In this comprehensive yet compact book, Michael J. Seth surveys Korean history from Neolithic times to the present. He explores the origins and development of Korean society, politics, and still little-known cultural heritage, showing how this ancient, culturally and ethnically homogeneous society was wrenched into the modern world, ultimately to be arbitrarily divided into two opposed halves after World War II. Tracing the six decades since, Seth explains how the two Koreas, with their deeply different political and social systems and geopolitical orientations, evolved into sharply contrasting societies. Throughout, he adds a rich dimension by placing Korean history into broader global perspective and by including primary readings from each era. All readers looking for a balanced, knowledgeable history will be richly rewarded with this clear and concise book.
Author(s): Michael J. Seth
Edition: 3
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Year: 2020
Language: English
Pages: xx+596
Contents
Primary Source Readings
Preface to the Third Edition
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. The Origins
2. The Period of the Three Kingdoms, Fourth Century to 676
3. Late Silla, 676 to 935
4. Koryŏ, 935 to 1170
5. Military Rulers and Mongol Invaders, 1170 to 1392
6. The Neo-Confucian Revolution and the Chosŏn State, 1392 to the Eighteenth Century
7. Chosŏn Society
8. Late Chosŏn, Early Eighteenth Century to 1876
9. Korea in the Age of Imperialism, 1876 to 1910
10. Colonial Korea, 1910 to 1945
11. Division and War, 1945 to 1953
12. North Korea: Recovery, Transformation, and Decline, 1953 to 1993
13. South Korea: From Poverty to Prosperity, 1953 to 1997
14. South Korea: Creating a Democratic Society, 1953 to 1997
15. Contemporary North Korea, 1993 to 2019
16. Contemporary South Korea, 1997 to 2019
Conclusion
Appendix. Romanization
Glossary of Korean Words
Annotated Selected Bibliography
Index
About the Author
