Stalin and the Korean War

To what extent was Stalin’s policy the principle cause of the Korean War (1950-53)?
Introduction
The Korean War is often referred to as a battle between communism and capitalism. It succeeded the end of the forty-year Japanese occupation of Korea. When Japan fell during the Second World War, Korea was free, and hoped to finally decide the fate of their own country. In the years following, both radical and nationalist groups became apparent, aiming for independence, however these groups failed to unite in one national movement.[1] The majority of Koreans fought for a unified state.[2] The United States and the Soviet Union, however, had alternative thoughts. The President of the United States, Harry S. Truman, wanted to stop Russia gathering anymore territory[3], therefore the United States countered by encouraging the establishment of democracy.[4] At the Potsdam Conference, in Germany, Korea was divided at the 38th parallel between the North and the South. The thought was that South Korea would be capitalist and North Korea would be communist. The Republic of Korea (ROK) was set-up in the South and led by Syngman Rhee who was undemocratic and anti-communist but was recognized as the sole legal government of Korea.[5] The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) was set-up in the North and led by communist Kim Il-Sung. There was hope that one day the unification of Korea would commence.[6]

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The Korean War is
one that killed over 2.5 million people.[7] The
conditions of the Korean war were inconsistent; Korea is a country with
freezing snowy winters and boiling hot summers, which made conflict extremely
difficult on both sides. The war began at 4:30 AM on June 25, 1950 and lasted for three straight years,
the bipolar weather conditions meant that the soldiers were constantly fighting
disease, malnutrition and frostbite.[8]
Dean Acheson (1893-1971), the U.S. Secretary of State, once said that “if the
best minds in the world had set out to find us the worst possible location in
the world to fight this damnable war, the unanimous choice would have been
Korea.”[9]
The failure to unite Korea after WWII was an important factor in the beginning
of the Korean War. In 1945, British
Prime Minister Winston Churchill, U.S. President Harry Truman, and, Soviet
leader Joseph Stalin, gathered in Potsdam,
Germany, from July 17 to August 2. It was agreed to temporarily divide
Korea and accept joint responsibility for reinstating Japanese forces. They decided upon an
essentially arbitrary line which was the 38th Parallel which was to be used as
a division between the North and South. The 38th Parallel is a
circle of latitude which is 38 degrees north of the equator, it happened to
roughly divided Korea in the middle, therefore was chosen to divide the two
Koreas.
The Role of Stalin
When Kim voiced his frustration that his bid for reunification remained heavy on his mind, he reached out to both Joseph Stalin (the leader of the Soviet Union) and Mao Zedong (the chairman of the communist party of China). The definite reason for Stalin giving Kim permission to invade South is uncertain to this day. Either the victory of Communist China, or the Soviets gain of the atomic bomb could have led to Stalin’s decision being made.[10] One of Stalin’s main aims was to avoid conflict with the United States, he did this in many ways, one of which was denying Kim’s strategies for the war. The withdrawal of American troops from South Korea were significant, however, Stalin was under the impression that a harsh military campaign wouldn’t go unanswered, therefore he decided against refutation in the moment[11]. Stalin had promised both cultural and economic aid to North Korea, during a meeting between Stalin, Kim, and representatives from both governments, on March 5, 1949. Regarding military operations across the 38th parallel, Stalin was not yet prepared to support Kim’s political and strategic objectives of reunification.[12] Stalin brought Kim to Moscow to ensure that Korea did not fall under the influence of the new People’s Republic of China (PRC).[13] According to Stalin’s interpreter, in the Spring of 1949, in the course of a meeting between Kim and Stalin, “Kim complained that ‘…the southerners are making trouble all the time. They are violating the border; there are continuous small clashes.’ Stalin became gloomy; ‘What are you talking about? Are you short of arms? We shall give them to you. You must strike the southerners in the teeth.’ After thinking for a while, he repeated, ‘Strike them, strike them.’”[14] This extract from the meeting reinforces the point that Stalin was providing North Korea with weapons and supplies, which demonstrates that the Korean War wouldn’t have occurred without the help from Stalin and The Soviet Union.
Stalin decided
that he needed to bring Korea into the Soviet sphere of influence. The Soviets
wanted to expand the sphere of communist influence into Korea, this was because
Stalin and the Soviet Union wanted to be surrounded by communist countries as a
layer of protection for Russia and so if the threat of invasion or war occurred
they would have support around them. Stalin was afraid that Mao was considering
opening China to capitalist influence; therefore, he decided that he could not
allow North Korea to do the same.[15]
Throughout the spring and summer of 1949 that Kim was making significant
strides to increase the potency of the KPA (Korean people’s army).
