HIST233 - Postwar, Cold War, Divided Koreas

Korean history in the latter half of the twentieth century was anything but ordinary. The 1945 liberation quickly turned into national division, the Korean War, and escalating Cold War tensions that continue till today. We will examine both North and South Koreas at the intersection of three intersecting contexts - postwar, Cold War, and division - which are fundamental to understanding inter-Korean and the two Koreas' relations with the world today. This course explores key issues, including living memories and experiences of the Korean War, freedom, national family planning, economic development, revolutions, anti-communism, and personality cults. We will conclude by thinking through possible prospects for peace and reunification in Korea and the region.