Socialist Regime Research Articles

Профессор Фридрих Мюнцер в Кёнигсберге

The article presents a brief biography of Friedrich Münzer (1868—1942), a prominent German historian of Antiquity, a expert in Roman political history. Throughout his life, Münzer taught at the universities of Basel, Königsberg, and Münster, demonstrating high creative activity and publishing numerous works on ancient history. His fate was tragic. Münzer became one of the victims of the National Socialist regime in Germany and died in the Theresienstadt concentration camp. The “Königsberg period” (1912—1921) in his career is characterized, this period involved teaching at Albertina University and the writing of several important scholarly works, including a fundamental monograph on the history of Roman aristocratic parties and families. The state of the sources does not allow for a complete reconstruction of the professor’s everyday life at Albertina. Nevertheless, the article attempts to recreate the circumstances of Münzer’s personal and professional life in Königsberg (adaptation after moving, university activities), and several assumptions are made about the scientist’s social circle. The proposal to commemorate the memory of the distinguished German classical scholar in Kaliningrad is justified.

Electoral support in peripheral post-socialist regions as a product of nostalgia and grievances: The example of the Bruntál district

Voters are often influenced by emotions when choosing a political party in elections. In particular, right-wing and left-wing populist parties try to evoke these emotions in their potential voters. This article investigates the impact of nostalgia and grievances that populist parties try to induce in their voters in peripheral regions and thus influence the choice of a political party. Thirteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with inhabitants of the Bruntál district, which is characterised by above-average support for populist parties. According to the analysis, support for the left-wing Communist Party was influenced by nostalgia for the socialist regime, especially among the older population. Post-socialist nostalgia also appeared among younger residents if they had an elderly family member who benefited from the past regime. In contrast, economic deprivation, grievances with the central government, and the possible and actual consequences of the migration crisis have increased the attraction of the populist radical right in the region.

Karl Blum’s long journey through the Balkans, 1942–1943. A contribution to the history of Pharrajmos

Several German Roma-Sinti families, members of a caravan of traveling artists, set off from central Germany to Istanbul, passing through the war-torn Balkans during 1942 to the end of January 1943 when they were arrested and transferred to the Red Cross camp in Niš. A few months later they were transferred to the Anhaltelager Dedinje in Belgrade (Banjički camp) from where, they were transported to the “Gypsy Camp” of Auschwitz in late June. Following the fate of this group of Roma (i. e. Sinti), the paper also discusses the racist policy of the National Socialist regime towards Roma and Sinti with the final consequence – their mass physical destruction, genocide (Pharrajmos).

Reprezentacja mniejszości narodowych i etnicznych w parlamencie węgierskim

The paper focuses on the history of the national minority representation in the Hungarian parliament. The old Hungarian Kingdom was traditionally a multicultural country. The half of population did not have Hungarian origin in the 19 th century. The minority issue became the one of most sensitive problems in the period of nation-state building. The situation changed after World War I when Hungary lost two-thirds of its territory. The new Hungary in the interwar period was a relatively ethnically homogenous country with a nationalist political regime. Before 1918, the national minorities had parliamentarian representation based on general liberal electoral rules. The electoral legislation did not know the preferential system of minority representation. The situation was similar also in the interwar period. The leaders of official national minority associations under communist influence represented the national minorities during the period of socialist regime. The issue of minority representation in parliament started to play a very important role after the democratic transition. Despite on the original plans, the new Hungarian electoral legislation did not guarantee special parliamentary representation for national and ethnic minorities. The system of preferential representation was born only in 2011 in the framework of the redesign of the Hungarian electoral law. Currently, the list submitted by the national self-government of concrete national or ethnic minority needs for the achieving of parliamentarian mandate only 25% of ballots, which is necessary for achieving of normal mandate by regular (ideological) political parties. The German minority has achieved this mandate in 2018 and 2022. Other minorities have in parliaments the spokespersons with special consultative status. The Hungarian model is relatively original in the Central European region. It did not recognise the plural electoral law and it distinguish between the small and middle size minorities.

