In June 1950, troops from North Korea attacked South Korea, initiating the Korean War. The following three years would be ones of intense conflict for the entire world as each nation maintained support from other nations. South Korea was highly influenced by America, who was trying to maintain democracy while the North was dominated by Russians intent on advancing communism. The United Nations (UN), on the other hand, involved itself with Korea in 1947 to maintain peace and democracy in the area, particularly in regards to fair elections. In its first major test since its inception, the UN faced great difficulty in the Korean War due to the sudden intervention of the Chinese and the dominance of the United States
The main aim of the UN was to ensure that there were fair elections in Korea. The UN volunteered to take charge of the elections just to ensure that the whole process of voting was fair. While the areas in the south, supported by the United States, had little issue with this interference. However, voting in the north remained questionable, as the Russians prevented outside investigation. At this point, the Chinese were not yet involved in the conflict. However, by the time of the North Korean invasion, the UN started to encounter Chinese troops, which the nation insisted were only volunteers. This was so unexpected and as a result, the international peace-keeping body decided to find out what was happening.
Equally as persistent was the American insistence and intervention in maintaining a largely democratic world. Since the formation of Mao’s government, America was now looking for a chance to fight Chinese (William, 2008). In late 1950, a UN invasion force, led by General Douglas MacArthur invaded North Korea, breaking a promise to not come anywhere near 20 miles from the Yalu River. Such an invasion served as the culmination of United States initiated actions in the UN to oppose the expansion of Communist influence in Asia. As a result of both of these factors, the Chinese had no choice but to attack. The large, amassed Chinese forces then counterattacked and drove the US led forces back to the 38th parallel, reversing all the progress the democratic forces had gained in the previous months and killing many American soldiers. The eventual number of deaths affected the economies of both the US as well Chinese. Their relationship in trade was also affected.
The UN gave its best effort to successfully win the Korean War. If it failed, the United Nations would lose any credibility that it had gained since its formation in 1945. However, most of the body’s actions were dictated by the powerful and influential United States. Equally as troublesome was the sudden and secret involvement of Mao’s Chinese forces in the conflict. Due to this clash of titans, the United Nations faced an almost insurmountable challenge in maintaining world peace.
Bibliography
Nikolaevich, Sergeĭ. Uncertain Partners: Stalin, Mao, and the Korean War. New York: Oxford. 2006.
Stueck, William. The Korean War: An International History. New Jersey: UPT Publishers. 2008.
