World War Research Articles

The Politics of Memory and Its Limits in Conflict with Oral Tradition: The Interwar Period in the Imagination of the West Belarusian Population

Abstract Often overlooked on the world stage, the Republic of Belarus harbours a complex historical narrative interwoven with its national identity and political landscape. While the country is known for widely representing the cult of the Great Patriotic War and its importance to the local historical imagination, this article focuses on a less explored era: the interwar period. The study examines the coexistence of state-sponsored historical narratives and local oral traditions in attempts to shed light on the complicated relationship between personal memories and official discourses. By applying a multidisciplinary approach that includes anthropology, history and political science, this study sheds light on the dynamics that shape Belarusian historical consciousness. The research focuses on how the state narrative intersects with and excludes personal memories from the broader discourse in order to illuminate the limits of state authority in shaping collective memory.

Что думали в Ватикане о религиозном возрождении на оккупированной территории СССР в 1942 г.

The publication introduces documents characterising the Vatican’s perception of religious processes in the occupied territories of the USSR that took place in 1941-1942. The main of them – “Memorandum on the Religious Situation in Russia” - was drawn up in the General Curia of the Society of Jesus (Jesuit Order) and sent to the Congregation for Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs in May 1942. It presents a sketch of the information available to the Vatican about religious sentiments in the occupied territories of the Soviet Union. On the basis of this information, it is concluded that the anti-religious policy of the Soviet authorities had collapsed and that since the turn of the 1930s and 1940s there had been a religious revival in the USSR, witnessed by Catholic chaplains who had entered its territory at the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War. From the point of view of the author of the note, this provides a unique chance for the unfolding of a Catholic mission in Soviet Russia. The author puts forward specific proposals necessary, in his opinion, for the deployment of this mission. In particular, he proposes the creation of a special body to supervise missionary activity, as well as the involvement of lay people in mission.

Expressions and Forms of Exile in Vintilă Horia

One of the most fascinating representatives of the Romanian exile, even though he is less famous when compared to his great contemporaries Mircea Eliade, Eugène Ionesco or E.M. Cioran, Vintilă Horia represents an interesting example of artistic capacity to empathize with the protagonists of his own work. All his great novels (The Knight of Resignation, A Tomb in the Sky or God Was Born in Exile) include the recurrent image of tragic exiles unexpectedly confronted with the harsh reality of uprooting and forced to come to terms with the new world they reach, sometimes after a challenging or dangerous journey. The Latin poet Ovid in God Was Born in Exile (Dieu est né en exil, 1960) is perhaps Horia’s most remarkable character, the protagonist’s exile to Tomis representing an expression of the author’s own painful exile after World War II, when he was forced to leave Romania for good. Ovid’s exile and then his journeys stand for a complex process of initiation, completed only when the poet also has the revelation of his future possible symbolic rebirth and foresees his way to spiritual redemption. [Article copies available for a fee from The Transformative Studies Institute. E-mail address: journal@transformativestudies.org Website: http://www.transformativestudies.org ©2024 by The Transformative Studies Institute. All rights reserved.]

The Effects of War-Related Stress on Human Development: Differences in Body Proportions of Polish Women Born Before and During World War II.

This study aims to explore the lasting effects of stress experienced by pregnant women during World War II (WWII) on body and head measurements of their adult daughters. The research sample consists of 336 female university students born in Poland between 1925 and 1951. The data include body measurements and socioeconomic information (parental occupation and number of siblings) acquired from questionnaires collected between the 1950s and 1970s. Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney test and Analysis of Variance were used to analyze differences in body measurements between groups of women born before and during the war, as well as the possible influences of socioeconomic variables. The mean measurements of body height, symphysion height, and waist circumference were lower in women conceived and born during the war compared to those born in the pre-war period. In contrast, the mean measurements of biacromial (shoulder) width, trunk length, and three head dimensions were higher in women conceived and born during the war. Additionally, the number of siblings appeared to be a significant factor that may have influenced the body measurements of women in both groups. For instance, a higher number of living siblings, particularly sisters, was associated with reduced body dimensions, such as body height and waist circumference, while a greater number of deceased siblings was linked to an increase in certain body dimensions. The results suggest that war-related prenatal conditions may have influenced the postnatal growth and development of women conceived and born during the war. Notably, the direction of these changes varied, which indicates that the growth response to the war-related conditions was a complex adaptation, reflecting both positive and negative changes in different body parts, rather than a uniform pattern of growth suppression.

