History Commons^™

Judicial Murder: The Witch-Craze In Germany And Switzerland, Albert Winkler

Swiss American Historical Society Review

Among the most remarkable and puzzling social, religious and legal movements of the late Middle Ages and Early Modern periods of European history were the witch-hunts. Historians have often disagreed on the exact time frame of the witch-craze, but these actions largely spanned three centuries roughly from 1450 to 1750, most of which took place from 1500 to 1650. Some estimates on the number of people accused of witchcraft and those executed for the supposed crime reach into the hundreds of thousands. Professor Nachman Ben-Yahuda has stated, “From the early decades of the fourteenth century until 1650, continental Europeans executed …

President’S Report For 2022, Albert Winkler

Swiss American Historical Society Review

New President: As of October 2022, I no longer function as the president of the SAHS. The new president is Fred Gillespie. He is a long-term member of the Society and has served as president in the past, and I am sure he will do very well. The position as president was overwhelming for me, and I found it very difficult to serve as both the Editor-in-Chief of the SAHS Review and as president. I can now concentrate my time and effort to publish the SAHS Review.

Financial Report For The 2021-2022 Fiscal Year October 1, 2021-September 30, 2022, Ernie Thurston

Swiss American Historical Society Review

BALANCE SHEET

Opening Closing 10/1/2021 9/30/2022 Assets 101 Checking Account 11,398.05 8,426.23 Assets 102 Vanguard STAR Fund, Unrestricted 70,948.45 53,388.82 Assets 102-A Vanguard STAR Fund, Restricted 10,000.00 10,000.00

Outreach Activities For The Sahs, Rob Sherwood

Swiss American Historical Society Review

On July 5, 2022, I visited Jan Sparkman at the Laurel County Historical Society, London, Kentucky. Ms. Sparkman is no longer the President of the of the Society, but she was the contact point that I had made. They have been in their building, a former County Health Department since 2007. They do not pay any rent nor utilities. It is a good space with lots of local history items, cemetery records, family history, etc. They have a small museum with images and artifacts about local history and have saved many primary records (marriage, land deeds, etc., from a neighboring …

End Matter

Swiss American Historical Society Review

No abstract provided.

Art And Power: How The D'Este Family Ruled Renaissance Ferrara, Luke Ziegler

Tenor of Our Times

During the Renaissance, the d'Este family ruled the Northern Italian city of Ferrara. To make up for their modest land holdings, the d'Este chose to exert influence and control over Italian politics through artistic patronage. The court of Ferrara became known for its beauty, intelligence, and sophistication. All the dukes of Ferrara contributed to the city's cultural significance, and elevated Ferrara as one of the dominant cities on the Italian peninsula.

Conflicts In The Families Of Parish Priests In 18th Century Ukraine, Oleksandr Lukyanenko, Vitaly Dmytrenko, Vita Dmytrenko

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The study demonstrates how the religious worldview of early modern man influenced the formation of family values and relationships in the families of church and clerics. The paper is based on the analysis of religious texts that were the basis of the contemporary Orthodox idea of the ideal family, comparing them with notes on the daily life of religious figures of the early modern period and with archival sources. The thesis analyses the conflicts in priests’ families in Ukraine in the early modern society that was lenient with the “dosed” violence of the father in the family. The priest chose …

Christian Denominations On The Territory Of Ukraine In The First Half Of The 20th Century (1900-1939), Fedir Prodanyuk

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article examines the state of Christian denominations in the territory of Ukraine in the first half of the 20th century. It has been established that the Christian religion occupied an important place in the life of Ukrainian society. However, the period of prosperity and oppression simultaneously fell in the first 40 years of the 20th century. The confessional policy of the Soviet Union, which came to replace the tsarist authorities, gave a limited privileged position for some Christian churches while creating harsh conditions for other denominations. As a rule, these were Protestant movements, but the Orthodox Church also experienced …

