06.04 SWBS Chart

The "Somebody-Wanted-But-So" chart is an excellent way to summarize important information from history. In it, you identify a person or group of people; their goal, need, or want; what conflict of interest stood in the way; and the outcome. This strategy works great because history depends on the needs, wants, and actions of humans. Use the chart to show your understanding of people, countries, and organizations in the Korean War.

Part 1 – Complete the following chart using information from the lesson.

Somebody ... / Wanted ... / But ... / So ...
North Korea / To unite both
halves of Korea
under Communist
rule. / Were stopped by reinforcements from the US and the United Nations that pushed them back. / The Korean War started.
General MacArthur / Defeat the Koreans / President Truman would not allow it because he had to follow orders. / He got permission
to lead a mission to
ambush them from
behind while other
UN troops
continued to fight
them head on
President Truman / To win this war and wanted to do it the right way which was with the least amount of violence / MacArthur would not listen to him and kept going to his own accord which was neglect what he was saying and do things on his own. / Truman had no choice but to fire Macarthur as a general and strip away what he was good at.
China / To keep a safe zone so no countries would interrupt their work / China worried that the US would break into China if the US and South Korea were allowed to win the war / China planned a surprise attack and defeated American troops at Unsan.
United Nations / To stop the spread of communism. / MacArthur wanted to provoke China even though instructed not to by the United States and the United Nations / The United Nation’s Forces pushed the invading North Korean Forces back into North Korea
The Korean War Chart

Part 2 – You will create four paragraphs, one for each question below. Each response must be in your own words and in complete sentences as well as include evidence from the lesson.

  1. How did General Douglas MacArthur react to the events in Korea? What was his stance on the Korean War?

MacArthur wanted to cross the border to hit military and supply units, he also wanted to bomb the supply units and crossing to keep Americans from getting killed. The United Nations was taking for the battles that the United States troops were fighting in.

  1. How did President Truman respond to the events in Korea? What was his stance on the Korean War?

Truman wanted to restore peace between North and South Korea. He didn’t want MacArthur to go near the Chinese boarder because Truman didn’t want the Chinese getting involved in the war.

  1. Which leader's actions were the most justifiable—General McArthur's or President Truman's? Support your claim with evidence from the lesson.

President Truman’s actions were more justifiable. General MacArthur was good during the Korean War he took advantage of the intelligence of the Chinese Red Army build up across the border of North Korea into China.

  1. Would the outcome of the Korean War have been different had General MacArthur not been fired? Why or why not? Support your claim with evidence from the lesson.

I believe he should have been fired. In Korea, MacArthur kept questioning the decisions of his Commander in Chief in public, making sure his statements appeared in the press. This was a selfish and unprofessional act on his part.