The relationship between variables in complex systems

China and the Korean War

The fall of China to Communism in 1949 came about because of many different reasons. One, Mao Zedong was popular with the people, and this helped him overpower Jiang Jieshi and his government. Mao also had territory and Japanese military items left over from World War II, which Jiang did not. Mao had more military might, and he was simply more popular than Jiang with the Chinese people. China fell to Communism because of Mao's popularity more than his power. He was a farmer like most of the population of China, and he spoke to their needs and wants. The Chinese civil war did not result from the National Security Council's Memorandum 68; it had been going on for years before and after World War II.

However, NSC-68 did have far-reaching consequences in American foreign policy with China and the Soviet Union and regarding the Korean War. Jiang's failure to hold office certainly drove fear into many American's hearts, because almost immediately victorious Mao signed a long-term treaty with the Soviets. Uniting these two powers made the largest power on Earth, and just about everyone was afraid of that. It is doubtful if Mao had stayed in power that something like NSC-68 would have been drafted, unless Mao had also forged an alliance with the Soviets. This fueled the fear of Communism that was already gaining popularity in the country, and helped create a foreign policy that was unyielding and stringent. Any Communist was the enemy because ultimately the Soviets were somehow behind any Communist insurgency or quest for power.

NSC-68 did not solely ensure that America would invade Korea to protect South Korea from Communism, but it surely helped. It was a strong and highly political document that felt any gain by the Soviet Union was too much. If the Soviets gained any territory then Americans would suffer, it was that simple. The document gave great power to create a stronger military and defense weapons, and ensured American could defend itself from anything the Communists could come up with. It was a far-reaching document and it was not declassified until 1975, nearly 25 years after it was written. If Communism was to be controlled it had to be subdued, and that feeling ensured that America would enter into a conflict if any Communist nation attempted to gain control over another non-Communist nation. Political powers felt that the Soviet Union was manipulating the North Koreans, and that was enough to strike fear in their hearts and make sure they brought American into the conflict.

While just about everyone feared the Soviets and felt they would stop at nothing to gain more territory and power, there are stories that suggest they were surprised when North Korea attacked South Korea. Many experts believe the Soviets were not pushing the North Koreans; they attacked all on their own. The U.S. entered the war because they were afraid of Soviet expansion, but in reality, the war did not result in that expansion. North Korea kept its' territory and South Korea kept its' territory, and the Soviets did not gain much of anything in North Korea. Thus, the fears were not justified, and the entrance into the war was to ally American fears rather than actually stop a Soviet grab of territory and power.