Trade And Transformation In Korea, 1876-1945


Book Description

Exploring the interaction among system, state, and society, this book illuminates the social and economic history of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century colonial Korea. Dennis McNamara argues that transformation within and trade abroad, led by rice exports, spurred Korea's shift from isolation to inclusion in a modem regional system. In hi




Korea under Siege, 1876-1945


Book Description

The so-called miraculous economic development in the southern half of the Korean peninsula has transformed from basically an agrarian economy to that of a major industrial power in a very short time period, and it is now considered one of a dozen or so of industrialized countries in the world. However, there has been little careful analysis, especially by Western scholars, of the heritage of the Korean economy in the traditional and transitional periods from which it launched into a modern phenomenal economic success. One of the major weaknesses of a few studies abroad evaluating the Korean economy between 1876 and 1945 often has been the one-sidedness. The time has come to assess and reassess Korea's heritage of economic transformation fairly and objectively with an open mind by a Korean scholar who has been educated and held his professional career abroad. This book is a study of transformation of the Korean economy from the time of the opening of the hermit kingdom in 1876 to the end of Japanese rule in 1945, focusing on capital formation, economic growth, and structural changes. During the 70-year period, the country under siege of foreign powers transformed from a static, and agrarian economy to a semi-industrial one that has evolved in three distinct stages of economic transformation, namely, the traditional economy before the opening of the country to the outside world, the transitional economy between 1876 and 1904, and the colonial economy under Japanese rule during 1905-45. The approach in this study is more behavioral and analytical (without being mathematical, statistical, or technical, but with supporting quantitative data) than historical. Although narratives of Korean economic history before 1945 are scarce in English, an effort is being made in this study to devote as much space as possible to the analysis of the economy based upon available data with minimal historical description. This study reveals a number of significant, though perhaps not all unique, patterns and characteristics of capital formation and economic transformation of Korea. The combination of circumstances, approaches, and experiences in the country was in many respects unique in comparison with many developing and developed countries, particularly among many Asian countries, e.g., Japan and China.




Trade And Transformation In Korea, 1876-1945


Book Description

Exploring the interaction among system, state, and society, this book illuminates the social and economic history of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century colonial Korea. Dennis McNamara argues that transformation within and trade abroad, led by rice exports, spurred Korea's shift from isolation to inclusion in a modem regional system. In hi




Transformations in Twentieth Century Korea


Book Description

This edited collection traces the social, economic, political, and cultural dimensions of Korea’s dramatic transformation since the late nineteenth century. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, the chapters examine the internal and external forces which facilitated the transition towards industrial capitalism in Korea, the consequences and impact of social change, and the ways in which Korean tradition continues to inform and influence contemporary South Korean society. Transformations in Twentieth Century Korea employs a thematic structure to discuss the interrelated elements of Korea’s modernization within agriculture, business and the economy, the state, ideology and culture, and gender and the family. The essays in this volume encompass the Choson dynasty, the colonial period, and postcolonial Korea. Collectively, they provide us with an original and innovative approach to the study of modern Korea, and show how knowledge of the country’s past is critical to understanding contemporary Korean society. With contributions from a number of prominent international scholars within sociology, economics, history, and political science, Transformations in Twentieth Century Korea incorporates a global framework of historical narrative, ideology and culture, and statistical and economic analysis to further our understanding of Korea’s evolution towards modernity.




