The Cold War And The War Of The Korean War

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The Korean War was a war between North Korea and South Korea that involved the support of the world’s most powerful countries. “ It was the only occasion in the Cold War when the military forces of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the Soviet Union, and the USA (plus its Western allies) met in combat” (Malkasian 5). The Korean War was the first “hot war” of the Cold War which ended in a stalemate creating the two Koreas.
Leading Up to the War
During World War I, the Japanese tried to claim and influence Chinese territory which pushed the Chinese to want to build a stronger nation. A civil war arose between the Nationalist Party led by Jiang Jieshi and the Communist Party led by Mao Zedong as to who would be able to govern China. “Mao’s land reforms and his promise of equality, as well as his military victories, led the Communists to power in 1949” (Cayton 653). This victory was also possible because the Communists were helped by North Koreans who supplied materials and men. The Chinese promised that if the North Koreans were to ever go to war with South Korea that they would help. The Chinese Civil War ended up creating a communist China led by Mao Zedong which would end up expanding Communism into Korea.
Earlier, the Japanese annexed Korea as a protectorate but they invaded the land more than they protected it. Japanese rule was so harsh which made the Koreans wish that the Japanese would be defeated in World War 2 so that their nation could be back to normal. Also during this time, the 38th parallel was a temporary dividing line in Korea that would later become permanent. Then, the soviet soldiers accepted the surrender of the Japanese troops north of the 38th parallel and the Americans did the same for the south of th...

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..., South Korea’s economy ranked 15 in the world which is impressive for such a small country. Also, every couple of years, North and South Korea will both agree on a family reunion day in which they allow families who were broken up to meet each other for a day. It is very sad because they are only able to see each other for a day and are not able to know whether they will be able to see their family again. Korea still remains divided and does not show great signs of reunitement being possible.

Conclusion
The Korean war was a short but hard fought war that created a permanent line between two countries. Now we have communist North Korea and the Republic of South Korea. Overshadowed by the Vietnam War and World War II, the Korean War also became known as “The Forgotten War” or “The Unknown War” but it still has important lasting effects on the world.

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