{"product_id":"a-fractured-liberation-korea-under-us-occupation-9780674306035","title":"A Fractured Liberation: Korea Under Us Occupation","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eNew Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e Best Book of the Year\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eShortlist, Cundill History Prize\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eA poignant return to Korea's forgotten \"Asian Spring\"--a moment ripe with possibility denied by the postwar US military occupation.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhen Japanese imperial rule ended in August 1945, the Korean peninsula erupted with hopes of freedom, independence, and equality. Workers threw themselves into union activism and took control of factories. Peasants occupied formerly Japanese-owned farmlands, and women demanded a level playing field, politically and economically. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Fractured Liberation\u003c\/i\u003e brings to vivid life the brief but intense moment in postwar Korea when anything seemed possible, but nothing was guaranteed. The country had been abruptly split into US and Soviet military occupation zones, but, as Kornel Chang shows, activists sought self-governance throughout a unified Korea. These mostly left-leaning efforts were bolstered by American supporters, including New Deal liberals, Christian socialists, and trade unionists. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe Koreans' greatest obstacle, however, proved to be the rigidly anti-communist US military government in the south, which curbed protests and muzzled reformers. As concern over the Cold War's superpower rivalry overshadowed local democratic aspirations, the United States narrowed the possibilities for Korean independence, helping to cement the North-South divide and ensure decades of authoritarian rule on both sides.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Belknap Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/20\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780674306035\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 304","brand":"Kornel Chang","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53024584499381,"sku":"9780674306035","price":21.21,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/9780674306035.jpg?v=1787667780","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/a-fractured-liberation-korea-under-us-occupation-9780674306035","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}