Research master thesis | History: Societies and Institutions (research) (MA)
open access
This thesis describes and analyzes the famine that occurred in the Netherlands East Indies, c. 1900-1904. The famine affected Java and parts of the Outer Islands. It details (the principles behind)...Show moreThis thesis describes and analyzes the famine that occurred in the Netherlands East Indies, c. 1900-1904. The famine affected Java and parts of the Outer Islands. It details (the principles behind) the relief efforts of the Dutch colonial government. It also analyzes how the colonial government used the famine to accumulate knowledge on the subject, while politically representing and justifying its response. The thesis argues that famines and food shortages are integral to understanding the colonial state and colonial society. Further, it takes a comparative perspective by connecting the famine to famine experiences of other colonial powers in British India and French Indochina.Show less
Research master thesis | History: Societies and Institutions (research) (MA)
open access
After WWII the Dutch government wanted to be more involved in informing the public of its doings and in preparing it for the dangers that might present themselves. One of the ways to reach the...Show moreAfter WWII the Dutch government wanted to be more involved in informing the public of its doings and in preparing it for the dangers that might present themselves. One of the ways to reach the public were the newsreels shown in movie theaters, which had a weekly reach of over 1 million. Through the Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst (Government Informing Service) the government installed an editorial committee which safeguarded the newsreels and determined which items should be shown and which were deemed unfit. This committee had members of the RVD, journalists and Polygoon-Profilti editors. Over the years this committee grew to a standing committee with its own morals and values. When the cold war accellerated with the events of 1948-1950, the government now had a renewed interest in the items shown in the newsreels. Their content could potentially be used in the fight against communism. This paper investigates how newsreels were made, with what convictions they were made and to what extent the government controlled or tried to control this committee. In doing so, the paper also investigates the interplay between the committee and the government in the setting of the early cold war.Show less
Research master thesis | History: Societies and Institutions (research) (MA)
open access
Johan van Reede,lord of Renswoude (1593-1682) was an Utrecht nobleman who acted in the political system of the seventeenth-century Dutch Republic for over a half a century . Aim of this political...Show moreJohan van Reede,lord of Renswoude (1593-1682) was an Utrecht nobleman who acted in the political system of the seventeenth-century Dutch Republic for over a half a century . Aim of this political biography was to examine his political carreer within a wider political context.Show less
Research master thesis | History: Societies and Institutions (research) (MA)
open access
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
Research master thesis | History: Societies and Institutions (research) (MA)
open access
Eind jaren 1870 had de Duitse socialistische beweging een duidelijke en positieve invloed op het ontwakende socialisme in Nederland. De SDV nam in 1878 een vertaling van het Gothaer Programm aan...Show moreEind jaren 1870 had de Duitse socialistische beweging een duidelijke en positieve invloed op het ontwakende socialisme in Nederland. De SDV nam in 1878 een vertaling van het Gothaer Programm aan als haar eigen partijprogramma en spiegelde zich bewust aan de succesvolle Duitse partijorganisatie. In de jaren die volgden werden zowel de ideologische basis als het repertoire van de SDV en de SDB (1881) uitgebreid onder invloed van het uit Duitsland afkomstige sociaaldemocratische drukwerk, de door de SAPD-Rijksdagfractie ondernomen propagandatochten en de persoonlijke contacten tussen Duitsers en Nederlanders. Daarbij wonnen de Duitse ideologie en praktijk aan autoriteit door de grote praktische successen die de SAPD behaalde bij de verkiezingen en door de manier waarop zij zich in haar activiteiten wist te onttrekken aan de controle van de reactionaire Bismarckstaat. In 1883 was het Nederlandse socialisme voldoende ontwikkeld om een rol van betekenis te spelen