Political History Commons^™

Scientific Development Vs. Political Strategy: Nasa’S Commitment To Science Following The First Moon Landing, Sean Van Buskirk

Masters Theses

This work looks at the scientific program of NASA during the Space Race. (1961- 1975) During this period of the Cold War, NASA shifted it role from a political asset of the United States strategy to an agency of scientific discovery. This was not a smooth transition due to political opinions on the wastefulness and role of NASA. Many politicians, citizens and even scientists had doubts about the scientific potential of NASA’s manned missions to the Moon. Despite the power politics, the administrators at NASA were able to break out of the political arena and create a balanced program where …

Heroism And Indeterminacy In Oliver Stone's Jfk And Don Delillo's Libra, Tim Engles

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

What We Expected From National Socialism: Hermann Rauschning And Danzig's Lnterwar Radical Right (1918-1942), Nima Lane

Masters Theses

This project uses Dr. Hermann Rauschning as a case study to analyze the transformation of the German intellectual right, stretching from his early career in the Weimar Era to the post-1945 era. Rather than offer a purely narrative biography, this study uses the figure of Rauschning to examine the fate of the German right from the Kaisserreich to the aftermath of World War II. Rauschning, born in 1887, was both a political and intellectual figure. However, these aspects of Hermann Rauschning are not necessarily separate. Although some historians see Hermann Rauschning as unique, I argue that he is in fact …

Blurring The Spectrum: Exploring Queer Conservatism, Austin P. Mejdrich

Masters Theses

Running parallel to the groundbreaking and historic advancement of LGBTQ rights over the past decade has been the rise in the prominence and public discourse of queer conservative thinking. From the Log Cabin Republicans to far-right nationalistic politics, queer conservatives underscore both diverging ideologies within the modern American conservative tradition and the increase of far-right politics in Western societies. This study argues that queer conservatism, while traditionally less explored in the broader context of sexuality politics, is consequential to an understanding of the LGBTQ community and queer politics. Thus, an exploration of queer conservatism as a political ideology is explored, …

"A Babe In The Woods?": Billy Graham, Anticommunism, And Vietnam, Daniel Alexander Hays

Masters Theses

This thesis focuses on famous evangelist Billy Graham's role in the Vietnam War, both as a public supporter and private advisor. It argues that, contrary to his self-depiction, he was no "babe in the woods," no mere neophyte or bystander. Rather, America's most famous preacher was an active participant in promoting and even planning the war. Graham's evangelical theology, with his premillennialist beliefs, led to his intensely anticommunist worldview, where communism was the Antichrist. His public support buttressed the presidents prior to and during the Vietnam War and, sometimes, Graham even delved into policy recommendations for the war.

Graham's role …

The Power Of The Periphery: Aid, Mutuality And Cold War U.S-Ghana Relations, 1957-1966, Moses Allor Awinsong

Masters Theses

This project interrogates how economic self interest motivated periphery states such as Ghana to use foreign policy as a vehicle to attract improved development assistance from superpowers, in this case the United States. While the United States viewed its aid program in Ghana in stringently Cold War terms, Kwame Nkrumah and his advisors were less inclined to get deeply concerned about Cold War ideology. This project shows that Ghanaian agency was manifested in the Cold War through the new state's construction of a foreign policy image that made it a prominent African voice globally. It then examines how that image …

Revolutionary Decade: Reflections On The 1960s, Booth Library

Booth Library Programs

Photo galleries and supporting exhibits can be found on the REVOLUTIONARY DECADE exhibit page.

Exhibit Dates

This exhibit was displayed at Booth Library September 9 - November 20, 2014

The Political And Personal Tension Between Tom Bradley And Daryl Gates, Ryan Repking

2013 Awards for Excellence in Student Research & Creative Activity - Documents

"Los Angeles in the early 1990's was a virgining metropolis, boasting of its diversity of a world city posed to be the gateway of the pacific. Los Angeles was home to over a 100 ethnicities from all points of the globe; it was perceived to be the international city that was going to lead America into the 21st century." 1 The city's pictureous landscape of beautiful sky scrapers, however hid dangerous social and racial fault lines. In only a matter of time tensions would boil over, and two key political figures, Los Angeles Police Chief, Daryl Gates and Mayor of …

Putting The Ill In Illinois: How The Suffrage And Antisuffrage Movements In Illinois Transformed Themselves And The Nation, Emily Scarbrough

Undergraduate Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

‘High Feeding And Smart Drinking’: Associating Hedge-Lane Lords In Exclusion Crisis London, Newton Key

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

The New Frontier: The Presidential Election Campaign Of Jfk, Bryan Wuthrich

Masters Theses

This thesis is an examination of the Kennedy election campaign. It is a narrative and also a brief examination of how this campaign was put together and how the Kennedy campaign staff was formed. The main perspective that it takes is from the vantage point of the Cold War which serves as driving force behind the main issues of the campaign. It is the primary argument of this thesis that the Kennedy campaign marked a period of transition whereby America began to formulate a coherent ideological position for itself as leader of the free world and come into its own …

