Postwar Period Research Articles

‘Bastion of Italian-ness’: the nationalization of welfare and the changing meaning of rehabilitation in post-war Italy (1945–59)

ABSTRACT The article analyses social welfare programmes set up by the Italian state to manage and provide assistance to refugees coming first from Dalmatia, then from Istria and finally by the territories near Trieste, between the immediate post-war period and the late 1950s. It connects the literature on these refugee flows and the historiography of the Italian welfare state by providing new insights into how the recognition of minority rights deeply affected the organization of the social welfare system throughout the 1940s and the 1950s. The article focuses on the shifting meaning of the term ‘rehabilitation’, an outcome of post-war transnational circulations of ideas about the renewal of welfare. It identifies three chronological sections: the aftermath of the war, when social assistance to refugees was organized in Italy in the context of a project to renew the state and its relations with the individual and society; the period after the signing of the Luxembourg Peace Treaty, when in response to the emergency but also out of purely political considerations public authorities significantly changed the guidelines of the entire social welfare system’s development; and finally, the policies set up in the 1950s, which aimed not only at providing stable accommodation for refugees but also at other geopolitical, socio-cultural, social engineering and electoral objectives. Thus, this contribution not only explains how the construction of the welfare state in Italy has been shaped by the problem of refugees, but also shows another side of the same issue: the role of welfare provision in constructing social groups, which in this case took on a strong ethnic and political character.

Fight against Typhus in Turkey (1945-1950)

Abstract
 Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the struggle against typhus, which has been a scourge of humanity for centuries, in Turkey between 1945 and 1950.
 Method: The data of our study were obtained from archival documents, periodicals of the period and other studies in the literature. In addition, this study is a qualitative study and document analysis method was used.
 Findings: The fight against typhus, which became epidemic in Turkey during World War II, became one of the most important issues of the post-war period. In the fight against typhus, vaccination had begun in 1943, during the war years. This practice would be accelerated as of 1945. The vaccine produced in large quantities in a short period of time at the Refik Saydam Institute of Public Health played a significant role in this situation. In addition, the effective use of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (D.D.T.) from 1945 onwards constituted one of the most important factors in achieving success.
 Conclusion: Thanks to the preventive health measures taken between 1945 and 1950, as well as the strict vaccination program and D.D.T. application, Turkey was able to reduce typhus disease, one of the most feared disasters of those years, from the country's agenda.

Childhood in foster care institutions in Central Pomerania between 1945 and 1975

The study provides an overview of the situation of children, victims of the war nightmare, who found themselves in foster care institutions in Central Pomerania after the end of the Second World War. The post-war period of development of these institutions was very diverse. It was associated with the social, political, administrative and economic changes that were taking place in Poland at the time. In the difficult conditions of life in the Recovered Territories, care activities for abandoned children were carried out by childcare and educational institutions, health care, daycare, and aid institutions of different natures. The aim of the study is to show the theoretical assumptions and practical contexts concerning the child and childhood in the space of foster care institutions in Central Pomerania in the years 1945–1975 and the transformations taking place in these institutions, which had an impact on the quality of childhood of the pupils/foster children.The main research problem of this study is contained in the question: How did the areas of childhood (economic, social-emotional, learning, preparation for independent living) change in foster care institutions in Central Pomerania in the context of the State’s welfare policy between 1945 and 1975?Verifying the research assumption was mainly done using archival document analysis and interviews. The study fills a gap in the regional literature in this scope and provides a basis for further in-depth research.

Ottó Kornis, a Forgotten Author and Survivor of the Nazi Camps

In May 1944, at the age of 33, the lawyer and writer Ottó Kornis was crammed into a cattle car in his native Transylvanian town, Kolozsvár (in Romanian: Cluj; after 1974: Cluj-Napoca) with 72 of his fellow Jewish citizens, his parents included. They were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. His parents were murdered upon arrival. Out of all the passengers in that cattle car, only he and four other Jews survived the hell of the death and forced labour camps. As soon as he returned home, he wrote a book about his experience titled Smoke ( Füst), which was published in November 1945 in Cluj by the Minerva Literary and Printing Institute and was one of the very first books about the Nazi camps. The present study deals with Kornis’ career and fate from the early years of his youth until his death at the age of 38, only four years after the end of the war. It is a microhistory that explores the career and work of a celebrated and award-winning, then completely forgotten author. His life story reveals the central problems that preoccupied most of the survivors who returned from the Nazi camps to multi-ethnic Transylvania; it also helps to document the literary memorialisation of the Holocaust during the early post-war period.