The Legacy of Lithuanian Architect Stasys Kudokas in the United States of America: Sacred Architecture Based on Hope and Expectations

Abstract Many Lithuanian intellectuals fled from the occupied Lithuania during the Second World War and after it, including the most famous architects who created the architectural language of interwar Kaunas Modernism. After escaping from the war-torn country to the United States of America, they resumed their professional pursuits while living in exile. Stasys Kudokas – one of the most prominent and productive architects in the interwar Lithuania – also pursued his carreer while living in exile. Yet his architectural heritage in the United States of America is still an under-researched topic. The Lithuanian diaspora press remains one of the most comprehensive sources exploring Kudokas’ professional path in the United States of America. By using descriptive and comparative methods, this study aims to examine the most important projects by Kudokas for the Lithuanian diaspora and the related expectations of Lithuanian communities, reflected in the diaspora press. This study will reveal that the reflection of Lithuanianness in the architecture designed for the Lithuanian community was the most important criterion for evaluating Kudokas’ legacy in the exile press.

Multiomic analysis of Lewisite exposed human dermal equivalent tissues

Lewisite (Military Code: L) is an arsenical vesicant chemical warfare agent (CWA) that was developed in the United States during World War I. Even though its use has not been documented in warfare, large stockpiles were created and still exist in various locations around the world. Given that large quantities exist as well as the relative straightforward process for its creation, Lewisite still presents itself as a serious threat agent. In this study, we examined the effects of Lewisite on human dermal equivalent tissues (EpiDerm™/EpiDerm™-FT) through the evaluation of cellular viability, histology, and multiomic analysis.

Leveraging Full Count Census Data through Record Linkage

Academic researchers in the U.S. and Canada have partnered with genealogical organizations and statistical agencies to create massive new scientific data collections from census enumerations. These data are creating new opportunities for research across the social and health sciences. By linking individuals and families across censuses, analysts can create national longitudinal panels that trace the characteristics of individuals over their lives and families over multiple generations. IPUMS disseminates full count census enumerations for ten U.S. census years from 1850 to 1950. These full count data cover almost 800 million individual records and the IPUMS Multigenerational Longitudinal Panel (MLP) project links individuals' records across censuses. IPUMS data can be combined with data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s data linkage infrastructure to link historical records to numerous recent censuses, surveys and administrative data that measure social, economic and health outcomes. The Canadian Peoples (TCP) is a comprehensive public research database of 40 million coded and georeferenced records found in Canadian censuses from the middle of the nineteenth century until after the First World War. The data include personal, family and household characteristics of every individual enumerated in each census from 1852 to 1921. TCP investigators are exploring record linkage technology to solve challenges presented with these historical records. The workshop included one presentation from each organization, with these objectives: introduce the data collections, explain the challenges and opportunities of census linkage, describe the linking strategies, and provide an overview on how to access the data.

Anti-British Propaganda in Sharjah in 1940

Abstract This article attempts to study the nature of the political relations between Britain and its colony of Sharjah in the Arabian Gulf during the military conflict between Britain and its allies on the one hand and Germany and its allies on the other during World War ii. The researcher makes use of documents and correspondence between the rulers of Sharjah and Britain and between the Arabian Gulf Residency and its rulers. This correspondence highlight Britain’s concern about Arab support in the Gulf for its German enemy. It also highlights the British aim of persuading those rulers to join them in the war effort. This indicates the importance of the political position of the rulers of the Arabian Gulf states during that era of military conflict.

HISTORY AND CONSTITUTIONALISM OF THE GRAND DUCHY OF LUXEMBOURG: BRIEF NOTES - DOI: 10.12818/P.0304-2340.2024v85p223

The text provides a brief and general approach to the formation history of Luxembourg, emphasizing the constitutional landscape of the country, presented in three sections. The first one highlights the historical and formal events that lead to modern Luxembourg. In the second, the more important constitutional moments in the XIX century are exposed, with commentaries regarding the Constitutions of 1841, 1848, 1856, and 1868. In the third, the political and constitutional reforms of the XX century, considering the I and II World Wars, are commented upon, with the intention to expose some of the main characteristics of the Grand-Duché, such as its openness to the international sphere, constitutional actions for the integration of Europe, and the main normative diploma that shows the compromise with Human and Fundamental rights, considering specific dynamics of the relations of the powers of the state.

Педагогическата компетентност на родителя – литературни прочити на лирически произведения за деца от Българското възраждане до 1944 г.

