World War Research Articles

Inclusive Education for a More Egalitarian Society

Special education for persons with disabilities is an integral part of a nation’s education system. However, it is not until after World War II, particularly after the 1970s, that the right to education of children with disabilities garnered widespread attention in the global community. The UN’ agencies released a succession of official papers related to or specialized in this issue, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Declaration on the Rights of Mentally Retarded Persons, Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons, Declaration of the Rights of the Child, Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, Framework for Action on Special Needs Education, and Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Despite the variations in the context and content between these papers, they share the common conception that every society and its government have the responsibility and obligation to provide high-quality education services for children with disabilities to ensure their right to education and protect them from educational discrimination and exclusion (Li, 2023).

The Syndrome of an Emigrant: Memory, Trauma, Longing, and Loss in the Art of Józef Czapski

This article addresses the multilayered thematic area focused on the impact of trauma, caused by war and political oppression, on the attitudes of artists who followed combat trails and migration routes to ultimately settle far from their homeland. What I consider particularly challenging in this field of study is to find an answer to the question: why did some of the forcefully displaced artists manage to integrate with the art scene of their final destination, while others preferred to attain their position on the cultural margins of the new locality? The best exemplification of these complex issues is the biography of Józef Czapski (1896-1993), a Polish writer, essayist, art critic, and painter, who fought in the ranks of the Polish army on the fronts of World War I and World War II, and, eventually, permanently settled in France. I argue that it was the wartime and the hell of migration that caused Czapski’s inability to fully assimilate in the Parisian art world, and stimulated his aversion to avant-garde progressivism and innovative experimentation. My analyses reveal that his paintings epitomise remnants of collective and individual trauma, an overwhelming sense of loss, and a ‘residue’ of painful experiences resulting from expulsion and exile.

To Calm and to Commend: Veterans' Musical Preferences Anticipating End of Life.

Since World War 1, physicians have noted the calming effects of music for military personnel experiencing "shell shock," Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), or stress. Researchers have documented that stress or PTSD-like symptoms re-emerge for veterans at the end of life, triggered by hospital-like settings, co-occurring conditions, and debilitation. Dying veterans also face integration of their service and combat experiences into summations of their lives. In response, there has been a national movement for bedside ceremonies, often with music, to honor veterans. The project elicited veterans' musical preferences for calming and for music for honor services, using non-hospitalized veterans as surrogates for veterans in hospice. Respondent-driven sampling protected confidentiality and likely resulted in participants being representative of US veterans in terms of ethnicity, gender, and military branch. Recruitment materials contained all elements of informed consent, with consent collected in the introduction to the online survey. The survey had embedded links to musical performances, as well as write-in musical choices, and allowed US veterans from the Army, Air Force, Marines, and Navy to note their preferences both for music that was calming and music to be used in honor ceremonies. Online queries also asked about stress during service, usual coping strategies for stress, and current or past symptoms of PTSD. Links to hot lines were provided. The study was approved by the University of Arizona Institutional Review Board. Listening to music was the most prevalent of the 20 coping mechanisms for stress in this sample of 30 veterans. Musical preferences were stable across age groups. For calming, music at resting heartbeat rhythms was chosen. Music from early adulthood or from the timelessness of the classics was selected most often. Modern music with lyrics has themes of duty, affirmation, gratitude, and relief. The nearly universal soothing effects of lullabies were recognized. For music for honor ceremonies, desires were often independent of the military branch. Patriotic songs, or songs recognizing multiple service branches, or with themes of peace and affirmation were more often chosen than music from a particular service branch. Listening to music is a frequent coping strategy for veterans. While themes representing classical music choices are readily available in anthologies, other music chosen by this sample is not; the veterans' preferred music is rarely found in compilations of popular, movie, and TV music. Hospice and hospital intakes that document and communicate veterans' musical preferences to music therapists and therapeutic musicians may better support service men and women. Further research may examine veterans' preference for live or recorded music at end of life given the importance of meaning-making and the presence of others documented in the literature.