Analysis Of Letters From Representatives Of Religious Bible Student Groups (Badaczy Pisma Świętego) In Poland During The Nazi Occupation, Roman Orlovskii, Denys Shpak

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The founder and leader of the International Bible Students movement was Charles Taze Russell (1852–1916), an eminent religious figure, the first president of the Watch Tower Society. After his death, the denomination he created split into a number of communities: Jehovah's Witnesses, as well as various groups of Bible Students who refused to recognize the authority of the Watch Tower Society under the rule of subsequent presidents. The followers of these groups, who recognized only the works of Charles Taze Russell, lived in different countries of the world, including in Poland. There are practically no scientific works devoted to the …

Fooling The West: Top-Secret Work Of The Kgb Manipulating Protestants Of The Ussr Regarding Religions Outside The Ussr, 1954-1957, Oleksandr Korotaiev

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article presents the issue of the use of the Protestant clergy by the Soviet special services in matters of intelligence and counterintelligence work abroad and among the Baptist World Alliance delegations that visited the USSR in the 1950s. The article contains the names of KGB agents and their secret pseudonyms and describes for the first time the specific areas of their intelligence work, which they conducted under religious cover in the interests of the KGB, the Soviet regime abroad, and in the USSR. The article also publishes excerpts from a top-secret KGB document (“Measures to strengthen the intelligence and …

Strategy And Tactics Of Soviet Security Bodies In The Fight Against Religion And Religious Communities On The Territory Of Ukraine, Olha Shakurova, Oksana Vysoven, Yuriy Figurnyi, Natalia Varodi

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article analyzes the strategy and tactics of state security agencies in the fight against religion and religious Protestant communities on the territory of Soviet Ukraine. It was revealed that the communist totalitarian system, in order to maintain its dominant position in society and master fully the consciousness of its population and influence its spiritual life (strategic task), shortly after the end of the Second World War, in 1946 in the system of the newly formed Ministry of State Security of the Soviet Union of the Socialist Republics and its republican departments created new special operational departments endowed with extraordinary …

"The War Factor" In The History Of The Late Protestantism In Ukrainian Lands Via The Policy Of The Russian Autocracy, Roman Sitarchuk

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article explores the impact of war on the movements of late Protestantism on the territory of Ukraine. The study is based on the three largest Protestant denominations in Ukraine: Baptists, Pentecostals, and Adventists. Due to the refusal of the Protestants to do military service and fight with weapons, the Russian autocracy suppressed and created difficult conditions for believers of the Protestant denominations on the territory of Ukraine. Before the First World War, the refusal of Protestants to engage gave the state an argument for why the Protestants were not reliable members of society. This study uses as a basis …

Front Matter

Swiss American Historical Society Review

No abstract provided.

Leo Schelbert Prize

Swiss American Historical Society Review

The Leo Schelbert Prize is awarded to the best submitted undergraduate or graduate research paper. The topic can be on anything that relates to the mission of the Swiss American Historical Society, which focuses on increasing an understanding of Swiss and/or Swiss-American history.

Obituary For Leo Schelbert, Fred Steiner

Swiss American Historical Society Review

A major scholar of Swiss history and Swiss Americans, his connection with the Swiss-American Historical Society was inseparable, as he helped shaped the Society’s direction.

He served the Society as co-editor of the Review with Heinz K. Meier (1970-1986), as president (1975-1980), as sole editor of the Newsletter/Review (1980-2002), co-editor with H. Dwight Page (2002-2006), as editor of the Society’s book series (1981-2013), and as a member of the editorial board for the book publications.

