서양의 4월혁명 인식과 그 세계사적 의미 -영국, 프랑스, 미국의 언론과 외교문서를 바탕으로-

Abstract

This study seeks to identify the significance of the Korea’s April Revolution in the world history by examining how the Western world perceived the revolution, through the diplomatic documents and the newspapers of the USA, Great Britain and France. The analysis covered their news articles from March 1960 to December 1960, focusing on 7 newspapers: The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Times, The Guardian, Le Figaro, Le Monde and L’Humanité. The newspapers reported in detail on the 1960’s series of political events in South Korea: the March 15 electoral corruption, the uprising ignited in Masan after April 11, the bloodshed of April 19 Revolution in Seoul and the April 26 announcement of the president Rhee Syngman’s resignation. They continued to cover the major political changes in South Korea following Rhee Syngman’s resignation. Their articles described that the April Revolution was attributed not only to the election riggings but also to the Rhee Syngman government’s destruction of constitutional order and dictatorship. The newspapers also recognized the students as heroes of the Revolution, who sacrificed their lives for ideal democracy. They expressed the same opinion that the United States had an indirect influence on the collapse of the Rhee. When it comes to the in-depth analysis of the Revolution, however, their focuses varied depending on the country. The british papers highlighted the democratic restoration of constitutional order and the adoption of the parliamentary cabinet system, and the french papers focused on the nation’s potential of liberal politics or social movements such as labor movements and the reconstruction movement of the Progressive Party. The American papers praised the South Korea’s democratic revolution by comparing the nation with other countries in the Third World facing a crisis in democracy, and called for the American government to reexamine its policy on the Third World. The Western press recognized the significance of the 1960 April Revolution in world history by emphasizing its contribution to overthrowing dictatorship and leading to successful democratic revolution.