Role In Central Europe Research Articles

THE GEOGRAPHICAL INTERPRETATION OF THE REGION «CENTRAL EUROPE»

Today on the political map of the world, Europe occupies a special position, plays an important role in defining and shaping the modern global world order. The full-scale war taking place in the heart of Europe indicates the relevance of the problem of civilizational confrontation in the 21st century and the difficulty in geographically defining those territories and natural regions that occupy a buffer position. Such geography not only determines the degree and rationality of the use of natural conditions and resources, but also the intensity and direction of the reconstruction of the landscape structure of the region, the transformation of natural landscapes into various groups of man-made ones, their subsequent changes and anthropogenic layering. Central Europe is a special region of Europe. This territory has always been at the forefront of scientific and political knowledge during the most difficult stages of the historical formation and development of Europe. In the 20s of the 21st century, it did not lose its importance, and the transformational processes shaping the geopolitical situation in the Northern Hemisphere and on the continent of Eurasia confirm this. A.H. Donska notes that the concept of Central Europe characterizes one of the most unstable and uneven parts of Europe. Without a clear geographical designation, Central Europe can be seen as a response to global political challenges. Scientists claim that today there is a need to rethink the regionalization of Europe, the place and role of Central Europe in the processes of dynamic interaction between the Asia-Pacific region and the European Union. The concept of Central Europe, as a component of the concept of Europe, is the spread of the European integration process, Europeanness and civilizational choice. The aim of the article: to explore geographical interpretations of the Central Europe as a scientific category. The study was based on the principle of natural anthropogenic compatibility, which is thoroughly revealed in the works of G. I. Denysyk. General and specific scientific research methods have been used. The article scientifically substantiates and proves that Central Europe is a natural-geographical, socio-geographical, geopolitical and historical-geographical region, which today should be interpreted as a spiritual concept, state of mind, geographical bastion, appropriate institutional basis, as a struggle for "its western" and understanding of Europeanness. The novelty of the study is that Central Europe was considered not only as a geographical materialist territorial entity (natural, social-geographical), but also from the point of view of humanistic geography as a natural-socio-historical-cultural territory, which is constantly changing in the space and time. Key words: Central Europe, natural-geographical region, socio-geographical region, natural-socio-historical-cultural territory.

Úvahy k priemyselnej revolúcii

The text is a reflection on the Industrial Revolution, its essence, chronology and its relation to other theoretical concepts (such as industrialization, proto-industrialization, modernization, centre and periphery, economic underdevelopment). It traces the discussions and polemics between Czech and Slovak economic historians (Purš/ Špiesz), and very briefly also the differences from Hungarian historiography, as well as the conflicts with exiled or politically marginalised economic historians in Czechoslovakia (Paulinyi, Myška, Klíma). It was these latter historians who were much more open to Western European theoretical discourse and even tried to enter it and succeeded. As regards the plethora of bearers of new ideas, the paper devotes more attention to cliometricians and the different perceptions of their role in Central Europe. It concludes with an assessment of the current state of Central European narratives in the area of modern economic history and the extent of their theoretical generalization.

Koniec „łużyckiego świata”

The article is devoted to the disappearance of the Lusatian cultural circle, also traditionally called the Lusatian culture or, in more recent literature, the Lusatian urnfields. At the beginning, terminological issues are clarified and views on the disappearance of this cultural unit, which played an important role in Central Europe in the middle of the 2nd and 1st millennium BC, are presented. The main analytical part focuses on four regions within today’s borders of Poland – north-western, north-eastern, south-western and south-eastern. This is due to the sharply outlined foreign cultural features that are particularly sharp in these regions. This applies to the infiltration of the Jastorf culture (and earlier Nordic influences), the Baltic circle, the Hallstatt cultural complex and the Eastern European nomadic world. They are the aftermath of migration movements of varying intensity and chronology, but always within the early Iron Age (9th/8th–5th centuries BC). Signs of the structural crisis of the local Lusatian communities, which are very fragmented and do not constitute a cultural monolith, are also important for the considerations undertaken. The issue of changes in the natural environment on the border of the subboreal and subatlantic periods is also considered.

