Early-Modern Political Development of Korea

MAJOR MODELS THAT INFLUENCED THE EARLY-MODERN POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT OF KOREA IN THE LATE-NINETEENTH CENTURY

This research examines the major models that influenced the early-modern political development in Korea in the late-nineteenth century. This examination identifies the model that exerted the greatest influence, and an attempt is made to establish reasons why this model proved to be the most influential.

The thesis of this research is that three major models exerted the greatest influence on the political development of Korea in the late-nineteenth century, and that these three models were the Chinese model, the Japanese model and the American model. This thesis is extended to hold that the Japanese model exerted the greatest influence on political development in Korea in the late-nineteenth century, and that the reasons why the Japanese model prevailed among the Koreans were a combination of distrust of the West, disillusion with the Chinese, and an affinity with much of the Japanese philosophy of the day in spite of an antagonism bordering on disgust with the behavior of Japanese leaders.

In the nineteenth century, Korea was near the end of a period in which the country had been dominated by China. Although Korea was an independent country with a unique culture, the Korean social elite were educated in China, and Korea was governed in accordance with Chinese values. Korea deferred to China in most important decisions (Lone & McCormack, 1993).

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its economic development. The combination of the strength of the state institutions established by the Meiji Constitution, "the poverty of its resource base," which led to disinterest in the country on the part of the developed economies, and the geographic remoteness of Japan from the developed economies created the environment which led to rapid economic development in Japan (Wallerstein, 1979, pp. 27). Social values also were significant in the subsequent industrialization of Japan. The rationalizing tendencies of Japanese religions provided the catalyst for the development of these values. From this religious environment, evolved the Shingaku movement, which became the ethical foundation of the Japanese merchant class in the nineteenth century, which, in turn, played a central role in the industrialization of Japan. The religious and ethical environment, thus, provided a rationalization for social and economic change, while retaining an appreciation for tradition (Bellah, 1957). The Mieji Restoration created a strong central government, under which the rights of owners of small plots of land were protected, and the land control of the privileged class was ended (Bendix, 1977). When the strong central government was e

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