A concise history of modern Korea : from the late nineteenth century to the present / Michael J. Seth.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Seth, Michael J., 1948-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Korea--History.

Korea.

History.

Korea (South)--History.

Korea (South).

Korea (North)--History.

Korea (North).

Physical Description:

vii, 295 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Lanham, Md. : Rowman & Littlefield, [2010]

Summary:

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.

Contents:

Korea, 1876-1910

Colonial Korea, 1910-1945

Division and war, 1945-1953

North Korea, 1953-1993

South Korea from poverty to prosperity, 1953-1997

South Korea

creating a democratic society, 1953-1997

North Korea in recent years

South Korea in recent years.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780742567122

0742567125

9780742567139

0742567133

9780742567146

0742567141

OCLC:

398483381