Politics and Policy in Traditional Korea / James B. Palais.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Palais, James B., author.

Series:

Harvard East Asian Monographs ; 159.

Harvard East Asian Monographs ; 159

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Economic development.

Korea--Economic policy.

Korea.

Korea--Politics and government.

Physical Description:

1 online resource.

Edition:

3. print.

Distribution:

Leiden; Boston : BRILL, 1975.

Place of Publication:

Boston : Harvard University Asia Center, 1975.

Summary:

"James B. Palais theorizes in his important book on Korea that the remarkable longevity of the Yi dynasty (1392-1910) was related to the difficulties the country experienced in adapting to the modern world. He suggests that the aristocratic and hierarchical social system, which was the source of stability of the dynasty, was also the cause of its weakness. The period from 1864 to 1873 was one in which the monarchy attempted to increase and expand central power at the expense of the powerful aristocracy. But the effort failed, and 1874 saw a rebirth of bureaucratic and aristocratic dominance. What this meant when Korea was "opened" two years later to the outside world was that the country was poorly suited to the attainment of modern national objectives--the aggrandizement of state wealth and power--in competition with other nations. Thus any sense of national purpose was subverted, and the leadership could not generate the unified support needed for either modernization or domestic harmony. The consequences for the twentieth-century world have been portentous.".

Contents:

Preliminary Material

Introduction

Problems in the Establishment of Monarchic and Dynastic Power

Merit and Privilege in the Recruitment of Men

Land Distribution and Taxation

The Household Cloth Tax

The Abolition of the Private Academies

Reform of the Grain Loan System

Monetary Policy

Consensus Destroyed: The Retirement of the Taewongun

The Abolition of Ch'ing Cash

Maintaining the Status Quo

The Clamor for the Recall of the Taewongun: The Politics of Dissent

The Debate over Accpmmodation With Japan

Conclusion

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Harvard East Asian Monographs.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9781684172993

1684172993

OCLC:

643652899

Publisher Number:

10.1163/9781684172993 DOI