Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Shaken, Not Stirred: Espionage, Fantasy, And British Masculinity During The Cold War, Anna Rikki Nelson

Master's Theses

This project seeks to define and explore the development of Cold War British masculinity and national identity in response to decolonization. Following World War II, Great Britain experienced a time of political and cultural rebuilding. This project argues that following World War II, Britain had to renegotiate gender and national identity within the context of decolonization, the rise of the welfare state, and Britain’s diminished role in global politics, and the tensions within gender and national identity were expressed in Britain’s interest in espionage narratives both real and fictionalized. British spy novels by Ian Fleming, Desmond Cory, and John Le …

The Reluctant Colonization Of The Falkland Islands, 1833-1851 : A Study Of British Imperialism In The Southwest Atlantic, Shannon Warnick

Master's Theses

After the Napoleonic Wars, British leaders increasingly objected to large burdensome formal annexations. Hence, when South American markets opened in the 1820s British leaders considered using nearby island bases to ward off regional rivals. Britain therefore occupied the Falkland Islands in 1833. Despite governing the world’s strongest industrial and naval power however, British leaders neglected the Falklands’ progress as a colony from 1833 to 1851. Dogmatic faith in “efficiency” and free trade in the 1840s led to modest commercial progress by largely unfettered private interests in the islands, but led to little improvement in defense or society. This study uses …

Queen In Peril : The Elizabethan Parliament Of 1584-85, James Vernon Madison

Master's Theses

In November 1584 Queen Elizabeth I summoned her fifth Parliament. Over twelve years had elapsed since Parliamentary elections had been conducted, which resulted in a young and inexperienced House of Commons in 1584. Normally Parliaments addressed the granting of a subsidy, local issues, and concerns of the realm. However, this Parliament's primary concerns were with the protection of Elizabeth and the safety of the realm. In the months preceding the Parliamentary session London began receiving signatures to the Bond of Association. This unique document implemented a unified front against any person or persons involved with the untimely death of Elizabeth. …

Lord Lansdowne's Peace Letter And The Controversy It Caused, Mary Virginia Burton Cash

Master's Theses

This study analyzes the letter Lord Lansdowne published in the 29 November 1917 Daily Telegraph and the varied reactions to it. The letter and his Cabinet Memorandum, which preceded it by a year, give no evidence of the traitorous, cowardly, sick, or tired old man his detractors portrayed. The detractors naturally included his political opponents, but also Americans such as Theodore Roosevelt and William Jennings Bryan. Interestingly, most abuse came from those of his own party with whom he had served his country in a variety of offices. This thesis explores the mystery of how a statesman could, by the …

Capital Punishment : Public Opinion And Abolition In Great Britain During The Twentieth Century, Carol A. Ransone

Master's Theses

Some form of capital punishment has been practiced for as long as there has been recorded history. Early laws were generally harsh and failed to consider the impact of crime on society. In 621 B.C. the Code of Dracon recorded the laws observed in Athens. The Code of Dracon revealed that almost all offences were punishable by death. Two centuries later a more humanitarian attitude was expressed in Greece. Plato believed in the segregation and reform of the criminal rather than his execution.

In England the death penalty for felony convictions was traced to the reign of Henry I. It …

Elizabethan Foreign Policy : 1567-1585, Jo Anne Reynolds

Master's Theses

The topic of this paper, "Elizabeth Foreign Policy: 1567-1585", evolved from an attempt to analyze Anglo-Spanish relations during the same period. The interrelatedness of the religious and political problems among the major powers of the period led this author frequently into considerations outside the original sphere of interest. While the topic was expanded in scope, it should be noted that the paper attempts to deal only with the more significant factors affecting English foreign policy and not not pretend to illuminate the complex and changing national situations elsewhere. Specific external events are introduced only when they directly affect Elizabeth foreign …

Monopolies During The Reign Of James I., William Charles Thompson

Master's Theses

The Statue of Monopolies or 1624 occupies a prominent place in the economic history of England. It was the first national patent law to contain all the essentials, and thereby made a large contribution to England's later technical progress.