Smolensk Writers' Organization:
 the Literary Situation of the Post-War Period

The article summarizes information about the activities of the Smolensk regional branch of the Union of Soviet Writers (SSP) in the post-war years. Publications of Smolensk authors, literary criticism are analyzed on the basis of the materials of the Smolensk Almanac, as well as authors' books of writers and archival documents. The dynamics of the literary situation can be traced in relation to the political and economic situation in the country and the region. The role of the head of the department N. Rylenkov in the development of the traditions of the Smolensk poetic school is characterized. The specifics of the «center-region» relations and their influence on the literary situation are revealed.

Christian democracy as political spirituality: transcendence as transformation—Italian politics, 1942–1953

Abstract This article deals with the transformation of Catholic politics in Italy between 1942 and 1945 and the emergence of Christian Democracy as the dominant political party in the postwar years. It analyzes how Catholic politicians turned from reactionary critics of democracy to its champion. The article foregrounds a dimension that has not been given sufficient attention in scholarly works on political Catholicism and Christian Democracy, namely the religious content of thought. In the experiences of politicians and thinkers living through Fascism and war, transcendence and spirituality emerged as new markers of certainty that came to re-direct and ground democracy. Our conceptual argument is that Christian Democracy can be understood as a distinct form of “political spirituality,” pace Foucault. The article further shows how this political spirituality became “applied” in a series of ways in the immediate postwar period.

Zen Closets

This article explores John Cage's “62 Mesostics re Merce Cunningham,” a love poem dedicated to the poet's longtime partner. Though scholars of Cage's writing and music tend to ignore the queer context in which his work was created, this study attempts to reconcile the poet's art with his life. As a homosexual couple in the postwar period, Cage and Cunningham observed a closeted silence throughout their lives together, preferring to refer to one another as collaborators rather than romantic partners or lovers. While such strategies were not uncommon, the couple's use of Zen philosophy to imbue their silent relationship with an almost religious purpose distinguishes them from many others. Indeed, the poem embodies this situation well. Offering, at one moment, a glimpse into the couple's private life, at the next, the piece consistently subverts this gesture through various avant-garde techniques. In fact, in its unusual use of typography and its experimental performance history, Cage's mesostic reimagines the space and terms of traditional love poetry — much like his relationship with Cunningham reworked traditional gender roles. By bringing these aspects of Cage's life and work to light, this article aims to provide scholars with a fuller understanding of postwar queer poetics.

Design and Architecture of Memory Objects

The purpose of the article is to assess the possibilities and prospects of restoring damaged historical objects and architectural monuments as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2024. The article focuses on the need to memorialize such destroyed or damaged objects and to find ways to implement it. The research methodology is based on a combination of historical analysis and practical evaluation using survey and analytical approaches. The scientific novelty of the study consists in the combination of the analysis of the practical experience of restoring historical objects using the latest technologies and approaches, as well as taking into account the specifics of damage to architectural objects caused by the Russian-Ukrainian war. The study examines the optimal ways of restoring the object in order to preserve its historical value and cultural significance for the community, and also substantiates the possibility of the updated object to correspond not only or not so much to the original appearance of the projects, but to the combination of functional space with the idea of memorialization. In our opinion, the memorialization of the cultural object would be important in the historical aspect and would contribute to the maintenance of the patriotic spirit and the preservation of national memory. Conclusions. The study determined that the restoration of historical objects damaged as a result of Russian aggression is of great importance both for the preservation of cultural heritage and for the restoration of the socio-cultural life of the community. The main principles that will influence the formation and reconstruction in the post-war period are outlined. In particular, sustainability and systematicity, ensuring transparency and participation of communities in decision-making, using the best technologies and practices of European standards proven by experience will have a significant impact on the development of reconstruction. But due to a significant number of damaged historical objects, the prospects for their restoration are closely related to the help of the international community.

