[wolfgangqpublic]

Why did the US intervene in the Korean War? What were the reasons? (ie. Was it due to domestic pressures or because of the events in Asia)?

[ScottGem]

Please review the guidelines on asking for help with homework that can be found here:



Ask Me Help Desk - Announcements in Forum : Arts & Literature

[pikira]

The US had been responding to their vital Cold War interests.

They believed in what was the Domino theory of which when one country fell to communism, it would export communism to its neighbours who would continue the cycle. The fall of China to communism in 1949 had made Truman greatly worried about the spread of communism in Asia. Thus, they intervened in the Korean War (which had been a localized civil war) despite the region being defined as out of its defence parameters.

This can be seen as either 1. a show of power or 2. a way to cover up their weaknesses, both of which were vital during the period where a global competition for power and influence that was ongoing due to the Cold War.

In other words, you can view it as this:
They used to Korean War to cover up their humiliation at losing China to the USSR.

OR

They used the Korean War as an exhibition of their power relative to the USSR without directly confronting the Communist power (as they used the UN banner as a guise for their involvement in the region).

[humph]

US entered the war because they did not want communism to spread and if south korea fell more democratic nations would like the domino effect as truman said so it was good that US entered