Korea

Korea

Author: Michael Pembroke

Publisher: Hardie Grant Publishing

Published: 2018-02-01

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 1743585365

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This lucid book should be compulsory reading for anyone who wonders how the situation on the Korean peninsula has deteriorated to the point it is today. It demonstrates the truth of the axiom that unless you know the history, you cannot see the future. The failed invasion of North Korea by US-led forces in late 1950 and the unrelenting three-year long bombing campaign of North Korean cities, towns and villages – ‘every thing that moved [and] every brick standing on top of another’ – help explain why the Pyongyang regime is, and always has been, determined to develop a credible nuclear deterrent. As Alistair Horne once said so wisely ‘How different world history would have been if MacArthur had had the good sense to stop on the 38th parallel. The first Korean War became the first of America’s failed modern wars; and its first modern war with China. It established the pattern for the next sixty years and marked the true beginning of the American century – opening the door to ever-increasing military expenditure; launching the long era of expanding American global force projection; and creating the dangerous and festering geopolitical sore that exists in Northeast Asia today. Washington has not learned the lessons of history and we are reaping the consequences. Michael Pembroke's timely book tells the story of the Korean peninsula with compassion for the people of the North and South, understanding and insight for the role of China and concern about the past and present role of the United States.


Book Synopsis Korea by : Michael Pembroke

Download or read book Korea written by Michael Pembroke and published by Hardie Grant Publishing. This book was released on 2018-02-01 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This lucid book should be compulsory reading for anyone who wonders how the situation on the Korean peninsula has deteriorated to the point it is today. It demonstrates the truth of the axiom that unless you know the history, you cannot see the future. The failed invasion of North Korea by US-led forces in late 1950 and the unrelenting three-year long bombing campaign of North Korean cities, towns and villages – ‘every thing that moved [and] every brick standing on top of another’ – help explain why the Pyongyang regime is, and always has been, determined to develop a credible nuclear deterrent. As Alistair Horne once said so wisely ‘How different world history would have been if MacArthur had had the good sense to stop on the 38th parallel. The first Korean War became the first of America’s failed modern wars; and its first modern war with China. It established the pattern for the next sixty years and marked the true beginning of the American century – opening the door to ever-increasing military expenditure; launching the long era of expanding American global force projection; and creating the dangerous and festering geopolitical sore that exists in Northeast Asia today. Washington has not learned the lessons of history and we are reaping the consequences. Michael Pembroke's timely book tells the story of the Korean peninsula with compassion for the people of the North and South, understanding and insight for the role of China and concern about the past and present role of the United States.

Korea: Where the American Century Began

Korea: Where the American Century Began

Author: Michael Pembroke

Publisher: ONEWorld Publications

Published: 2020-01-14

Total Pages: 368

ISBN-13: 9781786076618

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Why the Korean peninsula has become the nuclear flashpoint it is today, and how the 1950-3 war marked the beginning of the American century


Book Synopsis Korea: Where the American Century Began by : Michael Pembroke

Download or read book Korea: Where the American Century Began written by Michael Pembroke and published by ONEWorld Publications. This book was released on 2020-01-14 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why the Korean peninsula has become the nuclear flashpoint it is today, and how the 1950-3 war marked the beginning of the American century

Korea: Where the American Century Began

Korea: Where the American Century Began

Author: Michael Pembroke

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2018-05-04

Total Pages: 368

ISBN-13: 1786074745

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Unless you know the history, you cannot see the future. In late 1950, the US-led invasion of North Korea failed and for the next three years the United States bombed the North’s cities, towns and villages relentlessly. Pyongyang has been determined to develop a credible nuclear deterrent ever since. The Korean War was the first of America’s unsuccessful military interventions post-World War II and its first modern conflict with China. It established the pattern for the next sixty years and marked the true beginning of the American century. With compassion for the people of the North and South, and understanding for the soldiers caught between the bitter winter and an implacable enemy, Michael Pembroke tells the absorbing story of Korea. It is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand why the Korean peninsula has become the nuclear flashpoint it is today.


Book Synopsis Korea: Where the American Century Began by : Michael Pembroke

Download or read book Korea: Where the American Century Began written by Michael Pembroke and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2018-05-04 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Unless you know the history, you cannot see the future. In late 1950, the US-led invasion of North Korea failed and for the next three years the United States bombed the North’s cities, towns and villages relentlessly. Pyongyang has been determined to develop a credible nuclear deterrent ever since. The Korean War was the first of America’s unsuccessful military interventions post-World War II and its first modern conflict with China. It established the pattern for the next sixty years and marked the true beginning of the American century. With compassion for the people of the North and South, and understanding for the soldiers caught between the bitter winter and an implacable enemy, Michael Pembroke tells the absorbing story of Korea. It is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand why the Korean peninsula has become the nuclear flashpoint it is today.

