Teaching East Asia: Korea Teaching East Asia: Korea | Page 76

Asian Studies, United States History, and World History
A Document Based Essay Question on the Korean War
World History: Standard: 10.9 (3) Understand the importance of the Truman Doctrine and the
Marshall Plan, which established the pattern for America’s postwar policy of supplying economic
and military aid to prevent the spread of Communism and the resulting economic and political
competition in arenas such as Southeast Asia (i.e., the Korean War, Vietnam War, Cuba,
and Africa).
United States History: Standard 11.9 (3) Trace the origins and geopolitical consequences (foreign
and domestic) of the Cold War and containment policy, including the Korean War.
Directions: The following question requires you to construct a coherent essay that integrates your
interpretation of Documents A-K and your knowledge of the period referred to in the question.
High scores will be earned only by essays that both cite key pieces of evidence from the
documents and draw on outside knowledge.
Until the mid-1960s, most Americans interpreted the United States entry in the Korean War as a
war to stop communist aggression. After the war in Vietnam, many historians have argued that the
conflict was basically a civil war. Using the documents and your knowledge of the period 1945-
1975, assess whether the Korean War was primarily a conflict between the major powers or a civil
war between the Korean people themselves.
Document A
Source: Memoirs by Harry S. Truman: Years of Trial and Hope (1956).
Communism was acting in Korea just as Hitler, Mussolini, and the Japanese had acted ten, fifteen,
and twenty years earlier. I felt certain that if South Korea was allowed to fall, Communist
leaders would be emboldened to override n ations closer to our own shores. If the Communists
were permitted to force their way into the Republic of Korea without opposition from the free
world, no small nation would have the courage to resist threats and aggression by stronger
Communist neighbors. If this was allowed to go unchallenged, it would mean a third world war,
just as similar incidents had brought on the second world war. It was also clear to me that the
foundations and the principles of the United Nations were at stake unless this unprovoked attack
on Korea could be stopped.
Document B
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Education About Asia, Winter 2012.
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US military occupation of southern Korea began on September 8, 1945 with very little
preparation. Washington redeployed the XXIV Corps under the command of Lieutenant Gener-
al John R. Hodge from Okinawa to Korea. US occupation officials, ignorant of Korea’s history
and culture, quickly had trouble maintaining order because almost all Koreans wanted immediate
independence. It did not help that they followed the Japanese model in establishing an authoritar-
ian US military government. Also, American occupation officials relied on wealthy landlords and
businessmen who could speak English for advice. Many of these citizens were former Japanese
collaborators and had very little interest in ordinary Koreans’ reform demands.
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