Following WWII, the Allied powers split up the Korean peninsula similarly to how Germany had been divided, with the Soviets controlling the North and the US controlling the South. This led to a communist North Korea and non-communist South Korea, and when these two wanted to unify, both wanted to do so on their premises. The North, then attacked the South to take over as a way to unify, leading to a war between the two. The US, as well as other countries, entered the conflict between the nations in order to combat or advocate for the spread of communism. The United States, one of the countries opposing communism under was led at this time by President Harry Truman. However, while leading the military campaign in Korea, President Truman was …show more content…
Throughout the speech, he mentions how his actions are preventing a “general war”, with the repetition of these phrase having the effect of making it seem very possible, and, therefore something to fear. Truman also knows that propaganda about the “red menace” has made the American people very anti-communist and that in alluding repeatedly to “communist aggression” or “aggressor” he is able to create a sense concern. As a speaker, he knows his audience when building the atmosphere with his word choice. The Korea War didn’t have an effect on American lives in the same way that WWII had in earlier years, which allowed for it to become a distant idea in the back of everyday American minds. However, these same people had just been through WWII, meaning the threat of another world war, or general war is a realistic possibility and makes the threat seem more tangible than that of a war an ocean away and taps into the fear associated with the last war. Furthermore, by pulling the threat of communism into the speech he finds another way to associate this faraway war with emotions that everyday Americans can relate to because of the mass amount of anti-communist propaganda happening since the end of the first World War. While the war, too many, seems far away, leaving most Americans unaffected, especially compared to WWII, Truman is able to tap into fear by making it seem more eminent a threat and more relatable. This