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Which Past for the Soldier? Military History, Historical Education, and the Ethics of Democracy in Germany Today
No full textThe construction of tradition in the military depends on the meaning given to certain aspects of the past in the light of the pres- ent. West Germany’s history of tradition-building since 1955 is a case in point. After the end of Nazism, the new democratic armed forces, the Bundeswehr, was supposed to distance itself from the Wehrmacht by emphasizing the “civil” role of soldiers. Communicating historical knowledge became part of their democratic education rather than a guideline for military performance. Institutions such as the Center for Military History and the Museum of Military History, travel exhibitions, as well as popular scientific journals have contributed to an understand- ing of what is worthy of tradition – in particular the Prussian reforms, the plot of 20 July 1944, and the history of the Bundeswehr itself. Such references to the past – so the argument goes – help soldiers in combat to better grasp the ethical framework of military operations, provide orientation, and support their identity. Whether and how traditions should be adjusted according to changing military conditions remains controversial
Young People’s Perspectives on How ‘Zhuz’ and ‘Ru’ Clans Affect Them: Evidence from Three Cities in Post-Soviet Qazaqstan
No full textAfter the collapse of the Soviet Union, elites seeking political power in the newly independent Qazaqstan fostered the use of clan affiliations, such as ‘Zhuz’ and ‘Ru’, in order to develop a Qazaq identity. However, this change resulted in clan politics at both the elite and individual levels, which have become an integral part of today’s clan divisions in modern Qazaq society. The main purpose of this paper is to explore how contemporary young Qazaqs perceive Zhuz and Ru clan-based kinship divisions to affect them. The research objectives of this work are achieved through an extensive review of the relevant literature, as well as through a careful analysis of the outcomes of semi-structured interviews (n=20) and online surveys (n=200) with young people from Nur-Sultan, Aqtau, and Shymkent. This article finds that young Qazaqs perceive Zhuz and Ru clans mainly to affect them in terms of employment, marriage, and online media
Väliskogukonnapoliitika kujunemise mehhanismid Šveitsi ja Austria näitel
No full textDiaspora Policies and Policy-Making: The Cases of Austria and Switzerland
The aim of the article is to analyze how the political arena influences diaspora and transnationalism policy-making. For this purpose, the structure and activities of diasporas and domestic political processes are thoroughly scrutinized. The empirical dimension focuses on the case studies of Austria and Switzerland by employing a ‘Most Similar Systems Design’ and draws parallels to the case of Estonia. The theoretical base of the article rests upon classical and contemporary approaches to diaspora and transnationalism, as well as different approaches exploring the relationship between politics and policy. As a research method, a mixed-methods approach is pursued. The results indicate that the otherwise similar cases of Austria and Switzerland differ noticeably in terms of the development of transnationalism policies. It is indicated that on the one hand, the size of the emigrant community and its structure, as well as the organization of its interests, its political rights and electoral behavior affect diaspora policies. On the other hand, domestic political factors, such as party competition, public opinion and debates concerning emigrant communities and transformations regarding the employed paradigm of governance, play a crucial role as well. It can be emphasized that these factors are to a great extent interrelated
Rajasõltuvus maakonna valitsemiskorralduses Eestis
No full textPath Dependence in County Governance in Estonia
The article analyses the development of county governance in Estonia, with a particular emphasis on path dependence. County government was chosen for the case study, because several similarities can be observed between the development of county governance during the interwar and post-communist periods. The author concludes that, for decisionmakers, it was important to de-institutionalise raion, therefore placing county governments in the beginning of the 1990s on a path of constant weakening until they were abolished in 2018
Петер Гржибек (22 ноября 1957 – 29 мая 2019)
No full textIn memoria Петер Гржибек (22 ноября 1957 – 29 мая 2019
Book Review: Red Hangover: Legacies of Twentieth-Century Communism
No full textRed Hangover: Legacies of Twentieth-Century Communism by Kristen Ghodsee, 2017, Durham, NC: Duke University Pres
Book Review: Becoming Activists in Global China: Social Movements in the Chinese Diaspora
No full textBecoming Activists in Global China: Social Movements in the Chinese Diaspora by Andrew Junker,2019, Cambridge: Cambridge University Pres
Одно письмо П. А. Вяземского [One Letter by Pyotr Vyazemsky]
No full textThis is a prefaced and annotated preprint of a much larger corpus of Prince Pyotr Vyazemsky’s letters to the editor of the journal “Russkii arkhiv” (“Russian Archive”) Pyotr Bartenev. In this particular letter of the 6th (18th) of February, 1877, Pyotr Vyazemsky discusses some editorial matters, and reveals his caution towards his correspondent’s sentiment triggered by the Serbo-Turkish war: “Kruppovskie pushki i molitva ne ladiat mezhdu soboi” (“Krupp guns and prayers do not get along with each other”)
Explorations in the Avantgarde. Review of: Георгий Левинтон. Статьи о поэзии русского авангарда (Slavica Helsingiensia 51). Helsinki: Department of Modern Languages, 2017. 275 pp.
No full textThe present review addresses a recent book by Georgy Levinton Stat’i o poezii russkogo avangarda (Articles on the Poetry of the Russian Avantgarde), published in 2017, in the well-known book series Slavica Helsingiensia
The Alpine Campaign of 1799 as a Stepping Stone to a Doctrine of Mountain Warfare
No full textThe Russian Imperial Army fought for the first time in the mountains in 1799, when Alexander Suvorov led his corps from Italy across the Swiss Alps to join the Russian forces at Zurich and expel the French Army from Switzerland. His soldiers were skilled professionals who had won an impressive series of battles in Italy against the French. Suvorov did not anticipate problems in the Alps, being convinced that he would easily sweep away the small French garrisons deployed on his way. Yet, because of inexperience in mountain warfare, Suvorov’s corps struggled against enormous strategic, tactical, and logistical chal- lenges, lost half of its manpower and failed to attain its goals. The Swiss trek shows that mountain warfare defies amateurism, dilettantism and spontaneity. Even though mountains are located on the verges of Rus- sia, the Russian and then Soviet armies ignored the peculiarities of mountain warfare and fought every new campaign in the mountains the same way they would fight on the plains, with predictably dire consequences