A Radical Cure: Thomas Dimsdale, Radical Republicanism, And The Montana Vigilantes During The Civil War, Gregory Aydt

Masters Theses

In late December of 1863, a group of men in the fledgling Idaho Territory formed a vigilance committee to rid the area of criminals. In little more than a month, the committee hanged twenty-one men, including the area's sheriff, Henry Plummer. This work deals with these events which took place in and around the mining camps of Bannack and Virginia City in Idaho Territory, now in the state of Montana, during the winter of 1863-64. It attempts to answer the following questions: What circumstances led to this significant outbreak of lynch law? Who decided that a vigilance committee was the …

The South Tyrol And The Principle Of Self-Determination: An Analysis Of A Minority Problem, Eva Pfanzelter

Masters Theses

For almost three quarters of a century the South Tyroleans had fought for the preservation of their ethnic identity. The idea of self-determination introduced by Woodrow Wilson in 1918 legitimized their quest for protection of their ethnicity and language. Yet, the peace of Paris of 1919 denied the South Tyrolens' the right to self-determination and incorporated the German-speaking territory of the South Tyrol into Italy. During the following two decades Italian fascism eliminated the South Tyroleans' right to struggle for their cultural identity. Mussolini's ideology pursued the Italianization of the South Tyrol. The German-speaking minority in Italy could not even …

A Fabric Unravelled: The Rise Of Party Politics In York, England, 1679-88, Vernon A. Mcguffee

Masters Theses

Many historians are engaged in a debate over whether party politics emerged in England before 1688. Perhaps the most prominent current conflict is between Jonathan Scott and Tim Harris. Scott believes that, despite ideological foundations, political parties could not exist before 1688 because of their lack of organization. Harris, on the other hand, argues that parties were indeed organized, and this organization revolved primarily around religion. Harris charges historians to examine the political structures of the localities to help resolve the debate. This thesis does just that. It looks at England's second city, York, from 1679-88 and addresses the question …

Causes Of Political Revolution, Alazar Gebil

Masters Theses

This essay is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in political science at the graduate school of Eastern Illinois University. The essay intended to elaborate the basic definitions, theories, ideologies and causes of political revolution.

This thesis relates historical facts and events of the American, Russian, Cuban and Iranian Revolutions to the causes, definitions, theories, and ideologies of general revolutions. The main theme is that governments' failures caused the continued social unrest such as demonstrations, strikes and upheavals. When an opposition group was well organized and represented by intellectuals equipped with political …

The Trials Of Len Small, William R. Harshbarger

Masters Theses

Len Small, governor of Illinois from 1921 to 1929, was a politician associated with the Lorimer-Lundin-Thompson political machine which influenced Illinois politics from 1897 until the late 1920s. During that era, Small held offices in the county and in the state Senate. He served one appointed term as United States subtreasurer, two terms as state treasurer, and two terms as governor. Small ran six times for governor: 1912, 1920, 1924, 1928, 1932, and 1936. He came to the governorship in 1920 following a bitter feud between his patron, William Hale "Big Bill" Thompson and Frank O. Lowden. As a result, …

Lincoln And Oregon, Todd Hageman

Masters Theses

The Civil War is one of the most significant events in American history. President Abraham Lincoln’s term in office was dominated by the War, therefore the study of Lincoln has likewise been dominated by War developments. The War’s battles were overwhelmingly concentrated in the eastern United States, and hence the American west has largely been ignored by Lincoln scholars. This study attempts to uncover Lincoln’s policy toward Oregon, including War developments and his domestic policy, to partially fill the “western gap” in Lincoln scholarship.

Oregon was admitted to the federal Union in 1859, and by Lincoln’s election in 1860 that …

Social Dependency And Chinese Political Economic Reform, Jiang Li

Masters Theses

This study of Chinese politics, economics, society and culture is intended to contribute to better understanding of the contemporary reforms in China. This task was not easy due to the facts that China has not been open to direct observation, and its policies were influenced by unpredicted changes.

This thesis is concerned with the reforms and changes that occurred during the years starting 1978 up to the present time. In 1978, the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Communist Party of the Chinese Central Committee in Beijing, marked the beginning of the reforms in China. The Chinese leaders made efforts …

The Republican Party And Civil Rights, 1877-1976, Gordon E. Sparks

Masters Theses

There have been many works written on both the Republican and the Democratic parties. Many works have also described the problem of civil rights and the historical difficulties blacks have had in an attempt to fit in politically. These works, however, have left out one major aspect of this process. Relationships of blacks to the political parties themsevles must be studied to understand one aspect of their continuous struggle for civil rights in America.

