1. Cast of the US comedy MASH set during the Korean War (1950-53)
Cast of the US comedy MASH set during the Korean War ( ). Why do you think the US got involved in Korea?

2. To explain events which sparked the war in Korea
Who or what was to blame for the extension of Cold War to the Far East?
 Aims
To explain events which sparked the war in Korea
To evaluate the historiographical debate over the causes of the Korean War

3. Reasons for US involvement
‘Domino theory’ & ‘Roll back’
Unwilling to repeat experience of Eastern Europe
Communist People’s Republic of China (1949)
Intervention from China & USSR
Red scare & McCarthyism (1950s)
Internal pressure - NSC-68

4.  Your task
Read p.63-4 of Phillips and find out what sparked the Korean War in 1950.
Kim il Sung, North Korea ( )
Syngman Rhee, South Korea ( )

5. Causes of Korean War
Debate over who made first move: North claimed S Korean troops seized N Korean town of Haeju; South claimed it had been invaded by North
Disputes over elections after WWII – UN committee dominated by US
Characteristics of governments in N & S Korea: anti-communist leadership in S Korea & v Democratic People’s Republic in N Korea
Withdrawal of US & USSR troops after 1949: S Korea left vulnerable

6.  Your task
Read pp.64-6 and note down the key ideas of each historiographical viewpoint.
You have to make a pitch to the class to prove that your view of the causes of the Korean War is correct. Each group will take a different historiographical view point. Use evidence from your own knowledge to support your views, but you can’t use notes or textbooks.
Traditional / orthodox view
Revisionist view
Local factors approach
Domestic pressures on Truman

7. Traditional view
Responsibility of North – view endorsed by David Rees, ‘Korea: Limited War’
Truman intervene to protect Koreans from Communist aggression
UN was used as a cover for US foreign policy
US feared further Communist expansion – domino theory – after revolution in China, 1949

8. Revisionist view
Stalin was too cautious to prompt a war in Korea – view endorsed by Kathryn Weathersby in ‘Stalin, Kim il Sung & the Prelude to War’, Khrushchev's memoirs & recent Russian historians
Stalin was a facilitator rather than originator of war
Stalin wished to forestall an attack by South

9. Local / international factors
Local war which drew in superpowers – view endorsed by Bruce Cumings, ‘Origins of the Korean War
US policy of containment escalated civil war into Cold War
US, USSR & China used Korea to play out international differences

10. Truman’s foreign policy
Domestic political pressure – Truman acccused of being ‘soft’ on Communism
Red Scare & McCarthy witch hunt gathering popular support in US in early 1950s
Hawks in US administration put pressure on Truman to act decisively

11.  Your task
Work in teams. Study sources O-R on p.67. Identify what the author’s interpretation of the causes of Cold War.
What evidence would you use to support this?
What evidence would you use to challenge this?
Extension. Explain why you feel your interpretation is the most accurate. Use your own knowledge to write a conclusion. Try to dismiss any counter-arguments as well.

12. What the sources say Source O: ‘No one and everyone was responsible’
Source P: USSR supported the invasion of North Korea
Source Q: N Korea thought US withdrawal signalled abandonment of Korea to communism
Source R: Superpowers used Korea as a way of playing out Cold War power politics but avoiding direct conflict

13. This house believes that it was American foreign policy that ‘crystallised the Cold War’?.

14.  Homework
How far do you accept the view of Source K that it was American foreign policy that ‘crystallized Cold War?’?
Answer this question using sources K to N on p.61-2 plus your own knowledge. Use the writing frame and if necessary the topic sentences your teacher provides

15.  Extension
Produce a factoid on Kim Il Sung aka ‘The Eternal President’. Examine his early life, beliefs, involvement in the Korean War and lasting influence. You may also wish to compare him with his successor, his son Kim Jong Il aka ‘The Dear Leader’.
Team America

16. Plenary Reasons for US involvement
Historiography of Korean War: orthodox, revisionist, local/international factors, Truman’s foreign policy
Extension. Who was to blame?
What tips would you give an A level student tackling source-based questions for this paper for the first time