This theses contains the basics of the Roman domestic religion of the first century b.c. and the first century a.d. The paper contains a lot of primairy sources as well as some archeological...Show moreThis theses contains the basics of the Roman domestic religion of the first century b.c. and the first century a.d. The paper contains a lot of primairy sources as well as some archeological evidence from Pompeii, Herculaneum and Ostia.Show less
The English scientist Francis Galton (1822-1911)coined the term eugenics in 1883 and first spoke of the concept in 1865. In this thesis it is researched how Galton's ideas about eugenics were...Show moreThe English scientist Francis Galton (1822-1911)coined the term eugenics in 1883 and first spoke of the concept in 1865. In this thesis it is researched how Galton's ideas about eugenics were formed and how his British contemporaries responded to these ideas. The thesis question thus is:‘what formed Galton’s ideas about eugenics, and how did his contemporaries in British society respond to his ideas?’ Influences from Galton's personal life led to his interest in eugenics. At first Galton's contemporaries did not see Galton's concept of eugenics as a practical possibility, but later in his life he did find people who continued his mission. There was also a lot of criticism of his ideas. This criticism was mainly directed at the morality of eugenics and Galton's neglect of the influence of nurture on the improvement of the human race.Show less
This MA thesis discusses the depiction of President Nixon and the Watergate Affair in various works of popular culture. During the Watergate Affair Nixon committed various crimes, such as the...Show moreThis MA thesis discusses the depiction of President Nixon and the Watergate Affair in various works of popular culture. During the Watergate Affair Nixon committed various crimes, such as the obstruction of justice and the abuse of power. He resigned on August 9 1974, the only American President ever to have done so. His successor, President Ford, pardoned him for these crimes. Nixon has never been convicted for them, to the dismay of many Americans. By now Nixon has become a controversial figure in American history. He is and will be always be remembered for the Watergate Affair. He also dragged out the American involvement in Vietnam for several years, resulting in massive anti-war protests and outpourings of great hatred against him. However, Nixon was also the American President who succeeded in achieving a détente with the Soviet Union, normalising relations with China and initiating the first SALT-treaty to limit nuclear arms. Moreover, he bettered the plight of Native Americans and steered through Congress important environmental legislation. Nixon, whose fate was essentially a tragic one, has inspired writers, poets, playwrights, directors and musicians to produce very interesting works of art. Philip Roth wrote ‘Our Gang’, a political satire depicting Nixon, amongst other things, as chief devil. Gore Vidal wrote a play about him, ‘An Evening with Richard Nixon’, as well as the historical novel ‘Burr’ about Aaron Burr, another villain in American history, which displays interesting parallels with Nixon and his time. The film ‘All the President’s Men’ is by far the most well-known work discussed in this thesis, dealing with the two young reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of the ‘Washington Post’, who played an important role in uncovering the affair. Robert Altman’s ‘Secret Honor’ and Oliver Stone’s ‘Nixon’ not only portray Nixon, but also examine his cultural significance. The same is true for ‘The Assassination of Richard Nixon’, in which Nixon is not an actual character, but the figurehead of a sick and dishonest society. Ron Howard’s ‘Frost/Nixon’, the most recent work discussed in this thesis, paints a more positive and humane picture of Nixon. This is in accordance with a general tendency, within works of popular culture, to depict Nixon with much more depth, with more attention to Nixon as a human-being, and in a more balanced and positive way.Show less
In deze scriptie wordt de relatie tussen de vroege socialistische beweging en de joodse bevolking in Amsterdam tussen 1886 en 1894 onderzocht. Daarbij wordt gekeken naar de pogingen van socialisten...Show moreIn deze scriptie wordt de relatie tussen de vroege socialistische beweging en de joodse bevolking in Amsterdam tussen 1886 en 1894 onderzocht. Daarbij wordt gekeken naar de pogingen van socialisten om de joodse arbeiders voor het socialisme te winnen en naar de ontvankelijkheid van de joodse arbeiders voor deze propaganda. Tevens wordt onderzocht hoe de vroege socialistische beweging van Amsterdam aankeek tegen joden en in hoeverre er sprake was van antisemitisme binnen deze beweging.Show less
This paper seeks to give a plausible range of population figures for second century A.D. Antioch in Roman Syria. The first chapter estimates the physical extent of the city and its suburbs. The...Show moreThis paper seeks to give a plausible range of population figures for second century A.D. Antioch in Roman Syria. The first chapter estimates the physical extent of the city and its suburbs. The second chapter studies the size and productivity of Antioch’s territory. On the basis of urbanisation rates, urban and rural population densities and ‘carrying capacity’ various scenarios are sketched to determine more and less likely figures. In the final chapter several ideas are considered towards explaining the population of Antioch and its hinterland.Show less
Edmund Burke received a lot of attention after publishing his Reflections on the Revolution in France. Not only in England he became famous for his criticism of the French Revolution, also in the...Show moreEdmund Burke received a lot of attention after publishing his Reflections on the Revolution in France. Not only in England he became famous for his criticism of the French Revolution, also in the whole of Europe he was soon regarded as the 'father of conservatism'. In this Thesis I investigate how Burke's influence was in the Netherlands. Beginning with the Dutch reception of his Reflections, published in 1790, I examined how his influence worked out in the nineteenth century. In European perspective, after several decades Burke’s image was changed from a conservative to a liberal, giving more emphasis on Burke’s efforts for a free market economy and a limited government. Was this the case in the Netherlands as well? This Thesis shows that in the Netherlands Burke’s image as conservative was far more durable. The antirevolutionary statesman Groen van Prinsterer did well in claiming Burke for his party. Liberal politicians and scientists like C.W. Opzoomer and Robert Fruin attempted to change this, but they didn’t succeed. Against the antirevolutionary context Groen van Prinsterer had Burke framed, the liberals were not able to frame Burke as a liberal statesman. As the successor of Groen van Prinsterer, Abraham Kuyper also was heavily influenced by Burke, especially in his first part of his career. Throughout his books and speeches, he transfers the ‘antirevolutionary’ Burke into the twentieth century, although Kuypers rely on Burke was much more thematic and instrumental than it was for Groen van Prinsterer.Show less
