Was the Korean war worth
fighting? (for China)
LO: to examine the costs and the benefits of
China’s involvement in the Korean War.
1
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X7nbwFxGRU
A quick history of the
Korean War.
2
1. Mao was concerned about opponents to his regime.
2. China was a vast and diverse nation; this made it
difficult to govern.
3. The Communists have only just come to power.
4. China has been previously humiliated by Foreign
powers.
5. China desperately needed to borrow industrial
equipment.
Why did China join the
Korean war?
3
A pre-mediated plan
Manipulated by the USSR
• Mao was eager to use the
war to convince Stalin to
provide him with
technology and industrial
equipment
• Mao was manipulated
into helping because it
helped the USSR’s cold
war agenda.
Key debate: Why join?
4
• The CCP could claim to have resisted the major capitalist
powers.
• BUT huge drain on Chinese economy.
• Established hostility as its default position vs the USA.
• Justified increasing political & social repression within
China.
The significance of the
Korean War 1950-53
• 1951 3-Antis campaign – directed against waste and
corruption within government, so mainly against party
members. Method = denunciation and self-criticism.
• 1952 5-Antis campaign – targeted the middle class
business groups.
Increasing repression
• Suppression of political plurality – by 1952 all other
political parties had disappeared.
• 1954 Purge of Gao Gang & Rao Rashi – seen by Mao as
too ambitious and dismissed from their positions (Gao
Gang committed suicide).
(Indicative of Mao’s suspicion of his own party.)
Increasing repression
• Work with a partner. One should collect evidence of all
the benefits to China of their involvement.
• The other should note the costs.
• Feedback to each other and begin to evaluate – was it
worth fighting?
EXT: Is your answer different if you think about who
benefits?
Was it worth fighting?
8
Party
Benefit
Not
Benefit
People
Conclusion:
9
• Mao believed that the force of will and mobilisation of
the masses could overcome technological weakness – a
mistaken idea that would later be harnessed for attempted
economic advancement (e.g. Great Leap Forward).
Key point to highlight
10
• Read the extract from ‘Son of the Revolution’ to get some
contextual understanding of what happened
• Homework – complete the worksheet (use your textbook)
• Due: 16/12
The Hundred Flowers
Campaign
11