Truman and Korea

Paper Summary:

This paper describes the significance of the Korean War in terms of how it tested, not the military power of the nations involved, but the will and strategies of the leaders of those nations. The paper recounts the events leading up to the war, outlines the main points of the Truman Doctrine, and explains how Truman's political acumen kept the Korean War from becoming the next World War.

From the Paper:

"Following the use of atomic weapons on Japan to end WWII, Russia had developed atomic weapons also. Thus as the world entered the military playground called the Korean peninsula, each country was fearful of a conflict which would escalate to a level wherein atomic weapons would be used again. The prior generation's definition of victory, which is total victory at all costs, became a secondary goal to the prosecution of this war. This war was about forming alliances which would last into a lengthy cold war, and securing partners who could watch borders from around the world. Because of atomic weaponry, prosecuting a war was no longer defined by moving large amounts of men and equipment from one location to another. War became a much more strategic enterprise, and for the newly formed United Nations, and the two victors from WWII, the war was a test of how far they would go and still avoid all out war, rather how far they would go to win the conflict. As the world looked at the ashes of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, everyone had a clear understanding that an all out war would create no victors."

More papers on Truman and Korea:

• Comparison Essay # 67073 : "Truman and Johnson: Crisis in Asia"
• Analytical Essay # 127658 : "Truman, MacArthur and Korea"
• Comparison Essay # 45090 : "Truman and Reagan"

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