History Commons^™

Vive Le Proletariat: The 1968 Revolt Of French Workers And Students, John Duhan

Honors Theses

1968 was a watershed year in terms of social change across the world. While countries behind the iron curtain like Czechoslovakia, Poland and Hungary were fighting for more reasonable government, western countries such as Germany, Italy, the United States, and France all dealt with uprisings from communist student groups. The unique aspect of the French Revolt of 1968, versus similar revolts in places such as The United States, or Germany, was the relationship between college students and members of the French working class.

For this essay I split the French working class into two separate groups: the immigrant workers, and …

Behind The Hijab, A Narrative On The Muslim Presence In Britain In The Postwar Era, Cassidy Alexandra Von Springer

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Just Good Advice: The American Advisors In The Vietnam War, Anna Rikki Nelson

Honors Theses

This thesis uses government documents and post-combat interviews to explore the effectiveness of the American Advisory effort during the Vietnam War. This study focuses on the war in 1963 and 1964 before American ground forces entered the war and the advisory effort changed to include supporting American forces. By analyzing the reasons given by each advisor for his successes and failures, the American military could learn why the initial advisory effort failed, and why some American advisors could not work well with their counterparts in the Vietnamese leadership.

Chapter One examines the advisory effort as a whole before and during …

More Catholic Than The Pope: An Analysis Of Polish Devotion To The Catholic Church Under Communism, Kathryn Burns

Honors Theses

Poland is home to arguably the most loyal and devout Catholics in Europe. A brief examination of the country’s history indicates that Polish society has been subjected to a variety of politically, religiously, and socially oppressive forces that have continually tested the strength of allegiance to the Catholic Church. Through the partition period, the Nazi and Soviet invasions during World War II, and the institution of communist power following the close of World War II, the Polish people met religious hostility that threatened to permanently sever Polish faith to the Catholic Church. However, despite attempts to break Polish allegiance to …

A Zine Of One's Own: Diy And Alternative Expression Among The Beats And The Riot Grrrls, Lauren Brown

Honors Theses

In my thesis, I investigate the cultural, artistic and political effects of the Beat Generation and a subculture within Generation X known as the Riot Grrrls. Both groups serve as an alternative to their mainstream cultural counterparts-the Beats are a reaction to 1950s post‐war suburbia, and the riot grrrls subvert the pop‐culture overload and the backlash against feminism that is indicative of Generation X. Arising in the midst of the conformist 1950s, the Beats were a group of writers and artists, some of them women, who were willing to fight against the constraints of male‐dominated “Wonder bread” culture. Similarly, the …

Going To The Movies The Origins Of The American Cultural Experience, Phoebe Cooper

Honors Theses

My thesis examines the cultural formation of the social experience of “going to the movies.” There is no doubt of a unique quality associated with going to the movies that holds a significant place in America’s cultural history. It is quite difficult to imagine life without movies. Their visually stimulating effects successfully captivate our minds and allow for a short period of solace from reality. Furthermore, there is something magical at work in the social tradition of going to the movies where the idea of sitting in a dark auditorium filled with strangers all sharing the same viewing experience. This …

The Roots Of The U.S.-Israel Relationship: How The Cold War Tensions Played A Role In U.S. Foreign Policy In The Middle East, Ariel Gomberg

Honors Theses

Today the relationship between the United States and Israel includes multiple bi‐lateral initiatives in the military, industrial, and private sectors. Israel is Americas most established ally in the Middle East and the two countries are known to possess a “special relationship” highly valued by the United States. Although diplomatic relations between the two countries drive both American and Israeli foreign policy in the Middle East today, following the establishment of the State of Israel the United States originally did not advance major aid and benefits to the new state. While current foreign policy focuses on preserving the strong relationship with …

A House Divided: The Development Of The Ideological Divide Of American Jewry And Its Influence On The American Response To Nazi Germany 1933-1943, Daniel Gross

Honors Theses

This thesis examines the response from the different American Jewish groups during Hitler’s rise to power and the subsequent Holocaust, and how the ideological divide that formed between Zionists and non-Zionists ultimately shaped the ultimately limited their ability to exert political influence toward policies to aid European Jewry. The main groups that were analyzed were the American Jewish Committee, the Joint Distribution Committee, B’nai B’rith, the American Jewish Congress, the World Jewish Congress, and the Zionist Organization of America. For purposes of analysis and clarity, the groups can be divided along the lines of extreme Zionist, which included the two …

