Bruce Cumings: A Brief Summary

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Bruce Cumings born September 5, 1943 is an American Historian and Professor who specializes in Korean History and International Relations. Cumings received his degree in Psychology in 1965, his M.A at Indiana University, and then received his Ph.D. from Colombia University in 1975. The Korean War was portrayed to the United States people to be a war that was fought to protect Korea and the Korean people from Joseph Stalin and a communist nation, however Bruce Cumings explores History to give details of the war, and argues that North Korea did not want to change from a Communist country from the beginning.

Covering from the time period of pre war and post war Korea, Cumings gives great details of events and conflicts that took place during this time. Cumings discusses and argues the fact that North Korea was not a Stalinist controlled country, stating that the United States depicted their view of North Korea to the world in their personal perception. Details of Kim IL Sung’s background and the North Korean occupation that was ruled by Sung, and the South Korean occupation that was filled with collaborators. Details of the war along with atrocities on both sides are given, followed by the post war Industrial race between North and South Korea. …show more content…

Depending on which different point of view from both sides of the war, this can be seen as an invasion from a foreign country in order to restore order and form of government. The events from different nations are what led to a war between North Korea and the United States backed South Korea. The Invasion of South Korea by North Korea was performed after a irrational decision from Stalin, leading to the great details given from Cumings of the American bombing campaign’s of North Korea. After the war had ended Cumings describes how the North and South competed amongst each other to become most economically