The Cold War

Erik Charles Dixon Jr.

Professor Richard Byington

AMH 2020- American History (1877-Present)

July 26,2016

The Cold War Conflict That Led to the Split Up

The Cold War was a time of hostility between the Soviet Union and the United States that lasted from 1945 to 1990. The United States and the Soviet Union both wanted to make their mark on the world by spreading their ideas and values, the United States wanted to spread democracy and freedom while the Soviet Union wanted to spread Communism. This competition between the two biggest superpowers in the world caused a major conflict that still resonates to this day. The Cold War was inevitable, this one war led to many many other wars and conflicts throughout the world.

One out of many
conflicts that came from the Cold War is the Korean War. The Korean War was a conflict between North and South Korea when North Korea and its communist allies such as the Soviet Union attacked South Korea and it’s allies such as the United States. This conflict is still a problem to this day because of the reasons the United States entered in the first place, the internal fight between the Koreans, and the Sanctions placed by the United Nations.

The Korean War began on June 25, 1950 when North Korean forces swept across the 38th parallel in a surprise attack on South Korea.
While this invasion occurred South Korea called the United Nations for aid to help stop the invasion. The United Nations voted for the action and it passed due to the Soviet Union boycotting the meeting. After this the United States took action by sending troops to be stationed in Japan to support the South Koreans. Besides the United States 16 nations sent almost 520,000 troops to aid South Korea. The United States didn’t enter the war just because South Korea was its ally but because the United States had a concern with the spread of communism in Europe and their belief in containment. The United States became involved in the conflict because of the ongoing competition between the Soviets and the United States. There were many factors which contributed to their involvement in the war. One reason was the fact that the United States became anxious when the Soviets exploded an atomic bomb in 1949. The United States entered the war not only to help its allies but also to prove to the Soviet Union that they should not try to spread communism. The Cold War is now starting to affect more people than just the United States and the Soviet Union, it is now causing other countries to split up. Korea separated and created North and South Korea, North Korea had became communist and became its own
country.

The conflict between North and South Korea started when North Korea invaded and attacked South Korea. Even though this resulted in war, the internal conflict between the Koreans last to this day. At the end of the war the Koreans never signed a peace treaty but instead they agreed to an armistice which included a demilitarized zone between the two sides and a cease fire. However the North and South Korea conflict still arises to this day due to the fact that they are still independent nation who never really ended the war with each other. South Korea is booming economically while North Korea is struggling with food shortages energy problems. Another problem is the fact that North Korea is looking into nuclear weapons which is not only making South Korea anxious but also the rest of the world. The conflict between the two Koreans play off of the fact that there was never a real ending to the war, only a agreement. However the nations have both been caught fighting each other on multiple occasions which also reignites the possibility of another war. With North Korea still looking into nuclear weapons and tensions still high between the two nations many people still hope that one day the nations will reunite. The fighting between North and South Korea stink especially because they continue to fight over something that is theoretically over.

With North and South Korea still fighting each other there is also another problem occurring and it's North Korea expanding its nuclear arsenal.
With this happening the United Nations began to put sanctions on North Korea. These sanctions which include a trade ban on battle tanks, armoured combat vehicles, large caliber artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, missiles or missile systems, a trade ban on luxury goods,and also the frozen of assets of those involved in the nuclear testing. Even with these sanction placed on the North Koreans there are some countries such as China that still supports them and will do things to help them such as not inspect their incoming cargo. With all of these sanctions, the North Koreans have backed out of one and it was to stop looking into its nuclear arsenal. With the harsh treatment by the United Nations to force the North Koreans to back down, it’s just a matter of time before they relent or another war breaks out which would lead to catastrophic consequences.

The Cold War lasted for a very long time and during that time there were many conflicts and one of them was the Korean War. Even though the actual war lasted a short time the consequences from the war is still ongoing form the tensions between North and South Korea and the sanctions imposed on them by the United Nations. The Cold War was an intense war that affected a lot of people and countries and with tensions still high there is only hope that one day there
will be peace between the two nations and the world.

Works Cited

Danzer, Gerald A. The Americans. Evanston IL: McDougal Littell/Houghton Mifflin, 1998.

Print.

"Fact Sheets & Briefs." UN Security Council Resolutions on North Korea. Web. 01 May 2016.

"History of Conflict Between North and South Koreas in Facts and Details." History of Conflict
Between North and South Koreas in Facts and Details. Web. 01 May 2016.