Realities of developing the research competence of teachers-philologists in wartime

The relevance of the research topic is determined by the urgent need to adapt the educational process and professional development of teachers-philologists to wartime conditions. The education sector should swiftly adjust to new realities in light of the challenges posed by the war and global changes, including making use of digital technology to provide access to high-quality education. Martial law makes adjustments not only to teaching methods but also to approaches to teachers’ professional development, emphasizing the need to integrate innovative methods and approaches. In the course of the research, it has been revealed that digital technologies play a crucial role in supporting language education in wartime by offering tools for distance learning and self-education. Innovative teaching methods, such as interactive exercises and online discussions, have been found to be effective in engaging students and motivating them to actively master the language. The reconstruction of the educational system provides an opportunity to revise and improve approaches to language teaching, with an emphasis on integrating the experience gained during the war. This emphasizes the importance of developing targeted support programs for teachers-philologists in order to enable them to use these technologies and methodologies effectively in their practice. The research findings emphasize the need for a comprehensive approach to the renovation and development of language education, with an emphasis on the role of teachers-philologists as agents of change. Ensuring their professional development, adaptation to new challenges, and engagement in intercultural communication are key elements of successful post-war reconstruction. Further studies should focus on the effectiveness of specific innovative methods in language teaching and the development of integrated professional development programs for teachers-philologists, including comprehensive support and development of the relevant competencies in the post-war period.

INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT THROUGH THE PRISM OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF FINANCIAL LEASING FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ECONOMIC SECURITY

The article examines the essence of investment management through the prism of the development of financial leasing from the perspective of economic security, the provision of which in the conditions of the russian-Ukrainian war is simultaneously a requirement, a need, and a guarantee of the existence of the country and its future prosperity. The purpose of the article is the theoretical justification and development of practical recommendations for investment management through the prism of the development of financial leasing from the perspective of economic security. The methodological basis, which allowed to ensure the integrity of the research, is a set of general scientific and applied methods, in particular such as: analysis, synthesis, monographic, abstraction; deductions, inductions, monographic; systematization; theoretical generalization; quantitative and qualitative comparison. The study emphasizes that the state of war between russia and Ukraine has led to a worsening of the situation in all areas of the country's life, and thus had a negative impact on the level of economic security of the state. In this perspective, the article examines the essence of security and related concepts, as well as its relationship with the development of aspects of security theory and the description of the main conditions and factors that generate threats to the economy. The negative changes that occurred in all spheres of the economy and are directly related to the consequences of Russian aggression and the consequences of wars for individual countries in the context of their economic development are considered. Taking into account the issues of the research, attention is focused on the importance of strengthening the role of the state regarding the use of mechanisms of influence on the processes that are currently observed in all spheres of social life and, in particular, the complex use of financial instruments – financial leasing. It was concluded that, taking into account the outlined interrelationship of the "economic security" categories and related concepts, in the context of the research problem, it is appropriate to implement at the state level the best global practices of using financial leasing tools to provide the population with housing with maximum consideration of all externalities, which in the long run will contribute increasing the level of economic security of the state and ensuring the synergistic effect of economic development in the post-war period and the period of post-war reconstruction of Ukraine.

A system for achieving the strategic goals of the project of chartering the fleet of shipping companies in the post-war period

