History Of World War Research Articles

Archaeology in the Shadow of Schindler’s List

This paper presents some of the preliminary results of non-invasive and invasive archaeological research on the terrain of a former German Nazi labour and concentration camp in P?aszów, a suburb of Kraków. The starting point is a reference to Schindler’s List – a film that is partially about the camp (KL Plaszow in German) and which created a certain social picture of it. This paper discusses the history of archaeological research relating to Holocaust landscapes in Poland, and sketches the historical context related to the opening, functioning, closing and later reusing of the campscape. The last section provides a glimpse into the archaeological field research and its results. The main thesis of this paper is that the history of World War II, including the Holocaust, is transforming in front of our eyes into archaeology. The paper shows how archaeology can play an active and crucial role in discovering, documenting and interpreting material remains related to the Holocaust and its manifold consequences.

Historical Discourse and Narrativity

AbstractMost theorists of history now seem to regard narrative as the only discursive model on which historians rely to make sense of the past. The structure of many works in current historiographic production, however, is not that of a narrative as defined in literary theory. The histories of World War II discussed here, for example, do not all tell a story; several of them take the form of synchronic analyses bearing on some aspects of the conflict. Furthermore, those histories of the war that tell a story follow different models and have widely divergent degrees of narrativity. That is, they resort at various levels of frequency and deliberateness to strategies that narratologists such as Meir Sternberg and Raphaël Baroni view as typical of storytelling. Positing readers who know how the war ended (the Allies won), they do not turn to suspense but seek to arouse curiosity by making counterfactual hypotheses (What if?) that offer alternatives to what actually happened. Furthermore, they attempt to create surprise by proposing “new versions” grounded in recently uncovered evidence and/or thus far unasked questions. As Dorrit Cohn speaks of the “distinction of fiction,” it would thus be legitimate to speak in these areas of the “distinction of historiography.” Indeed, the classical nineteenth-century extra-heterodiegetic narratives to which histories are frequently compared are unlikely to include counterfactuals, as they are unlikely to offer new, “better” versions of the events that they report.

Oil, Labour and Empire: Abadan in WWII Occupied Iran

ABSTRACT By uncovering and scrutinizing the politics of labour during the Second World War in the world’s biggest oil refinery – located in the city of Abadan in Iran’s southwestern province of Khuzistan – this article aims to strengthen our understanding of the Second World War in the Middle East generally and our understanding of the role of oil company power in Iran specifically. By analysing changes in and around the urban oil industry complex at Abadan, the present article will thus provide new insights into British imperial strategy in the context of the 1941–1946 British–Soviet occupation of Iran. We argue that the Anglo–Iranian Oil Company, in partial concert with British state and military actors and institutions, managed to turn threats and challenges arising from the war into opportunities for expanding power and experimenting with a new security regime that was designed to curb rising socialist and anti-colonial nationalist activism. This overlapping history of the Second World War, oil, labour and empire, then, is not only key to a fuller understanding of Iran, the Middle East and the world on the cusp of the Cold War but can also contribute to the historical analysis of energy imperialism.

Историческая память как фактор патриотического воспитания граждан

The article substantiates the importance of preserving historical memory and historical truth about the role of Russia in the world civilizational process. The authors give the concrete examples to show the growing danger of political use of the history of the Second World War and the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945 by the Soviet people against Nazi Germany to the detriment of historical truth.  The article describes the genesis of the concept of historical policy; shows the role and significance of historical memory and historical truth in the patriotic education of citizens; reveals new trends in politics aimed at blurring and erasing historical memory in the minds of people for the sake of corporate goals and interests. The authors make a number of proposals aimed at preserving historical memory as a factor of patriotic education of citizens of the Russian Federation.

