TOPICS

This lecture provides an analysis of the crucial period in the lead-up to the Korean War based on archives in Russian and English. It analyzes the superpower rivalry and how it shaped the post-World War II Japan and greater East Asia. By scrutinizing the competing visions for the new order based on primary sources, the lecture provides insights into the upheavals in which postwar Japanese nation-state and society were forged. The lecture also uses the guest speaker’s own research as a case study to shed light on the origins and course of the Cold War confrontation and its impact on the postwar Japanese society.

The students were heavily engaged, and we had so many comments and questions we easily filled the allotted time. The contents made the students think about the Korean War and Earl Postwar period in North East Asia in new and innovative ways. This proved an excellent introduction to the topic of the seminar this time: ‘the international history of the Korean War’