a war on a much larger scale with Communist Russia and China. In July 1953, the Korean War was over. In all, 5 million soldiers and civilians lost their lives during the war. The Korean peninsula is still divided today, the border is known as the D.M.Z. or Demilitarized zone. Americans involved themselves in these foreign affairs against communism because of the paranoid attitude of McCarthyism.
Truman, in our view, changed radically from his early days in the White House to the end of his political career. If there were one constant thread through his entire personality, however, it was his determination to do what he felt was right at every step. His tactical approach on how best to accomplish this changed, which is more a story of his growth in self-confidence over that time. Truman’s early Presidential days in WWII showed a humility and self-awareness of his own ineptitude, and in those days, he relied heavily on outside counsel and advice on how to handle decisions like how to secure total victory in Japan.
The attack comes without warning and President Harry Truman, with the help of the United Nations, vows to defend democratic South Korea. The Containment Policy stated that the US would support any nation that are being oppressed by communism and cannot protect themselves from it. This became America’s major reason to intervene in the Korean War. However, the policy of containment came under attack due casualties and economic issues that the policy created. One of the major effects that over extended the powers of American foreign policy is that it gave the US a reason to interfere with any war they wanted as long as it involved communism.
Therefore, people doubted whether Kennedy would be able to handle the crisis of the Cold War. The Cold War was a period of tension, proxy wars, and rivalry between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Kennedy’s presidency was in the midst of this tension, so his speech would have reached an audience beyond the U.S. The United States and the Soviet Union and its allies certainly interpret Kennedy’s speech differently. Kennedy says, “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill,
The United States stayed in the war the entire time with South Korea. Yet the spread of Communism was slowing down on its own in Korea, so there was no need to be involved in the Korean War. This is evidenced in the book The 2nd Infantry Division Vol. III, which notes that “Chinese Communists that were helping in the North slowed down.” When Truman heard about the Chinese involvement and the slowing of the communist moment through his generals, he was ecstatic.
With this bomb we have added a new and revolutionary increase in destruction to supplement the growing power of our armed forces. In their present form these bombs are now in production and even more powerful forms are in development.” (Truman 1) By educating the audience, the audience can understand and have more knowledge about why the dropping of the atomic bomb was necessary for society and other countries. By stating repetition and tone, Truman can back up his claim that the atomic bomb saved more lives and shortened the
Truman is trying to find out the truth about what happened to his father that day many years ago and to try and find peace with his past. After a long talk both of the most important people in his life tell him he is crazy and is only using his imagination. This leaves Truman feeling completely confused and still in awe for meaning. He is overwhelmed with the feeling that his whole life is a lie and wants the
North Koreans forces surprised the South Korean army. . . and
Prior to the Korean War the two Koreas were already heading down quite different routes in their development, the War served to define this difference even more so. In the lead up to the war Kim Il Sung (Kim Il Sŏng) relied heavily on Soviet Koreans guidance on many aspects of running the country. While Syngman Rhee (Yi Sŭngman) was a charismatic leader that had unrealistic visions for the country that tended not to incorporate the problems of the moment. When it came to the post war period North Korea had found its footing and was more politically stable than the South who were still trying to find its feet politically. Kim saw unification still as his main goal since the ceasefire was simply a temporary setback in his plans.