Abstract: The focus of this article is the pedagogical competence of the parent as reflected in children's literature, particularly in children's lyrics from the Bulgarian Renaissance to the end of World War II in 1944. The aim is to delineate at an intertextual level the image of the parent as a bearer and translator of values, pat¬terns of thinking and behaviour that are universal regardless of their contextual ex¬istence. The hypothesis is that transformations in the image, which are the result of cultural changes, give rise to modifications in the structure of parental peda¬gogical competence, while preserving basic elements in it, reflecting archetypal characteristics in the universal image of the parent. The analysis is made after a selection of lyrical texts by Bulgarian poets, in which they write on the themes of parenthood, the family world, motherhood, the family, the upbringing of children, patriarchal values, and traditions. The features of the artistic images, including that of the mother and the father, are highlighted, the linguistic and stylistic pecu¬liarities in the lyrical works are established. Quotations and examples are given from lyrical texts of children’s literature in Bulgaria, which serve an illustrative and evidential function. Keywords: parenting, pedagogical competence, children's literature, lyrical works.

New species of braconid parasitoid wasps from the subfamilies Doryctinae and Brachistinae from late Eocene Baltic amber

Three new fossil species of braconid wasps are described and illustrated from late Eocene Baltic amber: Palaeorhoptrocentrus tenuicornis sp. nov. (Doryctinae), Taphaeus obscurus sp. nov. (Brachistinae: Diospilini), and Eubazus electrus sp. nov. (Brachistinae: Brachistini). Keys to the known species of Palaeorhoptrocentrus Belokobylskij, 2023 and to species of Eubazus Nees, 1812 described from Baltic amber are provided. An illustrated redescription of Blacus (Electroblacus) facialis Brues, 1933 (Brachistinae: Blacini) is also provided, along with digital photographs for the first time of the female of B. (Electroblacus) facialis, whose type material was lost during the World War II. We also provide morphological notes and digital photographs of a male belonging to an undescribed species of Meteorus (Euphorinae).

The Role of Welding in Fracture Mechanics Development

The role of welding in fracture mechanics development is considered from historical point of view. Starting point was analysis of Schenectady ship failure during the II World War, leading to development of linear elastic, as well as elastic-plastic fracture mechanics, soon afterwards. Two case studies are described to illustrate weldment fracture mechanics and structural integrity assessment.

Children, Border(land)s and mixed economies of welfare

This special issue is a comprehensive exploration of the pivotal role of state borders in shaping child welfare in various European borderlands from the First World War to the present. The richly detailed articles present a diverse range of historical and social-scientific perspectives, offering a comprehensive understanding of the complex dynamics at play. Each case study sheds light on a unique aspect of the mixed economies of welfare in borderland areas, collectively proposing a framework for analysing the intricate influence of welfare providers on children’s well-being in the intermediary spaces.

How the government’s portrayal differed from Black activists’ portrayal of the African American soldiers in the second world war

This article is about the difference between the portrayal from black activists and the government of the African American soldiers in the Second World War, focusing on the real situation of human right of the African Americans during the second world war, when the United States was still in the Jim Crow System. Through comparing the film made by the War Department, which represent the government and the pamphlet made by black activists which call for equal rights, we can have a comprehensive understanding of the Black’s human right.

Moral Injury and Healing After the Great War: What G.A. Studdert Kennedy's Experience of Moral Injury Can Teach Us.

In this article, I chart the development of Moral injury in the life of Rev. G.A. Studdert Kennedy, a well-known British Chaplain who served in the First World War. Studdert Kennedy did not benefit from contemporary insights on Moral Injury but intuitively followed a path toward healing that involved reflection, confession, penance and post-traumatic growth. Chaplain Studdert Kennedy's experience of Moral Injury can inform our contemporary understanding and treatment of this debilitating malady.

The role of Northern European countries in the emergence of new training methods in distance running: A historical overview

AbstractThis study aims to present the significant training theoretical innovations in the history of modern distance running that can be traced back to the countries of Northern Europe and the possible underlying socio-historical reasons for them. Since the beginning of the modern sport, the Nordic countries have enjoyed outstanding success in distance running. In the 1910s–20s, the dominance of Finnish runners was a feature of the first year-round systematic training. During the Second World War, the Swedish coach Gosta Holmer developed the fartlek (speed play) method, which enabled his runners to set numerous world records between 1,500 m and 10,000 m. The most significant innovation in modern distance running training methods was the scientifically based interval training of the German Dr Woldemar Gerschler, which still determines athletes' training today. The Dutchman Herman Verheul developed his easy interval method based on the empirical observations of the Gerchler system. The Verheul method was characterized by high-volume and mainly aerobic sub-maximal speeds and a big emphasis on aerobic development. This is the basis of the Norwegian training method that dominates sports science research today. The latter uses longer intervals (1,000–2,000 m) developing anaerobic-threshold speed (vLT2) monitored by lactate measurement several times a week. These innovations have been fostered by various sociological facts (promotion of sports, sports sciences, and use of the results) and the historical context of the era.

