How did U.S. Cold War policy lead to the Korean War?

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Figure false: POWs in Korea
Figure false: These demoralized American soldiers reflect the grim situation for U.S. forces during the early months of the Korean War. Their North Korean captors forced them to march through Seoul in July 1950 carrying a banner proclaiming the righteousness of the Communist cause and attacking U.S. intervention. Wide World Photos, Inc.

THE COLD WAR ERUPTED into a shooting war in June 1950 when troops from Communist North Korea invaded South Korea. For the first time, Americans went into battle to implement containment. Confirming the global reach of the Truman Doctrine, U.S. involvement in Korea also marked the militarization of American foreign policy. The United States, in concert with the United Nations, ultimately held the line in Korea, but at a great cost in lives, dollars, and domestic unity.

CHRONOLOGY

1950

  • – Korean War begins.

1951

  • – Truman fires General Douglas MacArthur.

1952

  • – Dwight D. Eisenhower is elected president.

1953

  • – Korean War ends.