The Korean War: A History By Bruce Cumings
Linh My Dang
2013230064
Division of International Studies
Korea University
DISS: War and Peace
Professor Park Tae Woo
May 12nd, 2015
Book Review
The Korea War: A History
(Bruce Cumings)
The book I read “The Korean War: A History” is an excellent book which is written by Bruce Cumings. Bruce Cuming is an American historian of East Asia, professor, lecturer, author specializing in modern Korean History and contemporary relations. He is considered as one of the most very important scholar because of several books he wrote about Korea and what he talks about Korean War in his book “The Korean War: A History” which is different from others. This book is a combination of many essays focusing on the battle on Korean Peninsula, understanding of Korean
…show more content…
Another important argument about Korean War in this book is that it is “either misunderstood, forgotten, or willfully ignored”. In some Western countries and the United States, Korean War is sometimes known as the “forgotten war”, however, Cumings rejected this. He believes that the “unknown war” seemed to be much better that this is both a forgotten war and a never known war. The author brings a lot of evidences to prove his arguments about this “unknown war”. He explained the reasons of this are because Korean War was overshadowed by World War II, Vietnam War. It happened after the World War Two and right before Vietnam War, which people all over the world pay much more attention to. The World War Two caused a severe damage and destruction, and deaths of a large number of soldiers and civilians in many countries; while Vietnam get popularity by winning the war against one of the most powerful and strong country- The United …show more content…
He has a very different fresh look about how the war was started, the role of foreign powers and the roles of all the leaders. Providing a broad series of materials, evidences, and detailed information from different sources, Cumings discusses about every aspects of the battle on this Korean Peninsula, focuses on the darker side of this “forgotten war” and the cruel of the United States’ backed government before the war. He broadens our knowledge and understanding about Korean country, its history, its relations with other countries, as well as the role of all the countries and leaders that got involved in, the US political and how it shaped the view of the conflict up to
Summary Of Voices From The Korean War Personal Stories Of American
889 Words | 4 PagesVoices from the Korean War describes the background of the war and how events unfolded that brought America into a war that was never expected to last
Cold War Dbq Essay
241 Words | 1 PagesThe Korean War was a proxy war fought between the United States and the USSR, for the purpose of gaining power and political influence in other parts of the world. Since the end of WWII, the USSR and the United States became very hostile against one another, creating what came to be called “The Cold War“ coined by Bernard Baruch in 1947 from the lack of there ever being direct battles against one another. From the result of the bitter and cold rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union came a large chain of indirect battling over political influence in developing or war-torn countries. As this feud occurred the people of the United States mainly wanted there to be a change in Korea out of this war [Doc E], but what was occurring
How Did General Douglas Macarthur React To The Events In North Korea?
506 Words | 3 PagesThe Korean War Chart Somebody ... Wanted ... But ... So ... North Korea Wanted to make sure the Korean peninsula into a Communist nation United states and nation Stopped them The Chinese joined the war on the Korean side and pushed the united states and nation back to the 38th parallel line General MacArthur To win china over before they became communist with the soviet union Wasn’t allowed to be a general anymore and he was ordered to stay the 20 mile mark We stayed away from china for the most part and failed to get them to become democracy President Truman To stop soviet expansion , the war, and the spread of communsim Americans didn’t want to go to war The war ended in a statement China To stay in the “safe zone” that way there were no interruptions in their reconstruction They feared that the united states would break into china if the us and south Korean were allowed into war China planned a surprise attack and defeated American troops
North Korea Dbq Analysis
474 Words | 2 PagesSouth Korea didn’t want to be a contribution to communism, where North Korea believed that communism was the solution to all problems. This invasion caused and all out war the involved many other countries like Russia and the US. As stated in “Document C”, Russia’s job was to help North Korea and promote their communists government, where the US was there to help South Korea promote their capitalism. Several years after continuously fighting on whether Korea should have a communist or capitalists government, the war finally ended. The country is still divided today and North Korea still remains communists leaving the US failing to stop communism.
Australia's Involvement In The Korean War Essay
1740 Words | 7 PagesIt was believed that Australia’s involvement in this war would upset most Australian citizens considering that only five years ago, they had only just gotten through the horrible events of World War II and some, still rebuilding from the aftermaths of the air raids in Darwin and in some parts of Queensland. But the Australian citizens were understanding knowing that being involved would be the only way to stop the ‘Domino Effect’ from completing. Although, there was more than a handful of people that did oppose the action of sending Australian troops to Korea. The Australian Communist Party was amongst those that disagreed with sending troops to Korea. It was understandable that they would not want Australian soldiers to aid because it would have a bad impression on their party in Parliament.
Truman Doctrine Dbq
1687 Words | 7 PagesKorea’s history already determined it was a weak country, having been a pawn for Far Eastern powers, so Cold War had left it nearly destroyed with epidemics, poverty, limited education, and authoritarian rulers (LaFeber, 2008). In this state, Korea was left vulnerable to communism. In 1945, the 38th parallel marked the ally agreement of disarming the occupying Japanese military, however by the end of the Korean War, it would be the indivisible line that divided the country between communism and democracy (LaFeber, 2008). In June 1950, when North Korean troops passed the 38th parallel, President Truman gave the order for American air and naval units to move into action to aid South Korea and to show the United States’ opponents that “the United States was no longer content with mere “containment” but now aimed for liberation (LaFeber, 2008, p. 114). LaFeber (2008) explains President Truman’s intent, “
How Did King Arthur's Decision To Become An American
397 Words | 2 PagesThe two men had differing opinions regarding the Korean War such as in military, political, and foreign policies. Despite the public criticism Truman received after firing the General, I argue that Truman’s decision was best in preserving the national and international peace.