Unravelling military aggression: Ontological insecurity, great power narcissism, and Japan’s international relations, 1868–1971

Abstract This article examines the extent to which or how self-identified great powers resort to military aggression following events that challenge their sense of greatness. It problematises the prevalent notion that great powers and events exist and have effects independently of the narratives that constitute them. The article does this by engaging with Ontological Security Studies, Great Power Narcissism, and the psychology of vulnerable and grandiose narcissism, as well as by analysing Japanese identity narratives in two periods seemingly marked by equally challenging events – the Meiji era (1868–1912) and the post-war period (1950–71). It finds that Japan’s military aggression against China in 1894–5 was enabled by vulnerable narratives of shame and insult, while the decision to wage war with Russia a decade later was facilitated more by grandiose narratives. Despite Japan’s overwhelming defeat in the Second World War and the persistent desire among conservative elites for great power status and identity, however, overall post-war narratives did not feature similarly negative emotions and calls for revenge. Japanese great power aspirations were arguably curtailed in this period through intense narrative contestation, notably progressive counter-narratives featuring more self-reflective expressions of guilt and remorse, and even the self-reflexive desire for a non-great power identity.

“Purely cultural and economic in nature...”: Russian agricultural colonisation and land ownership of the Caspian provinces of Iran and the category of “cultural conquest”

In this article, the author examines the concept of “cultural conquest” in the context of the Russian Empire’s policy towards the Caspian provinces of Iran, both prior to and during the Great War. In the period preceding the outbreak of hostilities, Russian peasant colonists began to settle in the Astarabad province, while concurrently, significant Russian land ownership emerged in the southern Caspian region. These developments were subjected to rigorous scrutiny by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Resettlement Department, and other pertinent authorities. The phenomenon is not adequately represented in historiography, despite its significance in the context of New Imperial History. One of the pivotal concepts employed in analysing and comprehending the processes of Russian expansion into the region was the notion of “cultural conquest”. This category was actively employed by both state and non-state actors to conceptualise the ongoing economic, political, and cultural interactions in a crucial frontier region. The analysis of a wide range of materials, including archival and published sources such as diplomatic correspondence, concession projects, and publications by officials from the Resettlement Department, has been conducted with the aim of investigating the contexts of the use of the category “cultural conquest” (and related terms) as well as proposed options for optimal policy in the region. The author indicates that this concept was of a framework nature and comprised three principal components: political, economic, and civilisational. He demonstrates that despite significant similarities in the interpretations of the concept by different actors, there were differences in understanding the methods and optimal ways of “cultural conquest” of the Caspian provinces.

Theology of Art in The Text of Adiparwa

Adiparwa is the initial part of the Mahabharata, which can be viewed as consisting of two distinct parts. The first part presents the framework of the Bharata epic, and the second part contains the genealogy of the Pandavas and Kauravas. Adiparwa not only narrates the origins of the Kuru Dynasty and the various early events leading to the great war in Kuruksetra but also contains many profound theological and aesthetic elements. This study uses the theory of literary reception, which is based on the notion that literary works have always received responses from their readers since their publication. A qualitative research method with a theological approach is used in this study. The theology in the text of Adiparwa includes the concepts Nirguna Brahman and Saguna Brahman, in line with His attributes for creating the universe, embodied in Sanghyang Siwa with Bhatari Parwati. The aesthetics in the text of Adiparwa are described in the terms satyam, siwam, and sundaram. Satyam in the text of Adiparwa can be seen in the story of four quails that survived the burning of the Khandawa forest. The essence of siwam in the text of Adiparwa is described in the concept of God as Nirguna Brahman and Saguna Brahman. The values of sundaram are reflected in the beauty of Tilottama. The influence of theology on aesthetics is evident in the rituals described in the text of Adiparwa through the mabebasan tradition, usually performed during the atma wedana ceremony, via the Astikacarita story using the palawakya reading technique.

The Weapon That Cannot Be Silenced:

Among the most frequently utilized weapons in the First World War were naval mines, which have the ability to harm the enemy the most while costing the least. The major grounds for their preference were that they did not require any human involvement other than to prepare the required equipment and release it into the ocean and that they were made to last in the sea for a very long period of time without degrading. Unfortunately, because they could not be recovered immediately after a battle, these weapons, which offered enormous advantages against the enemy during the conflict, often remained to pose a menace after it had finished. As a case study, this essay intends to investigate the post-war situation of the hundreds of mines placed in the BlackSea during the First World War, mine detection and clearance activities, and the issues they raised. The article’s thesis is that conflicts can have long-lasting impacts.