China in the Korean War

Try this for an idea.

The Korean War (still formally in existence) was/is a proxy war. The war was between Communism (China/N Korea/ USSR et al) and Capitalism (nominate the UN forces).

Thanks, do you know anything about who controlled Korea? Or, what other commitment did Australia make before Korea?

You need to go back and read the history. It's important to understand that you're looking at the spread of an ideology but also that the ideology wasn't uniform in its spread. You also need to look at differences in ideology. To properly understand it you need to separate them.

The USSR had its own history and its own reason for adopting Communism. You can read a number of summaries of the October 1917 Revolution but be careful to understand that what is sometimes presented as a revolution that was fairly short was in fact very lengthy. It might be useful to concentrate your reading after Lenin's death and the ascension of Stalin. Now go to the end of WWII and see what was happening in China. It's a completely separate history. In particular try to see what Mao Zedong was doing, where he was educated and where he developed his ideology (the 1920s) and exactly how he became a significant force against the Japanese in China in WWII and the post-WWII struggles with the nationalist Kuomintang.

Now look at the end of WWII in particular what happened after Japan surrendered. They had invaded huge swathes of Asia. Look at their occupation of Korea. Now this bit is important. Refer to the Allies in WW2 - the West (USA, UK etc but for this project focus on the US) and in particular what we now historically call the Soviet Bloc. They were allies with what we now know as the West but there were the beginnings of a split. The Axis forces had been defeated, other opportunities emerged. This was the potential battleground for Communism and Capitalism. Allies against Fascism (Germany/Italy et al) and Japanese Imperial Militarism, they found themselves divided after the common enemy had been defeated. Sorting out Korea, previously occupied by Japan, was the foremost problem. In many ways this was the forerunner of what came to be known as the Cold War, except this was a very real war.

Study what happened immediately before the Korean War (hint - the atomic bomb) and look at how the Korean War was fought (conventional weapons).

Anyway I trust this will get you started. Remember, read and read, then think and think.

Thanks