Introduction. Korea’s turbulent 20th century -- A new century and the end of an era -- Colonial state and society -- Class and nation in colonial Korea: the 1920s -- Colonial modernity, assimilation, and war: 1930-1945 -- Liberation, civil war, and division -- Political and economic development in South Korea -- Going it alone: the DPRK, 1953-present -- Democratization in South Korea: 1987-2000 -- Epilogue. Untying the Korean knot.