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Nation Building in South Korea: Koreans, Americans, and the Making of a Democracy (New Cold War History) Hardcover – September 3, 2007

by Gregg A. Brazinsky (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 10 ratings
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In this ambitious and innovative study Gregg Brazinsky examines American nation building in South Korea during the Cold War. Marshaling a vast array of new American and Korean sources, he explains why South Korea was one of the few postcolonial nations that achieved rapid economic development and democratization by the end of the twentieth century. Brazinsky contends that a distinctive combination of American initiatives and Korean agency enabled South Korea's stunning transformation. On one hand, Americans supported the emergence of a developmental autocracy that spurred economic growth in a highly authoritarian manner. On the other hand, Americans sought to encourage democratization from the bottom up by fashioning new institutions and promoting a dialogue about modernization and development.

Expanding the framework of traditional diplomatic history, Brazinsky examines not only state-to-state relations, but also the social and cultural interactions between Americans and South Koreans. He shows how Koreans adapted, resisted, and transformed American influence and promoted socioeconomic change that suited their own aspirations. Ultimately, Brazinsky argues, Koreans' capacity to tailor American institutions and ideas to their own purposes was the most important factor in the making of a democratic South Korea.
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  1. Print length
    328 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    The University of North Carolina Press
  4. Publication date
    September 3, 2007
  5. Dimensions
    6.12 x 1 x 9.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0807861812
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0807861813
  8. Lexile measure
    1510L
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

A major contribution to the study of a crucial period of South Korean development. . . . A particularly important and timely book, as it not only details the close US-South Korean co-operation and the extent of US assistance in this period, but it also underscores the difficulties that external assistance faces in the process of nation-building.--International History Review



Brazinsky, more than anyone else, has provided systematic, in-depth empirical evidence drawn from both the U.S. and South Korea to illustrate the subtle and changing dynamics of the U.S.-South Korean patron-client relationship. . . . Brazinsky's work will surely be read profitably by all those interested in modern economic development, democratization, and nation-building. Students of U.S. foreign relations will also profit from this in-depth case study of U.S. foreign policy, whereby U.S. intervention has actually led to what is, overall, a successful nation-building exercise.--American Historical Review



Offers a complex and compelling narrative of the multilateral social, cultural and political connections between Americans and South Koreans during South Korea's formative years.--Pacific Affairs



Brazinsky's fluency in the Korean language and tremendous research efforts allow him to present the voices of the people of the South and the formative role they played in their own evolution in more depth and sophistication that those who have written before him. . . . International history at its very best.--Journal of American History



Even as successive U.S. political administrations prioritized security in [their] high-level dealings with South Korea, other U.S. agencies and organizations helped to build a more diverse and protodemocratic society from below. . . . Illuminates this complex dynamic in U.S.-South Korean relations.--Korean Quarterly



A refreshing, insightful look at nation building via South Korea. . . . Highly recommended.--Choice



A fine example of the new international history. . . . An excellent analysis of a bilateral relationship.--Register of the Kentucky Historical Society



[One of] the most interesting books about South Korea. . . . For those who wonder how Korea came to be so heavily influenced by the U.S., historian Gregg Brazinsky has some answers. The author presents South Korea as a successful example of American nation building during the Cold War.--Wall Street Journal



Brazinsky is at his best, providing engrossing details that add up to a visceral recreation of the South Korean experience. . . . A valuable contribution." --East Asian Science, Technology, and Society

Review

Gregg Brazinsky's book is one of the finer treatments of the United States' choices and role in democracy building in South Korea in the early postwar years through Park Chung Hee's Yusin system. It is an empirically rich and original piece of work that should be read by all experts in the field as well as generalists of Asia and of politics.--Victor D. Cha, Georgetown University

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ The University of North Carolina Press; 1st edition (September 3, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 328 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0807861812
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0807861813
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1510L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.12 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.12 x 1 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 10 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Gregg A. Brazinsky

    Gregg A. Brazinsky

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    I research and teach about U.S.-Asian relations at The George Washington University. My work seeks to understand the diverse and multi-faceted interactions among East Asian states and between Asia and the United States. This means only formal diplomacy but also the transnational flow of culture and ideas across the Pacific and within East Asia. Proficient in both Mandarin Chinese and Korean, I have done multi-national, multi-archival research for all of my major projects. I have been especially interested in how the United States has tried to project its influence in Asia and how in turn Asians have adopted, transformed, and resisted American ideals and institutions.

    My most recent book, Winning the Third World: Sino-American Rivalry during the Cold War, explores the diplomatic, economic and cultural competition between Beijing and Washington in newly independent Afro-Asian countries between 1949 and 1979. The book opens a new window for understanding the Cold War by showing the pivotal importance of Sino-American competition to the conflict. Its central argument is that status was the driving force behind the long rivalry between Beijing and Washington.

    I am also the author of Nation Building in South Korea: Koreans, Americans, and the Making of a Democracy, which was published by the University of North Carolina Press in 2007. The book demonstrated how a distinctive combination of American policies and Korean agency shaped South Korea’s rapid transformation into a prosperous democracy during the Cold War. It was the first historical work to explore post-1953 U.S.-South Korean relations through analyzing the sources and perspectives of both countries. Through using an array of Korean sources that no scholar had used before, it explored how Koreans appropriated American ideas about development, modernization, and democracy.

    With Asia emerging as the most important driving force behind the world economy and international politics during the twenty-first century, my work helps the academic and policy communities to better understand how the past has shaped the present.

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  2. Gregg Brazinsky

    Gregg Brazinsky

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
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Top reviews from the United States

William M. Simonton
5.0 out of 5 stars Understanding How The World Really Works
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2010
Verified Purchase
The author understands how Korea became the economic power it is for a smaller country. How thanks to Park Chung Hee, Korea developed from a poor country depending upon US aid to a relatively wealthy nation and made it possible to have the open democratic country Korea is today. Look where the Philippines and Korea were in 1961 and compare them in 1990's. Korea looked at how Japan become industrialized, Japan looked at Germany and Great Britian, while following the English example of protection of homeland industry and exporting of products paying off loans. Korea also targeted industries to be the drivers of their economy and promoted nationalism to keep the businesses in line with overall goals.
10 people found this helpful
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Kim, Jinha
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2016
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decent but not a great book.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2017
Great Book!!!!!!!!!!!!
One person found this helpful
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