The Korean War: A Battle For Global Power Essay -- Korea Communism

The Korean War can be thought of as the last major conflict of the 20th century with unified, international fronts. The Communist forces of Russia, China and North Korea were poised to fight the South Korean’s and their American-led allies in the United Nations. On the surface, each side’s reason for their position within the conflict seemed clear. The North Korean forces were poised to spread the word of Communism to the masses, while the South Korean forces were attempting to prevent international instability by defeating them. Yet, were these motivations really so simple? Or were there layers within the conflict that we need to properly examine to fully understand both the causes and intensity of this war? This report presents an analysis of the major motivations of the powers involved within the Korean War, and each power’s agenda. Wars, by their very nature, can be difficult to grasp, and must be carefully studied for their full dimensions to be taken in. It is easy to get bogged down in analysis of the events within the war, and lose sight of the bigger picture. In the case of the Korean War, the various powers involved, despite their seemingly united ideological fronts, were motivated by broad complex ideas. Or, as Mr. Durdin of the New York Times said on July 8, 1951, â€Å"Mr. Mao and Premier Stalin can hope for a number of things from a peace offensive policy. They can hope to divide the Allied front, weaken the Allied resolve and perhaps slow down the Allied military build-up† (109). In addition, each power had a number of internal motivations, ranging from testing out new field tactics to developing their own social stability. The first thing that we must keep in mind in talking about the Korean War is ... ... The Public Opinion Quarterly 17.2 (1953): 171-184. Stone, I.F. The Hidden History of the Korean War. New York: Little, Brown & Co., 1952. "Warning to the West:' New York Times Jun 26, 1950. Voices from the Korean War. Richard Peters and Xiaobing Li, eds. University Press of Kentucky: Kentucky, 2004. Internet Sources Consulted "52e. The Korean War." The Korean War [ushistory.org]. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2015. Park, Madison. "Why the Korean War Still Matters." CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. Web. 20 May 2015. PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. Web. 20 May 2015. Pierpaoli, Paul, Jr. "Korean War." World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 20 May 2015.