1956, 1968, 1981: The Faces of Central-European Memory: A Postcolonial Perspective

This article deals with two issues. The first concerns the problem of collective memory of the past, which is divided here into shared memory, separate memory and non-memory. Shared memory plays a lesser role in Central Europe than separate memory, the latter being the core of national and social identity. Shared memory is an unattainable ideal proposed by some politicians and cultural researchers. A significant role is played by non-memory, which temporarily annihilates difficult matters related to the past. History vies with collective memory in Central Europe as a means of preserving the past. This is the result of centuries-old conflicts, changing political systems, shifting borders and, above all, many nations losing their sovereignty. This situation made the problem of domination and subordination a fundamental problem of history and collective memory. For this reason, the second part of the article focuses on the postcolonial aspects of collective memory, and in particular on its relation to the events of 1956, 1968, and 1981 connected with the military reaction of the communist system to attempts at reform. These events, with all their historical differences, are caused by external violence (1956, 1968) or by internal violence caused by external pressure (1981). Central European societies also shape mutual relations through their attitudes to selected elements of the past. The author of the article depicts the inconspicuous aspects of shared internal and international memory by means of an analysis of four aspects: ressentiment, unremembering, historical politics and aesthetisation.An analysis of the events that took place in 1956, 1968, and 1981 in the context of these four aspects of postcolonial memory reveals the fragile (moderately strong) existence of common areas. These areas are dominated by non-memory and separate memory, which deform historical realities. This proves that it is difficult for Central European societies to move beyond slogans and general declarations. True shared memory is the task for the future.

The Patriarch of Lithuanian National Revival Jonas Basanavičius in the Circle of Central European Culture: Biographical Aspects

This article discusses those moments of Jonas Basanavičius’s biography that while being closely connected, in one way or another, with the cultural field of Central Europe also inspired directly Basanavičius’s life and work. When considering the role of Central Europe, one should take into account a very important moment of Basanavičius’ biography, i.e. the time when he lived in Bulgaria for twenty-five years, first in Lom Palanka and Elena, later in Varna. Although physically living in Bulgaria, he was culturally determined by and adopted historical existential experience of Central Europe, considered as a geopolitical zone of Habsburg imperial influence. This experience was clearly reflected in two spheres of Basanavičius’s life: in the national cultural work (historical cultural aspect) and in the medical practice (medical anthropological aspect). Visually speaking, he became a doctor by carefully dissecting Lithuanian history. He became a historian by insistently trying to awake the national memory and language. But if Basanavičius understood medical practice as the field of rational decisions and the application of empirical knowledge, the ancient history became for him the ground of unhindered philological improvisation.

Indicators of a Second Wave of Religiosity in Central Eastern Europe

This article examines religion’s public role in Central Europe by investigating people’s expectations and perceptions regarding distinct facets of religion. The paper analyses factors related to the first wave and the second wave of religiosity along different lines such as church and government policies, the roles of churches in strengthening democracy, etc. According to the Aufbruch data research project and partially from the ISSP (International Social Survey Project), religious depiction of some post-communist countries are brought to the table. A deeper analysis is undertaken for 6 countries (Czech Republic, Croatia, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary and Poland), considering that in the countries previously listed, the distinction in the general level of religiosity differ remarkably, in order of the extremely religious country (Croatia) to the extremely non-religious country (Czech Republic). The discoveries from the various indicators shows that there is a good reason to believe in a possible second wave or different form and kind of religiosity compared to the times of the transition or the mid-1990s in contemporary times.

Meddling in Middle Europe: Britain and the 'Lands between' 1919-1925 by Miklós Lojkó (review)