The Ideological Reconstruction Of Southern Elite White Women Before During And After Reconstruction, Lindsey Halse

Honors Theses

The purpose of my research is to reevaluate and extend the commonly understood time frame of Reconstruction by scholars to include Southern women’s ideological Reconstruction as well as provide a particular perspective on women during this era, which is underdeveloped in literature. Elite, white women during the Civil War began a journey towards independence and involvement in the public sphere. This evolution occurred approximately fifteen years behind similar actions taken by Northern women; this paper attempts to explain this lag. Additionally, my research asserts that Southern women were forced in a sense to become independent during the Civil War while …

Irish Travellers And The Transformative Nature Of Media Representation, Aisling Kearns

Honors Theses

The Travellers, a nomadic group of people indigenous to Ireland, have long been marginalized in Irish society as a result of discrimination. The Travellers themselves have had a history of working to keep themselves separate from the settled Irish, essentially maintaining their own ethnic identity. Traveller culture has undergone a number of changes since the 1960s, a period of increasing urbanization and economic transformation in Ireland. With the changes in both Traveller culture and Irish society as a whole, there has been a corresponding shift to a more positive relationship between the media (newspapers, documentaries, and commercial films and television) …

Lessons From Florence: The Savonarolan Movement, Joseph Kiernan

Honors Theses

This thesis examines the life of Girolamo Savonarola (1452-1498), a Renaissance preacher from Ferrara, Italy. From his early beginnings as a student of theology, to his years spent preaching from the pulpit in the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral in Florence, this paper shows how his life transformed into one driven by the Will of God. The thesis is divided into three sections. The first section covers the early life of Savonarola and how hatred for the materialistic and sinful world, along with the teachings of his grandfather, drove him towards religion. The second section focuses on Savonarola executing the …

South Carolina: From A State Of Rebellion To A State Of Change A Study Of Reconstruction In South Carolina From 1866-1872 Through A Partisan Press, Samantha Killeen

Honors Theses

The United States was not always as united as its name suggests. In the middle of the nineteenth century, as the country was in turmoil, the nation was divided between the North and the South, ultimately resulting in a four year Civil War. By 1865 the regions’ tensions around the strongly contrasting views of partisanship, the role of the Federal government, and race were fully exposed. Between 1865 and 1877, the nation embarked on a path of Reconstruction as a way to rebuild itself. This path had three different phases – Presidential Reconstruction, Radical Reconstruction, and Redemption. However, South Carolina, …

Why Are We So Interested In Buddhism?, Victoria Leach

Honors Theses

Buddhism in American mainstream society and an identification of the categories of the New American Buddhist. The introduction is a critical look at the type of Buddhist practitioner including demographics and their personal history that introduced them to the Buddhist tradition, discovered by previous researchers. This also takes into account Buddhism in popular culture. Then to continue that research I employed my own methods, influenced greatly by phenomenology, to go out into the field to conduct my own qualitative study on local Buddhist groups to see if my experience corresponds to previous research. I collected data on demographics, religious history, …

The Public History Of John Adams: How And Why A Fresh Portrayal Of The Founding Father Americans Previously Looked Past Has Recently Formed, Brianna Mccarthy

Honors Theses

Although Adams has received much less recognition in the form of monuments, namesakes, and in the sheer volume of attention from historians over the span of American history than his Revolutionary colleagues, he has recently begun to gain a lot more attention. In the past twenty years or so, interest in John Adams has risen dramatically among historians and the public.

Mary Tudor And The Politics Of Gender, Melissa E. Procton

Honors Theses

Gender played a distinct role in Mary Tudor’s accession and reign as England’s first sole female monarch from 1553-1558. In order to understand how a female heir was molded for queenship and ultimately went forth to lead a nation, this study examines the following aspects of Mary Tudor’s life: her early education, Tudor political culture, affinity connections formed during her brother Edward VI’s reign, political training for queenship, and the fundamental issue of gender verses religion for Protestants during her reign. This thesis aims to examine how gender shaped Mary Tudor’s political training and ultimate role as England’s monarch. Along …

