38th Parallel

On June 25, 1950, members of the Soviet back North Korean Army crossed the 38th parallel, which was put into place following World War II. These attacks were a surprise and unprovoked attack from the Communist back North Koreans. It was so surprising in fact, the North Koreans were able to push the South Korean and their American allies to a small corner of the main peninsula. Once pinned, the United Nations quickly ratified a call for support to the South Koreans from the Northern aggressors. In doing so, Gen. MacArthur attempted a bold move to land behind the North Korean military in his own surprise attack from Japan. MacArthur failed in cutting off the North Korean Army as they were able to escape back to the north, but escape in a hasty

As MacArthur and the Allied forces continued to push north, they believed they would be all but done by Christmas. This line of thinking though turned unfortunate in late November. On November 24, 1950, MacArthur began what he believed to be the final offensive against the North. Little did he know, the Chinese, who had warned of involvement, entered the war at midnight, November 25. Once they entered they were able to push the Allied forces back completely south of the 38th Parallel, and even past Seoul, Capital of South Korea. This counter-attack from the Chinese lasted until the middle of January of 1951. At this time, UN forces were able to regroup enough to counter the Chinese and push them back to the 38th Parallel by May 1951. From May till July 1953, the battles remained a stalemate between the North and South, as the “Superpowers” America and Russia/China did not execute any maneuvers that could have ultimately lead to a Nuclear War, as this was one of the main reasons for the Cold War, besides the complete isolation or containment of Communism. In all, the Chinese entered the war to keep America from influencing the entire region into rebelling against the rise of Communism, and to establish their new regime as power in the growing world. The Chinese also were beginning to “rub” elbows with the Soviets, but never fully trusted them either, as some of their underlying ideals were not the same in the long