in de Nederlandse context. De in het buitenland verworven theoretische en praktische kennis werd binnen de Nederlandse politieke cultuur toe- en aangepast. Het groeiende zelfbewustzijn van de SDB-leden en de noodzaak de buitenlandse voorbeelden aan de eigen politieke cultuur aan te passen, maakten tegelijkertijd dat de SDB een kritischer houding aannam tegenover zijn zusterorganisaties in het buitenland. De Nederlandse socialistenleider Ferdinand Domela Nieuwenhuis ontwikkelde zich daarbij tot de grootste criticus van de parlementaire tactiek van de Duitse sociaaldemocraten. Hij ging de SDB voor op weg naar het anarchisme. Voor de partijleden die het parlementarisme en het verkiezingswapen niet geheel wensten op te geven, was er geen plaats meer binnen de partij. Hen restte geen andere mogelijkheid dan zich van de SDB af te keren en een eigen sociaaldemocratische partij op te richten: de SDAP. De SDAP vertoonde zowel in haar structuur als in haar ideologische beginselen grote gelijkenis met de SPD. Deze overeenkomsten waren een gevolg van de zwakke positie die de nieuwe partij innam in het ‘vijandige’ Nederlands-socialistische klimaat: de SDAP had een sterke bondgenoot nodig die haar ideologisch en financieel kon steunen. De Nederlandse sociaal-democraten onderschreven weliswaar het Erfurter Programm, maar in de praktijk bood de Nederlandse versie van dit programma de jonge partij vooral een rechtvaardiging naar de buitenwereld. Door de financiële steun van Bahlmann en de SPD kon deze rechtvaardiging bovendien via de sociaaldemocratische pers worden uitgedragen. Uit deze ontwikkeling van het Nederlandse socialisme blijkt dat de Duitse sociaaldemocratie via zowel positieve als negatieve transferprocessen heeft bijgedragen aan de oprichting van de SDAP en dat zij de Nederlandse partij door de eerste moeilijke periode heen heeft geholpen. De Duitse sociaaldemocratie heeft de oprichting van de SDAP echter niet veroorzaakt. De Nederlandse ontwikkelingen werden begin jaren 1890 te sterk gestuurd door de nationale omstandigheden en door de sterke karaktereigenschappen van in Nederland opererende persoonlijkheden als Domela. De oprichting van de SDAP op 26 augustus 1894 was evenzeer het gevolg van een keuze tegen Domela, als van een keuze voor het parlementarisme.Show less
Research master thesis | History: Societies and Institutions (research) (MA)
open access
This thesis is about two scientific expeditions to Dutch New Guinea.The first to the Wisselmeren (1939)just before the Second World War, the second to the Sterrengebergte (1959) a few years before...Show moreThis thesis is about two scientific expeditions to Dutch New Guinea.The first to the Wisselmeren (1939)just before the Second World War, the second to the Sterrengebergte (1959) a few years before the transfer of Dutch New Guinea to Indonesia. These expeditions were organized by the Dutch Royal Geographic Society (Koninklijk Nederlands Aardrijkskundig Genootschap or KNAG). Many disciplines were involved: zoology, botany, geology, anthropology and many more specialisations. This research looks specifically at the interaction between the colonial state and the scientific expedition and the knowledge resulting from this relationship. Therefore it focuses on colonial anthropology and the changing notions of race and the 'other'.Show less
Research master thesis | History: Societies and Institutions (research) (MA)
closed access
Onderzoek naar collectes voor buitenlandse geloofsgenoten in de zeventiende eeuw. Centraal staat de vraag hoe internationale hulpverlening in de Republiek tot stand kwam, hoe die werd georganiseerd...Show moreOnderzoek naar collectes voor buitenlandse geloofsgenoten in de zeventiende eeuw. Centraal staat de vraag hoe internationale hulpverlening in de Republiek tot stand kwam, hoe die werd georganiseerd, hoe 'gewone' mensen werden betrokken, welke discussies daarover werden gevoerd en of de nood van geloofsgenoten gebruikt werd om de nationale agenda te beïnvloeden. De veronderstelling was dat de internationale calvinistische saamhorigheid, gebaseerd op het netwerk dat was ontstaan gedurende de zestiende eeuw, de basis zou vormen voor internationale hulpacties. Er ging zeer veel geld om in de internationale hulpverlening aan geloofsgenoten in de zeventiende eeuw. Ook in vergelijking met armenhulp blijken de giften aan buitenlandse geloofsgenoten aanzienlijk. Voor de overheid was de buitenlandse politiek leidend, voor de kerken speelde de dreiging ten aanzien van de gereformeerde kerk in eigen land de belangrijkste rol. Dit onderzoek heeft aangetoond dat de discussies in de publieke sfeer, bij de kerk en in de bestuurlijke organen elkaar beïnvloedden. Er is geen indicatie dat de calvinistische solidariteit in de zeventiende eeuw verminderde, de Republiek bleef de hele eeuw buitenlandse geloofsgenoten steunen. Discussies in de publieke sfeer en binnen de kerken hielden het calvinistische saamhorigheidsgevoel in stand. Deze studie heeft laten zien hoe die solidariteit werd gemobiliseerd en omgezet in concrete acties.Show less
