Korea A Century Of Change

This book provides an evenhanded coverage of Korea''s turbulent history during the last one hundred years, from seclusion to division. It focuses particularly on the development of the two different and antagonistic states on the peninsula since 1945. The author sees both countries through the windows of their possibilities and interests. He supplements his narrative, which makes use of rich source material, with observations he has made in South Korea, where he spent more than ten years from the 1970s to the 1990s, and where he had access to politicians and opinion leaders. The book starts by describing how the Hermit Kingdom was exposed to the greed of foreign powers at the end of the 19th century and how it became the victim of imperialistic Japan, then account is given of the country''s division and the hardening of that division through the Korean War. The rule of the military and the final triumph of civilian democrats in South Korea are analyzed in much detail. One chapter is devoted to the rise and intermittent decline of the South Korean economy. The history of North Korea under Kim II Sung and under his son is told, before the foreign relations of both Koreas are explained. A chapter on the so far overwhelmingly antagonistic South-North relations concludes the book. Sample Chapter(s). Foreword (95 KB). Chapter 1: The Hermit Kingdom (172 KB). Contents: Korea and the Modern Age: The Hermit Kingdom; Within Reach of the World Powers; The Japanese Rule; Divided Korea: The Origins of the Division of Korea; The Korean War Phase One: Towards Reunification; The Korean War Phase Two: The Division Hardens; Politics and Economics in the Republic of Korea: Syngman Rhee''s Korea; The Rise of Park Chung Hee; The Yushin System; Steps to Power; No Better Country?; OC Down with Military DictatorshipOCO The Beginnings of Democratic Rule; Civilian Leadership; The Economy; The Democratic People''s Republic of Korea: The State of Kim II Sung; North Korea Under the Son; Foreign Relations: South Korea''s Great Partner; The Neighbor in the East; Northern Policy; North Korea''s Foreign Partners; Nuclear Dangers and Beyond; South-North Relations: Confrontation and Dialogue. Readership: General."

Pt. 1. The agrarian transformation -- pt. 2. Business and industrial transformations -- pt. 3. Transformations in the stat -- pt. 4. Transforming culture and ideology -- pt. 5. Social transformations: labor, women, and the family.

This book provides an evenhanded coverage of Korea's turbulent history during the last one hundred years, from seclusion to division. It focuses particularly on the development of the two different and antagonistic states on the peninsula since 1945. The author sees both countries through the windows of their possibilities and interests. He supplements his narrative, which makes use of rich source material, with observations he has made in South Korea, where he spent more than ten years from the 1970s to the 1990s, and where he had access to politicians and opinion leaders.The book starts by describing how the Hermit Kingdom was exposed to the greed of foreign powers at the end of the 19th century and how it became the victim of imperialistic Japan, then account is given of the country's division and the hardening of that division through the Korean War. The rule of the military and the final triumph of civilian democrats in South Korea are analyzed in much detail. One chapter is devoted to the rise and intermittent decline of the South Korean economy. The history of North Korea under Kim II Sung and under his son is told, before the foreign relations of both Koreas are explained. A chapter on the so far overwhelmingly antagonistic South-North relations concludes the book.

This edited collection traces the social, economic, political, and cultural dimensions of Korea’s dramatic transformation since the late nineteenth century. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, the chapters examine the internal and external forces which facilitated the transition towards industrial capitalism in Korea, the consequences and impact of social change, and the ways in which Korean tradition continues to inform and influence contemporary South Korean society. Transformations in Twentieth Century Korea employs a thematic structure to discuss the interrelated elements of Korea’s modernization within agriculture, business and the economy, the state, ideology and culture, and gender and the family. The essays in this volume encompass the Choson dynasty, the colonial period, and postcolonial Korea. Collectively, they provide us with an original and innovative approach to the study of modern Korea, and show how knowledge of the country’s past is critical to understanding contemporary Korean society. With contributions from a number of prominent international scholars within sociology, economics, history, and political science, Transformations in Twentieth Century Korea incorporates a global framework of historical narrative, ideology and culture, and statistical and economic analysis to further our understanding of Korea’s evolution towards modernity.

This book concentrates on the process of economic growth, for which Korea today is renowned. It examines some of the salient forces that helped to produce Korea's remarkable change and explores the evolution of the class structure in Korea and the changes it is now experiencing.

Colonial Rule and Social Change in Korea 1910-1945 highlights the complex interaction between indigenous activity and colonial governance, emphasizing how Japanese rule adapted to Korean and missionary initiatives, as well as how Koreans found space within the colonial system to show agency. Topics covered range from economic development and national identity to education and family; from peasant uprisings and thought conversion to a comparison of missionary and colonial leprosariums. These various new assessments of Japan's colonial legacy may open up new and illuminating approaches to historical memory that will resonate not just in Korean studies, but in colonial and postcolonial studies in general, and will have implications for the future of regional politics in East Asia.