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A Short History of the Korean War | 
 enlarge | Author: James L. Stokesbury
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Category: Book
List Price: $12.00
Buy Used: $2.94
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Avg. Customer Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 318417
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 280
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.7
ISBN: 0688095135
Dewey Decimal Number: 951.9042
EAN: 9780688095130
ASIN: 0688095135
Publication Date: January 30, 1990
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Condition: Book is in Good condition: EX-LIBRARY with the normal stamps, stickers, bar code. Clean cover/interior pgs. No text marks. Very minor shelf-wear to cover edges. Tight binding. Great source of info! Ships from Dallas, Texas. Customer Service is our Number One Priority.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 Nice Overview of this Forgotten War October 1, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
James L. Stokesbury's "Short History of the Korean War" is an excellent overview of this forgotten conflict. Stokesbury does an excellent job setting the stage for the Korean War, explaining it in sufficient detail (despite the title "short history"), and commenting on its importance.
Stokesbury focuses most of the book on the military conflict on the ground in Korea, and most of that on the first year of the war (before the war petered out into a static conflict). Stokesbury discusses the military and political triumphs and foibles of MacArthur during the war. He also covers the diplomatic side of the conflict, the air war, the naval war, and the home front.
This is a very well-written book and is a good starting point for anyone interested in the Korean War.
 Another Look at the Forgotten War June 28, 2007
Professor Stokesbury has developed a cottage industry in churning out these short histories of all the major wars. I have not read the others but can without reservation, recommend his Short History of the Korean War.
Stokesbury presents new analysis in several areas. The early part of the book looks at the situation in Korea in 1945 and how the seeds of war were sown. Korea had been a playground for the great powers of Asia for more than a century when it was partioned in 1945, with the Russians taking the North. Ironically the UN forces were almost driven off the peninsula in the summer of 1950 because the Communists had more armor, especially tanks that the UN could not stop.
Next McArthur launched his invasion at Inchon, which Stokesbury describes magically as the general's final great moment, an invasion that he alone could envision and implement. Now the action slows to a halt as various negotiators make no progress for three years until the status quo ante is re-installed and everyone goes home, except the 40,000 UN troops still there 50 years later.
Stokesbury brings to life some little remembered pieces of the action, like the prison riots where the US commandant is briefly taken hostage by his own captives; the political stirrings back home where Eisenhower sweeps to power, partially by promising to go to Korea and end this thing; and the confused state of friend vs. foe that is created when the lines change so dramatically in a short time. As in the USSR in 1945, there were a lot of POW's held by the Allies that did not want to go home, either to Stalin in 1945 or to the North in 1953.
There is a lot in here for us to chew on in 2007 also, as Korea is the closest analog to what is happening now in Iraq. Both were police actions, blessed by the UN, that became more difficult to win than ever envisioned by those who promoted initial involvement. In both Korea and Iraq, the US had few (external) allies, no attractive democratic leadership or traditions, and an enemy with hidden allies (Soviets in Korea and everyone that hates us, here in Iraq).
Temendously Articulate Book on the Korean War August 22, 2006
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Stokesbury writes a readable, informative and articulate book on the Korean War that covers the war in great detail surprisingly in a mere 250 plus pages. The author has a great gift for economy of words, saying a lot with a few sentences. One example is his brief discussion of the relationship between Syngman Rhee, Chiang Kai-Shek and MacArthur where the author notes they all got along well because each was a megalomaniac. Stokesbury covers the political situation before the war and notes that the unfinished business of WWII causing the division of countries led to the future wars of Asia. The political issues of supporting Rhee, more of a dictator than a leader of a democracy, are very well discussed. The author also articulates well that up to that time, the US was never ready for wars and Korea is a prime example of out dated equipment and under supported troops, The author covers the MacArthur controversies, the great Inchon move and the odd split command between Generals Walker, west side and Almond (MacArthur protege) on the east that is virtually over run when the Chinese amazingly hide their large forces in the mountains dividing both main columns. Stokesbury describes battles strategically along with the command structure as well as the movement of divisions and corps to give you the overall picture. In this small book, he even describes well the problems of prisoner exchange, North Korean prison riots, and the abuse of prisoners by the North Koreans. Stokesbury even covers the pain staking negotiations well and utilizes great quotes such as a negotiator representing the UN stating that the North Koreans were very obstinate in that they could insist that "Two plus two equals six and only after intense negotiations would they relent and then agree that it equals 5". This book is a great short history giving you a lot of information, allowing you the economic choice of learning the basics or cuing your interest into more detailed reading. A great point Stokesbury makes is the difficulty that open societies that place a high value in human life have in fighting wars against dictators that are willing to lose thousands of their people in return for their central gains. The only negative, there is not any references to the recently declassified information that indicates that several American POWs were never released and that Eisenhower was aware of that fact.
Stokesbury is priceless January 3, 2004
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I 've read all of James Stokesbury's short history series and every one is a concise gem. He distills complicated battles and political background to the essentials, and his beautiful unbiased prose is a pleasure to read. I discovered A Short History of The Korean War quite by accident, and it compelled me to read everything that he has written. I can only hope that he is working on the Viet Nam war.
Good June 22, 2002
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
When I found this book I did not have much interest in the Korean conflict, but since I enjoyed this author's history of WWII very much, I gave this book a try. I am glad I did. It explained the politics, the negotiations, the battles, some personalities and it was an enjoyable read. After reading this book, I read Henry Kissinger's Diplomacy. (Actually, I'm only about 2/3rds of the way through now. By the way, that is a truly excellent book.) The chapter in that book on the Korean War includes a discussion of the perspectives of the Chinese, Stalin, and N. Korea and the relations between these parties, whereas Stokesbury's book is basically just about the American goals, fears, etc. It is a pity that Stokesbury did not really explore these topics in this book, because it would have added so much more to our understanding of the story. Why did the Chinese get involved?; Could that have been prevented? What role did the Soviet Union play in encouraging the invasion? How did this conflict affect Sino-Soviet relatons? Whose idea was it to invade S. Korea anyway?; etc. Maybe the role of the Korean conflict in the overall containment of communism could also have been explored. Still, a very good book that accomplishes what it sets out to do very well.The Korean conflict seems so contemporary in a way that earlier American wars do not. Think of N. Korea as Saddam's Iraq and you have a very contemporary story of trying to contain a dangerous rogue state, even if American leaders thought of their job more as containing communism.
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