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The Korean War: A History (Modern Library Chronicles) Paperback – July 12, 2011

by Bruce Cumings (Author)

112 customer reviews

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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.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A powerful revisionist history . . . a sobering corrective.”—The New York Times

“Worth reading . . . This work raises the question of what Korea can tell us about the outlook for Iraq and Afghanistan.”—Financial Times

“Well-sourced [and] elegantly presented.”—The Wall Street Journal

About the Author

Bruce Cumings is the Gustavus F. and Ann M. Swift Distinguished Service Professor and chair of the Department of History at the University of Chicago, and specializes in modern Korean history and East Asian–American relations.

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Product details

Series: Modern Library Chronicles
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Modern Library; Reprint edition (July 12, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 081297896X
ISBN-13: 978-0812978964
Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.7 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 112 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #76,304 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #35 in Books > History > Military > Korean War
- #170 in Books > History > Military > Strategy
- #860 in Books > History > Military > United States

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Charles S. Funk

Not your Uncle Bob's war

August 21, 2018

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If you come to this book believing you will read about the glories of G I Joe, the heroics of Inchon, and how Americans prevailed and saved South Korea from Lord knows what all, THIS ISN'T THAT BOOK. On the other hand, if you want to learn more about American force projection, partnership with and participation in atrocities worthy of the worst of WW II Nazis, then settle back and hang on to the handrail because the ride is leaving the station. You won't want to do it but once.

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The defeat of Japan and the very influential presence of American and Soviet forces as a major catalyst in the political develop

March 9, 2016

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This book is a demystifying account of the origins, development, and consequences of the Korean War. The colonial legacy and occupation of Korea by Japan is considered and discussed as a key juncture in Korea's tragic history. The defeat of Japan and the very influential presence of American and Soviet forces as a major catalyst in the political development of the Korean society is intelligently discussed. The catastrophic and traumatic experience of the Korean War are analyzed; Cumings rightly emphasizes on the savagery of this conflict(astonishing death and suffering experienced by socially fragile agrarian society)and the rarely discussed destruction of Korean cities after 1950. Cumings argues that this war did not only dramatically change destiny of the Korean nation, but also deeply impacted and forged the direction of the foreign policy of the U.S...I highly recommend this very intelligent book.

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The author seemed to loosely follow the timeline. I ...

January 30, 2018

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The author seemed to loosely follow the timeline. I kinda got lost a few times. Not knowing much about the Korean War, this book gave me an interesting insight into what happened.

3 people found this helpful4 people found this helpful

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HuyÂ QuocÂ Dang

Good for learning socio-political backstory of the war

February 6, 2018

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Good for learning socio-political backstory of the war. The peninsula is more coherent per history with China-Manchuria, Russsia, modern Jorean states, Japan, and America. NOT a good history of actual military maneuvers during the war. Took off one star. Also the author can be considered left of center, not outright biased or unacademic, but his choice of focus is definitely deliberate. Not a lot of histories discuss SOUTHERN atrocities. This book almost exclusively discusses these. This author meant to correct an academic imbalance in understanding o the DPRK. He did NOT set out to explain the military operations, movements, or maneuvers of the war.

4 people found this helpful5 people found this helpful

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Joe K

but if you take the time you get a great perspective on the background for our current predicament

December 16, 2017

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A bit preachy, but if you take the time you get a great perspective on the background for our current predicament.

2 people found this helpful3 people found this helpful

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richard ward

USA tolerance of brutal abuse by a dictatorial regime of Korea

August 21, 2018

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Besides the military history it showcases the u.s. support of a brutal dictator who murdered his own people a precursor to Vietnam and Afghanistan it appears the US never learns not to back dictators

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gerald

An understanding of the Korean people

August 30, 2018

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Incredible history that was very enlightening. I’ve got 2 history degrees but I’ve not been exposed to the horrors of this misadventure by our civilian & military leaders during that period in our nations history.

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Klaus N

Horrible Book

August 9, 2018

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This is a terrible book, lots of disjointed musings and quotes of a multitude of people and sources, but certainly not a history.I stopped reading at about 25% and even that was a waste of time.

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