It is time that an overview be done on how the political parties have dealt with the civil rights problem throughout their histories. The Republican party …

The American Reaction To Germany's Annexation Of Austria, Mark A. Tarner

Masters Theses

Germany's annexation of Austria in March 1938 was the cumulation of almost twenty years of Austrian dissatisfaction with the Treaty of Saint Germain, the lack of consistent political and economic support by the western democracies and the international instability of the 1930s. All these factors worked in favor of pro-Anschluss Germans and Austrians and to the handicap of the allies. Once Adolf Hitler came to power, he drastically changed German policy toward Austria. Anschluss had special significance for Hitler and his decision to abandon an evolutionary revision of Austria's political status to one of radical expansionism and annexation proved fatal …

The Diplomacy Of William Jennings Bryan, Patricia Sue Chism

Masters Theses

William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925) was Secretary of State for the first two years of the administration of Woodrow Wilson, from 1913 to 1915. During that time he sought to implement his views of diplomacy which were based upon his political and religious beliefs. His emergence on the national political scene in 1896 had been based upon his commitment to the welfare of common man which was inherent in his espousal of Populist principles. As Secretary of State he promoted policies, especially in Latin America, designed to advance the democratic form of government, which he believed best served the interests of …

Egypt: The Shifting Cornerstone To The East-West Balance Of Power In 1956, David C. Dalgaard

Masters Theses

The seizure and subsequent war over the Suez Canal in 1956 is the major theme of this work. The effects on the international situation and world events are analyzed. The major participants, Great Britain under Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden, France under Premier Guy Mollet, Israel under Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, and Egypt under President Gamal Nasser, are developed from their personal aspirations and goals surrounding their actions.

These actions led to the chain of events which disrupted the bipolar balance of world power. The United States' containment policy was breeched. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles did not adequately …

The Fragmentation Of The Ulster Unionist Party, Declan Lawson George Hall

Masters Theses

In 1973, the Ulster Unionist Party fragmented after fifty years as the dominant party within Northern Ireland. However, this fragmentation did not simply occur in reaction to the events of the 1960's and early 1970's. It was a long ongoing process that can be traced back to the 1940's and 1950's.

This study is concerned with the splintering of the Ulster Unionist Party and the reasons that lay behind the division. The first contention in this thesis is that the Ulster Unionist Party was never the single united political party that it was often supposed to have been. It was …

Social Democracy In North America: A Canadian Example, Rodney Lavern Johnson

Masters Theses

This thesis attempts to discuss a unique political phenomenon in North America - successful Canadian socialism. The first part discusses a workable definition of ideology and a theoretical approach to the explanation of legitimate ideological diversity. The second part of the paper explains the socio-economic and political milieu of Western Canadian society in the early twentieth century and the evolution of a consequent Anglophone socialist movement in response to this environment. The third part discusses concurrent Francophone political phenomena.

Ideology is defined as an amalgamation of commonly agreed upon principles designed to promote a particular communal or national interest. Gad …

An Analysis Of Israeli Domestic Political Characteristics And Their Affect On The Middle East Conflict, David Hight

Masters Theses

The conflict in the Middle East is a turbulent situation of great significance to the entire world. This study examines the internal political scene of Israel and its affect on the overall Middle East situation. It focuses on ideology, structure, and policy within Israel as components of that scene.

The ideology of Zionism provided the justification for the creation of Israel and continues to form the basis for governmental decision making there. An analysis of the principles of Zionism and of the statements, writings, and actions of Zionist leaders showed that the ideology could reasonably be interpreted as racist and …

The Failure Of The Peaceful Road To Socialism: Chile 1970-1973, Trevor Andrew Iles

Masters Theses

On September 4, 1970 Salvador Allende became the first ever democratically elected Marxist president of Chile. In addition he headed a predominantly left-wing coalition government whose program entailed the achieving of socialism by peaceful means.

During the first six months of his administration Allende began to carry out a number of his policies in the areas of agrarian reform, nationalization of industries, and redistribution of income. These policies were populist in nature and succeeded in raising the level of support for the Unidad Popular government as shown by the results of the April 1971 Municipal elections. I argue that the …

The Balfour Declaration And International Law, Thomas Noreuil

Masters Theses

An American general who formerly headed the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization in Palestine stated recently: "The American mind is being manipulated as far as Palestine is concerned." He was referring to Zionist manipulations. My own experiences with the Zionist Organization of America, which refused to answer any of my requests for varied information, confirm the general's charge. My own acquaintance with the Palestine problem has revealed that the equities involved in the area have been buried under a mass of distortion, misinformation and insidious propaganda which have misrepresented the actual facts and veiled the historical and legal truth to …

Belize (British Honduras): Odd Man Out, A Geo-Political Dispute, Gustave D. Damann

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Descent Into History: Chicago, Ideologies And Repression 1917-1918, Richard Allen Morton

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Socialists Within The Black American Experience, 1917-1924, John M. Andrick

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.