Stalin was
essentially only interested in how the Korean War would affect his relations
with the United States[16]. On
September 3rd, 1949, Kim sought permission from Stalin and the
Soviet Union to commence military operations against the south.[17]
Kim most likely believed that Korea would be next in line for the Asian
communist movements; thus in early 1950, Kim renewed his requests for military
reunification with Stalin[18].
In January 1950, the first Soviet Ambassador to North Korea, Terentii Shtykov,
feared that Kim was looking to move forward toward reunification without
approval from Stalin, so he sent a telegram with a forlorn warning: “Kim
Il-sung is constantly nurturing his idea about an attack.”[19] In 1950 Stalin eventually began to
support the plans for a war as at this point he was more hopeful about winning.
The Communist victory in China and the development of the USSR’s first atomic
bomb persuaded Stalin to act and help North Korea.
The
USSR was using the Korean war as a
proxy war, a war instigated by a major power which does not itself become
involved.
The Role of Truman   
At the Council of Foreign Ministers’ Moscow Conference, in December 1945, the USA and the Soviet Union agreed to create a temporary government in Korea that would lead to independence[20]. However, independence was never achieved and the Cold War developed individuals of higher power who became less willing to co-operate. Separate governments emerged on both sides of Korea. Both Kim Il Sung and Syngman Rhee fought the Japanese during the occupation and wanted to end the division of Korea, however they had different ideas for how to do so. The failure of uniting the two Koreas led to the permanent governments of Korea. The USA was also using the Korean War as a proxy war. The Americans enforced the idea of containment, a foreign policy used to contain the spread of communism. The US was fearful that if a united Korea became communist if would lead to a ‘domino effect’ and the spread of communism around the world would occur[21]. Truman feared that the next ‘domino’ would be Japan[22]. The possible reaction from Stalin had to be taken into consideration if the U.S. did involve themselves in the Korean War. On a similar note, the Truman administration was concerned of the possible expansion of the Korean War into a larger war taking place over Europe.[23] Nevertheless, it was clear that there was little indication that the United States or even the United Nations could shy from the war.[24] It is thought that the US and UN feared what would happen if North Korea won the war and subsequently Kim Il-Sung came to power, with the support of Stalinist regime and the Soviet Union. President Truman believed if the aggression from North Korea went unnoticed, it would encourage Communist aggression elsewhere.[25] The UN Security Council accepted the abuse of force to aid the South Koreans. This is noteworthy because Russia (formerly the Soviet Union) is one of the permanent seats upon the UN council, however, interestingly, the Soviet Union did not oppose the use of force against North Korea, even though the Soviet Union were responsible for sending troops and supplies into the war. This demonstrates that the Soviet Union were confident in the ability of their troops, so confident that in fact they did not fear the force that would be against them. The Truman administration, however, continued to restrict themselves from sending soldiers because according to their advisors, North Koreans could be stopped by purely both naval and air power. Subsequently, immediately upon hearing this news, the U.S. began utilizing whatever air and naval forces that they could, to help with the war.[26] Following China’s input into the Korean War, General MacArthur landed two divisions 150 miles in the South Korean port of Inchon. Following a seize of communication between them and the US, the North Koreans are reported to have fled North, escaping[27]. “If we let Korea down,” Truman said, “the Soviet[s] will keep right on going and swallow up one [place] after another.”[28] General Douglas MacArthur, Chief of staff of the United States Army, believed that only a total victory was an acceptable outcome for the US. President Truman disagreed but MacArthur was adamant.[29]
The Role of Mao
Unlike America, China decided to take a
passive response during the initial stage of the Korean War.[30]
The People’s Republic of China, in October 1950, was only one year old. The
Beijing regime was already facing difficult tasks of economic reconstruction
and regime consolidation.[31]
Therefore it was predicted that China would have little to no interference in
the Korean War. There is some evidence that suggests that there was an exchange
of views between Kim, Mao Zedong and Stalin on the North’s plan of military
invasion.[32]
However, besides giving Kim moral support, only material support was provided
by China at beginning of the war. They sent approximately 14,000 Korean Chinese
soldiers who were then serving in the Peoples Liberation Army back to Korea.[33]
Mao’s reasons for supporting North Koreas invasion of the South are often
debated. Some believe that Mao was an unwilling participant in the war due to
the concerns about the effect it would have on China[34].
