The document discusses how tensions between the US and USSR increased during the Cold War, particularly due to events in Asia. It describes how the USSR helped Communist forces in China's civil war, alarming the US. When North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950, both superpowers backed opposing sides militarily, showing their rivalry and escalating Cold War tensions. The Korean War ended in 1953 with an armistice and division of Korea along the 38th parallel, but the conflict demonstrated that the US and USSR were willing to engage in direct military confrontation to influence events.

1. The Cold War
1945-1989
Crisis over
Korea
Reasons that the Cold War started

2. Reasons the Cold War started
In today’s class I am learning to:
• Describe events in Korea,
including the Korean War
• Analyse the impact of events in
Korea in causing the Cold War

3. Reasons the Cold War started
The USA knew that
attempts to remove
Communist control from
countries would
probably lead to war.
Their policy was
Containment, where
they aimed to stop any
further spread of
Communism, with funds
and military support.

4. Reasons the Cold War started
This led to what was
known as the Truman
Doctrine.
US President Harry
Truman promised
support to any country
being threatened by
Communist groups. This
included military aid
being given to Greece
in 1947.

5. Reasons the Cold War started
Most of the early
disagreements between
the USA and USSR took
place in Europe.
However tensions also
existed in Asia. This
was especially after
China became Communist
in 1949, following a
major civil war.

6. Reasons the Cold War started
Chinese communism was
not created by the
USSR – but they did
support it.
One reason the
Communists won the
civil war was that
the USSR helped them
by giving them
Japanese weapons from
during World War Two.

7. Reasons the Cold War started
China becoming
Communist (with USSR
help) increased
American fears as well
as anger towards the
Soviet Union.
This forced the USA
strategy of
Containment to not
simply target Europe
but also Asia.

8. Reasons the Cold War started
The USSR wanted to
influence Asia because
their territory covers
this continent; they
had no such plans in
western Europe.
When Communist revolts
broke out in Greece in
1944, the USSR agreed
that British troops
could stop it.

9. Reasons the Cold War started
Korea was under the
control of Japan until
the end of the Second
World War.
Before Japan’s
surrender, Soviet
troops had invaded the
north of Korea; the
USA had control of the
south of the country.

10. Reasons the Cold War started
The north and south of
Korea were different;
the north was
Communist and the
south was Capitalist.
Each government
believed they should
have control of all
Korea. In June 1950,
the north invaded the
south of Korea.

11. Reasons the Cold War started
In the early days of
the war, the north was
in control. They
forced the south’s
troops to retreat.
The north even took
control of Seoul, the
south’s capital city.
It looked as though
the Communists would
control all Korea.

12. Reasons the Cold War started
The USA wanted to stop
a Communist Korea and
so supported United
Nations’ efforts (in
fact, 90% of UN troops
were American).
This was also because
the US government had
been heavily
criticised after China
become Communist.

13. Reasons the Cold War started
America gave a huge
amount of military
support to the south
(along with countries
like the UK).
The USA’s backing
included sending in
ground troops and
also military
aircraft such as F-86
Sabre jets.

14. Reasons the Cold War started
As the USA was
providing military
support to the south,
the USSR and China
gave similar help to
the north.
For instance, China
sent in soldiers to
take part in the
fighting.

15. Reasons the Cold War started
The Soviet Union was
at first reluctant to
become directly
involved in the war.
However over time they
agreed to do so. This
included sending
Soviet MIG-15 aircraft
to take part in aerial
battles, and giving
medical aid too.

16. Reasons the Cold War started
The USA and USSR each
provided support in
the Korean War –
bringing them into
military conflict with
one another.
This clearly showed
their rivalry and
would only increase as
each tried to stop the
other one.

17. Reasons the Cold War started
It was not simply the
USSR that provided
support for the north
of Korea; Communist
China did too.
Despite of this, they
did not enter a Cold
War with the USA,
suggesting other
factors (outwith Asia)
may be more relevant.

18. Reasons the Cold War started
The Korean conflict even created the
possibility that nuclear weapons could be
used, causing global war fears.

19. Reasons the Cold War started
During the Korean War,
both sides made and
lost ground. It was a
stalemate: a conflict
that neither side
could win.
By 1953 both sides
wanted to see an end
to the war, especially
new US President
Dwight Eisenhower.

20. Reasons the Cold War started
On 27 July 1953 a
ceasefire was agreed.
This agreed to divide
the country at the 38th
Parallel.
This created North
Korea and South Korea,
divided by a
demilitarised zone,
about 2.5 miles wide
and 160 miles long.

21. Reasons the Cold War started
Korea was not the only
Asian country in which
both sides came into
conflict.
Most famously in
Vietnam the USA sent
in troops to stop the
Communist north taking
control of the south.
However this ended
with a Communist win.

22. Reasons the Cold War started
Before the Korean War,
both sides had only
engaged in arguments,
not military conflict.
The Korean War
established that the
USA and USSR were both
prepared to use their
military to stop the
other side, leading to
the Cold War.

23. Reasons the Cold War started
However ultimately the
Korean War ended with
neither side having
lost ground, or seen
the other gain.
This undermines the
idea that the Korean
War led to Cold War
because by 1953 this
Asian conflict had
come to an end.