Korean War is often called a "forgotten war" because not many people remember it. In fact, many people were enjoying the end of World War II when the Korean War started. Because of that reason, people did not want to think about foreign affairs but only domestic affairs. The war brought many domestic changes that still remain with us. The war is not forgotten.
During the 1950's, the Americans were anxious to forget the war and enjoy the long economic boom (Butler). "The economic boom of the 1950s and 1960s was sparked by pent-up demand but reflected another long-term trend as well--mass production. Motivated by spectacular examples like Henry Ford's Model T, American industry adopted the strategies and techniques of mass production to satisfy the growing mass demand" (Patton). The Depression was finally disappearing from the people's minds and not many people wanted to get involved with another war. Even though it is said that many people did not know much about the Korean War, maybe the people just wanted to avoid another war.
The war gave the United States its first military defeat. "For one, it was America's first taste of military defeat, and its first experience of limited warfare, where outright victory was deemed too costly an objective" (Butler). The United States weren't ready to fight the war when the Korean War first started. Following World War II, the budget for military had been decreasing. But the Korean War reversed the cutting of the budget. "An enormous military buildup followed: Military spending nearly quadrupled in three years, and the ranks of the armed forces more than doubled from 1.5 million to 3.5 million" (Butler). After trying to start an economic boom, the United States ran into a hurdle, and had to divide more part of the budget...
Not bad
Good stuff about the US's involvment with Japan during the war. Could have expanded a little bit around some of the issues. Nice conclusion too.
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