Research master thesis | History: Societies and Institutions (research) (MA)
open access
2013-01-18T00:00:00Z
In the British House of Commons of the 1860s and 1870s, the concept of ‘democracy’ was despised by most of its members: the word carried a strong negative connotation. No one wanted to have a...Show moreIn the British House of Commons of the 1860s and 1870s, the concept of ‘democracy’ was despised by most of its members: the word carried a strong negative connotation. No one wanted to have a democracy, and no one wanted to be a democrat. Gradual franchise extensions (1867, 1884) transformed this valuation. Yet it took the British parliament decades of debates, and three parliamentary reform acts, before the concept of ‘democracy’ was judged positively by most members of the House. It was only after the Third Reform Act, during the Irish Home Rule debates of 1886, that a new consensus was reached: on the fact that Great-Britain was a democracy, and essentially ruled by ‘the people’. Twenty years before, during the Second Reform Act debates in 1866, such an utterance was unimaginable; it was perhaps desired by a few Radicals, but condemned by a broad majority. Hence, in the period from 1866 to 1886, the meaning and value of the concept of ‘democracy’ underwent a complete and unexpected change. How can we explain this conceptual turnover, from an essentially negative to a predominantly positive valuation? And how did democracy’s meaning shift? Those are the two questions that this thesis tries to answer.Show less
Research master thesis | History: Societies and Institutions (research) (MA)
open access
In this thesis I have attempted to determine to what degree the colonial discourse(the publicly expressed world view and moral codes of the ruling colonial elites)in the Netherlands-Indies...Show moreIn this thesis I have attempted to determine to what degree the colonial discourse(the publicly expressed world view and moral codes of the ruling colonial elites)in the Netherlands-Indies conflicted with the phenomenon of colonial hybridity. I have distilled the colonial discourse from the writings of multiple researchers and confronted this with everyday reality. I have gained my data about everyday in the Netherlands-Indies from the biographical interviews contained in the SMGI collection at the KITLV institute and from a pair of Indies writers. What I have found during my research was that everyday reality was far more hybrid and that people would associate and mix with other ethnic groups far more than the colonial discourse as spread by the colonial elites would suggest. The thesis itself is in Dutch.Show less
Research master thesis | History: Societies and Institutions (research) (MA)
open access
2012-08-31T00:00:00Z
This thesis explores two theoretical approaches of the dynamic interaction between religion and politics. In a case study, examining the sanctuary of Hera Akraia near the modern village of...Show moreThis thesis explores two theoretical approaches of the dynamic interaction between religion and politics. In a case study, examining the sanctuary of Hera Akraia near the modern village of Perachora, these theories are put to the test.Show less
Research master thesis | History: Societies and Institutions (research) (MA)
open access
This thesis is about the Parsis, a special Indian minority group who came to India more than a millenium ago. The Parsis became very wealthy and influential under British colonial rule and acquired...Show moreThis thesis is about the Parsis, a special Indian minority group who came to India more than a millenium ago. The Parsis became very wealthy and influential under British colonial rule and acquired great esteem as a colonial elite. After decolonisation of the British Indies, this picture completely turned upside town and a lot of Parsis left India for a western country such as the UK and the US. Thus, they had to reconstruct their identity both in India and the US and the UK. This thesis examines this double identity reconstruction by means of a combination of literary analysis and discourse analysis.Show less
