CHAPTER 1 HISTORY-SOCIAL SCIENCE
Bringing Korea into the Curriculum : The Japanese Occupation of Korea and Its Legacy
Document Based Question for World History Classes
In the late 19 th and early 20 th century , military tension among foreign powers gathered like storm clouds over the Korean peninsula . During this period , lacking the capital and modern technology , Korea continued to grant many concessions to foreign powers in developing its modern industries , including mining , forestry , fisheries and railroad construction . Among these powers , Russia and Japan were the most aggressive in expanding their interests in Korea . Following the lead of Western powers , Japan began using military force to gain territory and foreign markets . After defeating China in the Sino-Japanese War ( 1894-1895 ) and Russia in the Russo-Japanese War ( 1904-1905 ), Japan moved quickly to take over Korea . Beginning with establishing it as a protectorate in 1905 , followed by annexation in 1910 , the Japanese ultimately controlled virtually every aspect of Korean life until defeated in 1945 .
Inspired by President Woodrow Wilson ’ s Fourteen Points Declaration together with intense animosity against occupation , Koreans attempted to challenge the oppressive rule of the Japanese ; however , issues related to occupation live on to the present day .
Assess the validity of the above statement by incorporating information about the Japanese occupation of Korea from available sources ( text , a Power Point lecture ( The Japanese Occupation of Korea ) and a lesson , The Japanese Colonial Period . If instructors do not have the Power Point lecture , the lesson will provide sufficient background information .
Document A
Source : Korean Declaration of Independence , March 1 , 1919 .
“ We hereby declare that Korea is an independent state and that Koreans are a self-governing people . We proclaim it to the nations of the world in affirmation of the principle of the quality of all nations , and we proclaim it to our posterity , preserving in perpetuity the right of national survival . We make this declaration on the strength of five thousand years of history as an expression of the devotion and loyalty of twenty million people . We claim independence in the interest of eternal and free development of our people and in accordance with the great movement for world reform based upon the awakening conscience of mankind ….”
Document B
Source : Schirokauer , Conrad . A Brief History of Japanese Civilization . Harcourt College Publishers , New York , 1993 .
“ Korea , by contrast [ to Taiwan ], boasted a culture older than that of Japan and a tradition of fierce independence . It also contained an old hereditary elite resentful of Japanese intrusion , and after
1895 , a small but dedicated group of nationalists …. Beginning March 1 of that year [ 1919 ], there were massive nationalist demonstrations appealing , as did those in Beijing [ Peking ] on May 4 , to the Wilson doctrine of national self-determination . The protests spread throughout Korea and before it was over some two million people participated . The Japanese repression was ferocious .”
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