Concise History of Modern Korea

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

• ContentsPrimary Source ReadingsPreface to the Second EditionAcknowledgmentsMapsIntroduction1 Korea in the Age of Imperialism, 1876 to 1910Early Contacts with the WestThe Opening of KoreaEarly Reforms, 1876–1884The Chinese Decade, 1885–1894The Tonghak RebellionKabo ReformsThe Russian Ascendency and the Independence ClubThe Russo-Japanese War and the ProtectorateThe Protectorate, 1905–1910Korea in TransitionKorea in Global Perspective: Korea in the Age of ImperialismNotes2 Colonial Korea, 1910 to 1945The March First MovementThe Post–March First PeriodCultural Ferment of the 1920s Moderate and Radical NationalismEconomic DevelopmentModernity and Social ChangeRural SocietyWartime Colonialism, 1931–1945Forced AssimilationA Society in Turmoil: The Legacy of Colonial RuleKorea in Global Perspective: The Korean Nationalist MovementKorea in Global Perspective: Korea’s Colonial ExperienceNotes3 Division and War, 1945 to 1953The End of Colonial Rule in KoreaNorth Korea under Soviet OccupationSouth Korea under U.S. OccupationTrusteeshipEstablishing a Separate Regime in the NorthThe Beginnings of a New Regime in the SouthToward DivisionThe Republic of KoreaThe Democratic People’s Republic of KoreaOn the Eve of the Korean WarThe Korean WarThe Impact of the Korean WarKorea in Global Perspective: Divided CountriesKorea in Global Perspective: The Korean WarNotes4 North Korea: Recovery, Transformation, and Decline, 1953 to 1993The Divergent Paths of the Two KoreasNorth Korea’s RecoveryNorth Korea’s Great Leap ForwardThe Political Consolidation of Kim Il Sung and His Manchurian Guerrilla ComradesCreating a Monolithic StateThe Cult of the Kim FamilyKim Il Sung’s Juche SocietyEveryday LifeForeign PolicyEconomic ProblemsKorea in Global Perspective: North Korea as a Communist CountryNotes5 South Korea: From Poverty to Prosperity, 1953 to 1997The Syngman Rhee Years, 1953–1960The Democratic Experiment, 1960–1961The Military CoupEconomic TransformationEconomic Growth under Park Chung HeeChaebolsTransformation of the CountrysideEconomic Development in the 1980sExplaining South Korea’s Economic MiracleEducationKorea in Global Perspective: Educational DevelopmentKorea in Global Perspective: Economic DevelopmentNotes6 South Korea: Creating a Democratic Society, 1953 to 1997Military AuthoritarianismThe Yushin Era, 1971–1979Seoul Spring, 1979–1980The Fifth Republic1987: A Political Turning PointTransition to DemocracyUnderstanding the Democratic TurnStudent ActivismOrganized LaborSocial and Cultural TransitionKorea in Global Perspective: DemocratizationNotes7 Contemporary North Korea, 1993 to 2019In Decline: A Period of CrisisUnder Kim Jong Il IdeologyFamine Crisis and SummitryTentative ReformsConfrontations and the Policy of SurvivalNorth Korea Under Kim Jong Un Reviving the Past, Moving Toward an Uncertain FutureKorea in Global Perspective: North Korea’s FamineKorea in Global Perspective: North Korea as a Failed StateNotes8 Contemporary South Korea, 1997 to 2019Return to Civilian GovernmentEconomic Crisis and RecoveryDomestic PoliticsForeign PolicyRethinking ReunificationA Society Undergoing Rapid ChangeChanging Gender Relations, Changing FamiliesEthnic Homogeneity and MulticulturalismFacing History and Preserving HeritageNew Crises and New ProblemsKorea in Global Perspective: South Korea’s Place in the WorldNotesConclusionAppendix: RomanizationGlossary of Korean WordsAnnotated Selected BibliographyIndexAbout the Author

Michael Seth's A Concise History of Korea stands as the singular authoritative history of Korea for the undergraduate audience. Seth makes the story of the Korean nation come alive. Comprehensive and engaging, Seth's work is an excellent text for college students new to the subject.