Motivations for Usa and Ussr Entry Into the Korean War

While both North and South Koreans may have thought they were fighting against each other in a civil war to re-unite all of Korea under a single government and ideology, the Korean War was in fact dominated by the influential power of the USSR and to a lesser extent the Unites States.   The Korean War or “episode” as part of the more substantial Cold War, was in fact a front used by the USA and the USSR to oppose each other without causing a direct confrontation which would have lead to MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) considering both of these countries controlled atomic bombs.

The USA took part in the Korean War for many valid reasons, the Domino theory probably being the most necessary reason.   Eastern Europe was not the only place to collapse under communist ideologies during the cold war.   In the far East, China also became communist (in 1949) which caused severe concern for the USA seeing as China has the largest population in the world.   Like dominoes, Truman (US President at the time of the Korean War) believed that if Korea were to fall under Stalin’s (USSR leader at the time) sphere of influence then Japan would be next.   Japan being a major trading partner with the USA caused Truman to react militarily to protect American trade.

Another reason for the United States to enter the Korean War was to undermine communism.   Truman firmly believed that the capitalist, American way of life was in serious danger of being overwhelmed by the communist ideologies of the USSR.   The battle of containing communism which was addressed in the earlier fight to oppress the USSR’s expansion into Greece and Turkey had developed a plan known as the Truman Doctrine which is what came into effect in the Korean War.   Truman stated that the Truman Doctrine applied to Asia as well as Europe which is why military and economic aid was given to South Korea.   Soon after Truman said help was to be given to South Korea, in April 1950, the American National Security...