Mao feared that if he supported North Korea it would have a negative impact on
China as it could trigger an invasion from America, due to their aid for the
South. Some others further argue that Mao was in some way manipulated or
compelled into sending troops to North Korea by Stalin and Kim-Il-Sung.[35]
On June 27, President Truman revealed that America was supplying South Korea
with air and naval support, which lead to the Chinese leaders reassessing
American intentions towards China and redeploy some of its troops to the
Northern border. [36]
Mao asked if Stalin would send air support to North Korea and he would send
troops. Stalin decided against sending air support. Mao, after a substantial
amount of thought, sent Chinese troops into Korea on 19 October 1950, even
though he was currently dealing with a difficult military situation himself[37].
This fundamentally changed the relationship
between China and the Soviet Union forever.
Barely
12 days after the Chinese troops had enrolled in the war, Stalin soon declared
that the Soviet Air Force could provide air cover, and aid to China[38], due to North Korean assistance from China. The Sino-Soviet Treaty of
Friendship, which was signed in February 1950, mentioned that ‘all-out’ support
would be supplied by the Soviet Union if China was entangled in any military conflict
with the ‘imperialist countries’.[39]
This treaty ensured that if China intervened in the Korean War, there would be
less of a threat from an American invasion because of the support from Stalin
and the Soviets. The security treaty therefore significantly decreased the
possibility of an American invasion. The Communist China Party (CCP) had a
Marxist-Leninism ideology that greatly influenced the decisions of senior
members, especially Mao[40].
Presumably, it was this ideology that lead them to assist North Korea in the
war, because turning the whole of Korea into a communist country would be not
only be beneficial to Russia and the Soviet Union, it would also benefit Mao
and the CCP.
The Role of Kim Il-Sung
In September 1948, the North founded the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), founded by Kim Il Sung, recognized as the
communist side. Kim Il
Sung was the leader of North Korea from 1948-71. Kim was born born to Kim Hyŏng-jik and Kang Pan-sŏk. They originally bestowed
upon him the name of Kim Sŏng-ju, however, he later changed his name to Kim
Il-Sung. Unsurprisingly, the Kim family, like an
abundance of Korean families, were opposed to the Japanese occupation of the
Korea, which began on 29 August 1910.[41]
Kim’s parents, especially Kim’s mother, is said to have played a role in the
anti-Japanese struggle that was sweeping the peninsula.[42]
This is suggested to be where Kim Il-Sung’s anti-imperialism attitude
originates. In October 1926 Kim founded the Down-With-Imperialism Union[43],
in order to fight against Japanese imperialism and to promote Marxism-Leninism[44].
As previously mentioned, both Kim Il Sung and Syngman Rhee wanted to
reunify Korea on their own terms, however neither side could unify Korea on
their own due to lack of strength and supplies. Kim understood that his goals of reunification would require help from
another communist’s patron, namely the Soviet Union or China. This suggests
that Kim knew he didn’t have the army or the weapons that he needed to begin
the war himself, he knew he needed support from elsewhere.
With this growth of the North Korean army in mind, Kim
renewed his request to unify Korea with Stalin. One likely reason that Kim
renewed his efforts at this time was that since June 29, 1949, the American
military had withdrawn troops from South Korea.[45] Kim was
convinced that the U.S. would not enter the Korean War, or even if they did
enter the war, they would not hold sway over the destiny of the war.[46] Kim had
little concern if the South had the support of the US as he doubted the impact
of their influence. Stalin ultimately contemplated the request from Kim to
begin the war for approximately a year, even though he did say ‘no’ several
times, he did eventually approve the proposal.[47]
Conclusion
The role of individuals in the causes of the Korean War are
essentially insignificant. Ultimately, the Korean War wouldn’t have occurred without the division
of Korea, after the Japanese occupation, decided at the Potsdam conference. But
this decision wasn’t made by one person, it was made by the three super powers,
Stalin, Churchill and Truman. But then, the war also wouldn’t have occurred if Stalin
and the Soviets hadn’t appointed Kim Il-Sung as the leader of the north as he
was the one who thought of invading to conquer the south. Mao was influenced by
Stalin to participate in the war, therefore China’s input was down to Stalin. Stalin’s
influence was powerful as Kim didn’t have the army, weapons or supplies to be
at war for 3 years. This proves that it wasn’t just the work of one influence, these
put together influenced the beginning of the Korean War.
To answer the question of “to what extent
was Stalin’s policy the principle cause of the Korean War (1950-53)?”, Stalin
had an obviously large impact on the initiation of the Korean War. It can, however,
be concluded that the Korean War was a combination of civil and international
conflicts.
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