Sahs Business Meeting—October 8, 2022 Washington, D.C., At The Martin Luther King Jr. Library, Robert Sherwood

Swiss American Historical Society Review

Present – Morning Meeting had 14 people. Approval of Office Holders: All are as in agenda with the following exceptions: • Interim Financial Secretary should read Treasurer • Richard Hacken as Webmaster, not Secretary • Brian Wages will be the Assistant Webmaster. • Duane Freitag moved to close nominations; Richard Hacken, 2nd; unanimous vote • Ernie Thurston moved to accept nominations; Richard Hacken, 2nd; unanimous vote • President – Albert Winkler served as president for three years. Possibility of Fred Gillespie serving again as president. Nominations from the floor with Fred Gillespie (nominated by Ernie Thurston, 2nd by Richard Hacken; …

Report Of The Editor-In-Chief Of The Sahs Review, Albert Winkler

Swiss American Historical Society Review

A Good Year for Articles

I wish to state that the quality and variety of publications in the SAHS Review for 2022 remain strong. The February 2022 issue included four good articles including the “Battle of Dornach in 1499,” the “History of the Swiss Consulate in New York,” “Swiss Heritage Preserved at New Glarus Museum,” and “Glarus and Scranton: Benefits and Costs of Industrialization.” The article on the Swiss Consulate was first published in 1926, so it is now in the public domain. The Swiss Consulate in New York asked us to publish it, so I had to type it …

Membership Report, Ernie Thurston

Swiss American Historical Society Review

To: Members of the Swiss American Historical Society From: Ernie Thurston, Membership Secretary Subject: Annual Membership Report

IN BRIEF: We have 194 current members, a 2% decrease from the 198 reported last year at this time. Several members made extra contributions this year totalling $865.00. And one member paid the $500.00 to be come a Life Member: Joseph H. Smith.

Annual Report Of The Swiss Chapter, Switzerland, Barbara Müller

Swiss American Historical Society Review

The Friends of the Swiss American Historical Society annual meeting was held at Basel, Switzerland, on September 7, 2022. It began at 11:30 AM with a motion by Barbara Müller, President of The Friends of the Swiss American Historical Society and Vice President of the Swiss Chapter of the Swiss American Historical Society, to approve the minutes from last year’s annual meeting. It was seconded and approved. The minutes from the meeting held on September 8, 2021, in Zurich, Switzerland include:

• Draft Minutes for the annual meeting on September 3, 2020, were approved.

• A gift and thank you …

Friends Of The Swiss American Historical Society Financial Accounts Ending August 31, 2022 (In Swiss Francs), Kurt Morf

Swiss American Historical Society Review

BALANCE SHEET 2022 2021 CHF CHF

Assets UBS Account Ending balance 15,505.17 15,167.83 Investments 0.00 0.00 Other Assets 0.00 0.00 Miscellaneous + 0.00 + 0.00 Total Assets 15,505.17 15,167.83

Full Issue

Swiss American Historical Society Review

No abstract provided.

The Origins Of Democracy In Switzerland, Thomas Quinn Marabello

Swiss American Historical Society Review

Switzerland is one of the world’s oldest continuous democracies. Since the Middle Ages, Swiss cantons engaged in democracy at the local level, which led to the Federal Charter of 1291. This important document laid the foundations for the Swiss Confederacy, an alliance of cantons that eventually became a unified democratic nation in the heart of Europe. For over seven centuries, Swiss democracy has impacted people and institutions in Switzerland and elsewhere. America’s founders were well versed in Swiss political institutions and borrowed from them when creating the Constitution of the United States. As democracies come under attack and see their …

New President’S Report, Fred Gillespie

Swiss American Historical Society Review

Dear Members of the Swiss American Historical Society,

This is my second stint as president of the SAHS. During my first term, I was asked how I became president. I facetiously replied they couldn’t find anybody who wanted the job. I believe my performance while hardly perfect was acceptable since I am back. I hope not to repeat my mistakes.

Swiss Presidents Report For Usa, Barbara Müller

Swiss American Historical Society Review

Dear Members of the SAHS,

Membership is a key concern to us and unfortunately this year we have lost three members here in Switzerland. One due to death, Dr. Lucie Zehnder; one member, Anselm Zurfluh, has asked to be taken off the list, and The Institut des Suisse Dans le Monde is closed. Christine von Graffenried has cancelled membership as of 2023 so that will be reflected in 2023.