World War II in modern interpretations of Russian and Polish politicians

In the political circles of European countries attempts to reformat the history of World War II has been continuing. Poland is particularly active; there at the official level, as well as in the articles and in the speeches of politicians, political scientists and historians crude attacks against Russia for its commitment to objective assessments of the military past are allowed. Though, as the authors of this article mention, Russian politicians have not always been consistent in evaluation of Soviet-Polish relationships, hoping to reach a certain compromise. If there were any objections, they were mostly unconvincing. Obviously, as the article points, some statements and speeches are not without emotional colouring that is characteristic, when expressing mutual claims. However, the deliberate falsification of historical facts and evidence, from whatever side it occurs, does not meet the interests of the Polish and Russian peoples, in whose memory the heroes of the Red Army and the Polish Resistance have lived and will live. The authors point in the conclusions that it is hard to achieve mutual respect to key problems of World War II because of the overlay of the 18th – 19th centuries, connected with the “partitions of Poland”, the existence of the “Kingdom of Poland” as part of the Russian Empire, Soviet-Polish War of 1920. There can be only one way out, as many Russian and Polish scientists believe – to understand the complex twists and turns of Russo-Polish history, relying on the documents. Otherwise, the number of pseudoscientific, dishonest interpretations will grow.

Representasi Sejarah dan Dampak Perang Dunia II dalam Komik Kono Sekai No Katasumi Ni Karya Fumiyo Kouno

This study aims to find out and understand the representation of the history of World War II and the impact of World War II on the Japanese, especially the people who live in Kure in the comic Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni by Fumiyo Kouno. The method used in this study is the descriptive analysis method. The theory used in this study is the theory of New Historicism by Stephen Greenbalt. The results show, there are five historical facts, the establishment of tonarigumi, the creation of the tatemono sokai policy, the air attack on Kure, the attack on the Hiro Naval Base, and the dropping of Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima, which also affected Kure area which is 20 kilometres to southeast Hiroshima. In addition, as a result of the occurrence of World War II, the mindset of the Japanese people regarding war changed from those previously zealous in warfare to preferring to maintain peace. On the other hand, the impact of World War II is still being felt today by the Japanese people, especially for victims who survived and were still alive until the time this comic was published.

Beyond bully beef: soldiers, food and transcultural interactions in World War I

ABSTRACT Important recent scholarship has highlighted the social, cultural, religious and emotional significance of food, drink and hunger in wartime. Much of this work has taken World War I as its focus. However, the particular effects of eating as an intercultural encounter is an area so far underexplored in the history of World War I. This article examines these aspects of daily life in war time through the records of diaries, memoirs, soldier newspapers and propaganda to provide greater insight into the strategic, symbolic and emotional role of food and drink for soldiers in diverse World War I armies. Our article shows that food and drink are frequently objects of intercultural exchange. This exchange is revealing not just of the material conditions of war time, but of the social, cultural and emotional contours of the intercultural encounters forced by this global conflagration.

An Indian Town’s Entry into the Second World War: Holding Together the Congress Party and Training Chinese Soldiers in Wartime Raj

During the Second World War, Ramgarh, a small town in northeast India, was the site of the 53rd Session of the Indian National Congress and the training centre for the Chinese Expeditionary Force. By uncovering the links between the two events and knitting them into the broader context of the Indian nationalist movement and China’s War of Resistance, this article tries to break down the hegemony of the Eurocentric national narratives of the history of the Second World War in India and China. In doing so, it provides an alternative way of writing an entangled history of India and China during the Second World War.

Всероссийская онлайн-конференция с международным участием «Исторические итоги Второй мировой войны в актуальной повестке современности» (Москва, 9 сентября 2020 г.)

All-Russian online conference with international participation was held at Moscow Region State University. The conference agenda was determined by the need to uncover attempts to falsify the history of the Second World War and to revise its outcomes. Through the participation of specialists in the field of political science and history, the conference had an interdisciplinary character. The article presents the event analytical review in the context of assessing the scientific and political relevance of the issues raised at the conference. The speakers’ practical proposals to counteract falsification of history are presented in general terms.

Spanish exiles, transnational soldiers from the French internment camps to the Free French Forces

ABSTRACT Thousands of Spaniards contributed to the defence and the liberation of France as military contractors, legionnaires and soldiers between 1939 and 1945. This paper focuses on three elements of their contributions. First, it investigates the importance of French internment camps for Spanish refugees that became key recruitment grounds for soldiers and labourers. Secondly, it will analyse the importance of the military background Spanish volunteers acquired in both Spanish and French ranks. Thirdly, it will analyse the features of Free French Spanish volunteers and their fighting itineraries as transnational soldiers. Despite its importance, politicians in both France and Spain only recognised Spanish contributions to the French resistance after the Second World War. This is a fourth aspect of the entangled Franco-Spanish history of the Second World War that this article analyses. By incorporating the accounts of French Gaullists, Communists and Spanish Francoists, it demonstrates how the context of the Cold War, which reinforced these interpretations, left little room for the study and commemorative inclusion of these “outsiders”.

