Description
Book SynopsisBetween 1876 and 1946 Korea opened its market to foreign powers, became subject to Japanese colonialism, and was swept into agricultural commercialization, and industrialization. This book examines how peasants responded to these events with protests that shaped the course of postwar revolution in the north and reform in the south.
Trade Review"A work of sterling scholarship - original, thorough, meticulous, sharply focused, cogently reasoned, and precise in expression. A weighty and groundbreaking study." -American Historical Review "Shows beautifully how ordinary people shaped history through their continuous struggles for a better life." -American Journal of Sociology
Table of ContentsPreface
Chronology
Note on Romanization
Introduction
Explaining Peasant Protest: An Integrated View
Social change and Land Tenure in Traditional Korea
Colonialism and Korean Agriculture: Growth without Development
Tenant-Landlord Conflict, 1920-32: Ideology or Interest?
The Red Peasant Union Movement, 1930-39, Part 1: An Overview & Critique
The Red Peasant Union Movement, 1930-39, Part 2: History from Below
Tenant-Landlord Conflict, 1933-39: Class and Nation
Japanese Militarism and Everyday forms of Resistance, 1940-44
Historical Origins of Peasant Radicalism in Liberated Korea
Conclusion: Toward Reform and Revolution
Appendix 1: Main Activities of Red Peasant Unions
Appendix 2: Peasant Radicalism Index in Relation to Number of Red Peasant Unions and Socioeconomic, Demographic, and Religious Variables
Appendix 3: Leadership Characteristics in Selected Red Peasant Unions
Appendix 4: List of Counties Analyzed
Notes
Bibliography
Index