The Korean War

The Korean War

Author: Bruce Cumings

Publisher: Modern Library

Published: 2011-07-12

Total Pages: 322

ISBN-13: 081297896X

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A BRACING ACCOUNT OF A WAR THAT IS EITHER MISUNDERSTOOD, FORGOTTEN, OR WILLFULLY IGNORED For Americans, it was a discrete conflict lasting from 1950 to 1953. But for the Asian world the Korean War was a generations-long struggle that still haunts contemporary events. With access to new evidence and secret materials from both here and abroad, including an archive of captured North Korean documents, Bruce Cumings reveals the war as it was actually fought. He describes its origin as a civil war, preordained long before the first shots were fired in June 1950 by lingering fury over Japan’s occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945. Cumings then shares the neglected history of America’s post–World War II occupation of Korea, reveals untold stories of bloody insurgencies and rebellions, and tells of the United States officially entering the action on the side of the South, exposing as never before the appalling massacres and atrocities committed on all sides. Elegantly written and blisteringly honest, The Korean War is, like the war it illuminates, brief, devastating, and essential.


Book Synopsis The Korean War by : Bruce Cumings

Download or read book The Korean War written by Bruce Cumings and published by Modern Library. This book was released on 2011-07-12 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A BRACING ACCOUNT OF A WAR THAT IS EITHER MISUNDERSTOOD, FORGOTTEN, OR WILLFULLY IGNORED For Americans, it was a discrete conflict lasting from 1950 to 1953. But for the Asian world the Korean War was a generations-long struggle that still haunts contemporary events. With access to new evidence and secret materials from both here and abroad, including an archive of captured North Korean documents, Bruce Cumings reveals the war as it was actually fought. He describes its origin as a civil war, preordained long before the first shots were fired in June 1950 by lingering fury over Japan’s occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945. Cumings then shares the neglected history of America’s post–World War II occupation of Korea, reveals untold stories of bloody insurgencies and rebellions, and tells of the United States officially entering the action on the side of the South, exposing as never before the appalling massacres and atrocities committed on all sides. Elegantly written and blisteringly honest, The Korean War is, like the war it illuminates, brief, devastating, and essential.

America in Retreat

America in Retreat

Author: Michael Pembroke

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2021-01-28

Total Pages: 269

ISBN-13: 1786079887

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The story of how America turned its back on the world... In the heady days after 1945, the authority of the United States was unrivalled and, with the founding of the UN, a new era of international co-operation seemed to have begun. But seventy-five years later, its influence has already diminished. The world has now entered a post-American era, argues Michael Pembroke, defined by a flourishing Asia and the ascendancy of China, as much as by the decline of the United States. This book is a short history of that decline; how high standards and treasured principles were ignored; how idealism was replaced by hubris and moral compromise; and how adherence to the rule of law became selective. It is also a look into the future – a future dominated by greater Asia and China in particular. We are in the midst of the third great power shift in modern history – from Europe to America to Asia. Covering wars in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, interventions in Iran, Guatemala and Chile, and a retreat from international engagement with the UN, WHO and, increasingly, trade agreements, Pembroke sketches the history of America’s retreat from universal principles to provide a clear-eyed analysis of the dangers of American exceptionalism.


Book Synopsis America in Retreat by : Michael Pembroke

Download or read book America in Retreat written by Michael Pembroke and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2021-01-28 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The story of how America turned its back on the world... In the heady days after 1945, the authority of the United States was unrivalled and, with the founding of the UN, a new era of international co-operation seemed to have begun. But seventy-five years later, its influence has already diminished. The world has now entered a post-American era, argues Michael Pembroke, defined by a flourishing Asia and the ascendancy of China, as much as by the decline of the United States. This book is a short history of that decline; how high standards and treasured principles were ignored; how idealism was replaced by hubris and moral compromise; and how adherence to the rule of law became selective. It is also a look into the future – a future dominated by greater Asia and China in particular. We are in the midst of the third great power shift in modern history – from Europe to America to Asia. Covering wars in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, interventions in Iran, Guatemala and Chile, and a retreat from international engagement with the UN, WHO and, increasingly, trade agreements, Pembroke sketches the history of America’s retreat from universal principles to provide a clear-eyed analysis of the dangers of American exceptionalism.

A Concise History of Modern Korea

A Concise History of Modern Korea

Author: Michael J. Seth

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 308

ISBN-13: 9780742567139

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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."


Book Synopsis A Concise History of Modern Korea by : Michael J. Seth

Download or read book A Concise History of Modern Korea written by Michael J. Seth and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2010 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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."

