China is a larger land mass that had a larger population, so why did the US not interfere in a meaningful way when the country was fighting a war that would determine whether communism or democracy would be the new form of government. The Chinese civil war is the reason why China doesn't have a democracy.
Hey there,
Just to let you know, your question is fine, and we're letting it stand. However, you should be aware that questions framed as 'Why didn't X do Y' relatively often don't get an answer that meets our standards (in our experience as moderators). There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, it often can be difficult to prove the counterfactual: historians know much more about what happened than what might have happened. Secondly, 'why didn't X do Y' questions are sometimes phrased in an ahistorical way. It's worth remembering that people in the past couldn't see into the future, and they generally didn't have all the information we now have about their situations; things that look obvious now didn't necessarily look that way at the time.
If you end up not getting a response after a day or two, consider asking a new question focusing instead on why what happened did happen (rather than why what didn't happen didn't happen) - this kind of question is more likely to get a response in our experience. Hope this helps!
One of the considerations is who the Secretary of State was in both conflicts and the domestic political situation facing each. After WWII, the task of dealing with China was assigned to General George Marshall who would then serve as Secretary of State from 1947 to 1949 while Dean Acheson would serve as Under Secretary of State. General Marshall concluded essentially that nation building in China would be too difficult for the United States following World War 2. Marshall concluded that the US would have to occupy China indefinitely, which would detract from its ability to address issues in Europe and elsewhere. However, Marshall was involved with trying to secure a peace agreement between the communist and nationalist forces in China. By 1947, this attempt at a ceasefire was unsuccessful and Marshall returned to the United States. The civil war in China continued to escalate.
Marshall's and Acheson's decision to steer the US from military involvement in China's civil war was controversial to say the least. They were denounced by Senator Joe McCarthy at length as well as by others. The "loss" of China generated an uproar in some sectors of the media and from the China Lobby. Dean Acheson followed Marshall as Secretary of State. Acheson, facing the outcry surrounding the "loss" of China, was convinced that the US should defend South Korea and resist aggression. In order to defend the State Department's China policy during the 1940s, Acheson issued the China White Paper. President Truman was convinced that force should be used in the Korean conflict, and the United Nations entered the war against North Korea.