Sahs Website Report, Richard Hacken

Swiss American Historical Society Review

The Website of the Swiss American Historical Society is one of the Society’s show windows to the world. The site consists of seven main pages.

About Us, the landing site and first web page, gives our mission statement and goals along with other general information and long-term announcements, such as the dates and locations of annual meetings for the next three years. There is also a listing of the officers of the Society with contact emails and a stand-alone “Contact” button for easy and rapid access to the Society from curious visitors.

2022 Tell Award For Scientific Achievement And Cooperation, C. Naseer Ahmad

Swiss American Historical Society Review

Each year, the Swiss Embassy in the United States of America awards the Tell Award. This prestigious award is named after the legendary Swiss hero William Tell who symbolizes the struggle for political and individual freedom because he overcame the tyrannical rule of Albrecht Gessler who terrorized Swiss people.

Archival Enterprise Across Early Modern Europe: A Review Essay, Kristen J. Nyitray

Provenance, Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists

In the early modern era, archives were a conduit for information transfer across Europe. Historians have increasingly centered archives and archivists as actors in scholarship of Early Modern European (c. 1450-1800) historical concerns. In particular, two linked areas of inquiry have been emphasized: the impact of archives on forming European identities, and the influence of European archivists on shaping archives. Studies of archives are rich sources that tease out ideological shifts in early modern times. This essay discusses recent literature and seminal writings contributing to understandings of emergent archives and archival practices across Early Modern Europe. Exploring the concept of …

Still Sticking To The Big Brother: History, German Protestantism, And The Ukrainian War, Katharina Kunter

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

It has often been revealed, in the great historical upheavals of contemporary history, that a quick, situational ad-hoc assessment and reaction is not the strength of German Protestantism. This was the case after the collapse of Imperial Germany (Kaiserreich) and the sovereign church regiment (Landesherrliches Kirchenregiment; summus episcopus) in 1918, as well as after the end of the Second World War, when German Protestantism was long at odds with democracy and Adenauer's ties to the West.4 The Peaceful Revolution in the GDR in 1989 (during the civic uprisings of 1989/90 in the other Central European countries) also surprised the leaders …

Confession As A Multifunctional Holy Sacrament Of The Ukrainian Orthodox Population Of The 17th-19th Centuries, Olena Borodenko, Vasyl Fazan

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Цель. Статья посвящена проблеме многофункционального исследования конфессиональной обрядности мировоззрения и религиозной принадлежности украинского православного населения XVII-XIX вв.

Методы исследования . Междисциплинарный интеллект строится с преимуществом формально-логического метода познания в истории религии, социально-религиозной истории и интегрируется с избранными направлениями психологии и философии.

Основные результаты.Святое Таинство Исповеди представлено как проявление искреннего покаяния верующего в своих грехах, с верой в Бога-Творца, в Его милость, с надеждой на исправление жизненных проступков через отпущение грехов священником. По признанию, одним из побудительных факторов можно считать страх и набожность человека. Главной целью религиозного обряда было укрепление соблюдения в обществе христианских нравственных норм нравственности и гражданского права. …

Sacred Architecture And Interreligious Dialogue In The Concept Of The “Russian World”, Oleksandr Lukyanenko

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article continues a series of studies illustrating the formation of the idea of the “Russian world” in the religious discourse of Orthodox Russia. The main attention is paid to ideological stamps used by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow during sermons and public speeches. The study summarizes the idea of the exclusivity of the Russian spiritual path in contrast to the West, which supports the annexation geopolitical policy of Vladimir Putin. The article provides examples of falsification of historical facts in the religious and political spheres in order to create a powerful propaganda background in the conditions of the Russian-Ukrainian war. …