Fractured Liberation
A poignant return to Koreaās forgotten āAsian Springāāa moment ripe with possibility denied by the postwar US military occupation.
When Japanese imperial rule ended in August 1945, the Korean peninsula erupted with hopes of freedom, independence, and equality. Workers threw themselves into union activism and took control of factories. Peasants occupied formerly Japanese-owned farmlands, and women demanded a level playing field, politically and economically.
A Fractured LiberationāÆbrings to vivid life the brief but intense moment in postwar Korea when anything seemed possible, but nothing was guaranteed. The country had been abruptly split into US and Soviet military occupation zones, but, as Kornel Chang shows, activists sought self-governance throughout a unified Korea. These mostly left-leaning efforts were bolstered by American supporters, including New Deal liberals, Christian socialists, and trade unionists.
The Koreansā greatest obstacle, however, proved to be the rigidly anti-communist US military government in the south, which curbed protests and muzzled reformers. As concern over the Cold Warās superpower rivalry overshadowed local democratic aspirations, the United States narrowed the possibilities for Korean independence, helping to cement the North-South divide and ensure decades of authoritarian rule on both sides.
Original: $26.50
-65%$26.50
$9.27Product Information
Product Information
Shipping & Returns
Shipping & Returns
Description
A poignant return to Koreaās forgotten āAsian Springāāa moment ripe with possibility denied by the postwar US military occupation.
When Japanese imperial rule ended in August 1945, the Korean peninsula erupted with hopes of freedom, independence, and equality. Workers threw themselves into union activism and took control of factories. Peasants occupied formerly Japanese-owned farmlands, and women demanded a level playing field, politically and economically.
A Fractured LiberationāÆbrings to vivid life the brief but intense moment in postwar Korea when anything seemed possible, but nothing was guaranteed. The country had been abruptly split into US and Soviet military occupation zones, but, as Kornel Chang shows, activists sought self-governance throughout a unified Korea. These mostly left-leaning efforts were bolstered by American supporters, including New Deal liberals, Christian socialists, and trade unionists.
The Koreansā greatest obstacle, however, proved to be the rigidly anti-communist US military government in the south, which curbed protests and muzzled reformers. As concern over the Cold Warās superpower rivalry overshadowed local democratic aspirations, the United States narrowed the possibilities for Korean independence, helping to cement the North-South divide and ensure decades of authoritarian rule on both sides.
