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6 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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INTRO
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-superpower rivalry emerged as a result of the second WW
- Korean War (1950-53) was influenced as well as triggered by the tensions and rivalry between the newly emerged superpowers - maintain their influence in Korea and counteract the expansionism of the other superpower - BUT extent of involvement not always konsistent inconsistent because involvement only needed if the other superpower involved - fundamental misunderstanding between the superpowers US totally misunderstood the relation between the USSR and China |
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Main Argument
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inconsistency in superpower involvement caused by superpower rivalries combined with fundamental misunderstanding caused the Korean War.
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1st para: conflicting ideologies (US)
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- led to rivalries
- US containment: Truman doctrine "it must be the policy of the United states to support people who are resisting attempted subjugaton." - Korean people an example of subjugated people - NSC 68 promoted military commitment, annula appropriations of the order of $50 billion - US involvement came from the need to defend countries from Sovietization Truman "If we let Korea down, the Soviets will keep right on going and swallow up one piece of Asia after another." - domino effect |
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2nd para: US source of fundamental misunderstanding
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- key documents of the cold war
- did not notice the rivalry between the USSR and China - two communist powers that needed to be contained - Soviet foreign policy a clear example of this triangular relationship because of Mao's takeover, he feared to lose influence in Asia - counteract to maintain his dominant position in asia John Lewis Gaddis "Stalin's opportunism played an importan role in the outbreak of the Korean War." - Following the US perimeter speech which excluded South Korea from the American defensive perimeter in the Western Pacific, Stalin saw the opportunity to approach South Korea without provoking a too strong response - decided to support Kim Il Sung as this could secure the Soviet position in North-East Asia |
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3rd para: Chinese foreign policy
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- did not directly contribute to the outbreak of the Korean war
- BUT emerging communist power presset Stalin to expand his power himself |
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4th para: Inconsistency
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- Acheson's perimeter speech
- US and USSR withdrawal in 1948 - Chaos, North felt invited to invade South - with consistency the war might have been avoided - no opportunity to invade without causing too much trouble |
