HIS344Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Itch, Syngman Rhee
Document Summary
Although reunification negotiations continued in the months preceding the war, tension intensified: escalated into open warfare, when north korean forces invaded south korea on 25. North korea attacks south seen as provocation: north korea attacked across the 38th parallel. Because the south korean army had no armour at all, the north korean attacks were successful: result: the u. s. pushed a resolution through the un security council branding the. North koreans as aggressors, demanding a cessation of hostilities. Why us entered: major test for the policy of containment if the u. s. allowed korea to fall to the. Communists, it might send a message to the soviet union that the u. s. would not back up its commitments to western europe: chiang"s kai-shek could not hold on in formosa (former name of taiwan) without an. American commitment nor could rhee syngman (korean president) in south korea hold without an american commitment.
