Patriots, Traitors and Empires: The Story of Korea's Struggle for Freedom Paperback – 30 June 2018
by Stephen Gowans (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars 12 ratings
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Patriots, Traitors and Empires is an account of modern Korean history, written from the point of view of those who fought to free their country from the domination of foreign empires. It traces the history of Korea’s struggle for freedom from opposition to Japanese colonialism starting in 1905 to North Korea’s current efforts to deter the threat of invasion by the United States or anybody else by having nuclear weapons. Koreans have been fighting a civil war since 1932, when Kim Il Sung, founder of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, along with other Korean patriots, launched a guerrilla war against Japanese colonial domination. Other Koreans, traitors to the cause of Korea’s freedom, including a future South Korean president, joined the side of Japan’s Empire, becoming officers in the Japanese army or enlisting in the hated colonial police force. From early in the 20th century when Japan incorporated Korea into its burgeoning empire, Koreans have struggled against foreign domination, first by Japan then by the United States. Some protests were peaceful; others involved riots, insurrection and sustained guerrilla war. After the US engineered political partition of their country in 1945, the Koreans fought a conventional war, from 1950-1953. Three million gave their lives. When the Japanese Empire collapsed in 1945, Koreans erupted in joy, quickly organizing an independent state, the Korean People’s Republic. Joy turned to bitterness when the US refused to recognize the new republic, and soon declared war on it. Hungering for self-determination, land reform, and an economy directed to local needs, Koreans turned to communists as leaders, who had established great moral authority in the anti-colonial struggle for freedom. They looked to the Soviet Union for inspiration. But a communist Korea, a Korea that handed control of the country’s land, resources, and factories to farmers, cooperatives and state-owned enterprises, clashed with the aspirations of US policy planners, mainly Wall Street lawyers and bankers. The latter sought a world in which US corporations and investors would be free to scour the globe in search of lucrative trade and investment opportunities. Patriots, Traitors and Empires, The Story of Korea’s Struggle for Freedom is a much-needed antidote to the jingoist clamor spewing from all quarters whenever Korea is discussed.
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30 June 2018
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"A highly recommended read for armchair historians and history scholars alike. Very informative and worth a 5-star rating. Patriots, Traitors and Empires goes on my 2018 longlist for a "The Very Best Book Award for Non-Fiction." --James Fisher, The Miramichi Reader
"Stephen Gowans is not a writer to mince words or to defer to mainstream distortions. He makes no concessions to the standard self-serving Western narrative, and this is one of the reasons his work is so consistently refreshing. Gowans is also noted for his careful research and masterly knack for deploying information in support of logical analysis. Patriots, Traitors and Empires is no different in those respects. His book is an impassioned call for justice, imbued with a deeply felt sympathy for the Korean people and their struggle for freedom." --Gregory Elich, Zoom in Korea, Critical News and Analysis of the Korean Peninsula
"It is always refreshing to read Stephen Gowans. ... he does his homework and his writing is well-documented and far from the well-intentioned fluff that litter too many websites. He is careful to situate his subject within its context and he has a good eye for discerning what is important and what is of lesser consequence. These virtues are exemplified by his latest book... Stephen Gowans has written a marvellous and incisive study of modern Korea." --Tim Beal, author of Crisis in Korea (Pluto Press, 2011)
"Washington's Long War on Syria is a well-researched and deeply considered analysis of the tragedy that has befallen Syria. Stephen Gowans reveals the political and economic interests that are motivating Washington's intervention in Syria. No praise is too high for this much-needed corrective to Western propaganda. This fascinating book is a must-read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the war in Syria." Gregory Elich is on the Board of Directors of the Jasenovac Research Institute and the Advisory Board of the Korea Policy Institute.
Review
“Washington’s Long War on Syria is a well-researched and deeply considered analysis of the tragedy that has befallen Syria. Stephen Gowans reveals the political and economic interests that are motivating Washington’s intervention in Syria. No praise is too high for this much-needed corrective to Western propaganda. This fascinating book is a must-read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the war in Syria.” Gregory Elich is on the Board of Directors of the Jasenovac Research Institute and the Advisory Board of the Korea Policy Institute.
“It is always refreshing to read Stephen Gowans. … he does his homework and his writing is well-documented and far from the well-intentioned fluff that litter too many websites. He is careful to situate his subject within its context and he has a good eye for discerning what is important and what is of lesser consequence. These virtues are exemplified by his latest book… Stephen Gowans has written a marvellous and incisive study of modern Korea.” —Tim Beal, author of Crisis in Korea (Pluto Press, 2011)
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Paperback : 290 pages
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Leigh Darnton
4.0 out of 5 stars From a different angleReviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 December 2018
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We have become so used to being told how evil North Korea is over decades it is quite difficult to see the situation from a different perspective. The author somewhat overemphasises the point that there is an alternative view but this is justified to some degree. The North has suffered over the decades from isolation, especially since the demise of the USSR & the strangulation by the US (& us) in terms of trade - witness the banning of coal exports from the country so making life much harder for the people of the DPKR. Well worth a read in my opinion.
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Chris Remington
5.0 out of 5 stars Long title for an excellent bookReviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 March 2022
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Succinct, refreshing, introducing a great deal of not widely available and new material on the origins and history of the Korean War. Highly recommended.
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Ottawa observer
4.0 out of 5 stars Informative historyReviewed in Canada on 15 November 2020
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I appreciated reading this book. I learned a lot about the history of Korea and the background to the current N v S Korea issue.
I did feel that the author was a bit too strong in his defence of North Korea and its social project. But it made me interested in going to see for myself.
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Babak
5.0 out of 5 stars An Indispensable work, should be required readingReviewed in the United States on 2 April 2021
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Stephen Gowans tells the remarkable story of the true history of North Korea that cuts through a lot of sensationalized propaganda and gets to the core of what the struggle between north and South Korea is really all about. It’s rare to get a perspective that actually tells the perspective of history from the perspective of the north, but Gowans is also balanced in his approach to the history and politics from east Korean history to present day. Very valuable work , easily one of the most important books I’ve read
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