[Contents]
About This Book
A sweeping survey traces the peninsula's development from ancient and medieval eras through political, social, and modern transformations. It examines governing institutions, family and religious practices, education, economic activities, arts, military organization, and the details of urban and rural life. The narrative addresses foreign relations and encounters with other nations, missionary and reform movements, and the internal responses to external pressures. A concluding chapter analyzes the causes and consequences of the loss of independent sovereignty and the challenges of administration under new authority.