Research master thesis | History: Societies and Institutions (research) (MA)
open access
This thesis compares two historical debates, the debate around the New Historians on the war of 1948 since the 1980s and the debate around the Cold War Revisionists in the US during the 1960s and...Show moreThis thesis compares two historical debates, the debate around the New Historians on the war of 1948 since the 1980s and the debate around the Cold War Revisionists in the US during the 1960s and 1970s. It links these debates to Raymond Martin’s thesis on progress in history that states that during historical debates historical interpretations will eventually become more comprehensive, better balanced and more justified, and that historiographical debates tend to converge after a brief period of interpretational divergence. The thesis argues that there is a difference between the historiographical trajectories in these two countries based on the respective socio-political circumstances. In both cases revisionist historians, claiming to pursue a more advanced historical narrative, challenged the prevailing mythical patriotic narrative. The revisionists –who themselves started out firmly on the political left- were in both instances aided by the changing socio-political realities of their day, such as loss of legitimacy of political establishments because of unpopular wars (Vietnam and Lebanon), changes in the international political context and generational shifts. While in the US the trajectory of the debate on Cold War historiography seems to confirm Raymond Martin’s thesis, the trajectory in the Israeli debate has not seen any convergence on the 1948 War. The thesis argues that this lack of convergence in the is linked to the socio-political circumstances in Israel.Show less
Research master thesis | History: Societies and Institutions (research) (MA)
open access
This thesis paper examines and looks at the events, which allowed an African trader to defeat a powerful Dutch trading company. The reason why this case is so historically relevant is because of...Show moreThis thesis paper examines and looks at the events, which allowed an African trader to defeat a powerful Dutch trading company. The reason why this case is so historically relevant is because of the dire consequences it had on the WIC’s Gold Coast economic output. The time period studied predates the war upwards of three years, and post dates the resolution to end all conflicts in excess of nine years. I used two major research strategies: (1) a thorough analysis of the Dutch West India Companies archives from 1759-1773 and (2) a quantitative and qualitative analysis of previously published data. Data has been collected from archives, published first hand accounts written by company officials and journeymen, and keyword searches on the Internet. This dissertation augments and reanalysis information provided by the field pacesetter’s professor P. Valsecchi and the late R. Baesjou. The focus is largely on uncovering the factors behind a failed WIC invasion, while keeping the actual historically relevant story intact. By doing the historical qualitative analysis in this manor it not only provides the reader with a better overall experience, but also aids further understanding in African warfare procedures. The reason why this is of such importance is because the WIC-Appolonian war of 1761-1764, had an ever-lasting impact on not only Dutch and British coastal procedure from henceforth but also on the very foundation of the modern day Nzema state.Show less
Research master thesis | History: Societies and Institutions (research) (MA)
open access
Beginning under the Flavian dynasty, large quantities of river personifications start to appear in Roman art and coinage, a trend which lasts until the third century A.D. These images are often...Show moreBeginning under the Flavian dynasty, large quantities of river personifications start to appear in Roman art and coinage, a trend which lasts until the third century A.D. These images are often regarded as little more than fashionable decorative items. This thesis argues however that, far from being merely decorative pieces, river personifications give us a unique insight in Roman ideas on geography, imperial power and civilization.Show less
