History Commons^™

Utopian Catholic State Or Murderous Racist State? Sacralization, Myth, And Politics In The Croatian Ustasha State 1941-1945, Nika Burja, Michael Gonzales Phd, Kathryn Statler Phd

Research Month

Background Information: Ustasha was the Croatian fascist movement that ruled Independent State of Croatia or NDH from 1941-1945. It was considered a puppet state of Nazi Germany, basing much of its ideology on Nazi racial theory. Like the Nazis, Ustasha deemed Jews, Gypsies, and Slavs to be subhuman and a poison to the pure Croatian nation and thus needed to be removed. In addition to eugenical racial theory, the Ustasha ideology was also heavily influenced by Roman Catholicism.

Research Question: What are the different ways the Ustasha utilized Catholic values, symbols, and rituals, as well as fascist ideas on eugenics …

The Imagined Histories And Futures Of The Past: Wwi And The Cultural Imagination, Kelly Aliano

Far West Popular Culture Association Annual Conference

In this paper, I look at various modes of imagining the futures incarnated by the First World War, beginning with artists and writers, like Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Erich Maria Remarque, who experienced and depicted the war from a firsthand point of view. From here, I expand that framework to include J.R.R. Tolkien, whose masterpiece Lord of the Rings may owe no small debt to his wartime experiences. I consider the Doctor Who episodes, “Human Nature” and “Family of Blood,” as contemporary attempts to reinsert WWI into the cultural consciousness. Finally, I look at the two versions of War Horse …

Bad Blood: Hemophilia And It’S Detriment To The Russian Imperial Family, Tessia A. Hoffman

Young Historians Conference

Monarchies have often defined the flow of history. Their decisions and ideas affect whole countries, which can lead to a crisis if the ruler is unable to lead effectively. A lack of leadership can bring about war, famine, political instability, and political unrest, all of which occurred in Russia during the 19th and 20th centuries. The poor decision-making of Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra brought about civic unrest that eventually led to their downfall. In addition to the unstable country, the Imperial family was also struggling with the state of their only heir, who had inherited the genetic disorder …

The Failure Of The Anabaptist Kingdom Of Münster, Sonja Cutts

Young Historians Conference

In February 1534, after rebelling against the authority of their Catholic prince-bishop, the German town of Münster fell under Anabaptist rule. During the next sixteen months, the city’s religious leaders would advocate in favor of Münster becoming a “community of goods,” in which all goods are shared in common. However, their egalitarian dream never fully materialized. This paper examines how the hidden motives of Münster’s political leaders both helped the Anabaptist Kingdom of Münster come into being and prevented the accomplishment of its economic goals.

Operation Mincemeat: The Impact And Influence Of Wwii’S Most Daring Intelligence Operation, Maya N. Dasilva

Young Historians Conference

In 1943, during the height of the Second World War, the dead body of a man in his early thirties was released from HMS Seraph submarine off the southwest coast of Spain. This corpse carried fabricated letters outlining the Allies’ plan to attack Greece and Sardinia which convinced German forces to defend Greece and move away from the real target, Sicily. This successful, radical, and deceptive operation led by Ewen Montegue to disguise the Allied Invasion of Sicily using false-intelligence tactics forwarded the Allied victory and increased the prevalence of deception in war. This paper explores Operation Mincemeat’s revolutionary nature, …

Beyond Rudolph: The Cultural Impacts Of Reindeer Herding On The Sami, Ava A. Trueworthy

Young Historians Conference

The reindeer is a quintessential symbol of the Sami, the indigenous people of Northern Scandinavia. Reindeer have always been integral to Sami culture, but they have not always had the same significance that they do now. In the 16th and 17th centuries, reindeer herding practices shifted from small-scale domestication to large-scale reindeer herding and nomadism. This paper explores the political and cultural dynamics that surrounded this shift: pressure from encroaching settler nations, dwindling resources, and a loss of traditional practices. Ultimately, this shift irrevocably impacted Sami identity. Knowledge of the historical factors surrounding the transition to reindeer nomadism is essential …

Paving The Way: Women In Music At Ferrara, Italy During The Late 1500s, Ella Yarris

Young Historians Conference

During the late Renaissance period, musical advancement and development thrived in the courts of dukes around Italy. However, in Ferrara around 1580, a group of women began to gain unprecedented attention for their court performances and dedication to music. Interestingly, this region was also home to a prolific group of cloistered musicians. This paper explores the impact that the Ferrarese madrigal singers would have on the future of music professions for women of all social classes, as well as the relationship of court music to religious music in a time where life as a whole was becoming more secular.

