Stalin’s decision: the origins of the Korean War
Journal: Calhoun: The Naval Postgraduate School Institutional Archive (Naval Postgraduate School)
Year: 2014

Despite an initial denial in 1949, in 1950 Stalin decided to support Kim Il-sung’s request for military operations to unify Korea. This historical approach into the origins of the Korea War explores how Stalin’s role in manipulating both Mao Zedong and Kim into conflict in Korea. His approach allowed for two critical strategic and political victories for the Soviet Union in the early stages of the Cold War. First, with the revolutionary success of the Chinese, Stalin could use the communist move