Cultural Nationalism in Colonial Korea, 1920-1925 by Robinson Michael Edson; Robinson Michael Edson ;

Author:Robinson, Michael Edson; Robinson, Michael Edson ;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University of Washington Press

CHAPTER 4

The Radical Critique of Cultural Nationalism

The post-World War I era was a time of tremendous intellectual ferment in East Asia. The Versailles conference elevated expectations among Korean and Chinese nationalists alike by propagating the broad tenet of self-determination as a solution to conflicting demands for national autonomy and independence around the world. Although it was clear by 1920 that self-determination was aimed primarily at Europe, many East Asians continued to pin their hopes for a better world on the outcome of the series of international conferences on disarmament and world peace in the years after 1919. Other developments, however, augured well for radical change in intellectual and political circles in East Asia. The Russian revolution and the emergence of the Soviet Union as a champion of oppressed peoples throughout the world generated tremendous excitement. In contrast to the heavy sense of disillusionment with Western liberalism, the success of the Bolshevik revolution underscored the dynamism of its social revolutionary ideology. The subsequent rise of the Soviet Union and formation of the Comintern in the wake of the Third Communist Internationale convinced many intellectuals in East Asia that a new era had dawned.

The rise in the popularity of socialism among Koreans at home and in exile was rapid, and it affected deeply the intellectual development of Korea. The horrors of World War I raised questions as to the future of the West and the wisdom of emulating its political model. And although internationalism, panhumanism, and global cooperation became the slogans for those interested in establishing a new world order led by the victorious Allied Powers, the practical failure of these high-minded principles to alter the political and social reality in East Asia caused many to look toward the social revolutionary model of the Soviet Union. Socialism offered an alternate world view and a profoundly different mode of analysis for those concerned with the problems of socioeconomic reform and national liberation. Those caught up in the enthusiasm for social revolution were apt to view the Allied triumph in World War I not as a victory for liberal democratic thought, but as the last gasp of the capitalist system.

The disillusionment with Western liberalism was strong among certain groups of young Korean intellectuals. The failure of the March First movement to obtain any real political concessions, let alone independence, from the Japanese left many disheartened with the pacifism and nonviolent tactics of the movement. Subsequent Allied affirmation of Japan's suzerainty in Korea left many with a sense of betrayal. The continued failure of diplomatic appeals for independence and outside intervention at the Washington Conference (1921–22) heightened the sense of betrayal. The Russian revolution, therefore, and the evolution of the Leninist doctrine of national liberation movements in undeveloped areas of the world offered an attractive alternative to Western liberalism, and the failure of Western policies toward Asia only increased its appeal.

Although Korean intellectuals had undoubtedly encountered Socialist writings in translation before 1917, it was during the Russian revolution that socialism began to attract an increasing number of adherents among the nationalist intelligentsia.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.