REVIEWS 563 Soviets were excluded, and that ofGenoa which they attended, and seeks to test the theory that 'all the parties involved made their contribution to the maintenance of peace or the outbreak of war' (p. 166). In particular, Dukes argues, only the examination of domestic and foreign policies together can be relied upon to support viable theories of international relations. He closes with a quotation fromViacheslav Nikonov who argues fora global system inwhich post-Soviet Russia will replay the role itonce had in the nineteenth century. The irony is that itsauthor is the grandson ofViacheslav Molotov. Mary Hannah Byers describes the rise of Socialist Realist art as a project of theTretiakov Gallery in Moscow in 1928-32, when theGallery rearranged its collections 'to reflect a revised history ofRussian art based on Marxism Leninism'; from the embodiment of bourgeois values to a 'bastion ofMarxist Leninist ideals' (p. 184).No proletarian aesthetic emerged, however. On the contrary, Socialist Realism, or the depiction of reality as it should be, and not as it is, continued the aesthetic values of the pre-revolutionary bourgeois art, and the experiment was abandoned. In the mid-1930s, Stalin set about demolishing theMarxist school of history, established byMikhail Pokrovskii, and replacing itsabstract formulae of class struggle with narrative that was accessible to the masses, as well as stressing the positive contributions made by such figures as Ivan the Ter rible and Peter theGreat, Suvorov and Kutuzov. Had Pokrovskii not died of cancer in 1932, he would surely have been a prominent victim of the purges, and not merely the convenient scapegoat depicted inDavid Brandenberger's article. StAntony'sCollege,Oxford Harold Shukman Lojko, Miklos. Meddling inMiddle Europe: Britain and the 'Lands Between' igig-ig2j. Central European University Press, Budapest and New York, 2006. x + 377 pp. Notes. Bibliography. Index. $49.95: 41.95: ?28.95. Can British involvement in the financial reconstruction of post-war Central Europe trulybe described as 'meddling'? Judging fromMontagu Norman's far-fetched scheme 'to establish one by one the newparts of oldAustria' with a view to achieving the 'ultimate [federal] solution forEastern Europe' (p. 71), the author's hint of ironymay well be justified. And yet, the reader of this volume may feel a little uneasy about accepting such an uncharitable inter pretation of Britain's diplomatic and economic role inWarsaw, Prague and Budapest in the first half of the 1920s.After all, British professions of support for the resurrection of the Danubian Monarchy rarely amounted to more than a blatant recognition of the evident flaws in the territorial settlement. It is far from clear how far federalist political ideas, or the financial diplomacy of the governor of the Bank of England, reflected British government policy. More importantly, British plans for Central European reconstruction were no flakier, or any less realistic, than those of the other Great Powers in the aftermath of theFirstWorld War. After all,which victor power played a more constructive role inCentral Europe than thatplayed by Britain? 564 SEER, 86, 3, JULY 2008 In this well-researched and scholarly monograph, Miklos Lojko duly acknowledges the British contribution to the recovery of the defeated states. At the same time, he maintains, 'Itwas France that took the initiative in engaging Central Europe in schemes forwider security and maintained the momentum in the early twenties' (p. 6). He contrasts the modest British achievements inAustria and Hungary with the rapidly fading British influ ence in interwarCzechoslovakia and Poland. To underline the point, Lojko devotes nearly a third of his book to Poland, despite the fact thatAnglo-Pol ish relations were treated separately from the affairs ofCentral Europe by the Northern Department of theForeign Office. In his view, this special treatment was the result of the political controversies surrounding the territorial settle ment; a reflection of the strains inAnglo-Polish relations, not of geopoliti cal realities. Be that as itmay, the examples of Poland and Czechoslovakia demonstrate in equal measure the Foreign Office's propensity to dissociate itself from the successor states by the mid-i920s. Conversely, the case ofHungary shows a fluctuating,but significantlyhigh er, level of British commitment to the region. Consequently, the author joins the recent chorus of area specialists in questioning...

Subregional Integration and EU Enlargement: Where Next for CEFTA?*

AbstractThe fifth enlargement of the EU has necessitated various adjustments to the pan‐European trade and integration framework. This article discusses ways in which the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) has been affected by this process. What was CEFTA's role in the EU pre‐accession process? How did CEFTA downsizing affect trade arrangements between the enlarged EU and the remaining CEFTA members? Also, how realistic is the idea that the end of CEFTA's role in central Europe could be a prelude to its revitalization as a vehicle for multilateralization of trade arrangements in the south east European setting?

Transformation of the Central and East European Passenger Car Industry: Selective Peripheral Integration through Foreign Direct Investment

The Central and East European (CEE) passenger car industry underwent major transformations through foreign direct investment (FDI) in the 1990s. The author demonstrates that the effects of FDI on the passenger car industry have been profound, but geographically uneven. To understand the different regional and local strategies of foreign car producers better, the author introduces a classification of FDI in the passenger car industry based on the degree of embeddedness in local economies and relationships to path dependency in the 1990s. The effects of FDI on selective peripheral integration of parts of CEE into the European car production system, as well as the role of Central Europe in the division of labour in the European passenger car industry, are also considered.

In Europe's name: Germany and the divided continent

This is a comprehensive study of Germany's relationship with Europe since the Second World War. Garton Ash explores, in considerable detail, the division of Germany and the various initiatives -diplomatic, ideological and political, that emerged since 1945 to reconcile and unite East and West Germany. He also examines Germany's key role in central Europe with Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia. This is a work of cossummate political analysis and is unquestionably Tim Garton Ash's most outstanding book. It will be published simultaneously across Europe and in America.

Harrier II

Progress of the joint Anglo‐American Harrier II programme will be marked in 1985 by the formation of the first US Marine Corps (USMC) operational squadron of AV‐8Bs and the first flight of the Harrier GR Mk. 5 for the RAF. The latter aircraft will vary slightly from those for the USMC in that they will be equipped to meet the close support role in Central Europe which necessitates the inclusion of a moving map display and two additional underwing weapon stations, as well as other differences.