North Korean Revolution, 1945-1950

K. Armstrong Charles

Description

North Korea, despite a shattered economy and a populace suffering from widespread hunger, has outlived repeated forecasts of its imminent demise. Charles K. Armstrong contends that a major source of North Korea's strength and resiliency, as well as of its flaws and shortcomings, lies in the poorly understood origins of its system of government. He examines the genesis of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) both as an important yet rarely studied example of a communist state and as part of modern Korean history.North Korea is one of the last redoubts of "unreformed" Marxism-Leninism in the world. Yet it is not a Soviet satellite in the East European manner, nor is its government the result of a local revolution, as in Cuba and Vietnam. Instead, the DPRK represents a unique "indigenization" of Soviet Stalinism, Armstrong finds. The system that formed under the umbrella of the Soviet occupation quickly developed into a nationalist regime as programs initiated from above merged with distinctive local conditions. Armstrong's account is based on long-classified documents captured by U.S. forces during the Korean War. This enormous archive of over 1.6 million pages provides unprecedented insight into the making of the Pyongyang regime and fuels the author's argument that the North Korean state is likely to remain viable for some years to come.

Sujets

• Histoire
• Revolutions
• Revolution
• North Korea
• Korea
• History of Asia
• Corée du Nord
• Corée

Informations

• Publié par: Cornell University Press
• Date de parution: 15 mai 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780801468803
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 7 Mo

Extrait

The North Korean Revolution,–

S  EAI,CU

The East Asian Institute is Columbia University’s center for research, publication, and teaching on modern East Asia.The Studies of the East Asian Institute were inaugurated into bring to a wider public the results of significant new research on modern and contemporary East Asia.

A list of selected titles in the series appears at the end of the book.

The North Korean Revolution,–

CK.A

Cornell University Press   

Copyright ©by Cornell University

All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House,East State Street, Ithaca, New York.

First publishedby Cornell University Press First printing Cornell Paperbacks

Printed in the United States of America A Study of the East Asian Institute

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Armstrong, Charles K. The North Korean revolution,–/ Charles K. Armstrong. p. cm.—(Studies of the East Asian Institute.) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN----(pbk. : alk. paper) . Revolutions—Korea (North)—History—th century.. Korea (North)—History—II. Series.I. Title. th century. DS..A  .—dc 

Cornell University Press strives to use environmentally responsible suppliers and materials to the fullest extent possible in the publishing of its books. Such materials include vegetable-based, low-VOC inks and acid-free papers that are recycled, totally chlorine-free, or partly composed of nonwood fibers. For further information, visit our website at www.cornellpress.cornell.edu

Paperback printing

















For Elia

Contents

List of Illustrations ix Acknowledgments xi List of Abbreviations xv

Introduction . Revolution on the Margins . Liberation, Occupation, and the Emerging New Order . Remaking the People . Coalition Politics and the United Front . Planning the Economy . Constructing Culture . A Regime of Surveillance . The People’s State Conclusion



Appendix A:A Note on Sources Appendix B:Statements of General Chistiakov on the Soviet Occupation of North Korea, Fall Selected Bibliography Index

Illustrations

Villagers on the way to a rally Folk dancing at a political rally “Look!Young comrades burning with patriotism!” Patients at a Workers’ Rest Center Collecting the agricultural tax Russian female doctor and Korean patient Factory workers Korean and Soviet students at a NewYear’s party in the USSR Accepting a prize as a model farmer May Day,: students of the School for Bereaved Families of Revolutionaries May Day,: physical education teams on parade “The children of North Korea are so free” Local self-defense forces Cover of the illustrated magazineHwalsal



ix