Date of Award

Spring 5-1995

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Political Science & Geography

Program/Concentration

Graduate Program in International studies

Committee Director

Patrick J. Rollins

Committee Member

Philip S. Gillette

Committee Member

Craig M. Cameron

Committee Member

John Q. Zhao

Call Number for Print

Special Collections LD4331.I45 S54

Abstract

China's entry into the Korean War in October 1950 took both its friends and foes by surprise and quickly escalated that conflict into the first major hot war since the start of the Cold War. This thesis analyzes the Chinese decision making process and the factors that led China into the Korean conflict. Official documents, statements, and speeches of American and Chinese Communist leaders between 1945 and 1950 indicate that historical mistrust and animosity, geopolitical considerations, and a breakdown of communications all contributed to the tragic showdown that caused millions of casualties. Extensively used for this study were declassified foreign policy documents, official statements and speeches, memoirs of senior government officials, as well as scholarly writings. Those sources include recent liberalized and relatively censor-free Chinese historical inquiries which give a much more factual account of China's role in the Korean War than earlier accounts.

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DOI

10.25777/9t38-nx36

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