HIST 350: The Korean War, 1950-1953

The Korean War, 1950-1953

This course covers the development and evolution of the Cold War; the transformation in the conduct of war from World War II to the Korean War that resulted from the development of the atomic bomb and subsequent initiation of artificial limited war; the division of Korea into the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea); the causes, course, and conduct of the Korean War; the Chinese decision to intervene and the role of the Soviet Union; the post-Korean War/Cold War era of President Eisenhower; and the influence of the Korean War on the Vietnam War and the American practice of war. We will also discuss the current situation on the Korean Peninsula with a nuclear-armed DPRK. North Korea remains a major security threat for the United States, South Korea, Japan, and the Pacific region. Today the U.S. Army and Air Forces still have significant forces in South Korea.