Education under National Socialism: Ideology, Programs and Practice

The article provides a condensed, introductory overview of National Socialist formation education in the Hitler Youth and school. It is based on the author’s own research and relevant presentations. Education under National Socialism was characterized by the interplay of a racist worldview and the regime’s totalitarian will to rule. For Nazi education, this meant that the political took precedence over all social issues, including all issues relevant from the perspective of educational theory. In our analysis, we distinguish between two levels: the level of standardization and the level of educational practices in the Hitler Youth and school. Particularly during World War II, political demands were increasingly rigidly enforced, and adolescents were increasingly instrumentalized for their purposes. The National Socialists’ aspirations for total control compared to the educational reality exhibited correspondences as well as discrepancies and contradictions. Against the background of traditional tasks of education, the verdict on Nazi education from a normative point of view is clearly negative. However, if one also looks at National Socialist educational practices, one notices numerous characteristic ambivalences – between the partly contradictory demands of the National Socialist regime, but also between its educational practices and its attempts at realization. On the one hand, National Socialists achieved comprehensive formative successes, while on the other hand they often failed because of their totalitarian objectives.

Understanding successful policy innovation: The case of Portuguese drug policy.

In 2000, the Portuguese minority socialist government decriminalized the possession and consumption of drugs. This law made Portugal unique in having a formal system that directs the person using drugs to a panel under the purview of the Ministry of Health, as opposed to the Ministry of Justice, and hence constitutes an 'original innovation'. In this article, we ask under which conditions such kinds of reforms are introduced and successfully implemented. After discussing the limitations of the existing literature, we present a new theoretical framework: the 'six-stars' framework. We argue that successful policy innovation in democracies will only occur and persist when six institutional and individual 'stars' are aligned: attention, motivation to innovate, a new solution, political strategies, quality and legitimacy of the decision-making process and guarantees for full implementation. We then apply this framework to the Portuguese Drug Policy Case through theory-testing/process-tracing. Relying upon a qualitative analysis of three different types of data-primary and secondary sources, official documents emitted by key actors and interviews-we identify the presence of the six aligned 'stars'. The proposed 'six-stars' framework of successful drug policy innovation shows the importance of electoral mandates, communication, inclusion, transparency, deliberation and evaluation when designing innovative drug policies. It also illustrates the importance of ensuring the support of implementing agents and quickly creating visible, positive policy feedback.

The Socialist Boy Detectives and the Cold Wars of Childhood

"This paper discusses the various manifestations of children as protagonists in Romanian socialist cinema, and particularly those present in the juvenile detective movies of that time. Several productions of the socialism cinema industry had children as their main heroes and the movies discussed here were deploying tropes and narrative strategies specific to the global genre of boy detectives. The analysis uses examples that range from written texts, books or cartoons, to films and television series, as these cultural products were exploring not only childhood, but also a particular behaviour of young children and teenagers. They are considered to be relevant for understanding the transformations in Romanian society, as the socialist regime was creating an educational environment for children according to the dominant ideology, the narratives were exploring the resources of a wider genre."

Review: Environmental Politics of the Middle East, edited by Harry Verhoeven

Review: <i>Environmental Politics of the Middle East</i>, edited by Harry Verhoeven

Review: Maadi: The Making and Unmaking of a Cairo Suburb 1878–1962

Review: <i>Maadi: The Making and Unmaking of a Cairo Suburb 1878–1962</i>

Agrarian Reform and Colonization as the Foundations for the Legitimate Rule of the Yugoslav Socialist Government: The Gateway towards Collectivization in Slavonia and Vojvodina

This paper analyses the agrarian reform and colonization in Slavonia and Vojvodina from 1945 to 1948. This process can be viewed as the culmination of the processes of land redistribution which started in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. However, land redistribution and colonization after World War II took place in vastly different circumstances, not only due to the new political system, but also due to the forceful expulsion of the German-speaking population in those areas. Although colonization was initially viewed as a long-term project, it had concluded up by the beginning of 1948. The paper analyzes the colonization and land redistribution from the perspective of colonists from Dalmatia who were settled in Slavonia and Vojvodina. Based on archival sources and existing scholarly works on this topic, it analyzes the reasons for the relocation of certain groups, the methods that were used in the redistribution of land, and how it permanently changed society in the region.