Colonial Business in Postcolonial Germany: The Imperial Afterlives of C. Woermann, 1919–1945

Situating itself at the intersection of colonial history, global history and business history, this article highlights the overlooked history of German colonial companies post-First World War. It argues for an ‘imperial afterlife’ through continued German corporate interests in African markets, emphasising the economic dimension of imperialism. Using C. Woermann as an example, it shows how the company adapted to the post-First World War global order, underwent organisational changes, and merged with National Socialist policies in Eastern Europe after 1939, revealing the adaptability of imperial enterprises.

Enjoying what comes naturally: The Church of England and Sexuality in the 1930s

This article begins by outlining the changing approach in Anglican attitudes to contraception at the Lambeth Conference of 1930, where birth control was permitted for married couples and sex separated from the possibility of procreation. The logical extension of this teaching, as was noted by Bishop Charles Gore, was that other forms of sexual pleasure, including homosexuality, which was increasingly seen as a ‘natural’ condition, might eventually be sanctioned by the church. Later in the 1930s, a series of letters by Robert Reid to Cosmo Gordon Lang, archbishop of Canterbury, shows the beginnings of a campaign for a change of policy. At the outbreak of the Second World War, the Anglican writer Kenneth Ingram published Sex-Morality Tomorrow, which pressed for full homosexual equality and provoked calls to William Temple to suppress the book. 1940 proved an inopportune moment for reform of church teaching on homosexuality, which continues to elicit widespread controversy.

Henry Moore: Neo-Working-Classicist

With his Family Group of 1948–49, Henry Moore seemed to have reneged upon his early-career commitment to modernist experimentation, pivoting towards a more representational style for this large public sculpture, his first major bronze, sculpted for and installed in one of the first purpose-built secondary modern schools of post-war Britain. The results aren’t easy to define stylistically. Figurative, certainly, but barely concealing a stockpile of references ranging across centuries and continents. In this essay I will explore the implications of Moore’s stylistic shift with respect to both the contexts of the work’s conceptualisation and Moore’s personal investment in the opportunities presented to work publicly in that context. Moore’s working-class origins will be identified as foundational in the formation of an ideology given plastic purpose in this period, whilst the narratives of working-class experience at mid-century will be drawn upon to account for the ways this work relates to that period of social change. Taking Andrew Causey’s identification of an affinity between Moore’s work at this time and Picasso’s ‘neo-classical’ period in the years after the Great War as a starting point, I will explore the consequence of Moore’s ostensibly retrogressive turn towards figuration with respect to the questions of context and intent that have informed writings on Picasso before proposing alternative terms on which Moore’s figurative turn might be understood, tied up with the socio-political upheavals of mid-century Britain. Banner Photograph: Acervo Judith Lauand, 'A artista Judith Lauand (à esq.) e o escultor britânico Henry Moore (à dir.) durante workshop para monitores da 2ª Bienal de São Paulo ministrado em dezembro de 1953' ['Artist Judith Lauand (left) and British sculptor Henry Moore (right) during a workshop for monitors at the 2nd São Paulo Biennial held in December 1953']. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Актуализация мемориальных объектов Великой Отечественной войны в социокультурном пространстве Крыма (методологический аспект)

The article emphasizes the importance of memorial complexes of the Great Patriotic War in the context of modern social and cultural processes, as well as symbols of historical memory and means of communication that convey information about the past to representatives of current and subsequent generations. Practical approaches to actualizing memorial sites in the socio-cultural space of Crimea are proposed, taking into account its regional specificity based on Soviet experience and already implemented Russian projects. Among the optimal approaches, creating interactive museum exhibitions, organizing events dedicated to the memory of war victims, and promoting tourist routes to Crimea’s memorial sites are suggested. Particular attention is paid to modern trends and approaches to improving and expanding the existing scientific and educational functions of memorial complexes, as well as their integration into cultural, educational, creative and social activities. The actualization of memorial sites in Crimea’s socio-cultural space requires a comprehensive approach that combines historical awareness, educational outreach, and community involvement. By leveraging the region’s rich historical heritage and embracing modern methods of interpretation and engagement, these memorial sites can serve as dynamic platforms for preserving and transmitting the memory of the Great Patriotic War to present and future generations.

