Direct%20and%20Indirect%20Conflict

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Direct and Indirect Conflict

• American and Soviet Conflict by Proxy

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OVERVIEW

• This lesson examines
• The definition of proxy conflict
• Superpower involvement in the Korean War
• Long-term patterns

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Conflict by Proxy

• Context Question
• The US and the USSR rarely came close to direct
  confrontation. Why?

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Conflict by Proxy

• The USA and USSR did not border each other - the
  buildup of nuclear weapons was the major form of
  competition.
• Direct confrontation could lead to nuclear war
  this possibility acted as a limiting factor

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Conflict by Proxy

• Proxy conflict is when one or both superpowers
  were indirectly involved in conflict
• The superpowers fought against each other in
  alternate ways or supported forces which were
  loyal to their side, even though
• Such conflicts did not appear to have an
  influence on the superpowers immediate security.
  
• In what other ways might the superpowers compete
  with each other without using military means?

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The Korean War
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MAPS
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• In the United States, the war was initially
  described by President Truman as a police
  action
• It has been referred to in the United States as
  The Forgotten War or The Unknown War because the
  issues concerned were much less clear than in
  previous and subsequent conflicts, such as World
  War II and the Vietnam War
• In South Korea the war is usually referred to as
  "625" or the 625 Upheaval, reflecting the date
  of its commencement on 25 June.
• In North Korea the war is officially referred to
  as the Fatherland Liberation War
• In the People's Republic of China the war is
  called the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid
  Korea

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The Korean War

• The superpowers left Korea in a situation that
  would lead to future conflict
• The USSR disagreed with the UNs plan for
  elections
• Syngman Rhee became president of the Republic of
  Korea (ROK)
• Kim Il Sung became leader of the Democratic
  Peoples Republic of Koreas (DPRK)
• Both leaders claimed jurisdiction over the whole
  peninsula

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Background

• The Korean peninsula was ruled by the Empire of
  Japan from 1910 until the end of World War II.
• Following the surrender of Japan in 1945,
  American administrators divided the peninsula
  along the 38th parallel at the Potsdam
  Conference, without consulting the Koreans, with
  US military forces occupying the southern half
  and Soviet military forces occupying the
  northern half.

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• The Soviet Union withdrew as agreed from Korea in
  1948. U.S. troops withdrew from Korea in 1949,
  leaving the South Korean army relatively
  ill-equipped.

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The Korean War

• With Stalins support, North Korea launched an
  invasion of South Korea on June 25, 1950 with the
  goal of unification.
• The US gained support of the UN Security Council
  in the USSRs absence
• Sent soldiers and supplies to South Korea

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• It was the first significant armed conflict of
  the Cold War. In 1950 the Soviet Union boycotted
  the UNs Security Council, in protest at
  representation of China by the Kuomintang /
  Republic of China government, which had taken
  refuge in Taiwan following defeat in the Chinese
  Civil War.
• In the absence of a dissenting voice from the
  Soviet Union, who could have vetoed it, USA and
  other countries passed a security council
  resolution authorizing military intervention in
  Korea.

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The Korean War

• By September 1950, the US and UN forces had
  pushed the DPRK out of South Korea. The US and UN
  forces wanted to unify Korea under a friendly
  government.
• In what way might the Soviets and the Chinese
  have responded and how did they justify their
  involvement?

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The Korean War

• Context Question
• During WWII, when faced with the possibility of
  large casualties in the attempt to invade Japan,
  what option did the US choose and why?

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The Korean War

• In early 1950, China had pushed the US and UN
  below the 38th parallel. In danger of losing the
  war, what options did the US have? What would
  have been the consequences of these choices?

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To fight and gain as much territory as possible
To retreat and give up South Korea
To launch a tactical nuclear strike
The likely result?
The likely result?
The likely result?
Maintenance of a divided Korea
Loss of face and confidence in American leadership
Nuclear war with the Soviet Union
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TIMELINE

• 1945 Korea controlled by Japan
• Soviets occupied the NORTH, America the SOUTH
• The two halves were divided by the 38th Parallel
• 1947 elections held in the South supported by
  the US The North had its own govt. backed by the
  Soviets
• Each government claimed to be the rightful
  rulers of Korea
• Each side was supported by the respective
  superpower even though they withdrew troops in
  1948.

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TIMELINE

• 1949 China became Communist supported N Korea
• 1950 N Korea invaded S Korea
• Sept 1950 UN troops into S Korea at INCHON
• N Koreans pushed back into N Korea
• Oct 1950 Chinese invaded N Korea
• UN troops pushed back to S Korea
• 1950-51 STALEMATE around 38th Parallel
• April 1951 MacArthur removed from position
  replaced by General Omar Bradley

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TIMELINE

• Fighting continued until 1952
• 1952 Truman replaced by Eisenhower
• 1953 Stalin died
• July 1953 - Armistice signed

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The Key Players

• Truman
• Syngman Rhee SK
• UN
• MacArthur
• Bradley

• Kim Il Sung - NK
• Mao Tse Tung
• Stalin

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• The United States of America provided 88 of the
  341,000 international soldiers which aided South
  Korean forces in repelling the invasion, with
  twenty other countries of the United Nation
  offering assistance. Suffering severe casualties,
  within two months the defenders were pushed back
  to a small area in the south of the Korean
  Penisula known as the Pusan perimeter.
• A rapid U.N. counter-offensive then drove the
  North Koreans past the 38th Parallel and almost
  to the Yalu River, when the Peoples Republic of
  China (PRC) entered the war on the side of North
  Korea. Chinese intervention forced the
  Southern-allied forces to retreat behind the 38th
  Parallel.
• While not directly committing forces to the
  conflict, the Soviet Union provided material aid
  to both the North Korean and Chinese armies.
• The active stage of the war ended on 27 July
  1953, when the armistice agreement was signed.
  The agreement restored the border between the
  Koreas near the 38th Parallel and created the
  Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a 2.5-mile
  (4.0 km)-wide fortified buffer zone between the
  two Korean nations.
• Minor outbreaks of fighting continue to the
  present day.

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The Korean War

• The removal of General MacArthur resulted in the
  search for negotiations.
• By Oct 1963
• Around 4 million Koreans had died
• The North and South Korea border was near its
  original 38th parallel
• The UN, North Korea and China signed an armistice

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Long-term patterns

• Context Question
• When the US was faced with communist aggression,
  how did it respond in Greece, the Berlin blockade
  and the invasion of South Korea?

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Long-term patterns

• After the Korean War, the US had an established
  goal for its foreign policy
• Containment
• The use of economic, diplomatic and/or military
  means to prevent the spread of communism to other
  countries

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Long-term patterns

• How would the US achieve containment?
• Economic support of friendly governments
• Sponsorship of rebel movements
• Use of international support
• Military buildup and intervention

Would these policies encourage or discourage
peace between the superpowers? Explain.
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SUMMARY QUESTIONS

• How were the Berlin Airlift and the Korean War
  examples of proxy conflict?
• Why did the US consider the use of atomic weapons
  in the Korean War?
• How was the Korean conflict resolved and what
  pattern of US foreign policy was established
  afterwards?