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Indlæser... The Korean War (Twentieth Century Wars)af Peter Lowe
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This is the first title in a new series, Twentieth Century Wars, and is published for the fiftieth anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War. Peter Lowe provides an overview of the origins, nature and aftermath of the war that was fought in the Korean peninsula between 1950 and 1953. Attention is focused particularly on the extraordinary first year of the war, which witnessed profound variations in the fortunes of both sides. This includes the initial North Korean attack, China's dramatic entry into the war, and the controversy surrounding the conduct and dismissal of General MacArthur. Lowe also discusses why the signing of an armistice in July 1953 failed to secure a full peace settlement. He brings his discussion right up-to-date with the developments in Korea since the death of Kim Il Sung in 1994. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Indlæser... GenrerMelvil Decimal System (DDC)951.9042History and Geography Asia China and region Korean PeninsulaLC-klassificeringVurderingGennemsnit:
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Whilst not ignoring military tactics and strategy, Lowe sensibly concentrates on diplomatic and political issues, as it is here that most of the interest lies. Militarily, both sides concluded early on that outright victory was impossible, and following the dismissal of General MacArthur the War largely consisted of the Soviet-backed communists and the American-led forces confronting one another somewhat ineffectually during the long-drawn-out process of agreeing armistice terms. Politically and diplomatically, however, the War was of the greatest interest: with the South Korean, American and multi-national UN forces pitched against the North Koreans, Chinese and heavily-disguised Soviets, there were many parties with conflicting agendas that somehow had to be satisfied. The issues as they affected each participant are well explained, with particular attention being paid to the tensions between the British and American governments over the conduct of the War.
Lowe's style is clear and direct throughout, although I have a minor quibble over his occasional habit of using short staccato sentences unconnected by words such as 'therefore', 'because', 'nevertheless', and so on - they can read almost like bullet points strung together as prose. This means that sometimes the relation between his assertions is obscured, nor is it always clear whether he is speaking or whether the sentiments should be attributed to one of his historical actors. Because of this, and also because he sometimes uses someone's name when a pronoun would have been more idiomatic, passages can have a clunky feel, and one wonders whether they were written very quickly. However, none of this affects the considerable value of the book, which I thoroughly recommend. There is also a useful bibliography, and the five maps are genuinely helpful. ( )