Black Soldier, White Army

Black Soldier, White Army

Author: William T. Bowers

Publisher: DIANE Publishing

Published: 1997-05

Total Pages: 313

ISBN-13: 0788139908

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The history of the 24th Infantry regiment in Korea is a difficult one, both for the veterans of the unit & for the Army. This book tells both what happened to the 24th Infantry, & why it happened. The Army must be aware of the corrosive effects of segregation & the racial prejudices that accompanied it. The consequences of the system crippled the trust & mutual confidence so necessary among the soldiers & leaders of combat units & weakened the bonds that held the 24th together, producing profound effects on the battlefield. Tables, maps & illustrations.


Book Synopsis Black Soldier, White Army by : William T. Bowers

Download or read book Black Soldier, White Army written by William T. Bowers and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 1997-05 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The history of the 24th Infantry regiment in Korea is a difficult one, both for the veterans of the unit & for the Army. This book tells both what happened to the 24th Infantry, & why it happened. The Army must be aware of the corrosive effects of segregation & the racial prejudices that accompanied it. The consequences of the system crippled the trust & mutual confidence so necessary among the soldiers & leaders of combat units & weakened the bonds that held the 24th together, producing profound effects on the battlefield. Tables, maps & illustrations.

Ship of Miracles

Ship of Miracles

Author: Bill Gilbert

Publisher: Triumph Books

Published: 2000-09

Total Pages: 161

ISBN-13: 1623684919

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It was a miracle worthy of the season. When Captain Leonard La Rue spied from his twelve-man merchant ship, the Meredith Victory, the throng of Korean refugees on the docks of a city in flames, he didn't hesitate to do what others would consider impossible. In December of 1950, La Rue and his skeleton crew rescued fourteen thousand Korean refugees from the hands of the rapidly-approaching Chinese army in the city of Hungnam. Through the night and next day, a seemingly endless succession of refugees boarded the Meredith, their will to live and strong spirit steeling them against the bitter cold and incredibly crowded conditions. Standing shoulder to shoulder for three days the refugees and crew stoically endured as La Rue steered the ship through sea battle, a thirty-mile web of sea mines, and enemy shelling. "Ship of Miracles" is the incredible story of what has been called "the greatest rescue operation by a single ship in the history of mankind." Against all odds, the little merchant vessel transported its precious cargo to the island of Koje-Do on Christmas Eve completely unharmed, all fourteen thousand refugees alive and well, including an additional five new lives begun on this incredible journey. As the fiftieth anniversary of this miraculous rescue approaches, "Ship of Miracles" is as touching today as it was then; a tale you'll hold close to your heart, and return to time and again. While the United States Navy prepares to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the perilous evacuation at Hungnam and honor the Meredith Victory's miraculous feat, read this never-before-told account from the crew themselves, as they relate the incredible and unbelievable details of their three-day journey from fear to freedom.


Book Synopsis Ship of Miracles by : Bill Gilbert

Download or read book Ship of Miracles written by Bill Gilbert and published by Triumph Books. This book was released on 2000-09 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It was a miracle worthy of the season. When Captain Leonard La Rue spied from his twelve-man merchant ship, the Meredith Victory, the throng of Korean refugees on the docks of a city in flames, he didn't hesitate to do what others would consider impossible. In December of 1950, La Rue and his skeleton crew rescued fourteen thousand Korean refugees from the hands of the rapidly-approaching Chinese army in the city of Hungnam. Through the night and next day, a seemingly endless succession of refugees boarded the Meredith, their will to live and strong spirit steeling them against the bitter cold and incredibly crowded conditions. Standing shoulder to shoulder for three days the refugees and crew stoically endured as La Rue steered the ship through sea battle, a thirty-mile web of sea mines, and enemy shelling. "Ship of Miracles" is the incredible story of what has been called "the greatest rescue operation by a single ship in the history of mankind." Against all odds, the little merchant vessel transported its precious cargo to the island of Koje-Do on Christmas Eve completely unharmed, all fourteen thousand refugees alive and well, including an additional five new lives begun on this incredible journey. As the fiftieth anniversary of this miraculous rescue approaches, "Ship of Miracles" is as touching today as it was then; a tale you'll hold close to your heart, and return to time and again. While the United States Navy prepares to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the perilous evacuation at Hungnam and honor the Meredith Victory's miraculous feat, read this never-before-told account from the crew themselves, as they relate the incredible and unbelievable details of their three-day journey from fear to freedom.

