ABSTRACT
This chapter covers the rise and fall of the moderate socialist movements in the early liberation period, and thereby discusses the early history of the failure of socialism in Korea. The traditional explanation for the rapid decline of the moderate socialist tendency is epitomised by Park Honyoung's explanation that the USAMGIK systematically destroyed political dissidents and the foundations of the leftist movement in the South. It is argued that two factors, the Bolshevik Revolution and colonisation, pushed the Korean nationalists towards radical socialism in the colonial era. The democratic socialist-led Committee for Preparation of Korean Independencem (CPKI) successfully maintained law and order for a couple of months; however it had little influence among the grassroots organisations and could hardly be treated as a fully representative institution. The Left was shattered by the suppression of the revolts, resulting in a loss of mass support and the emergence of more extreme and less inclusive organisations like the South Korean Worker's Party (SKWP).
