The Land Reform of 1946 in North Korea and the Soviet Military Administration

Abstract

The land reform of 1946 in North Korea became one of the most important events in the history of the country immediately after the liberation. Despite active resistance and vicious class struggle, the North Korean land reform was conducted quite rapidly. It also opened the way for the nationalisation of industry and the slow transition to socialism. It also had a great impact on South Korea, creating enormous pressure on the US military administration and the South Korean political elites. The road to the land reform, however, was far from straight and simple. Drawing from the Soviet and North Korean documents this article examines its historical background as well as the main factors that influenced the decision of the Soviet military command to conduct the reform, mostly focusing on the demands of North Korean communists and peasants, as well as Soviet necessity procure food supplies. This article also examines different projects of the land reform, starting from the early "bourgeois-democratic" one and ending with the final radical project. One of the main reasons why the Soviets decided to go with the latter project can be found in the specific vision the Soviet military command had concerning its tasks in North Korea. The downfall of the moderate and right-wing politicians from the top leadership of North Korea during the Moscow decision crisis left the Soviet military command with no other allies apart from communists. This left the radical land reform the only possible solution that could fit the goals of the Soviet military.