SAT II World History : Korean Relations

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT II World History

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Korean Relations

The Korean War was fought between __________.

Possible Answers:

communist forces in the North and capitalist forces in the South

capitalist forces in the North and communist forces in the South

imperialist forces in the North and isolationist forces in the South

isolationist forces in the North and imperialist forces in the South

theocratic forces in the North and secular forces in the South

Correct answer:

communist forces in the North and capitalist forces in the South

Explanation:

The Korean War was fought between the communist government of North Korea and the capitalist government of South Korea. The United States and other democratic and capitalist countries involved themselves on the side of the South Koreans, and China and other communist countries involved themselves on the side of the North Koreans.

Example Question #2 : Korean Relations

From 1910 to 1945, the Korean peninsula was occupied by __________.

Possible Answers:

the Soviet Union

Japan

the United Kingdom

the United States

China

Correct answer:

Japan

Explanation:

The Japanese occupied the Korean peninsula in 1910 in one of their earliest waves of imperial expansion that would mark the next thirty-five years of East Asian history. The Japanese remained in Korea until 1945, when the northern half of the country was liberated by the Soviet Union and a communist government established there and the southern half was liberated by the United States and a capitalist government established there. This would lead directly to the Korean War.

Example Question #3 : Korean Relations

The Korean War is often described as the first proxy war of the Cold War when the South Koreans were supported, primarily, by the United States and the North Koreans were supported, primarily, by __________.

Possible Answers:

India

China

Vietnam

The Soviet Union

Japan

Correct answer:

China

Explanation:

During the Cold War the United States and the Soviet Union never came into direct combat with one another. Instead the capitalist nations of Western Europe and America fought a series of proxy wars against the Communist nations of U.S.S.R. and China. A proxy war is a war fought between two less powerful nations who are each backed by a much more powerful nation. The Korean War is the earliest example of this in the Cold War. It began when North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950. The American government sent troops and resources to the democratic South Korea and succeeded in pushing the North Koreans back into the North, however as the combined forces of America and South Korea marched into North Korea, China became worried that the war might lead to a full scale conflict between capitalism and communism in East Asia and so began to offer support to North Korea. The war eventually ended in an armistice in 1953, but tensions in the region continue to this day.

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