A Concise History of Modern Korea: From the Late Nineteenth Century to the Present

A Concise History of Modern Korea: From the Late Nineteenth Century to the Present

by Michael J. Seth
A Concise History of Modern Korea: From the Late Nineteenth Century to the Present

A Concise History of Modern Korea: From the Late Nineteenth Century to the Present

by Michael J. Seth

Paperback(Third Edition)

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Overview

Now in a fully revised and updated edition including new primary sources and illustrations, this comprehensive and balanced history of modern Korea explores the social, economic, and political issues it has faced since being catapulted into the wider world at the end of the nineteenth century. Placing this formerly insular society in a global context, Michael J. Seth describes how this ancient, culturally and ethnically homogeneous society first fell victim to Japanese imperialist expansionism, and then was arbitrarily divided in half after World War II. Seth traces the postwar paths of the two Koreas—with different political and social systems and different geopolitical orientations—as they evolved into sharply contrasting societies. South Korea, after an unpromising start, became one of the few postcolonial developing states to enter the ranks of the first world, with a globally competitive economy, a democratic political system, and a cosmopolitan and dynamic culture. By contrast, North Korea became one of the world's most totalitarian and isolated societies, a nuclear power with an impoverished and famine-stricken population. Considering the radically different and historically unprecedented trajectories of the two Koreas, Seth assesses the insights they offer for understanding not only modern Korea but the broader perspective of world history. All readers looking for a balanced, knowledgeable history will be richly rewarded with this clear and concise book.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781538129043
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date: 11/29/2019
Edition description: Third Edition
Pages: 356
Sales rank: 1,032,498
Product dimensions: 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

Michael J. Seth is professor of history at James Madison University.

Table of Contents

Contents

Primary Source Readings

Preface to the Second Edition

Acknowledgments

Maps

Introduction

1 Korea in the Age of Imperialism, 1876 to 1910

Early Contacts with the West

The Opening of Korea

Early Reforms, 1876–1884

The Chinese Decade, 1885–1894

The Tonghak Rebellion

Kabo Reforms

The Russian Ascendency and the Independence Club

The Russo-Japanese War and the Protectorate

The Protectorate, 1905–1910

Korea in Transition

Korea in Global Perspective: Korea in the Age of Imperialism

Notes

2 Colonial Korea, 1910 to 1945

The March First Movement

The Post–March First Period

Cultural Ferment of the 1920s

Moderate and Radical Nationalism

Economic Development

Modernity and Social Change

Rural Society

Wartime Colonialism, 1931–1945

Forced Assimilation

A Society in Turmoil: The Legacy of Colonial Rule

Korea in Global Perspective: The Korean Nationalist Movement

Korea in Global Perspective: Korea’s Colonial Experience

Notes

3 Division and War, 1945 to 1953

The End of Colonial Rule in Korea

North Korea under Soviet Occupation

South Korea under U.S. Occupation

Trusteeship

Establishing a Separate Regime in the North

The Beginnings of a New Regime in the South

Toward Division

The Republic of Korea

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

On the Eve of the Korean War

The Korean War

The Impact of the Korean War

Korea in Global Perspective: Divided Countries

Korea in Global Perspective: The Korean War

Notes

4 North Korea: Recovery, Transformation, and Decline, 1953 to 1993

The Divergent Paths of the Two Koreas

North Korea’s Recovery

North Korea’s Great Leap Forward

The Political Consolidation of Kim Il Sung and His Manchurian Guerrilla Comrades

Creating a Monolithic State

The Cult of the Kim Family

Kim Il Sung’s Juche Society

Everyday Life

Foreign Policy

Economic Problems

Korea in Global Perspective: North Korea as a Communist Country

Notes

5 South Korea: From Poverty to Prosperity, 1953 to 1997

The Syngman Rhee Years, 1953–1960

The Democratic Experiment, 1960–1961

The Military Coup

Economic Transformation

Economic Growth under Park Chung Hee

Chaebŏls

Transformation of the Countryside

Economic Development in the 1980s

Explaining South Korea’s Economic Miracle

Education

Korea in Global Perspective: Educational Development

Korea in Global Perspective: Economic Development

Notes

6 South Korea: Creating a Democratic Society, 1953 to 1997

Military Authoritarianism

The Yushin Era, 1971–1979

Seoul Spring, 1979–1980

The Fifth Republic

1987: A Political Turning Point

Transition to Democracy

Understanding the Democratic Turn

Student Activism

Organized Labor

Social and Cultural Transition

Korea in Global Perspective: Democratization

Notes

7 Contemporary North Korea, 1993 to 2019

In Decline: A Period of Crisis

Under Kim Jong Il

Ideology

Famine

Crisis and Summitry

Tentative Reforms

Confrontations and the Policy of Survival

North Korea Under Kim Jong Un

Reviving the Past, Moving Toward an Uncertain Future

Korea in Global Perspective: North Korea’s Famine

Korea in Global Perspective: North Korea as a Failed State

Notes

8 Contemporary South Korea, 1997 to 2019

Return to Civilian Government

Economic Crisis and Recovery

Domestic Politics

Foreign Policy

Rethinking Reunification

A Society Undergoing Rapid Change

Changing Gender Relations, Changing Families

Ethnic Homogeneity and Multiculturalism

Facing History and Preserving Heritage

New Crises and New Problems

Korea in Global Perspective: South Korea’s Place in the World

Notes

Conclusion

Appendix: Romanization

Glossary of Korean Words

Annotated Selected Bibliography

Index

About the Author

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