Research master thesis | History: Societies and Institutions (research) (MA)
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In this thesis a systematic comparison between the writings of two prominent English polemicists is made, both of whom were active in the period 1618 and 1628: the Catholic Richard Verstegan and...Show moreIn this thesis a systematic comparison between the writings of two prominent English polemicists is made, both of whom were active in the period 1618 and 1628: the Catholic Richard Verstegan and the Puritan Thomas Scott, both of whom were in a religiously-tinted exile in the Low Countries in this period – the former in Antwerp, and the later in Utrecht. While of different generations and religious orientations, both urgently wanted to influence English public opinion on the continental conflicts of this period. Their polemics, such as Vox Populi and Londons Looking-glasse, are subjected to a comparative analysis. The goals and expectations of these polemicists in regards to the religious upheaval in Europe – such as the renewed conflict between Spain and the United Provinces and the escalating Bohemian crisis – are explored, as well as their subsequent appeals for war or peace.Show less
Following the end of the Cold War the post-communist countries in Central and Eastern Europe experienced numerous rapid changes. The transition concerned also the sphere of migration. This thesis...Show moreFollowing the end of the Cold War the post-communist countries in Central and Eastern Europe experienced numerous rapid changes. The transition concerned also the sphere of migration. This thesis focuses on trafficking in human beings and labour exploitation of migrant workers as they gradually caught public attention in the Czech Republic in late 1990s. It researches how and why did the Czech NGOs’ approach towards trafficking change between 1998 and 2012. It focuses on the problematic understanding and punishability of labour exploitation within and outside the phenomenon of trafficking. It follows the development of trafficking in the Czech Republic after the end of Cold War and shows the interaction between governmental and nongovernmental approaches towards trafficking, labour exploitation and human rights violations of migrant workers.Show less
This thesis purposes to understand how a deeply committed Christian people viewed their claims to power as they did; and through the American Civil War laid down their lives in terrible numbers to...Show moreThis thesis purposes to understand how a deeply committed Christian people viewed their claims to power as they did; and through the American Civil War laid down their lives in terrible numbers to preserve the way of life which they had forged for themselves. The Old South deemed itself to be the societal manifestation of biblical Scripture, a social order bestowed by Providence and ‘ordained of God’ . This apparent manifestation of God’s will produced a patriarchal, hierarchical slave society, legitimised almost entirely through literal readings of Scripture, and the reading of such alongside contemporary political and economic theories. Here, I will examine the forging of an ideology and social order based solidly in the realities of biblical Scripture, which Southerners believed to be just - so much so that the bloodiest war ever fought on U.S soil raged for more than four long years. Thusly, through examining the extent and depth of the effort to situate slavery on Christian ground, and build a class-stratified social order ordained of God, one may obtain some understanding as to the Southern whites’ readiness to defend a social system so odiously abhorrent, even by contemporary standards. The research focus of this paper is to present an understanding of the ways in which this deeply committed Christian people viewed their world and their claims to power as they did, and how this view emerged and was influenced by the Christian Scriptures.Show less
In dit onderzoek staan de consulaten van de Republiek, die tussen 1612 en 1672 in verschillende Italiaanse steden gesticht werden, centraal. In het bijzonder is aandacht geschonken aan de...Show moreIn dit onderzoek staan de consulaten van de Republiek, die tussen 1612 en 1672 in verschillende Italiaanse steden gesticht werden, centraal. In het bijzonder is aandacht geschonken aan de verwachtingen die de Staten-Generaal enerzijds en de Nederlandse handelsgemeenschap in Italië anderzijds van dit nieuwe systeem, en de invloed die de consuls zelf uitoefenden op het functioneren ervan.Show less
The coincidence of increased immigration into Britain in the late nineteenth century with the revitalisation of the trade union movement encourages the investigation of interaction between the two...Show moreThe coincidence of increased immigration into Britain in the late nineteenth century with the revitalisation of the trade union movement encourages the investigation of interaction between the two phenomena. This study seeks to determine the impact that immigrants had upon trade unions that were primarily created for workers born in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, whether through joining these unions, through the impact of their own independent unions, or as unorganised workers. Specifically, the Alliance Cabinet Makers Association, the primary furniture making union, is considered as an example of immigrant integration into British trade unionism of the period, revealing significant levels of immigrant participation, and therefore evidence for considerable acculturation into elements of British society. Trade union records and census data are combined to create an in-depth study of the background and identities of hundreds of trade union members over a thirty year period. Ultimately, the historical investigation is compared to contemporary trends in immigration and trade unionism, both in the United Kingdom and the United States.Show less
This study looks at and analyses the continual attempts of the Dutch Labour Party to renew and rejuvenate its internal organisation in a democratic fashion in the past two decades (1992-2013). It...Show moreThis study looks at and analyses the continual attempts of the Dutch Labour Party to renew and rejuvenate its internal organisation in a democratic fashion in the past two decades (1992-2013). It describes the struggle of the party in the context of an increasingly globalised world; the inherent oligarchic tendencies of organisations; the changing nature of political parties in society; the eroding significance of political parties; and the ever more present 24/7 news cycle.Show less