The beginning of the full-scale invasion of russia into Ukraine caused significant human, economic and political losses, as well as destruction of the shipping system of water transport. Nevertheless, in the future (in the post -war period) all losses received must be restored according to projects and programs in the post-war period. This paper examines the current scientific and applied problem of developing approaches to managing the success of fleet chartering projects based on proacti ve research of shipping companies. The authors have identified the main factors affecting fleet chartering processes: trends in the charter market; the volume of transport work in already developed markets, opportunities to enter new markets, the level of prices for ships, the state of the turbulent environment. The main strategic goals that determine the need to replenish the shipping company's fleet have been established. The main types of fleet replenishment projects corresponding to the following options for fleet replenishment have been identified: shipbuilding, ship acquisition, leasing (bareboat charter), short - and medium-term lease of ships (time charter). Classification of the main types of fleet replenishment projects, regarding their classification features, definition of products, specifics of life cycles, value and composition of stakeholders, which fully characterizes fleet replenishment as an object of project management. As a result of the time charter lease, the company is limited in its rights to the vessel and can only carry out commercial activities, and this type of lease allows solving short- and medium-term tasks related to market activity and the need to replenish the fleet. The concept and model of the proactive formation of fleet chartering project parameters in specific market conditions, taking into account their further development, which ensures the establishment of project product characteristics and the life cycle, taking into account the integral influence of the dynamics of the market conditions related to the project. For each selected type of fleet chartering project, the main classification features, specifics of life cycles, value and composition of participants are established. Thus, the formation of management models for the implementation of innovative projects, programs, in particular in Ukraine in its post-war conditions, in the paradigm of uncertainty of crises in the post-war period, remains relevant.

The Decolonization of the History of USSR’s Peoples in Soviet Historiography (1920–1930)

This article analyses the anti-colonial discourse in the Soviet historical science of the 1920s and 1930s. The work is based on both published materials and documents from the Archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It is demonstrated that the anti-colonial discourse was built as an antithesis to the pre-revolutionary state-national historical narrative and was based on a radical and critical class analysis. In the 1920s, a kind of “historiographical sweep” took place, when, using class analysis, the students of M. N. Pokrovsky revealed the “great power” and “colonial” ideologems of the classics of Russian historical science and their followers. The anti-colonial vector of Soviet historiography was embodied in the historiographical concept of the “history of the peoples of the USSR”. It was assumed that all the peoples of the USSR were to receive a full-fledged place in history. However, since the mid‑1930s, there has been a drift from radical revolutionary anti-colonialism towards a more statesmanlike ideology and the development of consolidating concepts. The turning point was the meeting of historians with Stalin in March 1934, after which the process of transition from the concept of “the history of the peoples of the USSR” to “the history of the USSR” was launched, which was fixed in the Short Course of the History of the USSR (1937) edited by A. V. Shestakov. The international context also played a significant role in curtailing anticolonial rhetoric, since there were fears that foreign policy opponents would use this to divide the peoples of the USSR. Historians of the “old school”, who advocated the return to the concepts of pre-revolutionary historiography, also played a certain role in the correction. In turn, these concepts fit better into the current ideological situation and found support in the Central Committee of the CPSU(b). The marginalization of anti-colonial discourse occurs during the war and postwar period.

The Rhetoric of Indirect Translation: Out from the Shadows

This article seeks to contribute to the growing literature on indirect translation by exploring the phenomenon in the context of twentieth and twenty-first-century Russian-English translation flows. In addition to reflecting transnational networks and the cultural (and linguistic) asymmetries embedded therein, indirect translation became a  defining other of "modern" translation practice, specifically, what Gideon Toury describes as the norm of directness. The first part of the paper investigates the cultural politics of relay translation in reference to two case studies: the one involving the first English translation of Dmitrii Merezhkovskii's Voskresshie bogi [Resurrected Gods], published in the early twentieth century, with Russian as the source language, and the other concerns the first English translation of Georgian dissident Levan Berzenishvili's Gulag memoir Sacred Darkness, with Russian as the intermediary language, published in the early twenty-first century. Both case studies raise the question of the relationship between relay translation and textual integrity while underscoring the persistence of the phenomenon. The second part of the paper explores the rhetoric of indirect translation in Soviet culture, as represented in theoretical works, intelligentsia discourse and works of trans-fiction, that is, fictional works featuring translators and translation. While directness claims in the pre-World War II period were used to define Soviet translation practice as superior to pre-Soviet practice, those claims were deployed in the post-War period to critique the Soviet literary bureaucracy and to expose the hypocrisy behind the official policy of "Friendship of Peoples."

