The Korean War

Why did the Chinese get involved?

US believed it was all part of a communist plan arranged by Stalin to secure communism
In 2005 Jung Chang and Jon Halliday argued that Mao saw it as an opportunity to prove himself to Stalin in the hope of gaining support from the USSR

What happened?

End of WW2 - Korea was divided in two along the 38th parallel. The South belonged to Soviet-dominated communists and the South was allied with the USA
25th June 1950 - Kim Il Sung, the dictator of North Korea, launched an attack on the south
UN forces that consisted of sixteen nations (mostly from America) were sent in to defend South Korea
The Communists were winning until the UN forces launched a surprise attack, landing over 100 miles behind the enemy lines, in Inchon
September and October the UN's air force pushed the communists back over the 38th parallel into North Korea
It was then that the UN forces started to advance towards China
Mao was advised not to attack by a number of key members of the politburo and General Lin Biao
In October, despite this, Mao ordered the PLA to 'resist the attacks of the United States imperialism'
(Because China had so recently had a civil war the UN forces assumed that China did not have the military capability to fight)
But the PLA managed to advance into South Korea
Although the UN's larger airforce meant that they were soon pushing back again
It ended three years later with Korea still divided in two along the 38th parallel, as it still is to this day

What were the outcomes?

Benefited Mao's regime

Enhanced CCP control

China in 1950s was disjointed with over 60 national groups with many different languages, cultures and traditions
The war allowed the communists to promote national identity and a sense of unity in a national endeavour against the tyrannous, brutish, evil Americans
Also helped promote PLA as heroes

PLA bravery

Despite being unable to defeat the UN Chinese soldiers did have to deal with hardship such as the Korean winter for which they were unprepared so 90% of them got frostbite
Although not necessarily victorious the PLA were undefeated and so the CCP portrayed the soldiers as great heroes - telling stories of their bravery
One woman was so moved by one of these accounts that she donated her whole weeks wages to the war effort
Slogan 'Our factories is our battlefield and our machines are our weapons'
Farmers swore to increase production and donate surplus crops to the troops
Production was increased in industries such as coal, iron and steel
Businessmen and industrialists signed 'patriotic pact' which meant that they swore to pay their taxes on time

Cost

USSR benefitted by charging high interest rates on loans
Total cost for the PRC was $10 billion
3 million Chinese soldiers were sent in 400,000 died
Mao's son, Anying, who Mao had urged to go and fight in Korea was killed
=> Philip Short wrote "When he died, the one remaining human bond capable of invoking in Mao a deep personal loyalty was severed."

International relations

Communist China - The Mao dynasty