Hungry for Revolution: The Politics of Food and the Making of Modern Chile

Hungry for Revolution: The Politics of Food and the Making of Modern Chile

Social protection of children with disabilities before the change of regime and at present

The integration of people with disabilities and the normalisation of their living conditions appear to be a key goal in today’s social approach. However, it is not enough to change the social approach alone in order to achieve integration, we need instruments which are able to support the social participation, self-determination and normalisation of people with disabilities. Such instruments can be defined as follows: a wide range of social welfare support and social services ensured by the state. It is indispensable to help, support and strengthen families which raise a child with disabilities, consequently social policy instruments should be extended to families as well. The present study aims at providing an overview of how children with disabilities and their families were supported during the socialist regime and in the subsequent period. We used a qualitative case study, for the preparation of which secondary research and document analysis were conducted. Our analysis focused on the research question whether following the change of regime there was a change of attitude in the fields of social policy which could promote the improvement of the quality of life of children with disabilities and their families. On the other hand, do the benefits and services provided by the social care system support the integration, normalisation and self-determination of children with disabilities, as well as their upbringing in a family environment? The results of our analysis show that following the change of regime a slow change guided by the modern approach to disability began, which by continuously adding an element at a time attempts to help children with disabilities and their families. A Hungarian disability strategy which would thoroughly define a social policy adapted to the needs of those concerned is badly needed.

The Wrong Poster Child for Legislative Paralysis: Salvador Allende and Legislative Output in Chile, 1932–1973

AbstractConflicts resulting from the dual legitimacy problem of presidential systems (where the president and the legislature are elected by different majorities) sometimes result in legislative gridlock – a point made by those who criticize the alleged perils of presidentialism. The socialist government of Salvador Allende (1970–73), that ended with the breakdown of democracy, is often used as a poster child for legislative gridlock. With information on the 23,798 bills and 12,809 laws enacted in Chile between 1932 and 1973, we compare the passage of legislation in eight presidential terms and demonstrate that not to be the case. Legislative output showed an upward trend after the 1943 constitutional reform but was on a downward trend since the mid-1960s, before the 1970 constitutional reform restricted the scope of bills that legislators could introduce. Under Allende, while 1653 bills were introduced (438 of which were presidential bills), 642 laws were passed (38.8% and 68.2%, respectively) – compared to 53.8% and 39.9% for all presidents in the period, respectively. The evidence does not justify the claim that there was legislative gridlock under Allende. Instead, variations in legislative output across presidential terms in Chile can be explained by changes in the rules of the legislative process.

Analyzes in effects of 1990 German reunification in economic, political and cultural perspective

After the fall of Berlin Wall, the East and West Germany faced a series of problems brought by the reunification. It was surprising to witness the unification of east socialist regime with west capitalism for the theorists. East Germany relied on subsidies from the government and investments from west Germany due to its low living standard and productivity level. The forty years of separation in culture values, political community, and economic systems generates great obstacles for the union of the two Germanie.

Varsa, E. (2021). Protected Children, Regulated Mothers: Gender and the ‘Gypsy Question’ in State Care in Postwar Hungary, 1949–1956. CEU Press

This article reviews Eszter Varsa's book Protected Children, Regulated Mothers: Gender and the ‘Gypsy Question’ in State Care in Postwar Hungary, 1949-1956. The volume scrutinizes everyday practices of child protection institutions in postwar Stalinist Hungary embedded in the politics and social tensions of the emerging state socialist regime, such as catch-up industrialisation, women’s rising employment rate and an accompanying restructuring of the relationship between paid work and care work, state intervention in the private realm and an assimilationist policy towards those identified as ‘Gypsy’, meanwhile providing a comparative international perspective. In this regard, Varsa’s book dovetails with ongoing academic discussions of recently renewed political interest in children and parental practices evidenced in the collection of articles in this special issue.

