Question

reading like a historian
gulding questions
name

1. according to each textbook, how did the korean war start?

textbook a
textbook b

1. which of these textbooks do you find more trustworthy? why? (use specific examples from each text to support your answer).
2. where else would you look in order to figure out how the korean war started?

Explanation:

1. For question 1, the answers are directly transcribed from the handwritten responses on the worksheet, aligned with each textbook's framing.
2. For question 2, trustworthiness is evaluated by noting the one-sided, accusatory framing of both textbooks, which lack neutrality. Textbook A blames only American "imperialists" while Textbook B blames only North Korean communists, with no acknowledgment of the other side's perspective or context.
3. For question 3, primary sources and neutral scholarly works are recommended as they provide unfiltered, contemporary accounts or balanced, evidence-based analysis, unlike the biased secondary textbook sources provided.

Answer:

1)

• Textbook A: According to the textbook, American imperialists furiously carried out the war project in 1950. The American invaders, who had been preparing the war for a long time, along with their puppets, finally initiated the war on June 25th of the 39th year of the Juche calendar.
• Textbook B: The North Korean communists prepared themselves for war. Kim Il-Sung secretly visited the Soviet Union and promised the alliance of the Soviet Union and China in case of war. On June 25th, 1950, finally began their southward crossing using the 38th Parallel, taken by surprise of the army of the Republic of (South Korea) South Korea.

1. Neither textbook is highly trustworthy. Both are heavily biased and one-sided:

• Textbook A frames the war solely as an aggressive plot by American "imperialists" and their "puppets," with no mention of North Korean actions as a cause.
• Textbook B frames the war solely as an unprovoked surprise attack by North Korean communists, ignoring any context of American or South Korean preparations.

A trustworthy source would present a balanced account of the multiple factors and actions from all sides that led to the war.

1. To figure out how the Korean War started, you could look at:

• Declassified government documents from the United States, North Korea, South Korea, the Soviet Union, and China, which would show internal planning and communications from the time.
• Contemporary primary sources like news reports, diplomatic cables, and personal memoirs from soldiers, politicians, and civilians who lived through the start of the war.
• Peer-reviewed historical studies and academic textbooks written by neutral scholars that synthesize evidence from multiple sources to present a balanced account.