Most Serbs hold strong opinions on Kosovo: they see Kosovo as a mythical cradle of the Serbian nation and, more recently, a place of mythical Serbian suffering. While these beliefs have reinforced...Show moreMost Serbs hold strong opinions on Kosovo: they see Kosovo as a mythical cradle of the Serbian nation and, more recently, a place of mythical Serbian suffering. While these beliefs have reinforced the Serbian nation, they also fuelled the Serbia-Kosovo conflict. Historiography has helped create and reinforce these myths and has as such played an important role in the conflict. This thesis researches myth-forming on Kosovo through the eyes of one Serb historian: Dusan T. Batakovic (1957-2017).Show less
Wat is de perceptie van Finland gezien door de reisverslagen van Nederlandse auteurs in de lange negentiende eeuw. Dit onderzoek kijkt naar de beschrijving van Finland op het gebied van landschap,...Show moreWat is de perceptie van Finland gezien door de reisverslagen van Nederlandse auteurs in de lange negentiende eeuw. Dit onderzoek kijkt naar de beschrijving van Finland op het gebied van landschap, bevolking en politiek. Wat is de trend in deze beschrijving en wat is de invloed van het groeiende toerisme hierop?Show less
The thesis encompasses the role of the KGB during the Prague Spring (1968). The development of the KGB is briefly explained in combination with the development of Czechoslovakia since 1945. This...Show moreThe thesis encompasses the role of the KGB during the Prague Spring (1968). The development of the KGB is briefly explained in combination with the development of Czechoslovakia since 1945. This thesis adds a new view to the debate about the Brezhnev-era and the role of the KGB in that era.Show less
This study examines the role of prime minister Aberdeen of Great Britain in the crisis that would lead to the Crimean War (1853-1856). Historically, Aberdeen has been denoted as an overly peacefull...Show moreThis study examines the role of prime minister Aberdeen of Great Britain in the crisis that would lead to the Crimean War (1853-1856). Historically, Aberdeen has been denoted as an overly peacefull man whose lack of backbone weakened Britain at this crucial juncture, and this has reflected on conservative foreign policy in the 19th century. This thesis combines examinations of the historiography involved and primary source material on the Crimean Crisis where it involves Aberdeen's policy considerations to question the validity of this persistent notion and in so doing finds that Aberdeen is much better described as a realist than a pacifist and perfectly willing to use war when needed.Show less
In 1932-1933 famine swept across the Ukrainian countryside killing an estimated 5 million people. The famine was a culmination of different factors, but most notably it was the result of deliberate...Show moreIn 1932-1933 famine swept across the Ukrainian countryside killing an estimated 5 million people. The famine was a culmination of different factors, but most notably it was the result of deliberate policies of the Soviet government. In the summer of 1933 a young Welsh journalist named Gareth Jones illegally toured the Ukrainian countryside, witnessing the dead and the dying, walking through the silent and abandoned villages and speaking with the starving peasants. Upon his return to the United Kingdom Jones attempted to expose the famine in order to aid the starving Ukrainian population. However, his message had little impact. It was snowed under by positive reports coming from Western correspondents stationed in Moscow. The news of the famine failed to gain traction amongst the public, and before long people forgot that it ever happened. This thesis seeks to investigate why Jones’ articles exposing the Ukrainian famine in 1933 had so little impact amongst the British and American public. There was no public outrage, no large-scale famine relief actions, and not a sound from the British and American governments on the matter could be heard. The silence surrounding the famine was deafening, and the voice that was trying to attract attention to it was ignored. Why were people so willing to look away? Can this silence be attributed to a feat of Soviet Propaganda? Were the reports coming from Moscow simply more credible than the reporting of twenty-seven years old Jones?Show less
This study examines the armed underground that existed in Chechnya and Ingushetia in the period from the establishment of Soviet power until Stalin’s 1944 deportation of the Chechens and Ingush for...Show moreThis study examines the armed underground that existed in Chechnya and Ingushetia in the period from the establishment of Soviet power until Stalin’s 1944 deportation of the Chechens and Ingush for alleged collaboration with Nazi-Germany. It challenges some of the dominant assumptions in current historical scholarship: that the Chechens and Ingush constantly resisted Sovietization and launched a major revolt against Soviet power in response to the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Using a wide variety of sources from the Soviet secret police and the German military intelligence, this study finds that much of the popular resistance in Chechnya and Ingushetia was related to collectivization campaigns; that the core of the Chechen and Ingush armed underground consisted of bandits and refugees who were primarily concerned with personal survival; and that politically motivated rebels among them never managed to trigger a nationwide rebellion during the German–Soviet War. Instead, it is found that the number of Chechens and Ingush who served the Red Army far outnumbered those who sided with the Nazis. The accusations against the Chechens and Ingush were largely fabricated and exaggerated by the Soviet leadership in order to justify wholesale deportation.Show less
