ABSTRACT
The Korean War was the PRC’s first modern imperialist conflict, as the new Communist “dynasty” tried to reassert influence over its former tributary states. Although the PLA had originally emerged as a guerrilla army and adopted standing armies fighting for fixed positions during the civil war period, the 1950 conflict between North Korea and South Korea forced it to assume completely the responsibilities of a conventional military force. In order to fight the technologically superior American-backed United Nations forces, the PLA’s commander, Peng Dehuai, hoped to create a more modern, mobile army. This effort required huge investments into heavy artillery, tanks, and aircraft, most of which were purchased from the Soviet Union and paid for with Chinese goods. China’s efforts to acquire and use Soviet MiG aircraft for air cover, in particular, was a sharp departure from the PLA’s earlier guerrilla practices.