Financial stability of Ukraine's economy during the war and post-war periods: challenges and drivers of recovery

The article highlights the issues related to the challenges and drivers of recovery of the economy of Ukraine in the war and post-war periods. It is noted that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine, our country has lost significant human resources and witnessed the destruction of critical, industrial and social structures. The hostilities continue, but the belief in victory prompts scholars and practitioners to discuss the formats of reconstruction and modernization of the country after the war.
 Directions  of economic recovery are proposed, namely: reconstruction and restoration of war-damaged property and infrastructure; quick recovery of economic processes; return of refugees and internally displaced persons back to Ukraine and their inclusion in economic processes; creating the foundations for sustainable economic growth. It has been concluded that, in general, the recovery of the economy of Ukraine, which suffered from the war, can be a driver of the recovery of infrastructure and revival of the industrial sector, creation of new jobs and support of small and medium enterprises, reconstruction of the housing stock, restoration of social infrastructure and development of the sphere of social services, social rehabilitation of war victims and restoration of the natural environment.

Contribution to the Research on New Belgrade: The Unbuilt Projects and the Concepts of Nikola Dobrović

<p class="Abstract" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="sr-Cyrl-BA" style="mso-fareast-language: BS-LATN-BA;">Architect Nikola Dobrović is best known in Serbia for his only constructed building in Belgrade, the complex of the State Secretariat of National Defense (DSNO), better known as the General Staff, today an endangered cultural heritage and a crumbling building with an uncertain future. However, his short-term engagement as the head of the Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of Serbia from 1946-1947, and his later professorship at the Faculty of Architecture University of Belgrade, are equally significant for Belgrade and Serbia. Documents testifying to the post-war period of his work are scattered in several places: in the Urban Planning Institute of Belgrade, the Museum of Science and Technology, the Historical Archive of Belgrade, and the rare publications can only be found in a few libraries in Serbia. In the course of his short-term work on New Belgrade, Dobrović provided several conceptual projects and sketches for New Belgrade within the Urban Planning Institute: the perfomance square, road schemes and the urban planning solution of the zone between the Palace of the Federation and the Railway Station - today's Central Zone of New Belgrade. Finally, at different stages of his career, Dobrović also designed individual objects, such as the project for the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and the building of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia, which remained in the domain of 'paper architecture', unbuilt, and which provides an insight into the way he thought about the process of urban and spatial planning, through the positioning of builidngs which would've generated the character of their immediate and distant surroundings.</span></p>

Between Vision and Possibility – Industrial Architecture From the Socialist Period in Sarajevo

<p class="Abstract" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="sr-Cyrl-BA">As a contribution to the research on the specificities of Yugoslav modernism, the development of industrial architecture in the City of Sarajevo after World War II is presented. When defining the architectural typology of industrial buildings during this period of development, examples of conceptual designs whose implementation was either fully or partially absent were analyzed. </span><span style="background-color: var(--bs-body-bg); font-weight: var(--bs-body-font-weight); text-align: var(--bs-body-text-align);">The paper elaborates on the specific socio-economic and cultural context that determines the architectural production of the post-war period. Financial difficulties led to significant rationalization of construction that resulted in devoid of aesthetic expression. Nonetheless, conceptual designs from the archive of the People's Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Ministry of Construction (</span><i>Ministarstvo građevina NRBiH</i><span style="background-color: var(--bs-body-bg); font-weight: var(--bs-body-font-weight); text-align: var(--bs-body-text-align);">) show careful consideration of the technological process in conjunction with contemporary constructive possibilities and aesthetics of the functionalist design of modernism. </span><span lang="sr-Cyrl-BA">The detailed presentation of the ambitious design of the Bosna Film "film city" in Jagomir provides a vivid insight into the undisputed development of architectural thought in this area.</span></p>

Intangible cultural heritage of Ukraine: scientific and practical significance, structure, and development prospects


 
 