Escaping the Global Event: Pan-Islam and the First World War

Escaping the Global Event: Pan-Islam and the First World War

“Scholars in Great Need:” Responses to Refugee Staff and Students at the University of Birmingham 1933–1945

ABSTRACT This article examines the ways in which the University of Birmingham assisted refugee academics and students from Nazi Germany and other Nazi occupied countries across Europe between 1933 and 1945. It draws on the university’s rich but underused archives to explore institutional policy and to assess the influence of individual staff members in driving it. As a case study it examines and evaluates the role played by a British provincial university in supporting displaced academics before the Second World War and refugee students during the war. Analysis of the primary source material reveals the importance of personal connections and the agency of individual university staff in helping refugees. This study aids our understanding of the roles played by British universities in helping displaced scholars and identifies areas for further research.

THE EXPERIENCE OF TRANSFERRING AND OVERCOMING HISTORICAL TRAUMA IN SHORT STORIES: AN EXAMPLE OF JANA EGLE AND DACE VĪGANTE

The article aims to evaluate and characterise the reflection of the transference of historical trauma and the perspective of overcoming it in the short stories of contemporary Latvian women. The article deals with examples of the short stories of Latvian writers Jana Egle and Dace Vīgante, highlighting the impact of historical and psychological conditions and the traumatic consequences of the heroes’ fates. The theoretical and methodological basis of the article is the theoretical studies on postcolonial criticism, cultural memory and trauma, and intergenerational communication issues by Aleida Assman, Dominick LaCapra, Laurie Vickroy, Polly Jones, Gabriele Schwab, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, and others. The selected examples of Egle's and Vīgante's stories reflect the inclusion of individual stories in the collective trauma narrative. The chronotope of the historical memory in Egle’s and Vīgante’s prose forms a hard-to-exit labyrinth where the deep subconscious traumas resonate with insuperable conflicts after the Second World War and the unavoidable coincidences of circumstances. The characters have fallen not only into the historical and sociopolitical traps but also into the traps of personal traumas. Both writers highlight the limits of historical memory marked by the intersection of individual and collective memory.

Перелом в войне за испанское наследство 1701-1714 гг.: Дунайская военная кампания 1704 года

The purpose of this article is to identify the peculiarities of Western European military affairs as illustrated by a particular campaign of the War of Spanish Succession (1701-1714). The article is of interest in light of comparing military affairs of Western Europe and Russia at the beginning of the 18th century, military art during the War of Spanish Succession (1701-1714) and the Great Northern War (1700-1721). Scientific novelty: the study presents an episode of Western European military history not yet reflected in domestic historiography, combat operations between Franco-Bavarian troops and the allied army under the command of John Marlborough on the Danube theater of war in the summer of 1704. The study is carried out with wide use of memoir, epistolary and documentary sources. During the 1704 campaign on the Danube and in Bavaria, such typical features of the military art of the 18th century were manifested as excessive dependence on supplies and logistics, positional expectant nature of hostilities, their indecision and false methodism. As a result of the study, the author came to the conclusion that the Franco-Bavarian coalition was more inclined towards the canons of the military strategy that had developed by the beginning of the 18th century. It operated within the framework of positional maneuver tactics, enthusiasm for fighting on communications, demonstrating wait-and-see and passivity. French marshals were distinguished by their adherence to the template and therefore were predictable and expected. Unlike the enemy, John Marlborough and Eugene of Savoy managed to break out of the generally accepted tactical canons. During the 1704 campaign, they showed swiftness and offensive character, imposed a decisive aggressive struggle on the enemy, the culmination of which was a resounding victory at Blenheim on August 13, 1704.

