Temporal Perceptions of Revolution in Korea’s History

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Temporal Perceptions of Revolution in Korea’s History
Across history, revolutions have been instrumental in bringing about social, political, and economic change. In political science, revolution is a fundamental and sudden change in political organization and power that occurs when populations revolt against the state, often due to perceived oppression (Leroi et al. par. 4). The histories of China, Japan, and Korea have been marked by the struggle to make or resist political, social, economic, and cultural changes of a revolutionary character. However, those pushing or opposing such changes have held different views on what a revolution meant for them across the region’s history. The differences in perception may indicate the fundamental problems facing society at any given period. The current paper looks at literature to establish how different Korean societies (in terms of the era) perceived revolution.
Literature Overview
The literature that informs the current essay includes The Declaration of Independence (1919), The Kabo Reforms (1894), and Pak Chonghui’s To Build a Nation (the 1960s). Each of the texts represents a different era in Korean society when revolutions, whether successful or not, laid the ground for independence, sovereignty, and social and political order of Korea. While revolutions in each of these periods aimed to make Korea a better country for Koreans, the perceptions of revolution across time were different, as argued in the following sections. First, the context of each source must be established.
The Kabo Reforms is a series of sweeping changes proposed to the Korean government in 1894. The main theme of these reforms was to abolish the class system and eliminate the social privileges of the Yangban class. They also introduced a new monetary currency and changed the rigid social structure. Consequently, the reforms aimed at eliminating family lineage and class distinctions between commoners and literates banned early betrothal of children, allowed widows to remarry (Kabo Reforms Edict), and a myriad of measures to guide public officials. The revolution at this time was, therefore, mainly focused on cultural, social, and government reforms.
The Declaration of Independence was adopted by the 33 ethnic representatives at Taehwagwan (Seoul) on March 1, 1919, after World War I. The statement’s purpose was to announce that Korea would no longer tolerate Japanese rule. The statement came after Japan’s first decade of harsh colonial repression. The declaration was followed by months of nationwide peaceful protest, which ultimately involved one million people. The resort to peaceful protest was stipulated within the declaration that “the days of force are gone, and the days of morality are here” (Declaration of Independence, 1919). In this period, the main drive for revolution was to achieve independence.
To Build a Nation focuses on the revolutions of the early 1960s. The period saw a student (1960) and a military uprising (1961) (To Build a Nation). The revolution came after the government failed to develop industries and the economy. Along with foreign aid, such development should have made Korea a better place. This r...