A Critical Analysis of the Changes and Continuities in North Korea, 1900-2008 - Coursework Example

252142 A Critical Analysis of the changes and Continuities, 1900-2008 Outlined here is an analysis as well as a discussion of the changes and the continuities, which have happened within, or affected North Korea in the period beginning 1900 through to 2008. As will be examined in detail the one hundred and eight years covered by this period North Korea has gone through some traumatic experiences, which to a large extent have profoundly shaped this poor Asian republic right up to the present day. Events that will be evaluated in order to fully appreciate the changes and the continuities within North Korea from the beginning of the Twentieth century through to the present day. That happens to include the affects of Chinese and then Japanese occupation, the partition of Korea at the end of the Second World War, not to mention the consequences of Communist rule from the late 1940s.1 North Korea as part of a united Korea had a long history have been ruled by foreign powers, especially China and Japan. The Chinese control of Korea was ended by its defeat in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 - 1895. The Japanese would remain in Korea until after the end of the Second World War.2 As the colonial rulers of the whole of Korea the Japanese were keen to exploit the resources as well as the labour of that country and its population to increase Japan’s own wealth. The Japanese did not attempt to industrialise Korea at all with its economy remaining largely agricultural and largely undeveloped.3 Perhaps the most obvious difference between 1900 and 2008 is that there is a North Korea in the first place. At the beginning of the Twentieth century Korea was still a united country whilst being a Japanese colony. The Japanese did not divide the Korean Peninsula up at all, and did not feel the need to do so. In 1900 the only change to the size or borders of Korea would potentially come from Tsarist Russia taking over as its colonial master.4 With the overwhelming Japanese victory over Russia in the war of 1904 to 1905 the possiblity of Russia taking control of Korea receded away for good. China the other country that might have challenged Japanese control of Korea was too weak to do so until the Communist take over in 1949. By that time the Korean Peninsula had already been divided into North Korea and South Korea.5 After 1905 for the next forty what happened to Korea was dependent upon the fortune of Japan.6 The Japanese certainly aimed to keep Korea as its colony on a permanent basis. At no point was there any intention by the Japanese or the Koreans that resisted Japanese rule for Korea to become divided along the 38th Parallel on an apparently permanent basis. The division of Korea was a temporary measure brought about by Japans defeat in the Second World war.7 The gaining of independence from the Japanese at the end of the Second World War inadvertently led to the most fundamental change between 1900 and 2008; the partition of Korea. The temporary partition marked the boundary between South Korea where American troops had accepted the surrender of Japanese soldiers, and North Korea where the Soviet Army had done so.8 North Korea as it soon became that was geographically closer to the Soviet Union as well as China, that was also where the Korean Communists led by Kim Il Sung that was strongest. Since the partition of Korea in the wake of Japanese defeat in 1945 the separation between North Korea and South Korea has been the starkest continuity in the history of the North Korean state. The partition between North Korea and South Korea was confirmed by the outcome of the Korean War of 1950 to 1953. With the secret agreement of the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, Kim Il Sung launched a North Korean invasion of South Korea to reunify the country.9 Rapid advances by the North Koreans led to the United States under the auspices of the United Nations supporting the South Koreans.10 The North Koreans then faced disaster until the Chinese invaded at the end of 1950 to drive the United Nations forces back towards the 38th Parallel.11 The Korean War ended in 1953 with the border between the Korean states unchanged, and Pyongyang steadfastly intent on hostilities towards South Korea and its Western backers.12 The Communist regime of Kim Il Sung sought to rapidly industrialise the countrys economy, which radically changed ownership, and also reduced the importance of the agrarian sector of the economy. Despite relatively rapid industrialisation after the end of the Korean War these economic changes could not overcome the basic backwardness of the North Korean economy. Besides the economic growth that was achieved was only done so with China and the Soviet Union provided a great deal of aid.13 In reality the North Korean economy appeared healthy due to the assistance that its regime received from China and the Soviet Union. Chinese and Soviet economic aid hid the inefficiency and incomplete nature of the industrialisation of the North Korean economy, which became apparent after Pyongyang fell out with Beijing and the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.14 Whilst outwardly the Communist command economy had profoundly changed the North Korean economy through industrialisation, the inefficiency of the economy meant that the backwardness of the country continued and indeed got worse after 1991. Poverty has been a marked continuity from 1900 through to 2008.15 At the start of the period poverty was due to an inability to modernise the economy and in 2008 as a consequence of gross economic mismanagement by the Communist regime. For hand in hand with poor economic performance the regimes of Kim Il Sung and his son Kim Jong Il have concentrated a high percentage of North Koreas national finances and declining industrial output on maintaining the countrys armed forces.16 The hard line Stalinist nature of the North Korean government has meant that it has a poor relationship with South Korea and the West, whilst its population lack the basic necessities in life.17 That poor relationship with the West as far as the North Korean regime was concerned justified its huge military budgets, and quests to become a nuclear power.18 During the middle of the 1990s a series of poor harvests led to a widespread famine in rural areas of North Korea. The North Korean regime was slow to react to the famine, whilst it very reluctantly sought aid from South Korea and the United States to feed its own population.19 Since the early 1990s the North Korean regime has had a stop-go nuclear weapons programme. Whenever it has agreed to halt that programme it has sought food and fuel aid in return.20 The North Korean regime arguably is highly responsible for the continuity of the countrys poverty. The unwillingness of the regime to reform the decrepit state owned economy, or to drastically reduce extremely high levels of expenditure on excessively large armed forces means that the standard of living in North Korea is amongst the lowest in the world. Kim Jong Il over the long-term is very unlikely to introduce the economic reforms or cuts in military expenditure that could help to raise living standards.21 In purely economic terms the North Korean regimes continued strained relations with the United States and South Korea in particular proves to be highly detrimental to the country as a whole. North Korea simply cannot afford to maintain its vast array of conventional armed forces let alone its on-off nuclear weapons programmes. Kim Jong Il remains as unwilling to reduce the size of North Koreas armed forces as his father was, regarding a large army as the guarantee of his regimes continued existence.22 To conclude the main change between 1900 and 2008 was the partition of Korea, although it was originally a temporary measure taken at the end of 1945. The main continuities have been poverty and the Communist regime in North Korea. 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