In the fifty years since the end of the Korean War, cold war ideologies have disappeared, and extensive collections of previously unseen documents, particularly from archives in the former Soviet Union, are now available. William Stueck has joined with five other distinguished historians to present the newest perspectives on the Korean War, each focusing on Korea's relationship to another world power at the time of the conflict in order to illuminate the war's larger role in modern history.
The Korean War in World History emphasizes that the war was not merely a confined skirmish on the Asian peninsula among superpowers. Eventually military personnel from twenty-one governments contributed to the fighting, and the arms race between East and West escalated significantly. The unfolding war in Korea not only influenced the course of the cold war but also set precedents for Asia's next international conflict in Vietnam. Perhaps most importantly, the conflict of 1950-1953 left Korea sharply divided and in a state of perpetual tension that continues to threaten international peace and security.
Building fresh and unconventional interpretations of the war based on emerging evidence, Stueck and the volume's contributors link their work to the growing historiography of the event. The essays look critically at the nations in this theater of battle and illuminate the crucial activities of each country in the buildup and prosecution of the war. Kathryn Weathersby reassesses the Soviet Union's role, while CHEN Jian discusses Korean Communists' close relationship with China, North Korea's other major ally. Lloyd C. Gardner and Michael Schaller focus on South Korea's supporters, the United States and Japan, respectively. Looking at the origins of the conflict from a different perspective, Allan R. Millett argues that the Koreans themselves were the main architects of the war on their divided peninsula.
The Korean War in World History features the accomplishments of noted historians and lays the groundwork for the next generation of scholarship. Stueck and the contributors analyze a host of political, diplomatic, and military issues to offer vivid portrayals of the international relations of this turbulent era. Taken together, the essays demonstrate that a full understanding of the vast sweep of twentieth-century history must include broad perspectives on the international dimensions, origins, and effects of the Korean War.
