On June 25, 1950, armed forces from communist North Korea
smashed into South Korea, setting off the Korean War.
The United States, acting under the auspices of the United
Nations, quickly sprang to the defense of South Korea and
fought a bloody and frustrating war for the next three years.
The Korean War was the first “hot” war of the Cold War. Over
55,000 American troops were killed in the conflict.
Korea was the first “limited war,” one in which the U.S. aim
was not the complete and total defeat of the enemy, but rather
the “limited” goal of protecting South Korea.
It proved to be a frustrating experience for the American people,
who were used to the kind of total victory that had been achieved
in World War II.
The public found the concept of limited war difficult to understand
or support and the Korean War never really gained popular
support.
Place your comment