Modifications Vs. Modernization: Korean Gayageum In The 20th Century, Soun Sheen

Honors Theses

After the period of Japanese colonization and the Korean War in early 20th century, Korea rapidly adapted to Western influences as it recovered from the nationwide political and economic turbulence. As Western culture quickly traditional Korean cultures, Korean recognized the importance to conserve their authentic characteristics. Music played an important role during this cultural revival/ Korean musicians began to internalize the imported Western music to create a new traditional music, through which Korea sought to re-establish its national identities. However, this manipulation of traditional music to conform to the Westernizing society has led to dilution of the unique musical qualities …

Automobiles Autarky And Authority: The Effects Of Nazi Centralized Economic Planning 1932-1942, Andrew Stinchfield

Honors Theses

This thesis examines the benefits and drawbacks of Nazi centralized economic planning. From an entirely political and economical standpoint, Hitler and the National Socialists’ highly regulated and restrictive policies were initially beneficial for Germany because they created a centralized economic vision and improved national morale. The liberal ideology of the Weimar Republic resulted in major class divisions within the nation, where laissez-faire economics left middle-citizens marginalized and at the mercy of profit-seeking big businesses. The Wall Street Crash of 1929 exposed the weaknesses of liberalism and resulted in a massive rise in political resentment. The regime accumulated power because their …

The Great European Empires: British And Roman Rule, Edward A. Tomlinson

Honors Theses

The greatest European imperial forces ever to exist were Rome and Britain. They controlled much of their known world and subjugated many foreign peoples to their rule. Rome ruled lands from India to the Atlantic Ocean, while Britain had colonies across the entire globe. The British Empire was at the height of its power in the Nineteenth Century, nearly 1200 years after the city of Rome was sacked by invading barbarian tribes. Even with more than a millennia passing between the fall of one empire and the rise of the other; they still shared many similarities in their manner of …

Sexual Assault And Sane (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners) In Our Community, Emily Barrow

Honors Theses

Sexual assault and sexual violence is a problem in our society, with one in four college women report surviving rape (15 percent) or attempted rape (12 percent) since their fourteenth birthday, and about 42% of survivors did not tell anyone about their rape. Research on the subject is being done and information in a special report, Extent, Nature, and Consequences of Rape Victimization: Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey (NVAWS), conducted by American Prosecutors Research Institute and Boston College Connell School of Nursing, exposes some alarming statistics. The study reveals that over half of female victims and nearly …

Hans Von Seeckt: Reformer Of The Reichswehr, Aaron Miller

Honors Theses

During the Great War, armies saw the transition from mobile war to static war. This resulted in an astronomical death toll and a war of attrition. When the war was over, the Allied Powers wrote the Treaty of Versailles with the hope of dismantling the German military to such a degree that Germany would never again be able to threaten the world. Despite these restrictions, the German army during the Weimar Republic (the Reichswehr) sought to rebuild its fame and power in Europe. In this process, General Hans von Seeckt, the Commander-in-Chief of the Reichswehr, emerged as a …

Sisters Of The Spirit: Black Women In The Civil Rights Movement, Terra Warren

Honors Theses

No abstract available.

The Forgotten Pandemic: A Short History Of The 1918-1919 Influenza Outbreak & The Effect On Kalamazoo And Western State Normal School, Katie Jones

Honors Theses

The influenza outbreak of 1918-1919 began its widespread destruction in September of 1918. Before the outbreak was over, more than twenty-five percent of the United States population became ill. However, the United States was not alone in this silent war. The influenza outbreak (named the “Spanish Flu” or “La Grippe” at this time) killed approximately fifty million people worldwide and is still considered to be the “world’s worst pandemic” since the onset of written history. The state of Michigan, including Kalamazoo and the campus of Western State Normal School were not immune to this highly contagious virus. From October 1918 …

The Politicization Of Biblical Analysis By Protestant Army Chaplains During The American Revolution, Andrea Stevens

Honors Theses

This thesis analyzes the presence of political ideology within sermons delivered by chaplains in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. In particular, this thesis studies sixteen sermons delivered by Episcopal, Anglican, Congregationalist and Presbyterian chaplains between the years 1776 and 1802. The analysis of these sermons reveals an influence of the political climate during the Revolution on the ways in which the chaplains taught from the Bible. This essay begins with the formation of the chaplaincy as a response to four main needs of the soldiers: the need for a justifier, encourager, disciplinarian and religious teacher. The chaplains referenced …

