Table of Contents
Chapter 28 The Sino-Japanese War
Korea became the prime focus of international rivalries in Asia. Japan pressured the Yi government for economic concessions and led a coup that ended the rule of the pro-Chinese Yi government. A Japanese puppet regime in Seoul forced political, social and administrative reforms on Korea, while Japan used its army to ruthlessly suppress the Tonghak Revolt in Korea. To solidify its preeminent position on the peninsula, Japan attacked China without warning and began the Sino-Japanese War, scoring notable military successes against China in Korea. The Imperial Japanese Fleet under Vice Admiral Ito Sukeyuki quickly gained control of the Yellow Sea and devastated the Chinese navy at the Battle of the Yalu River and at Weihaiwei naval base.
Chapter 29 Twilight of the Yi Dynasty
Japan treated Korea as a conquered land. When Queen Min maneuvered the Yi government against Japan, Japanese militarists plotted and carried out her assassination and forced many radical reforms on Korea. Japan's rapid military expansion prompted Russia to develop closer ties with China in an attempt to isolate Japan. A Sino-Russian treaty gave Russia territorial rights in Manchuria and a firm foothold on Chinese soil. A separate protocol divided Korea into Russian and Japanese spheres of influence. Faced with continued Russian expansion and European encroachment in Asia, Korea gave concessions to foreign powers in order to play one intruder off against another. In the process it lost control of its own future.
Chapter 30 The Last Hope for Freedom
Western culture influenced a move toward enlightened thought in Korea and led to a national independence movement for democracy. The Yi government turned against the independence movement to protect its position and the perquisites of power. Mounting hatred of foreigners led to the Boxer Uprising in China, which triggered a large-scale foreign intervention by the West. Russia, with its leasehold at Port Arthur and additional territory on the Liaodong Peninsula, used the Boxer Uprising to secure its position in Manchuria and increase pressure on Korea. The Boxer Protocol burdened China with added debt and further weakened the Qing dynasty.
Chapter 31 Prelude to War
Russian expansion in East Asia and its threat to Japanese interests in Korea caused anxiety in Japan. While the West increased diplomatic pressure on China to remove Russia from Manchuria, Japan and Russia negotiated over the future of Manchuria and Korea. Japan soon realized the inevitability of a war with Russia over Manchuria. In a futile attempt at self-preservation, Korea proclaimed itself neutral. The Japanese Imperial Fleet moved against the Russian East Asia Squadron at Port Arthur and Admiral Togo again gained quick mastery over the Yellow Sea. The Battle of Port Arthur opened the Russo-Japanese War.
Chapter 32 The Russo-Japanese War
While the Japanese Army rapidly advanced through Korea toward Manchuria, the Japanese government laid plans for the eventual annexation of the Korean peninsula. Japan pushed Russia out of Korea, captured Darien and Port Arthur and fought the Russians deep into Manchuria. Admiral Togo defeated Russia in the dramatic Battle of Tsushima Strait and secured Japan's status as a world class military power. Meanwhile, as King Kojong gave Japan a stronger economic hold over Korea, America and Great Britain bargained away Korea's freedom to protect themselves from the rising power of Japan.
Chapter 33 The Protectorate
The Portsmouth Peace Conference insured Japan's dominant position in Korea and East Asia. Unhindered by outside forces, Japan expanded and solidified its control over Korea. The Protectorate Treaty of 1905 gave Japan full authority over Korean foreign relations and placed the peninsula under the administration of the Japanese Residency-General. The West ignored Korean pleas for help against Japan. As Japan tightened its grip, Koreans resisted Japanese regulations and reforms. Korean exiles and numerous anti-Japanese guerilla groups formed to continue the struggle for independence.
Chapter 34 The Colony
Korea's Prime Minister collaborated in the annexation of Korea and signed the annexation agreement with Japan. The Japanese forced the abdication of the King, ended the Yi Dynasty, and took control of Korea under the new regime of a military governor-general. Japanese efforts to subordinate Korea in thought, word and deed led to striking measures designed to forever erase Korea's heritage. Japanese merchants and industry began an expanded "economic" invasion of Korea. Thousands of Koreans joined anti-Japanese guerilla movements in northern Korea, southern Manchuria and the Russian Maritime Territory as Japan proceeded to exploit the Korean economy and its natural resources to support its continued economic growth.
Chapter 35 The Rise of Nationalism
The rise of Japanese militarism and imperialism threatened the future of East Asia. One side effect of World War I was the birth of a sense of nationalism in Asia. Korean exile groups moved against Japan through diplomatic efforts and the use of armed force. President Wilson's Fourteen Points and the perceived impact of Russia's Bolshevik Revolution contributed to the spread of nationalism and gave oppressed nations a sense of hope for freedom. A resurgent Korean independence movement, encouraged in part by the rapid spread of Asian communism, triggered major nationwide demonstrations for freedom.
Chapter 36 The Rape of Korea
Japan placed stringent economic demands on Korea and dominated its economy, forcing many Koreans into poverty. As Korea became a captive market for the Japanese economy, the exploitation of Korea's natural resources and labor force continued unabated. The activities of anti-Japanese Korean guerrillas in Manchuria and the many fragmented attempts of Korean exiles to rid Korea of the Japanese kept the hope for freedom alive. Korean students, disturbed over the state of affairs in the Korean education system, took the lead in the independence movement against Japan.
Chapter 37 The Road to War
Russian communism took root in China at the same time the Chinese Nationalist movement began gathering strength in southern China. The emergence of General Chiang Kai-shek and the Kuomintang signaled the start of a nationalist revolution in China and a rising conflict between the Nationalists and the Communists. Japanese suspicions regarding these developments prompted Japan to turn towards war in China. After China and Japan clashed over the status of Manchuria, the Mukden Incident opened Japan's push toward the conquest of China. Japan rebuffed a League of Nations' attempt to settle the matter, established the puppet state of Manchukuo, and turned its eyes toward the heart of China.
Chapter 38 Exploitation
Japan expanded into Manchuria and began the exploitation of its vast wealth. The increased Japanese influence over the Korean economy intensified Korean resistance to occupation. Korea's living standard dropped dramatically and the country suffered widespread labor problems. Significant Japanese investments in Korea led to the development of new industries, the production of hydroelectric power, mining, the exportation of natural resources, and the development of Korea's railway system and seaports. The increased emphasis on the production of war materiel converted Korea into a wartime economy.
Chapter 39 World War II
The Communists under Mao Zedong secured a foothold in China and declared war on Japan. Chiang Kai-shek began a civil war against the Communists and the United States maintained a policy of neutrality in Asia. Unchallenged by the West, Japan opened hostilities against China and signed the Triple Alliance with Germany and Italy. After the Japanese opened the war in the Pacific, Korean exiles and guerilla organizations in China and Manchuria joined the war effort against Japan. In Korea, the Government-General adopted a policy of assimilation. Near the end of the war, the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union established the concept of a Korean trusteeship at the Potsdam Conference.
Chapter 40 A House Divided
Russia advanced into Korea in the remaining weeks of World War II, a move which forced the hasty division of Korea at the 38th Parallel. The People's Committee of North Korea was created under Russian guidance as a national government. Mao Zedong drove the Nationalists out of China and proclaimed the creation of the People's Republic of China. Japan underwent a massive social and economic transformation under the aegis of General Douglas MacArthur. China, the oriental monarchy, had become a communist state. Japan, once a feudal island nation, had become a newly-born democracy. Korea, an agrarian monarchy and former Japanese colony, had become a divided nation; communist in the north and a developing democracy in the south. The stage was set for the Korean War.
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