Korean War Lessons

Now that the war in Korea has effectively been ended, there are several lessons that we can take from it and apply to the future. In the following report, which will detail several aspects of the war, these lessons will be illuminated.

The US went into Korea in order to stop the spread of Communism. Stalin had already taken control of the satellite nations; shortly after that, China became Communist as well. It appeared that the Soviet's control was growing rapidly across the globe; the US felt that it was its duty to uphold democracy wherever possible. When Korea became threatened, America of course involved itself in order to further its goal of containment.

The UN was incredibly useful in the Korean War. Eighteen members of the United Nations contributed soldiers to the forces sent to Korea; the majority of these troops were still American, but the efforts of the other countries were still greatly needed. Without the support of the UN, the US would very likely not have been able to push back the North Korean forces at all.

The US did achieve its aims to a certain extent, but not to the extent that they had hoped. While North Korean forces (and, by that logic, Communist ideas as well) were purged fully form South Korea, Communism remains in the country to this day. The campaign in North Korea was unsuccessful, and had to be stopped before more danger arose; the danger of Communism was not removed from the country, and so Korea cannot be fully counted as a victory for democracy (or containment).

In regards to the North Korean invasion, it is apparent that MacArthur should not have been allowed to invade the North in the first place. He severely underestimated the fighting power of the Chinese - their technology was just as advanced as ours, and they had been trained to hate Americans deeply and passionately. The North Korean campaign did not accomplish much; a stalemate was reached, yes, but it was not worth the deaths caused and the angering of the Chinese.

The North Korean campaign is a good example of why MacArthur was removed: he was too ready to charge ahead into battle, without calculating the costs. After the campaign in the North, MacArthur was convinced that continuing the war (by invading China with the use of nuclear weapons) was the best option. Truman and the UN did not condone this action, but MacArthur ignored these orders: he openly threatened war against the Chinese, and was promptly removed from the situation and sent back to the US.

The Korean War ended with horrific costs, both to soldiers and civilians. The American and US forces lost 34,500 soldiers; the South Koreans lost 70,000 soldiers and 500,000 civilians; the North Koreans and the Chinese lost 780,00 soldiers and civilians. The death tolls, especially those of the civilians, are disturbing and shocking.

Overall, the Korean War was only a small victory. Millions of troop and civilians died, for little purpose - the wra caused tensions in Korea to skyrocket, and the policy of containment was not forwarded a significant amount. In the future, the US should be careful not to repeat the mistakes made in the Korean War: underestimating the enemy, and rushing in unawares.