From Civil War to Cold War: China, the US, and the Korean Conflict

Authors

• Ethan Paul Foss, University of New Hampshire - Main CampusFollow

Date Completed

Spring 2025

Abstract

This history honors thesis investigates US foreign policy in East Asia during the early Cold War, specifically from 1945 to 1953, focusing on the Chinese Civil War and the Korean War. This thesis argues that American policymakers misjudged Chinese communism, Korean nationalism, and regional dynamics due to ideological assumptions and Cold War anxieties. The research examines missed diplomatic opportunities with Mao’s China, the flawed occupation of South Korea, and the escalation of the Korean Conflict, revealing how rigid anti-communist policies contributed to the Korean War's outbreak and strengthened communist alliances. Ultimately, it argues that the Korean War was less an inevitable ideological conflict and more a result of failed diplomacy and American errors in Asia.

First Advisor

Kurk Dorsey

Second Advisor

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College or School

COLA

Department or Program

History

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Recommended Citation

Foss, Ethan Paul, "From Civil War to Cold War: China, the US, and the Korean Conflict" (2025). Honors Theses and Capstones. 874.
https://scholars.unh.edu/honors/874