Why did Truman believe it was important to defend a small country such as South Korea?
1 Answer
To stop the expansion of communism.
Explanation:
Truman's reaction has to be analysed in the context of the time. At this period the Cold War was intense. After 1945 the Soviet Union and the USA emerged as the two superpowers who not only dominated world politics, but were ideologically opposed to each other.
The division of Europe and the imposition of communist governments by Stalin on Eastern European countries alarmed the Americans. This was also true of the division of Germany and Berlin. The declaration of the Communist Peoples' Republic of China in 1949 and the acquisition of nuclear weapons by the Soviets markedly increased American concerns.
The attitude of the US government was reflected in The Truman Doctrine which stated that the USA would give any internal and external support to countries threatened by dictatorship (namely communism).
When South Korea was attacked by the communist North, Truman felt obliged to intervene.