Государственное регулирование занятости женщин и профессиональная сегрегация в российской сфере труда – 100 лет истории. Часть 2. 1945-1991 годы

This paper, based on a general analysis of political documents and legislative acts, examines the changes in the regulation of employment conditions and regimes for women, as well as the dynamics of gender industry segregation. The first part of the article was dedicated to the initial Soviet period and the period of the Great Patriotic War (1917-1945). The second part covers the entire post-war Soviet period (1945-1991), during which there remained a commitment to the idea of maximizing women's participation in the economy. However, perceptions of the conditions for achieving gender equality in employment changed when the country faced the threat of critically low birth rates. As this demographic problem was directly linked to the high total workload of women, a system of benefits and preferences exclusively addressed to working women began to be developed, aiming to create "the most favourable conditions for combining professional and family duties." The implementation of an ever-expanding system of benefits did not lead to the equalization of opportunities for men and women in the labour sphere but contributed to the expansion of labour discrimination by gender and the formation of stereotypical views about jobs most "suitable for men" and "most suitable for women." The article analyzes the dynamics of differences in the sectoral employment structure of women and men based on historical and contemporary statistics, demonstrating that in the Russian Soviet society, committed to traditional gender role divisions, and without pressure on women in their choice of workplace, there was an increase in gender professional segregation due to the concentration of women in non-production sectors and men in material production sectors. The empirical basis for this study relies on data from the Central Statistical Office of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) and Rosstat. The statistical analysis of gender segregation dynamics in this study employed the Duncan index, which quantitatively assesses and compares differences between the distributions of women and men across sectors and types of economic activity.

The Uniate Church in Western Ukraine in the Period of the German Occupation During the Great Patriotic War

The Uniate Church in Western Ukraine in the Period of the German Occupation During the Great Patriotic War

Springs of Life: Spas in Western Galicia from the Beginning of the 19th Century to the Outbreak of World War I

Springs of Life: Spas in Western Galicia from the Beginning of the 19th Century to the Outbreak of World War I

Perspectives from military neonatal transport: past, present, and future.

This article traces the historical development of neonatal transport, from ancient Greek mythology to the modern era, with a particular focus on the contributions of U.S. military aviation. The narrative begins with early efforts in thermoregulation through stationary incubators and progresses to the pivotal role of aerial hospitals during World War II. Post-WWII, the establishment of neonatal transport services in New York and advancements in incubator technology set the stage for further innovation. The U.S. military's involvement in neonatal transport, initiated in the 1970s, witnessed significant milestones, including the adaptation of ECMO technology for air transport. The narrative unfolds through the lens of U.S. military neonatology in the Western Pacific, particularly at Clark Air Base. The article concludes with insights into the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command's neonatal transport mission, highlighting challenges faced during the SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 pandemic and the development of specialized infection containment transport systems.

Роль органов НКВД и члена ГКО Л.П. Берии в усилении обороноспособности 46-й армии (август – сентябрь 1942 г.)

This article examines the role played by the NKVD bodies personally a member of the GKO L.P. Beria in strengthening the defensive capability of the 46th Army in the Caucasus region during August–September 1942. Drawing on newly accessed material from the Central Archive of the Ministry of Defense, the authors attempt to highlight the main shortcomings of the command of the 46th Army and the Transcaucasian Front in defending the passes of the Main Caucasus Ridge. Specifically, deficiencies are identified in the organization of coordination between the command of the 46th Army and the Transcaucasian Front with the party and civilian organizations of the region, the impracticality of using cavalry troops in mountainous terrain, and the redeployment of the 63rd Cavalry Division and the 4th Guards Cavalry Corps to the Northern Group of Forces. Particular attention is given to the analysis of the increase in the numerical strength of units of the 46th Army on the defended passes of the Main Caucasus Ridge, the creation of operational groups, mostly headed by NKVD officers, and other similar measures carried out by the central apparatus of the NKVD and personally by People’s Commissar L.P. Beria. Conclusion dwells upon the fact that the role of the NKVD and L.P. Beria in enhancing the defensive capabilities of the 46th Army during the critical period of August – September 1942 underscores the multifaceted nature of wartime leadership and the importance of interagency cooperation in achieving strategic objectives. Through meticulous archival research and analysis, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the complex dynamics at play during the defense of the Caucasus region in World War II.

