Why was the US more involved in the korean civil war than in the chinese civil war?
In point of fact, the US had no forces on hand in China during the final portion of the Chinese Civil War. During WWII, the US had favored Chang, but had assisted both sides. After the Second World War came to an end, the US evacuated. There was not a clear picture, in 1945, of either the coming Cold War competition, or the doctrine of Containment which would guide American efforts. Korea was a completely different story. The US had forces on the ground in Korea, and was certainly not going to run away with tails set firmly between legs when North Korea attacked the South. Additionally, by the time of the attack, the US was fully aware of the threat posed by expansionist Communism, and had a firm, well ordered policy of Containment in place. As a result, instead of abandoning Korea under enemy fire (which would have been a propaganda disaster), the US (and Great Britain) sent forces flooding into Korea to try to stem the tide, and then pushed for a UN mandate to defend South Korea. Bec
