6th Class- 2 Essays Reason of US economic assistance and Korean War

1.  To what extent economic assistance of the United States in the world has serve the purpose of containing communism? (Exemplify with one Latin American case between years 1946 – 1953.

With the creation of the Marshall Plan in June 1947, American Secretary of State George Marshall launched his European Recovery Program (ERP), which offered economic and financial support to any country in Europe who needed. George declared: “Our policy is directed not against any country or doctrine, but against hunger, poverty, desperation and chaos”. Thus, it was assumed that the plan main goal was to recover Europe economically, in order to ensure markets for American exports. However, it’s principal aim was political, Truman didn’t want communism to spread through western Europe. Communism was less likely to gain control in a prosperous western Europe.

Based on the Truman doctrine, the United States established a policy of containment, to stop Soviet expansion during the Cold War. This policy influenced relations between the United States and it’s hemispheric neighbors. Stability, not democracy became a goal in the fight against communism.

2.  Explain which were the three stages of the Korean War and analyze the reason for the participation of Canada and Colombia in the war.

The three main stages of the Korean War 1950- 1953 were, first the North Korean invasion of South Korea, secondly, the US and UN intervention to push North Korean troops all the way back to the Chinese border, lastly, China pushed the US and UN back to the south and both sides reached an stalemate. This events, lasted from June 25, 1950 until July 27 1953 and the result was the permanence of the division at the 38th parallel.

The first stage of the Korean war is the North Korean attack to South Korea,North Korean forces, supported by the Soviet Union and China, invaded South Korea on 25 June 1950. Thus, the United Nations Security Council recognized this North Korean act as invasion and called for an immediate ceasefire. By September 14 1950 North Korea had covered almost all South Korean territory. However, the UN, led by the United States was going to intervine in the conflict sending their troops from Japan as fast as posible to prevent the defeat of South Korean troops.

On 27 June, the Security Council published the ‘Complaint of aggression upon the Republic of Korea’ and decided the formation and dispatch of the UN Forces in Korea. After three months of battles South Korea was on the point of defeat, their troops were forced back to the Pusan perimeter. However, on 12–14 July, the 1st cavalry division of the UN embarked from Yokohama, Japan to reinforce the 24th infantry division inside the Pusan Perimeter. Finally, on November 25, 1950 South Korea had push North Korean troops to the China border, Yalu. It’s important to say that Canada also contributed in the war effort in favor of South Korea. Louis St. Laurent, canadian prime minister, and his cabinet were determined to support the UN and send aproximately 27 000 soldiers, sailors and aircrew to Korea. Canada was the third largest UN contingent after the United States and the United Kingdom.

As a third stage is considered the North Korean and China response to the brutal and desastrous attacks of the United States and the UN. By November 25, 1950, as mentioned before, North Korea was pushed to the frontier of China, the province of Yalta; seeing this the Chinese and the Soviets launched a series of attacks against the US and the countries of the UN, in order to regain North Korean territory until the 38th parallel, as a way to support communism. Then an stalemate was created in the parallel, in which huge battles, ocurred until July 1953, such as the battle of Bloody Ridge (18 August- 15 September 1951) or the battle of Pork Chop Hill (23 March- 16 July 1953), which was the bloodiest battle of the war. In this last battle countries as Colombia supported in military. Colombia sent roughly 6, 200 soldiers, plus six warships, in a sign of hemispheric solidarity.

The Korean War lasted three years of intense battles, from 1950 to 1953. It can be divided in three stages as stated before: the North Korean attack, intervention of USA, the UN and other several countries as Canada and Colombia who saw involved because of close relations with the UN and to show solidarity, and the North Korean, supported by China and the Soviets, recovery of the desastrous results of US attacks, generating an stalemate in the 38th parallel.