Don't Breathe: An Analysis Of The Factors Of The Victorian River Thames' Restoration, Lucie N. Jain

Young Historians Conference

In the summer of 1858, the River Thames of London was polluted beyond recognition, producing an intolerable smell that reached all corners of the city and inspired a surge of rhetoric commenting on the state of the once adored river. Prior to the nineteenth century, the Thames was the jewel of London and the main source of the city’s prosperity. However, industrialism took a toll on the river’s beauty and health, and the once pristine waterway was quickly spoiled in the space of mere decades. Tracing back to nineteenth century London, this paper aims to explore the causes of the …

The Troubles: Root Causes Of Tension In Northern Ireland, Eleanor M. Snyder

Young Historians Conference

Since the first British invasion of Ireland in the 12th century, the native Irish people have been negatively affected by British presence and rule. When the English first set out to conquer Ireland, they did so on the notion and basis of religion, aiming to anglicize the Irish people. The ramifications of creating a class of people, who were second to the British colonizers, have remained persistent throughout history and into present times. The modern culmination of this historical conflict occurred in the 1960’s during the time of the Troubles. However, this Northern Irish conflict was not divided on theological …

Schism And Suppression: Early Threats To The Esperanto Language, And Resulting Impacts On International Acceptance, Anabel E. Cull

Young Historians Conference

The constructed language of Esperanto, created by Polish linguist Ludovic Lazarus Zamenhof in 1887, was founded with the intention of facilitating global peace and unification. Due to the mission and philosophy of the language, known as Esperantism, Zamenhof’s invention gained popularity among political reformers and communities facing religious discrimination. Aiming to resolve conflict through common language, Esperantism inspired hope amidst the increasingly oppressive social and political climate present in Eastern Europe and Russia during the early 1900’s. This paper explores the contributing factors to Esperanto’s decline, and the impact of internal conflict, political affiliation, and religious significance on efforts to …

All About Dynamics: Katherine Howard's Hidden Story, Samantha E. Knofler

Young Historians Conference

Often considered Henry VIII’s “wanton wife,” Katherine Howard’s story has been twisted and appropriated throughout the centuries to fit the propaganda of the court or the perceived love story between her and Thomas Culpepper. No older than nineteen at the time of her beheading, Howard supposedly professed “I die a queen, but would rather die the wife of Culpepper.” However, through an in depth analysis of primary sources and new scholarship, her story is far more complicated than previously considered. Transcripts from court documents, witnesses throughout her life, and her own words paint less of a romantic tragedy and more …

Of Vultures, Souls, And Galen: Theology And Medical Cures In Early Medieval Europe, Christina Cannon

Campus Research Day

Examining how medical cures in early medieval Europe reflect the theology of the time is one that involves tracing and defining the emergence of a more defined field of "medicine," beginning with Galen. The work briefly examines prevailing contemporary views of the relation of body to soul, as well as what medical cures looked like. Understanding how 'pagan' thought was conceptualized and related to 'Christian' thought during the period is also helpful, and the work seeks to broadly consider these themes while noting particular examples that answer the question of how theology and medicine were related in medieval Europe.

Invisible Yet Free: Sapphic Relationships In Late 19th Century Europe, Penelope Van Batavia

Student Academic Conference

Sapphic relationships, described as romantic relationships between two women, were able to proliferate without the watchful eye of society in late 19th-Century Europe due to many factors, including the lack of importance European society felt women had. While not entirely able to pronounce their relationships in public, these women were often able to operate somewhat publicly in three main types of common or “accepted” sapphic relationships. These include intimate friendships, “mother-daughter” models, and hetero-passing relationships. Since historical research on sapphic relationships before the 1970s was almost non-existent (beyond the chastising of such relationships) a number of women and queer academics …

“If People Really Knew, The War Would Be Stopped Tomorrow": How The Press, The British State, And The Public Interacted During World War I, Faith Chudkowski

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Textual or Investigative

Patrick Pearse: Nationalist Traditionalist Revolutionary And The Murder Machine, Levi Berg

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Patrick Pearse was a major figure in the struggle for Irish independence from the United Kingdom. As a gifted scholar and teacher, he outlined his views for Irish education in an essay entitled "The Murder Machine". The presented research argues that Pearse had both nationalist revolutionary ideas and traditionalist ideas, bringing them together in a paradoxical vision for the future of Ireland and its children, and that this vision is what ultimately led to the Easter Rising of 1916.

The Twilight Of Liberty: Lessons For The United States From Rome’S Dying Republic, Matthew Mccracken

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

A historical comparison of the rise of ancient Rome and the United States as great republics, how the former dissolved under the weight of social, political, and cultural strife, and how the latter may avoid a similar breakdown.

Left To Blind Destruction: An Exploration Of Post-Punk Britain Through The Lens Of Manchester's Own Joy Division (1973-1980), Emily Wingfield

Capstone Showcase

This thesis explores the UK post-punk movement, looking at how the movement emerged within the political and social climate of 1970s and early 1980s Britain and the key characteristics of the genre. I also provide a deeper exploration of the movement through a case study of Joy Division. The central questions within my research are: What was the social and political climate of Britain during the 1970s and 1980s? How did this influence the emergence of the post-punk movement? What are the complexities and nuances of Joy Division and its place in the Manchester music scene? How do these earn …