ЭКОЛОГИЧЕСКАЯ ИСТОРИЯ ПЕРВОЙ МИРОВОЙ ВОЙНЫ НА ВОСТОЧНОМ ФРОНТЕ: ЛАКУНЫ ИСТОРИОГРАФИЧЕСКОГО ЛАНДШАФТА И ИССЛЕДОВАТЕЛЬСКИЕ ПЕРСПЕКТИВЫ

A lacuna that clearly needs to be filled and remains among various topics of the ecological history of the First World War is the Eastern front theme. The authors of this historiographical essay attempt to analyze various papers and monographs on the ecological history of the First World War, such as works on ecological history and history of technologies, works on socio- and cultural-ecological aspects of the Great War, as well as publications on the experience of military occupation at the Eastern Front and its impact on the ecosystems of different regions. A critical analysis of the achievements and limitations of modern historiography allow the authors to emphasize thematic fields of perspective research. The authors notice that the Eastern front is still obscure and largely ignored by English-speaking scholars. The historiography includes a wide variety of thematic fields. Most of them are related to environmental changes in West European war theatre, as well as in colonial landscapes. Such a view deforms the general picture of the Great War. So, the reconstruction of the military impact on the landscapes of the Eastern front, attempts to economically organize the war space by different armies on the same territories, as well as the transformations of local population's management practice, seem to correct the idea of the universality of the Western front processes and phenomena.

ФАЛЬСИФИКАЦИЯ ИСТОРИИ И ИТОГОВ ВЕЛИКОЙ ОТЕЧЕСТВЕННОЙ ВОЙНЫ В ЗАКОНОДАТЕЛЬСТВЕ ОТДЕЛЬНЫХ СТРАН

The relevance of the problem is that at the present stage of development of public relations between Western countries and Russia, attempts are being made to revise the history of the Second world war and such attempts are becoming more distinct over time. The paper proposes to consider the reasons for such actions and analyze the legal acts that are adopted by countries in some countries in the direction of reviewing the prerequisites, causes and results of the great Patriotic War. The methods used in this work are comparative descriptions of normative legal acts aimed at prohibiting Communist symbols and placing them on a par with Nazi symbols. It is also proposed to understand the reasons for the preparation and publication of such acts on the territory of some countries, using the example of the Baltic States and Ukraine. In the final part of the work, we can draw a conclusion about the similarity of legal acts adopted by these States, their uniform policy in the framework of consideration of historical and legal assessments of the Second world war. The results of the work are recommendations that are proposed to be considered and discussed on these proposals, which are aimed at popularizing Patriotic tourism, preserving historical justice and preventing the reformatting of the prerequisites, causes and results of the great Patriotic War. The value of the work is to collect information from official sources, to structure it and to be able to use it in practice. This work allows us to give our own assessment of the formation of rule-making in some post-Soviet countries in the field of discussing the history of the Second world war. The paper provides recommendations for preserving historical memory and achieving the principles of openness and fairness in the interpretation of the results of the Second world war.

Using the alternative history method in the study of World War II

The article discusses the scientific experience of using the „alternative history” method in the study of the history of the Second World War. The authors revealed the peculiarities of the methodology for applying this method in world historical science until the middle of the twentieth century, showed its research capabilities and shortcomings. The features of the use of the method of alternative history in the modern historiography of the Second World War are revealed. The purpose of this article is to compare the main methodological approaches to the application of the method of „alternative history” in the historiography of World War II, to determine the degree of their appropriateness and correctness. To achieve this goal, the following tasks are set: to consider the genesis of the method of „alternative history”, to establish and reveal its key provisions, the algorithm of use, application and features of use in British and Russian historiography. At the present stage, the method of alternative history makes it possible to significantly expand the cognitive possibilities in the study of the history of the Second World War. Its use was pioneered by representatives of Anglo-American historiography. In the post-Soviet space, this method was established much later.