Summary: A History By Bruce Cumings
423 Words | 2 PagesBruce Cumings is a professor of history at the University of Chicago. A distinguished author who received the 2007 Kim Dae Jung Prize for Scholarly Contributions to Democracy, Human Rights and Peace; Cumings book, "The Korean War: A History," is dedicated to the memory of the South Korean president Kim Dae-Jung, who promoted a "sunshine policy" with the North. A historian with many books chronicling the Korean War, Cumings explains how a post-WWII America became involved in a Korean civil war that to this day is still unresolved. Cumings explains how the Truman administration, US military, and American public misunderstood, underestimated, and ignored the effects of Japan's decades long colonialism of Koreans.
Korean War Dbq Essay
1928 Words | 8 PagesAlthough, it also frequently denotes the various shortcomings of the US recapture and invasion of South Korean and North Korea respectively. This bias does not entirely take away from this excerpt as it is true that the US - South Korean treaty is different from many others and that Korea has since risen to a global economic superpower. This perspective about the Korean legacy resulting from the war shows that not all effects of the Korean war were entirely negative but all positives were hard fought and paid for with the blood, pain and lives of
Logistical And Communication Failure In The Battle Of Osan
1441 Words | 6 PagesAbstract The Battle of Osan was the first ground force engagement, during the Korean War, between United States (US) Army and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea’s Army. Task Force Smith, the initial US unit sent to the Republic of Korea to delay the advancing North Koreans, executed their mission facing a numerically superior force to the best of their abilities. The bad reputation Task Force Smith earned during this engagement is because of the large loss of its force when the North Koreans overran their positions. If Task Force Smith had better mission command, they would have been more effective in executing their mission, delaying the North Korean’s advancement longer and retreating with more survivors.
The Importance Of Canada's Contribution To The Korean War
885 Words | 4 PagesThe Korean War was a war between communism and democracy of the two separated Koreas. In 1950, the Korean War, a war supported with allies from all over the world, began when North Korea invaded the South. Canada, one of the significant allies of South Korea, was of major importance when defending the South from the communist North. Many Canadians believe that Canada's contributions during the Korean War were forgotten, while others argue that Canada’s significance in the war is commemorated. The purpose of this essay is to answer the statement; “Examine Canada’s contribution to the Korean War”.
Summary Of Escape From Camp 14
931 Words | 4 PagesMany people don’t know the real truth behind North Korea, but this book uncovers the many secrets that people like the Kim Dynasty have to hide from us. Many people including myself do not know much about the happenings inside North Korea. Before I read this book, all I knew about North Korea was that it was overrun by a tyrant named Kim Jong Un, and that it was not on friendly terms with most countries. I didn’t know that it held unjust labor prison camps like the one that Shin was held in. As Blaine Harden recalls, “Guards taught him and other children in the camp that they were prisoners because of the ‘sins’ of their parents”(Harden,18).
The Voices Behind The Vietnam War By Tim O Brien
1611 Words | 7 PagesThe Voices Behind The Vietnam War The Vietnam War was previously one of the longest wars in history, causing chaos, terror, and tragedy to everyone. The war officially started in 1955 and ended long after in 1975. The war took place in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos and was fought between the communist forces of North Vietnam and the South Vietnam government. The U.S. gave its support to South Vietnam as it supported the anti-communist side of the war. This war marked a turning in not only American history but the history of the whole world.
Us Involvement In Vietnam War Essay
817 Words | 4 PagesThe outbreak of war in Korea in 1950 served primarily to confirm Washington’s belief that communist aggression posed a great danger to Asia. Truman having “lost” China and settling for a stalemate in Korea caused succeeding presidents to fear the domestic political consequences if they “lost” Vietnam. This apprehension locked America into a firm anticommunist stand in
Argumentative Essay On The Korean War
1796 Words | 8 PagesIn retrospect, however, the United States should not have entered the war. Not being a part of the war would have saved American lives and money, potentially eliminated PTSD in a generation on soldiers, and would have prevented the animosity that exist between the United States and North Korea that dominates the headlines today. The Korean War was fought between two major wars, Word War II and the Vietnam War. Due to being fought between these major wars, the Korean War is known as “The Forgotten War.” The Korean War started on June 25, 1950 and ended July 23, 1953.
More about The Korean War: A History By Bruce Cumings
Summary Of Voices From The Korean War Personal Stories Of American
889 Words | 4 PagesCold War Dbq Essay
241 Words | 1 PagesHow Did General Douglas Macarthur React To The Events In North Korea?
506 Words | 3 PagesNorth Korea Dbq Analysis
474 Words | 2 PagesAustralia's Involvement In The Korean War Essay
1740 Words | 7 PagesTruman Doctrine Dbq
1687 Words | 7 PagesHow Did King Arthur's Decision To Become An American
397 Words | 2 PagesSummary: A History By Bruce Cumings
423 Words | 2 PagesKorean War Dbq Essay
1928 Words | 8 PagesLogistical And Communication Failure In The Battle Of Osan
1441 Words | 6 PagesThe Importance Of Canada's Contribution To The Korean War
885 Words | 4 PagesSummary Of Escape From Camp 14
931 Words | 4 PagesThe Voices Behind The Vietnam War By Tim O Brien
1611 Words | 7 PagesUs Involvement In Vietnam War Essay
817 Words | 4 PagesArgumentative Essay On The Korean War
1796 Words | 8 Pages