Morale Maintenance In World War Ii Us Army Ground Combat Units : European Theater Of Operations, 1944-45, Kevin Kane

Honors Theses

This paper examines how both the Army as an organization and its small unit leaders attempted to maintain the soldiers’ morale in the European Theater of Operations during World War II. Morale was critical to the Allied victory in the war, yet the morale of frontline GIs was often neglected. This occurred with such frequency that many combat soldiers suffered from a new category of wound known as “combat exhaustion.” Through an examination of what influenced combat soldiers’ morale, a clearer understanding of what the Army did well and how it failed to support combat GIs emerges, as does an …

The Process Of Preparing A Historical Exhibit Involving Textiles: Conservation And Mounting Techniques, Emily Kelley

Honors Theses

"The Process of Preparing an Historical Exhibit Involving Textiles: Conservation and Mounting Techniques" This project revolves around textile conservation, with an undertone of collections management. The processes detailed are to serve as a guide for creating mounts for historic textiles and to give preliminary information on how conservation works and how to identify textiles that are appropriate for conservation and display. Addressed in this project are the methods behind choosing which textiles to exhibit, mounting different types of textiles, and the three basic types of textile conservation. Choosing objects for an exhibit requires thought and consideration, for the desired story …

Green Light Over The Drop Zone: American Army And Marine Paratroopers In World War Ii, Audrey Lomax

Honors Theses

One of the greatest military inventions to come from World War II, a war unprecedented in casualties, geographic scale, and technology, was the addition of Special Forces to the military. As a pioneer of Special Forces in the United States, the airborne proved to be one of the most unique, dangerous, and expensive Special Forces in the war. By the end of 1940, many belligerent countries had airborne units, including Russia, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Japan, France, and the United Sates. American Chief of Air Service William Mitchell came up with the idea at the end of …

When The Confederates Terrorized Maine: The Battle Of Portland Harbor, Carter Stevens

Honors Theses

Saturday, June 27, 1863, dawned brightly over Portland, Maine. As the city’s residents began to go about their weekend business, they suddenly realized that the Caleb Cushing, the United States Revenue Cutter (U.S.R.C.) which had been stationed in Portland Harbor on and off again since 1853, was missing. Rumors flew about a traitorous Southerner on board, the work of pirates on the coast, and more. Before the day was over, the revenue cutter would be destroyed and the Casco Bay area would be transformed forever, a victim of one of the northernmost events of the Civil War on the periphery. …

Enlightenment Science And Nano-Science: Creating Order Out Of Magic, Elizabeth Ramsey Frey

Honors Theses

People today live in a world dominated by technology. All of the conveniences and technologies people enjoy and utilize today, however, would not exist without the foundation of empirical science laid during the Enlightenment. This thesis looks at the Enlightenment both as a philosophical movement and as the setting of the Scientific Revolution. The leaders of the Enlightenment and Scientific Revolution began the tradition of utilizing reason in research, founded empirical science, and developed the scientific method. This thesis traces the development of science during the Enlightenment and seeks to prove that Enlightenment science set the stage for the science …

White Female Criminals In Civil War Richmond, 1860-1865, Frances Sisson

Honors Theses

This study tells the story of white female criminals and addresses the problem of the white female criminality and the resulting reaction of the patriarchal society in Richmond, Virginia during the Civil War, specifically the years 1861-1864. During the Civil War, white female criminality became a daily occurrence because of the wartime conditions in Richmond, such as inflation and overpopulation. Because of the established patriarchal society and the lack of emphasis on the women's rights movement in the South, the female involvement in crime during the war was extremely shocking to the male driven society. The judicial system struggled with …

"Kill The Indian, Save The Man," Americanization Through Education: Richard Henry Pratt's Legacy, Lindsay Peterson

Honors Theses

"Even wild turkeys only need the environment and kind treatment of domestic civilized life to become a very part of it.” Richard Henry Pratt made this observation while preparing for Thanksgiving with his family in 1867 in response to his interactions with Native Americans on the frontier. He served out West as second lieutenant in the 10th United States Cavalry, an African American regiment. The basic idea behind Pratt’s mentality was that the Indians’ inferiority was cultural, not racial, and that even Native Americans could become educated and “civilized” if only given the same opportunities provided to white Americans, African …