Abstract: Subsequent to his abdication of the South Korean presidency in 1960, Syngman Rhee was generally criticized and condemned among scholars regardless of political orientation, a trend that continued for the better part of the next three decades. The dissolution of Korea’s Cold War regime and the transition to democracy, however, marked a decisive discursive shift, particularly among scholars situated on the right wing of the political spectrum. Why did conservative scholars abruptly begin to praise Syngman Rhee following the end of the Cold War? To address this question, this paper examines the emergence of the so-called “New Right,” a political movement materializing out of the bitter division among conservatives striving to respond to the collapse of the Cold War regime that urged conservatives to present a rational, more appealing image in accordance with democratic values. In order to accomplish this task, the New Right began by presenting fresh conceptions of modern Korean history, including positive reappraisals of Syngman Rhee. This kind of scholarship was not unique to Korea but indicative of a more global discursive shift, as represented in three comparative case studies pertaining to Lee Kuan Yew, Chiang Kai-shek, and Joseph Stalin. This paper finds that this global trend in historical scholarship is related to the dissemination of neoliberalism since the end of the Cold War.

中文翻译：

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冷战后保守派重新评价李承晚：新自由主义与新右派

摘要：自 1960 年退位韩国总统后，李承晚无论政治取向如何，都受到学者的普遍批评和谴责，这一趋势持续了接下来的 30 年的大部分时间。然而，韩国冷战政权的解体和向民主的过渡标志着一个决定性的话语转变，尤其是在政治光谱右翼的学者中。为什么冷战结束后保守派学者突然开始称赞李承晚？为了解决这个问题，本文考察了所谓的“新右派”的出现，这是一场政治运动，源于保守派之间的激烈分歧，努力应对冷战政权的崩溃，敦促保守派提出理性的、符合民主价值观的更有吸引力的形象。为了完成这一任务，新右派首先提出了对韩国现代史的全新概念，包括对李承晚的正面评价。这种学术研究并非韩国独有，而是代表着更为全球性的话语转变，如与李光耀、蒋介石和约瑟夫·斯大林有关的三个比较案例研究所示。本文发现，历史学界的这一全球趋势与冷战结束以来新自由主义的传播有关。这种学术研究并非韩国独有，而是代表着更为全球性的话语转变，如与李光耀、蒋介石和约瑟夫·斯大林有关的三个比较案例研究所示。本文发现，历史学界的这一全球趋势与冷战结束以来新自由主义的传播有关。这种学术研究并非韩国独有，而是代表着更为全球性的话语转变，如与李光耀、蒋介石和约瑟夫·斯大林有关的三个比较案例研究所示。本文发现，历史学界的这一全球趋势与冷战结束以来新自由主义的传播有关。