1750 to 1919: An Age of Revolutions
Qing 1644 to 1912     Republic of China 1912
Edo 1615 to 1868
Meji Restoration 1868 to 1912     Taisho Period 1912 to 1926
Choson 1392 to 1910     Japanese rule 1910 to 1945
Nguyen (in Vietnam) 1801 to 1862
French rule in "Indochina" (Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam) 1862 to mid-20th century
Mughal dynasty 1526 to 1858
British rule 19th century to 1947

KOREA 1750-1919
KOREA: HISTORY-ARCHAEOLOGY

Chosŏn (Yi) Dynasty (1392-1910)

Korea, 1600-1800 A.D. [Timeline of Art History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art]
"The Manchu invasions of the Korean peninsula and the subsequent establishment of the Qing dynasty in China during the first half of the seventeenth century shape the Chosŏn elite's view of its own culture. Scholars and officials increasingly take an interest in Korea's history, geography, agriculture, literature, and art." With a period overview, list of key events, and eight related artworks.

Korea, 1800-1900 A.D. [Timeline of Art History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art]
"The nineteenth century is a period of significant political, social, and cultural change as Korea lurches into the modern era and world order. Much political jostling occurs among the royal in-law families, creating drama but little stability or visionary leadership." With a period overview, list of key events, and ten related artworks.

Korea, 1900 A.D.-present [Timeline of Art History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art]
"The first half of the twentieth century in Korean history is marked by two grave and painful experiences: the Japanese occupation between 1910 and 1945 and the Korean War of 1950–53. These events dominate the collective national psyche for generations." With a period overview and list of key events.

Lesson PlanUnequal Treaties: The Treaty of Chemulpo (1883) [PDF] [Korea Society]
For grades 9-12. Learning objectives: 1) Understand the political situation in both Korea and the U.S. that prompted the need for a treaty; 2) Identify the conflicting national interests of Korea, China, Japan and Russia; 3) Analyze the events leading up to and following the first treaty between Korea and the U.S.; 4) Define the term "unequal treaty."

Japanese Rule (1910-1945)

Primary Sources w/DBQs"The Old People and the New Government," by Komatsu Midori [PDF] [Asia for Educators]
In order to understand Japanese colonial rule in Korea, and the reactions of Koreans, it is useful to see the ways in which Japanese officials sought to justify the takeover to Koreans, to themselves, and to the rest of the world. The article excerpted here is a transcript of a talk given by an official of the Japanese foreign ministry, Komatsu Midori, to resident foreign members (mostly British and American) of Seoul's Royal Asiatic Society shortly after annexation. Both history and civilization are called into service.

Primary Sources w/DBQsDeclaration of Independence (March 1, 1919) [PDF] [Asia for Educators]

Lesson PlanFamous Koreans: Six Portraits: Yu Kwan-Sun (1904-1920) [PDF] [Education About Asia, Association for Asian Studies]
Lesson plan designed "to provide an opportunity for students to learn about famous Koreans through readings and/or dramatizations." Brief overviews of the lives of six nodiv figures in Korea's history, including Yu Kwan-Sun (1904-1920), a student organizer in the March First Independence Movement. Each overview is imagined as a first-person narrative written by the historical figure.

RELIGION, PHILOSOPHY, THOUGHT

Late Chosŏn Reformist Thought

Reactions to Contact with the West, 1800s

Kabo Reforms in Korea, 1894: Korea at the Crossroads of Civilizations: Confucianism, Westernization, and the Kabo Reforms [Reacting Consortium]
Korea at the Crossroads situates students in the great debates over reform that followed Western imperialism 19th-century East Asia. The game utilizes the Deliberative Council, established by the Korean court during the Sino-Japanese War, to enact measures to restructure government, economy, society, and education. Members of the Deliberative Council represented a wide range of opinions. Council members include advocates for radical reforms (men who had studied in Japan under Fukuzawa Yukichi or were educated in the United States)as well as a conservative Confucian group of the Eastern Way, who sought to strengthen the traditional order by selectively adopting Western technology. Taewŏn'gun, erstwhile isolationist and the father of King Kojong, presided over the council during a time of palace intrigue and foreign pressures. To construct their opinions on reform, students will consult a wide range of writings from Korea, including Yu Kilchun's Observations from a Journey to the West, as well as key documents by Japanese and Chinese thinkers.

GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATION

Tonghak Uprising (1894-1895)

Ch'oe Cheu, 1824-1864, and the Tonghak Uprising (1894-1895)
Primary Source w/DBQs
The Tonghak Religion and Uprising: Ch'oe Cheu on Learning Truth and Twelve Reforms Proclaimed by the Tonghak Overseer's Office [PDF] [Asia for Educators]

SOCIETY

Women

Lesson PlanFamous Koreans: Six Portraits: Yu Kwan-Sun (1904-1920) [PDF] [Education About Asia, Association for Asian Studies]
Lesson plan designed "to provide an opportunity for students to learn about famous Koreans through readings and/or dramatizations." Brief overviews of the lives of six nodiv figures in Korea's history, including Yu Kwan-Sun (1904-1920), a student organizer in the March First Independence Movement. Each overview is imagined as a first-person narrative written by the historical figure.


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