The Korean War textbook analysis

The Korean War textbook analysis

Multiple Choice

Standoff at the 38th Parallel: On June 25, 1950, North Koreans swept across the 38th parallel in a surprise attack on South Korea. Within days, North Korean troops had penetrated deep into the south. President Truman was convinced that the North Korean aggressors were repeating what Hitler, Mussolini, and the Japanese had done in the 1930s. Truman’s policy of containment was being put to the test. And Truman resolved to help South Korea resist communism. South Korea also asked the United Nations to intervene. When the matter came to a vote in the Security Council, the Soviets were absent. They had refused to take part in the Council to protest admission of Nationalist China (Taiwan), rather than Communist China, into the UN.

• China

• U.S.

• North Korea

• South Korea

Multiple Choice

Upset by the fast and astonishing growth of the power of the Republic, the American invaders hastened the preparation of an aggressive war in order to destroy it in its infancy….The American imperialists furiously carried out the war project in 1950….The American invaders who had been preparing the war for a long time, alongside their puppets, finally initiated the war on June 25th of the 39th year of the Juche calendar. That dawn, the enemies unexpectedly attacked the North half of the Republic, and the war clouds hung over the once peaceful country, accompanied by the echoing roar of cannons. Having passed the 38th parallel, the enemies crawled deeper and deeper into the North half of the Republic… the invading forces of the enemies had to be eliminated and the threatened fate of our country and our people had to be saved.

• China

• U.S.

• North Korea

• South Korea

Multiple Choice

When the overthrow of the South Korean government through social confusion became too difficult, the North Korean communists switched to a stick-and-carrot strategy: seeming to offer peaceful negotiations, they were instead analyzing the right moment of attack and preparing themselves for it. The North Korean communists prepared themselves for war. Kim Il-sung secretly visited the Soviet Union and was promised the alliance of the Soviets and China in case of war. Finally, at dawn on June 25th, 1950 the North began their southward aggression along the 38th parallel. Taken by surprise at these unexpected attacks, the army of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) fought courageously to defend the liberty of the country….The armed provocation of the North Korean communists brought the UN Security Council around the table. A decree denounced the North Korean military action as illegal and as a threat to peace, and a decision was made to help the South. The UN army constituted the armies of 16 countries - among them, the United States, Great Britain and France - joined the South Korean forces in the battle against the North.

• China

• U.S.

• North Korea

• South Korea

Multiple Choice

Resist U.S. Aggression, Aid Korea, Defend the Homeland and Guard the Country: New China had to face aggressive external threats soon after its establishment. In the summer of 1950, civil war broke out in Korea. America immediately used force to intervene in the internal affairs of Korea. After the outbreak of the Korean civil war, America manipulated the United Nations Security Council into passing a resolution to intervene in the internal affairs of Korea and created an invasion army composed of troops from various countries whipped together by America, and America’s own troops. Soon, a “United Nations force,” which was mainly composed of American troops, invaded Korea. At the same time, the American Seventh Fleet entered the Taiwan Strait to intervene in China’s internal politics. The situation in Korea was critical, and severely threatened China’s security. In the name of a “United Nation’s Army,” America expanded the war of aggression. The American government ignored the Chinese government’s solemn and just warning. In September, American troops landed on Incheon, directly approaching the northern part of the Korean peninsula. They went across “the 38th parallel” and burned the flames of war all the way to the Chinese border. The American air force also intruded into Chinese airspace and bombed the border area in northeastern China. Mao Zedong pointed out: “All over the world, every country’s internal affairs should be managed by its own people. Asian affairs should be managed by Asian people, not by Americans. America’s invasion of Asia will only cause wide and determined resistance among Asian people.”

• China

• U.S.

• North Korea

• South Korea

Open Ended

How are these excerpts similar and how are they different? Why is it important to analyze historical events from different perspectives?

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