Korea's Twentieth-Century Odyssey

Korea's Twentieth-Century Odyssey

Author: Michael E. Robinson

Publisher: University of Hawaii Press

Published: 2007-04-30

Total Pages: 233

ISBN-13: 0824863275

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For more than half of the twentieth century, the Korean peninsula has been divided between two hostile and competitive nation-states, each claiming to be the sole legitimate expression of the Korean nation. The division remains an unsolved problem dating to the beginnings of the Cold War and now projects the politics of that period into the twenty-first century. Korea’s Twentieth-Century Odyssey is designed to provide readers with the historical essentials upon which to unravel the complex politics and contemporary crises that currently exist in the East Asian region. Beginning with a description of late-nineteenth-century imperialism, Michael Robinson shows how traditional Korean political culture shaped the response of Koreans to multiple threats to their sovereignty after being opened to the world economy by Japan in the 1870s. He locates the origins of both modern nationalism and the economic and cultural modernization of Korea in the twenty years preceding the fall of the traditional state to Japanese colonialism in 1910. Robinson breaks new ground with his analysis of the colonial period, tracing the ideological division of contemporary Korea to the struggle of different actors to mobilize a national independence movement at the time. More importantly, he locates the reason for successful Japanese hegemony in policies that included—and thus implicated—Koreans within the colonial system. He concludes with a discussion of the political and economic evolution of South and North Korea after 1948 that accounts for the valid legitimacy claims of both nation-states on the peninsula.


Book Synopsis Korea's Twentieth-Century Odyssey by : Michael E. Robinson

Download or read book Korea's Twentieth-Century Odyssey written by Michael E. Robinson and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 2007-04-30 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For more than half of the twentieth century, the Korean peninsula has been divided between two hostile and competitive nation-states, each claiming to be the sole legitimate expression of the Korean nation. The division remains an unsolved problem dating to the beginnings of the Cold War and now projects the politics of that period into the twenty-first century. Korea’s Twentieth-Century Odyssey is designed to provide readers with the historical essentials upon which to unravel the complex politics and contemporary crises that currently exist in the East Asian region. Beginning with a description of late-nineteenth-century imperialism, Michael Robinson shows how traditional Korean political culture shaped the response of Koreans to multiple threats to their sovereignty after being opened to the world economy by Japan in the 1870s. He locates the origins of both modern nationalism and the economic and cultural modernization of Korea in the twenty years preceding the fall of the traditional state to Japanese colonialism in 1910. Robinson breaks new ground with his analysis of the colonial period, tracing the ideological division of contemporary Korea to the struggle of different actors to mobilize a national independence movement at the time. More importantly, he locates the reason for successful Japanese hegemony in policies that included—and thus implicated—Koreans within the colonial system. He concludes with a discussion of the political and economic evolution of South and North Korea after 1948 that accounts for the valid legitimacy claims of both nation-states on the peninsula.

Korea's Place in the Sun: A Modern History (Updated Edition)

Korea's Place in the Sun: A Modern History (Updated Edition)

Author: Bruce Cumings

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Published: 2005-09-17

Total Pages: 544

ISBN-13: 0393347532

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"Passionate, cantankerous, and fascinating. Rather like Korea itself."--Nicholas D. Kristof, New York Times Book Review Korea has endured a "fractured, shattered twentieth century," and this updated edition brings Bruce Cumings's leading history of the modern era into the present. The small country, overshadowed in the imperial era, crammed against great powers during the Cold War, and divided and decimated by the Korean War, has recently seen the first real hints of reunification. But positive movements forward are tempered by frustrating steps backward. In the late 1990s South Korea survived its most severe economic crisis since the Korean War, forcing a successful restructuring of its political economy. Suffering through floods, droughts, and a famine that cost the lives of millions of people, North Korea has been labeled part of an "axis of evil" by the George W. Bush administration and has renewed its nuclear threats. On both sides Korea seems poised to continue its fractured existence on into the new century, with potential ramifications for the rest of the world.


Book Synopsis Korea's Place in the Sun: A Modern History (Updated Edition) by : Bruce Cumings

Download or read book Korea's Place in the Sun: A Modern History (Updated Edition) written by Bruce Cumings and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2005-09-17 with total page 544 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Passionate, cantankerous, and fascinating. Rather like Korea itself."--Nicholas D. Kristof, New York Times Book Review Korea has endured a "fractured, shattered twentieth century," and this updated edition brings Bruce Cumings's leading history of the modern era into the present. The small country, overshadowed in the imperial era, crammed against great powers during the Cold War, and divided and decimated by the Korean War, has recently seen the first real hints of reunification. But positive movements forward are tempered by frustrating steps backward. In the late 1990s South Korea survived its most severe economic crisis since the Korean War, forcing a successful restructuring of its political economy. Suffering through floods, droughts, and a famine that cost the lives of millions of people, North Korea has been labeled part of an "axis of evil" by the George W. Bush administration and has renewed its nuclear threats. On both sides Korea seems poised to continue its fractured existence on into the new century, with potential ramifications for the rest of the world.