Korea Unit

In 1950, the Cold War became “hot” when communist North Korea, with Soviet backing, invaded U.S.-supported South Korea. The U.S. had reduced its troop commitment in the South, and the Soviet Union believed that it would be a simple matter to overrun the South and reunite all of Korea under a communist government. However, within days South Korea petitioned the United Nations for assistance in resisting the North’s invasion. With the Soviet Union boycotting the UN Security Council over its banning of communist China, the Security Council passed the resolution. The United States, along with some 16 other nations, sent troops to assist South Korea.

Leading the UN forces was General Douglas MacArthur, the hero of the Pacific theater in World War II. In the early days of UN involvement, the North was nearly unstoppable, forcing the UN troops all the way to Pusan, in the southeast of the Korean peninsula. However, MacArthur’s brilliant landing at Inchon pushed the North Koreans back above the 38th parallel. MacArthur, however, did not want to stop there. UN forces pushed opposing troops all the way up to the border between North Korea and China along the Yalu River. The Chinese, concerned that the UN forces might invade their country as well, entered the fight, forcing the UN troops back below the 38th parallel.

A bloody stalemate ensued. The war, along with his dismissal of MacArthur, caused Truman’s popularity to spiral downward, and he chose not to run for re-election in 1952. General Dwight Eisenhower, who had led the Normandy invasion on D-Day, became the Republican nominee, and promised to “go to Korea” if he emerged victorious in the election. “Ike” won, and in 1953 an armistice was signed, ending the fighting. The war ended in a stalemate, with the new boundary between North and South Korea almost exactly what it had been before June of 1950.

How does the cartoonist’s drawing depict the Korean conflict?

What symbolism do you see in how the cartoonist drew the hornet’s nest?

Who do the hornets represent? /Why do you think the cartoonist called them “enraged”?

In the cartoonist’s view, who do you believe threw the “rock” which stirred up the hornet’s nest?

Why might the cartoonist have selected “Starting Something?” as the title for the cartoon?

What action does the cartoonist imply the “enraged world democracies” will take?

Do you think the artist supported the U.S. and United Nations policies regarding South Korea?

How might the date the cartoon was released affect how the cartoon might have been interpreted by the average American?