Spain is Different?: Historical Memory and the "Two Spains" in Turn-of-the-millennium Spanish Apocalyptic Fictions by Dale Knickerbocker

Reviewed by: Spain is Different?: Historical Memory and the "Two Spains" in Turn-of-the-millennium Spanish Apocalyptic Fictions by Dale Knickerbocker Sara Martín (bio) SF as Historical Allegory: Apocalypse and Democracy in Spain. Dale Knickerbocker. Spain is Different?: Historical Memory and the "Two Spains" in Turn-of-the-millennium Spanish Apocalyptic Fictions. U of Wales P, 2022. 288 pp. $82 hc & ebk. Dale Knickerbocker is a professor of Hispanic Studies at East Carolina University and one of the US's most active specialists in the Spanish-language fantastic. His new book Spain is Different? is published in the Iberian and Latin American Studies series of the University of Wales Press and follows the publication of his edited volume Lingua Cosmica: Science Fiction from around the World (U of Illinois P, 2019), a fascinating tour of the many linguistic domains in which sf thrives. In contrast, Spain is Different? focuses specifically on six sf novels published in Spain between 1990 and 2005 by noted names in the field. According to Knickerbocker, these novels express in their (post-)apocalyptic plotlines anxieties regarding the history of Spain between the end of General Francisco Franco's regime (1939-1975) and the passage of the Law of Historical Memory in 2005 by José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero's Socialist government. This legislation intended, among other aims, to end the drama of the missing war victims still buried in mass graves. The title Spain is Different? alludes to the slogan that Franco's Minister of Information and Tourism, Manuel Fraga Iribarne, used in the 1960s to publicize the attractions of Spain among tourists. Knickerbocker's question is [End Page 574] whether Spain really is different—and hence the uniqueness of its apocalyptic turn-of-the millennium sf—or if it demonstrates the same preoccupations that currently articulate sf at an international level. The inevitable conclusion is that Spain is indeed different, yet it is also similar to other nations in which sf plays a similar allegorical function as a vehicle to discuss the tensions brought on by history. The novels Knickerbocker examines are Rosa Montero's Temblor [Tremor, 1990], Javier Negrete's Nox perpetua [Perpetual Night, 1996], Juan Miguel Aguilera's La locura de Dios [God's Folly, 1998], Enrique del Barco's Punto Omega [Omega Point, 2004], Eduardo Vaquerizo's Mentes de noche y hielo [Minds of Night and Ice, 2001], and José Miguel Pallarés and Amadeo Garrigós's Tiempo prestado [Borrowed Time, 2005]. Of these, only Temblor and La locura de Dios have been translated (into German and French respectively). It is to be hoped that Knickerbocker's monograph will interest prospective publishers and will result in more translations. Among the authors analyzed, all well-known in sf circles, Rosa Montero stands out as one of the most accomplished writers in Spain, as a journalist and as a novelist working in diverse genres. Knickerbocker introduces each author adequately, but readers might miss the fact that sf still occupies a marginal position in Spain beyond fandom circles. Knickerbocker also proficiently presents the theme of the "two Spains" and the historical situation of the nation at the turn of the millennium. Any minimally informed Spaniard can perceive a deep division between the more progressive, left-wing half of the country and the more backward, right-wing half. This is usually attributed to the Civil War (1936-1939) caused by Franco's coup against the legitimate democratic Republic (1931-1939), but readers of Benito Pérez Galdós's marvelous series of 46 novels, Episodios Nacionales [National Episodes, 1872-1912], will understand that the Civil War was yet another "episode" in this constant warfare between the two Spains. Knickerbocker dates this split back to King Philip V, crowned in 1700, the first monarch of the current Borbón dynasty and the man responsible for importing into obscurantist Catholic Spain the ideas of the French Enlightenment. Knickerbocker proposes that in these six sf novels the narrative about the two Spains resurfaces in a fantasy version shaped as much by the old tension between illustrated modernity and repressive religion as by current sf themes, with a special incidence of questions related...

