HISET Social Studies Practice 2026 - Free HISET Social Studies Practice Questions and Study Guide

The correct answer highlights the critical ideological divide that characterized the global landscape during the mid-20th century. After World War II, Korea was divided at the 38th parallel into two zones of occupation: the northern zone was controlled by the Soviet Union, establishing a communist government, while the southern zone came under the influence of the United States, developing a capitalist democracy.

This division represented a broader conflict between communism and capitalism that was emblematic of the Cold War era. The North aimed to reunify the country under a communist government, while the South was aligned with Western powers and sought to maintain its non-communist government. This fundamental disagreement over governance and ideology culminated in the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea, aiming to impose its political system on the entire peninsula.

The other options, while relevant to historical context, do not directly contribute to the primary causes of the Korean War. For instance, disputes over nuclear weapons, while significant later in the context of Cold War tensions, were not a direct cause of the war. Similarly, Japan's territorial ambitions, which were largely dealt with after World War II, and the situation between China and Taiwan, though important in the regional dynamics, were not