Een onderzoek naar het beeld dat spotprenten in het satirische Sovjet-tijdschrift Krokodil geven van racisme en discriminatie in de Verenigde Staten van 1954 tot 1965.
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
The Russian Revolution in 1917 brought vast changes to the inhabitants of Petrograd. However it is questionable whether for most people the political changes themselves were tangible or even...Show moreThe Russian Revolution in 1917 brought vast changes to the inhabitants of Petrograd. However it is questionable whether for most people the political changes themselves were tangible or even relevant. By using contemporary approaches to the history of everyday life, this study investigates the issue of everyday problems and coping mechanisms in Petrograd during the revolution. It switches the perspective to that of people who were not involved in revolutionary politics: the Russian-English novelist and historian Edith Almedingen (1898-1971) and the Russian poet Zinaida Hippius (1869-1945). The thesis shows that Hippius, Almedingen, and the persons they observed used a broad array of strategies. Regardless of the concrete coping mechanisms, everything boiled down to personal and collective survival. The comparison between the two women suggests that ‘objective’ circumstances such as social background and possessions did not fully determine how well people coped with challenges.Show less
The period under Brezhnev has long been considered a period of stagnation, wherein economic growth came to a full stop, the leadership grew old, and the dream of socialism became a disappointment...Show moreThe period under Brezhnev has long been considered a period of stagnation, wherein economic growth came to a full stop, the leadership grew old, and the dream of socialism became a disappointment for many. Films that echoed this disappointment did not seem at odds with anything. However, historians have debated over the idea of stagnation for decades and have increasingly come to the conclusion that it may not have been grounded in reality after all. Life under Brezhnev was ‘normal’ for many with objectively less and less to complain about. So then why did these pessimistic films emerge?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
After Khrushchev's secret speech denouncing Stalin in 1956, much changed for the citizens of the Soviet Union. This thesis aims to set out a clear overview of the opinions and viewpoints of young...Show moreAfter Khrushchev's secret speech denouncing Stalin in 1956, much changed for the citizens of the Soviet Union. This thesis aims to set out a clear overview of the opinions and viewpoints of young Soviet citizens in 1956, regarding the secret speech. It aims to do so by first of all discussing the events during that time period and so to illustrate how the process of destalinisation started. Secondly, the viewpoints of young people, taken from the primary source that is the memoires of Marvin Kalb, 25 at the time and working in Moscow for the year 1956, are compared to the popular opinion of that time. Thus a clear distinction can be made between the opinions of young people and the popular opinion of the rest of the Soviet Union.Show less
