KOREAN WAR
BETTER ALTERNATIVE??
IMAGE:↥↥🠕 https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/25-photographs-of-the-korean-war 🠅🠅ACKNOWLEDGED
BACKGROUND:
This
is perhaps a 'Forgotten War'. Around 2.5 million Civilian were the casualties of the first war in Cold
War era.
Origins
however can be traced back to the start of World War II, when Korea was a
Japanese colony. After surrender of Japan, at the end of WWII, the Soviet Union
and the US divided Korea into two occupation zones at the 38th parallel. The
area north of the 38th Parallel, fell under Soviet control, whilst the region
to the south came under US influence. China became caretaker of North Korea—since
they had a common border.
Some
of the causes of the war include:
Soviet
expansion: Soviet expansion in Eastern Europe alarmed US leaders.
Strategic
importance: President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his advisors recognized
the importance of Korea for peace in Asia.
The
38th Parallel divided the Korean Peninsula in half. A North Korean army crossed
the 38th Parallel on 25 June 1950 and swiftly advanced towards south.
The
United Nations sent an international force, led by the Americans, to check
and fight the advancing North Korean Army.
Substantial
numbers of military personnel from 16 UN nations– including the US, Great
Britain, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Canada – fought as part of
the UN Force. It is unknown exactly how many people lost their lives during this
conflict, the first military action of the Cold War.
Both, Russia, and China are considered behind this
adventurism.
ACTION BY UN +USA (MacArthur)
Truman initially ordered MacArthur to go to Korea , taking
charge of UNO’s Force. . General Douglas
MacArthur's performance during the Korean War is still debated, but there are
arguments on both sides regarding his initial success and subsequent failure. Was
It Possible To Merge Both Korea? Let Us Review.
Successes And Strengths Of MacArthur:
1.
Successful Incheon landing. MacArthur's surprised North Koreans
by amphibious landing at Incheon, which was a daring and decisive victory that helped
turn the tide of the war in the UNO's favour. It led to the recapture of Seoul
and stabilization of the Pusan perimeter. It Demonstrated Macarthur's Skill As
A Military Commander And Strategist.
2.
Pushed, and caused North Korea's collapse. MacArthur's
subsequent daring strike north of the 38th parallel led to the near-total
collapse of North Korea's forces. He achieved a rapid victory, liberation of
North Korea and potential unification of Korea under UNO’s auspices. This early
success did validate his aggressive strategy.
3.
Stopped further communist advance. MacArthur helped stop North
Korea's initial aggression and advance of communism. His leadership helped
place Western forces in position to prevent complete conquest of South Korea by
North Korean/Chinese forces. Without his command, the outcome may have been
total defeat. The West maintained a bulwark against communism.
4. Experienced and successful
commander. MacArthur was an experienced, respected and accomplished
commander, having led forces to victory in World War 1, World War II (as
supreme commander of Allied forces in the Pacific) and now the initial phase of
the Korean War. He was seen as a capable strategist and leader, with an
impressive record of success against enemies of Western/US democracy.
Weaknesses, Failures And Criticism:
1.
Overly aggressive and got blinded by early victory. MacArthur's
rapid advance North to the Yalu river led lead to collision with massive
Chinese forces, suffering defeat and lead to retreat. North Korean, and Chinese
force was threatening to capture Seol! His actions were seen as reckless
overreach, exceeding limits and provoking unnecessary war with China. Critics
saw his claims of a "successor to Napoleon" as dangerously
exaggerated.
2.
Defiance and insubordination. MacArthur openly defied and
disagreed with Truman's policy limits on the war, advocating for expansion
against China that scared the possibility of nuclear war. His public defiance
and attempts to provoke broader war revealed insubordination, endangering
strategy through ego and ambition. This Led To His Dismissal As Commander.
3.
Commitment to total defeat of communism. Some historians argue
MacArthur's commitment to defeating communism led to reckless and excessive
actions, convinced that any limit or restraint was allowing the spread of
evils. But his "total victory" strategy seemed to threaten wider war
and may have led to disaster. Many Critics saw his extremism was threatening
global stability.
4.
Failure to anticipate Chinese intervention. MacArthur was slow
or failed to anticipate that China would intervene massively on behalf of its
ally North Korea. The surprise assault by hundreds of thousands of Chinese
troops led to his forces' collapse and defeat. MacArthur seemed oblivious to
China's intentions or capability, displaying poor judgment, intelligence
gathering and cunning as a commander.
5.
Unwillingness to develop nuanced strategy. MacArthur seemed
unwilling or unable to develop complex strategy with restraint and nuance. His
approach was either total victory through force of will and constitutional
authority or restraint and limited commitment that reduced the war to
"police action". There were few nuanced middle-grounds, leaving his
approach open to criticism as reckless or defeatist with little flexibility or
wisdom.
SUBSEQUENT SCENERIO:--
President
Truman replaced popular General Douglas MacArthur in the Korean War with
General Matthew Ridgway in April 1951.
Interestingly, Ridgeway stopped the North Korean and Chinese
advance pretty quickly. The war than settled into a stalemate that would last
until the ceasefire in 1953.
Only Nuclear intervention by USA may have united both the Korea, but
that certainly would have brought Russia into war with unpredictable
results. And UNO wouldn’t have agreed to
that. Even President of USA wouldn’t have risked that.
On July 27, 1953, seven months after President Eisenhower's
inauguration as the 34th President of the United States, an armistice was
signed, ending organized combat operations and leaving the Korean Peninsula
divided much as it had been since the close of World War II at the 38th
parallel.
MANY PEOPLE UNKNOWINGLY BLAME USA FOR THIS WAR. BUT KOREAN WAR WAS UNO’S WAR, ACTUATED BY NORTH
KOREAN AGGRESSION. GENERAL MACARTHER OFF COURSE ACTED UNWISELY.
SOURCES:--
1.0 https://www.asianstudies.org/publications/eaa/archives/the-korean-war-101-causes-course-and-conclusion-of-the-conflict/
2.0 https://www.history.com/topics/asian-history/korean-war
3.0 https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/wars-conflicts-and-operations/korean-war/korea-operations/korea-origins.html
4.0 https://ciaotest.cc.columbia.edu/journals/ijoks/v14i2/f_0019548_16694.pdf
5.0 https://digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org/topics/korean-war-origins-1945-1950
6.0
https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov/research/online-documents/korean-war#:~:text=After%20five%20years%20of%20simmering,from%20the%20non%2Dcommunist%20Republic
7.0
BOOK--"American Caesar Douglas
MacArthur 1880-1964," by William Manchester (1978).
8.0 IMAGE:- https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/25-photographs-of-the-korean-war ACKNOWLEDGED
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