Decolonizing remembrance in Eastern Europe: commemorating the Holocaust in post-communist Romania

ABSTRACT Examination of regime changes in Eastern Europe reveals significant insights into the development of post-communist politics of memory and commemoration. It also allows for meaningful conversations about events that had been historically ignored or redefined by state narratives during communism, including the active involvement of Eastern European countries in the Holocaust. The Elie Wiesel Memorial House in Sighetu Marmației (2002) and the Holocaust Memorial in Bucharest (2009), both in Romania, will be analyzed within the larger framework of a current decolonial conceptualization of former Eastern European state socialist regimes, and their cultural and political experiences at the periphery of Europe.

Black Police Power: The Political Moment of the Jamaica Constabulary

AbstractContemporary debates on policing trace the rise of “law and order” populism and police militarization to colonial histories and imperial boomerang effects. In a time marked by the renewed imperative “to decolonize,” however, few studies examine what decolonizing policing did or could look like in practice. This article draws on oral history narratives of Jamaican police officers to recover their ideas about transforming the colonial Jamaica Constabulary Force in the 1970s. Born out of black power mobilizations and under a democratic socialist government (1972–1980), police decolonization was viewed as part of broader transformative effort to rid the country of colonial inheritances in economics, culture, and politics. Jamaican policemen, radicalized since the early twentieth century, then began revising their social mandate and ask who the police should serve and protect. Ultimately, due to internal contradictions and external pressures, the experiment failed, giving rise to police populism and increased violence against black men and women in the ghettos. The episode reveals how populism emerges out of a failure of emancipatory campaigns and how radical critique can turn into ideological justification. It also highlights the need to distinguish between diverse, contradictory, and overlapping demands to decolonize societies and institutions today.

THE IMPACT OF DEMOGRAPHIC DIFFERENCES ON EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION WITH BENEFITS AND PERKS: EVIDENCE FROM SERBIAN FINANCIAL SECTOR

After the downfall of socialist regimes, human resource management systems in transition countries like Serbia were transformed, establishing entirely new employee compensation system. In this paper, the most common benefits and perks in the Serbian financial sector, as well as their significance for the employee satisfaction are explored, with the focus on the effectiveness of its structure. The investigation of differences in impact of benefits and perks on employee satisfaction is performed with respect to gender, education, age, and job position of the respondents. The empirical research is conducted by a survey questionnaire. Results suggest that there are no differences in employee satisfaction between respondents of different genders, and education, while partial differences in employee satisfaction are confirmed with respect to age, and job position. The results indicate that benefits and perks in Serbian financial sector should be better structured, and provide guidelines for the investigation of more favorable total compensation package.

From Agent to Subject: Panoptic and Post-Panoptic Surveillance in Contemporary Eastern European Television Series

There has been an increasing number of locally developed but globally distributed Eastern European quality television series during the last decade. Almost all of these products are concerned with the region’s troubled past, using state socialist regimes as contemporary allegories of nationalism, populism, surveillance and social control. These series merge classic spy culture of the Cold War era with new ideas of capitalist surveillance technologies and highlight patterns in which Cold War aesthetic and generic themes have reproduced themselves in contemporary culture. In this paper I present the relationship between narrative representations of social control and the relationship between postcolonial symbolism and post-socialist cultural hierarchies by analyzing television series such as 1983 (Netflix, 2018) and Hackerville (HBO, 2018). First, I introduce the paths to quality television in Eastern Europe and identify possible connections between Cold War and contemporary generic templates, various modes of surveillance, and recreations of these procedures in popular media. I then consider the difference between traditional panoptic power techniques and post-panoptic surveillance technologies by examining notions of social control and context, with an emphasis on vulnerabilities exposed in layers of social order and representation.