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Fighting the Problem: George C. Marshall and Korea

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George C. Marshall

Part of the book series: The World of the Roosevelts ((WOOROO))

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Abstract

George C. Marshall, as is well known, secured his place as a preeminent American military leader during World War II, achieving recognition as the architect of U.S. victory over the Axis. During the cold war, he gained even greater national acclaim and international fame as a statesman, most importantly as a result of his leadership in proposing and securing congressional approval for the European Recovery Program. “Statesman as well as soldier,” biographer Mark A. Stoler writes, Marshall’s “character and accomplishments were so exceptional that he is placed in the company only of George Washington when historical parallels and superlatives are used.”1 In assessing this remarkable career, however, historians have devoted far less attention to examining Marshall’s role in trying to decide the fate of Korea as it emerged from Japanese colonial rule starting at the end of World War II and in the immediate postwar years. Marshall, in fact, was directly involved in decisions that led to the division of this Asian nation in August 1945 and descent into a brutal civil conflict, as well as military devastation in the Korean War.

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Notes

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  1. James I. Matray
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Charles F. Brower

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© 2011 Charles F. Brower

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Matray, J.I. (2011). Fighting the Problem: George C. Marshall and Korea. In: Brower, C.F. (eds) George C. Marshall. The World of the Roosevelts. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-230-11928-4_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-230-11928-4_7

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, New York

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-349-29616-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-230-11928-4

  • eBook Packages: Palgrave History CollectionHistory (R0)

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