Hapšenje i procesuiranje partizanskih saradnika iz Pirota, Nišora i Gradašnice 1944. godine

This work is primarily a contribution to the study of the Second World War history from the perspective given in the material of the Central State Archives in Sofia which have been only partially used so far. Based on the completely preserved case of the arrest and prosecution of a group of partisan associates from Pirot and Nisor village, the neglected dimensions of the war on the local level will be presented according to authentic testimonies of the accused in the proceedings but also in relation to the attitude of Bulgarian occupation authorities which determined the context of events to a great extent. Apart from the possibility to look at the reality of war from the point of view of the occupiers and the accused, the research made also provides space for getting a better insight into the fate of an ordinary man, often unsettled in the whirlwind of war. In addition, the mentioned material reveals some new and unknown details about significant names of the partisan movement in the area of Pirot, which could be interesting additional information to the existing biographies.

Distortion of the History of the Second World War is the Threat to the Security of Europe

Distortion of the History of the Second World War is the Threat to the Security of Europe

YU.V. BOUTOROVA FOUNDATION IN SYZRAN ARCHIVE AND ITS SOURCE POTENTIAL

The article examines the history of the creation of the personal Fund of Yulia Vladimirovna Boutorova (1885-1946), analyzes the source possibilities of the Fund's materials in the study of the history of everyday life of the Volga nobility at the turn of the XIX - XX centuries, the history of the First world war and the collapse of the Russian Empire. The author notes the uniqueness of the archive Fund of Yu. V. Boutorova as the only personal Fund of the pre-Soviet period in the archive of Syzran. When working with the materials of the Foundation, the method of reconstruction of the "family archive” was used, based on the methodological approaches of the new scientific direction memory studies, which allowed to restore the key moments of the Boutorov family's life and determine their main family values.

ВАРИАЦИЯ К ДОСТОЕВСКОМУ? РОМАН И. ЭРЕНБУРГА "ХУЛИО ХУРЕНИТО"

Julio Jurenito – a 1924 Modernist novel by Ilya Ehrenburg, written hot on the heels of the 1917 Revolution and is distinguished by both a wide intertextual spectrum and an acute satirical orientation in relation to all ideological trends and factions. The article focuses on references of the novel by Ilya Ehrenburg to the legacy of Dostoevsky – primarily – The Brothers Karamazov. Ilya Ehrenburg resets Dostoevsky’s features – his protagonists and some elements of plot – into the reality of European history of the First World War, Russian Revolution and Civil War. But also, Ehrenburg goes beyond Dostoevsky’s semantic continuum, replacing the author’s sense of History as a process striving for its endpoint with a History in which an end is fundamentally impossible, and there is always at least the potential to put the flow of event on pause and rewrite their mistakes. As well, the idea important for Dostoevsky that of the moral damage of the modern atheist-minded person is transformed into a demonstration of the people’s inclination to create idols and devoutly worship the latter. Ilya Ehrenburg’s novel is grounded on an interpretation of Dostoevsky, perfected through the prism of the traditions of the Jewish Enlightenment.

Indigenous Infrastructures of Care and Survival in Papua New Guinea: Rethinking Pacific Health through Oral Histories of the Second World War

Indigenous Infrastructures of Care and Survival in Papua New Guinea: Rethinking Pacific Health through Oral Histories of the Second World War

Indigenous Infrastructures of Care and Survival in Papua New Guinea: Rethinking Pacific Health through Oral Histories of the Second World War

Indigenous Infrastructures of Care and Survival in Papua New Guinea: Rethinking Pacific Health through Oral Histories of the Second World War

In Ukraine under Hetman summer — autumn 1918

This article introduces previously unpublished memoirs of General P. S. Makhrov about the events of the Civil war in the Ukraine in 1918. Makhrov’s Memoirs from the Bakhmeteff Archive of Russian and East European History and Culture, Columbia University are an important source for the different events of the late XIX — first half of the XX century. Primarily on the history of the First world war and Civil war in Russia and Ukraine. The memoirist describes in detail the Ukraine under Hetman P. P. Skoropadski and the German occupation. P. S. Makhrov pays special attention to the behavior of officers in independent Ukraine.