AS Unit F962 - European and World History Period Studies
Essay
What Caused the Korean War? Korean Nationalism vs Communist Agression
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AS Unit F962 - European and World History Period Studies
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OCR
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Access to History: The Cold War in Asia 1945-93 for OCR Second Edition
Which of the following factors was more important in the outbreak of the Korean War on June 25th, 1950?
i) Korean nationalism
ii) Communist aggression
Explain your answer with reference to both (i) and (ii). [10]
9/10 response
which of the following factors was more important in the outbreak of the korean war on june 25th
1950 i korean nationalism ii communist aggression explain your answer with reference to both i a
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Which of the following factors was more important in the outbreak of the Korean War on
June 25th, 1950?
i) Korean nationalism
ii) Communist aggression
Explain your answer with reference to both (i) and (ii). [10]
Korean Nationalism was the underpinning factor and therefore a long-term cause of the
outbreak of the Korean War. Korea had wanted independence since 1911 whilst under
Japanese occupation. This led to Korean nationalism being far more extreme, making war
more likely. The two Korean leaders, Kim Il Sung and Syngman Rhee, were also fervent
nationalists. However, they had conflicting and incompatible visions for the Korean
Peninsula. Kim Il Sung was a devout Communist and asked the Soviets and Chinese for
military support to help him to launch an attack on the south. Kim’s nationalistic nature
could perhaps have been initiated when he joined the guerrilla forces aged just 18 years old
to help fight against the Japanese whilst under occupation. Additionally, from 1941 to 1945
Kim Il Sung led a contingent in the Soviet Army, this allowed him to establish connections
with Stalin which led to the attack on the south on June 25th,1950. On the other hand, the
leader of the south, Syngman Rhee, was a passionate capitalist and westernised Korea, with
himself as an authoritarian leader. He also sought U.S. military support to launch his attack
on the North. Rhee caused mass movement when Kim returned in 1945, gaining
nationalistic support. Syngman Rhee’s nationalism even caused him to be arrested in 1898
which caused his imprisonment. He spent time in the USA where he developed relationships
as well as sparking his interest in capitalism, causing conflict with, and ultimately leading to
the outbreak of the Korean War on 25th June 1950, with Kim Il Sung. Both leaders were
militant nationalists which inevitably lead them to conflict as they desired ultimate control.
An example of this was the border attacks from 1948-1950 where there were around 400
casualties, arguably starting the civil war. Both leaders aimed to reunify the Korean
Peninsula but only their own ambition and ideology of which the two couldn’t coexist.
Communist aggression was the short term, trigger factor which led to the outbreak of the
Korean War making it more important. In August 1948, Kim Il Sung established his regime in
the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea which was supported by the USSR and China.
This ultimately gave him the power to launch an attack on the south, leading to the Korean
War. Kim Il Sung was eager for war and constantly pestered Stalin until he agreed to the
attack on the south. A big turning point was China’s fall to communism in 1949 and when
the USSR finally invented nuclear weapons also in 1949. China’s fall to communism
ultimately changed Stalin’s mind and allowed Kim to attack the south as he knew they
needed to secure their positions in Asia. Stalin was concerned that the domino theory could
be in effect so his increased arrogance and invention of nuclear weapons gave him
confidence to attack the south as he wanted to be the most powerful communist. North
Korea were supplied with Soviet tanks, air support and military advisors which gave Kim the
resource to attack the South, leading to the outbreak of the Korean War. Soviet support
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