Korean War: Roles of China and Soviet Union

The Second World War was coming to an end with the surrender of Germany in May 1945. At the Potsdam Conference, the leaders of the Allied states came together to determine the postwar order of Europe and took decisions on the strategies of the ongoing war in the Pacific. Despite the repeated Allies demand for the surrender of its forces, Japan maintained fighting against the Allies. This situation left no more choice to the United States other than using atomic bomb to break the Japanese resistance and provide its surrender. The destruction caused by the bombing led Japan to surrender and obey the Allies terms. The next Allied move was to discuss and make decisions about the future of the Japanese colonies in the East Asia. Korea was also among the colonies, which the Imperial Japan had annexed in the early 1900s. The ultimate decision of the Allies for Korea was the joint occupation between the United States and the Soviet Union. With regard to this agreement, Korea was divided into two parts at the 38th parallel: the United States occupied the south of the demarcation line while the Soviet Union invaded the northern half.

The demarcation line dividing Korea into two parts has led a nation to become polarized and also terminated the history of Korea as a single nation. The division of the country by an artificial line gave rise to more problems than solving the existing ones. While the United States was determined to create a trusteeship in the country, which would give its place to independent Korea after five or ten years, the Soviet Union opposed to the idea of an immediate independence. The Soviet Union had an intention to establish communism functioning in Korea. The United States, on the other hand, was not willing to l...

... middle of paper ...

...ersity Press, 2004.

Goncharov, S. N., John W. Lewis, and Xue Litai. Uncertain Partners: Stalin, Mao and the Korean War. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1993.

Cumings, Bruce. The Korean War: A History. New York: Modern Library, 2011.

Pierpaoli, Paul G. Jr. Truman and Korea: The Political Culture of the Early Cold War. Columbia: University of Missouri, 1999.

Zhang, Shu Guang. Mao's Military Romanticism: China and the Korean War, 1950-1953. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1995.

Jian, Chen. China's Road to the Korean War. New York: Columbia University Press, 1996.

MacDonald, Callum A. Korea: The War before Vietnam. New York: The Free Press, 1986.

Lowe, Peter. The Origins of the Korean War. New York: Longman Publishing Group, 1987.

Whiting, Allen. China Crosses the Yalu: The Decision to Enter the Korean War. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1960.