Korean War
The Korean war was a fight between North and South Korea on the outside, but truly it was USA's first direct confrontation with USSR, the first 'hot' war in the Cold War period. The communist North Korea attacked the capitalist South Korea. Afraid that communism in Korea will spark a domino effect on the rest of Asia, USA came to South Korea's help.
Events of the Korean War
The outcome of the Korean war was almost nothing. The border between South Korea and North Korea was adjusted slightly but other than that it was basically the same since before the Korean war. There were fears that USA might use the Atom Bomb if China did not stop fighting.
The probability of nuclear war happening was very high at this stage. USA even threatened to use it if China refused to stop fighting.
Sources:http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/korea.htm
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Domino_theory
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