Korea under Siege, 1876-1945


Book Description

The so-called miraculous economic development in the southern half of the Korean peninsula has transformed from basically an agrarian economy to that of a major industrial power in a very short time period, and it is now considered one of a dozen or so of industrialized countries in the world. However, there has been little careful analysis, especially by Western scholars, of the heritage of the Korean economy in the traditional and transitional periods from which it launched into a modern phenomenal economic success. One of the major weaknesses of a few studies abroad evaluating the Korean economy between 1876 and 1945 often has been the one-sidedness. The time has come to assess and reassess Korea's heritage of economic transformation fairly and objectively with an open mind by a Korean scholar who has been educated and held his professional career abroad. This book is a study of transformation of the Korean economy from the time of the opening of the hermit kingdom in 1876 to the end of Japanese rule in 1945, focusing on capital formation, economic growth, and structural changes. During the 70-year period, the country under siege of foreign powers transformed from a static, and agrarian economy to a semi-industrial one that has evolved in three distinct stages of economic transformation, namely, the traditional economy before the opening of the country to the outside world, the transitional economy between 1876 and 1904, and the colonial economy under Japanese rule during 1905-45. The approach in this study is more behavioral and analytical (without being mathematical, statistical, or technical, but with supporting quantitative data) than historical. Although narratives of Korean economic history before 1945 are scarce in English, an effort is being made in this study to devote as much space as possible to the analysis of the economy based upon available data with minimal historical description. This study reveals a number of significant, though perhaps not all unique, patterns and characteristics of capital formation and economic transformation of Korea. The combination of circumstances, approaches, and experiences in the country was in many respects unique in comparison with many developing and developed countries, particularly among many Asian countries, e.g., Japan and China.




Brokers of Empire


Book Description

Drawing on previously unused materials in multi-language archives, Jun Uchida looks behind the official organs of state and military control to focus on the obscured history of the Japanese civilians who settled on the Korean peninsula between 1876 and 1945.




Market and Society in Korea


Book Description

The first comprehensive review of the past and present of a leading sector, the volume offers a new interpretation of society and market in South Korea.




Offspring of Empire


Book Description

Eckert explores a wide range of themes, including the roots of capitalist development in Korea, the origins of the modern business elite, the nature of Japanese colonial policy and the Japanese colonial state, the relationship between the colonial government and the Korean economic elite, and the nature of Korean collaboration. He conveys a clear sense of the human complexity, archival richness, and intellectual challenge of the historical period.




Japanese War Crimes during World War II


Book Description

A challenging examination of Japanese war crimes during World War II offers a fresh perspective on the Pacific War-and a better understanding of reasons for the wartime use of extreme mass violence. The 1937 Rape of Nanjing has become a symbol of Japanese violence during the Second World War, but it was not the only event during which the Japanese used extreme force. This thought-provoking book analyzes Japan's actions during the war, without blaming Japan, helping readers understand what led to those eruptions. In fact, the author specifically disputes the idea that the forms of extreme violence used in the Pacific War were particularly Japanese. The volume starts by examining the Rape of Nanjing, then goes on to address Japan's acts of individual and collective violence throughout the conflict. Unlike other works on the subject, it combines historical, sociological, and psychological perspectives on violence with a specific study of the Japanese army, seeking to define the reasons for the use of extreme violence in each particular case. Both a historical survey and an explanation of Japanese warfare, the book scrutinizes incidents of violence perpetrated by the Japanese vis-à-vis theories that explore the use of violence as part of human nature. In doing so, it provides far-reaching insights into the use of collective violence and torture in war overall, as well as motivations for committing atrocities. Finally, the author discusses current political implications stemming from Japan's continued refusal to acknowledge its war-time actions as war crimes.




The Contested World Economy


Book Description

The rapid growth of the field of international political economy since the 1970s has revived an older tradition of thought from the pre-1945 era. The Contested World Economy provides the first book-length analysis of these deep intellectual roots of the field, revealing how earlier debates about the world economy were more global and wide-ranging than usually recognized. Helleiner shows how pre-1945 pioneers of international political economy included thinkers from all parts of the world rather than just those from Europe and the United States featured in most textbooks. Their discussions also went beyond the much-studied debate between economic liberals, neomercantilists, and Marxists, and addressed wider topics, including many with contemporary relevance, such as environmental degradation, gender inequality, racial discrimination, religious worldviews, civilizational values, national self-sufficiency, and varieties of economic regionalism. This fascinating history of ideas sheds new light on current debates and the need for a global understanding of their antecedents.