 Current objects of UNESCO’s intangible national and world cultural heritage (here-inafter – World Heritage) have been systematized and the list of nominees for the status of objects of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) of Ukraine has been expanded, which is considered as an option for partial compensation in the war and post-war period of resource and recreational losses countries; the fragmentary systematization of objects of ethnocultural tourism is reflected in the map-schematic and tabular elements of the presented material. The creation of a research center for the Azov National Park based on the University of Melitopol (Ukraine) and its joining with European universities studying the National Park of their countries is interpreted as one of the scientific and practical triggers for the protection, preservation, and development of the national network of National Park facilities. It is emphasized that the problem of protecting the World Heritage as a whole and ICH as its component is positioned as one of the key priorities of world, European, and national humanitarian development in the 21st century, and the constructive activities of the world community on the protection of ICH, the effective efforts of UNESCO in legal support of the outlined process are a significant factor in the actualization of state policy regarding the conservation and promotion of traditional crafts, folklore, art, and national cuisine. It is noted that the objects of ethnographic and ethnocultural tourism are a kind of benchmarks and beacons of the resource-recreational «fabric» of any country, which radiate the light of its spirit, national history, and culture. At the same time, in modern times of globalism and ultra-globalism, despite the positive dynamics of the number of identified ethnographic tourism locations, and the increase in the number of objects of intangible heritage, their chances of survival are steadily decreasing. Based on the analysis of the statistics of the recruitment of students for the «Tourism» specialty at the Higher Secondary Education in Kyiv (Ukraine) over the past 10 years, a trend of a constant decrease in demand for this specialty has been revealed.
 
 

Livestock Farming in Bashkiria in 1946-1950: Dynamics of Production of Main Types of Products

The article examines the dynamics of livestock production in the individual and collective sectors in the Bashkir ASSR during the first postwar five-year period (1946-1950). Archival data is introduced into scientific circulation. Emphasis is placed on the fact that throughout the studied period, the recovery of livestock farming in the republic faced significant challenges. Information is provided on the production of main types of livestock products during the fourth five-year plan by specific categories in natural and monetary terms. It is noted that the pre-war level of production volume was never reached in various indicators: the number of cattle, sheep, goats, and horses, gross production of eggs, wool, honey, etc. Among the socio-economic reasons hindering the development of livestock farming in the republic are cited: consequences of World War II; low state investment in agriculture; low level of livestock technologies; deliberate policy by authorities viewing agriculture as an appendage to industry; low living standards of rural residents. The contribution of Bashkiria to the country’s food balance is determined. The conclusion is drawn that the individual sector of livestock farming, despite extremely unfavorable conditions and resistance from government authorities in the first post-war five-year period, overall maintained its positions and produced over 2/3 of the livestock products in the republic.

Folk Magic and the Haunting of the Second World War in Finnish Lapland

This article engages with certain peculiar finds and features that we have documented at former German WWII military camps in Finnish Lapland, with a particular emphasis on an excavated assemblage that has affinities to traditional ritual (sacrificial) practices. The relevant finds and features date from the post-war period, but they are meaningfully associated with WWII sites. We consider the possible connections of these finds and features to folk magic and the supernatural, especially with regard to boundaries and boundary-making. The material is interpreted in relation to the painful histories and memories of WWII in the high North, and in the broader context of northern ways of life and being and perceptions of temporally layered landscapes. More specifically, we focus on how locals have coped with the difficult and haunting presences of WWII in northern landscapes and mindscapes after the war in a particular natural, cultural and cosmological lived environment which people have long co-inhabited with various non-human and spiritual entities. We aim to contribute to the broader discussion of the folklore of WWII as a dimension in conflict heritage and memory.

Liberation, Resettlement, and Looting in Postwar Memoirs from Poland

Abstract The postwar months and years in Central and Eastern Europe were marked by mass migrations caused by border changes, the return of many refugees and former prisoners to their homes, and many peoples’ search for new places to settle down in the wake of war. Population movements were often marked by a kind of social vacuum that was frequently characterized by lawlessness, plunder, and violence to which civilians were exposed. This article explores the historical and social processes at play in one case of postwar resettlement through an analysis of over one thousand memoirs written during the first three postwar decades in Poland. The memoirs were collected as part of three competitions held between 1956 and 1970. The analysis focuses on the experiences of migrants settling in western Poland in order to examine the phenomenon of mass robbery in its various forms. From both from an individual and institutional perspective, an exploration of the dynamics of looting reveals the complexity of settlement against the chaotic backdrop of the postwar period. As such, this analysis contributes to the postwar history of Poland and the scholarship on looting that accompanies armed conflicts.