Belief and Prediction Narratives in Rethinking Discourse: The Experience of Soviet Science Fiction and Ad in the 1950s

In the USSR of 1950s, the sociocultural foundations for the functioning of social practices and institutions were the opposite to those in subsequent periods of the USSR history and modern Russia. In addition, they are opposite to the currently dominant trends in world’s development, depicted in “Retrotopia” of Zygmunt Bauman. In the culture of that time, people poorly expressed mass nostalgia as they searched for an emotional community with collective memory. Rationality was the main defining feature of the 1950s. From this point of view, the author examines narratives aimed at correcting the “Soviet” discourse, discredited during the Second World War and political changes in Soviet society in the late 1940s — early 1950s. There are two types of narrative: the belief and prediction, which were broadcast through commercial advertising and science fiction literature. The prediction narrative remained a specific attribute of the1950s culture and did not receive further promotion.

The Comintern and the National and Colonial Question: the Roots of Soviet Anti-Imperialism and Anti-Racism Reconsidered

Abstract With Russia’s escalation in Ukraine, many long-standing positions and relationships have become much more complicated. Many nations in the Global South have elected to remain neutral to avoid damaging their long-standing relations with Russia, which they rely on for political or economic stability. The Russian government has instrumentalized this history of Russian and Soviet support for anti-imperialism to buoy its own relations with the Global South. This support has its roots in the Comintern period when the Communist International promoted anti-imperialism, anti-racism, and self-determination of nations. These efforts, in turn, helped develop the image of the Soviet Union as an anti-imperial bulwark, while also providing an alternate path in which many nations in the Global South found inspiration following the Second World War. This thought piece reconsiders the history of the Comintern to ask fresh questions about its role in anti-imperial and anti-racist movements. In doing so, it calls for a greater attention to the limitations of the Soviet regime during the interwar period, and a reconsideration of the imperial actions of the Soviet Union as relates to this history. It also explores how the history of the Comintern and the complicated history of Soviet support for global decolonization in the interwar period remains relevant to contextualizing present-day reactions to Russian aggression in Ukraine and why, despite the correctives of the post-Cold War period, historians now need to ensure further complexities in this history are not overlooked in the instrumentalization of this history promoted by Russia following February 2022.

Anti-war Russophone Poetry after Feb. 24, 2022: Reinterpreting Russian History and Culture

Abstract Since launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24th, 2022, Russian authorities have provided several narratives to justify their aggressive actions and war crimes. According to the first, their war is only a response to the actions of the “Nazis”; therefore, the current war is a continuation of the Great Patriotic War in which Russia defeated Hitler. The second asserts the superiority of Russian culture over Ukrainian and explains the attack on Ukraine by the desire to protect the Russian language and culture on Ukrainian territory. Both of these narratives can be categorized as ressentiment, a term coined by Nietzsche that refers to a feeling of hostility towards an individual who is deemed responsible for one’s failures or hardships. This reaction involves glorifying an idealized past and vehemently opposing anything associated with the freedom and cultural values of another. Russophone anti-war poetry written after February 24th, both in Russia and abroad, deconstructs these propaganda narratives and offers its own narrative strategy for talking about Russian history, which I term the poetics of “de-ressentiment.” This essay analyzes anti-war poems by Russian-speaking poets and identifies the principles and tasks of de-ressentiment in the context of Russia’s catastrophic policies. The paper explores how Russian-language anti-war poetry tries to find the right language to discuss the most traumatic topics in Russian history and proposes a total revision of Russian history and culture. This de-ressentiment revision should break free modern Russia’s destructive focus on its past that deprives it of any future.

Introduction to the Concept of the German Navy Stability Standard DMS 1030-1

Following World War II and the founding of the German Armed Forces, lessons learned from ship accidents as well as scientific advancements called for a new stability regulation specific to the Federal German Navy, the BV 103. While certain minor modifications have been made through the years since then, the basic concept behind this standard still remains effective up to the succeeding regulation DMS 1030-1 of this day. With the most recent additions it has been proven to keep up with and even outclass the safety levels of current civilian stability regulations. The key to this success is early adaptation of available scientific techniques outside the usual constraints of large regulatory bodies.