Political History Commons^™

Strike A Pose: Propaganda In Augustus' And Mussolini's Imperial Imagery, Colleen Syler Parker

History Theses & Dissertations

In Ancient Rome, the transition from Republic to Empire was a volatile time. Augustus used his skills as a propagandist to consolidate his military position and craft specific images after the death of Julius Caesar. Augustus needed to appeal to Roman ideals in leadership, and recover the morality and traditional family values which had become lost in the Late Republic. In conjunction with this, he attempted to bolster religion and create a lasting legacy in a dynastic and architecturally structural sense.

Almost two thousand years later, Mussolini echoed many of the same themes as Augustus in his use of romanitá …

"Adoption Will Determine The Worthiest Successor": Roman Imperial Adoption, Stephen C. Hebert

History Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examines the process by which successors to the Roman Principate were chosen under the Julio-Claudians, Flavians, and Antonine dynasties. Rome extended its hegemony over the Mediterranean and Europe with citizen-farmer legionaries who were loyal to the senate and Roman state. Warfare necessitated the creation of a professional army in which loyalty shifted from that of the state and senate to their respective military commander. Generals such as Sulla and Caesar used their legions to gain power establishing new political precedence from which future ambitious generals built upon, ultimately leading to the end of the Republic and the birth …

The Office Of War Information Vs. The Foreign Nationalities Branch: The Roosevelt Administration And The Poles, Kristen Brooke Archambeau

History Theses & Dissertations

The Roosevelt Administration created two information agencies during World War II. The Office of War Information, consisting of a Domestic Branch and Overseas Operations Branch, disseminated information to occupied nations overseas. The Office of Strategic Services' Foreign Nationalities Branch gathered information on the political undercurrents of ethnic groups within the United States and provided information on their possible effects to the administration.

This work seeks to compare the policies of the Overseas Branch of the Office of War information with those of the Foreign Nationalities Branch of the Office of Strategic Services, with the Poles and Polish-Americans as a case …

"In This Time Of Close Trial": An Examination Of Quaker Women's Roles And Political Activism In Philadelphia, September 1777-April 1778, Kimberly Ann Stinedurf

History Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the flexibility of Quaker women's roles in their domestic, sacred, and secular communities. It traces the experiences of a group of Philadelphia Quaker wives and mothers who were forced to support their families when revolutionary authorities arrested and banished their husbands to Virginia during the American Revolution. First, it investigates Quaker women's duties in their households and suggests that gendered responsibilities overlapped significantly for eighteenth-century Quaker men and women. By considering the Quaker husband-wife relationship and the Quaker parent-child relationship, one may conclude that Quaker gendered tasks were not rigid. Chapter Three proposes the idea that Quaker …

Hearts And Minds, The American Revolution In South Carolina: A Study In The Application Of Militia Violence To Influence Politics, Paul K. Reimann

History Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examines both the military and political aspects of the genesis and application of militia violence in South Carolina immediately prior to and throughout the Revolution. It assesses the affects of violence on the part of both Patriots and Loyalists in controlling the support provided by the colonists to either army in South Carolina. Warfare in the Southern Colonies transformed, for the patriots, from the accepted European style of battle to the more successful employment of the frontier militia in the role of partisans.

Hearts and Minds argues that the use of violence by the rebel militia was an …

Lord Baltimore's Charter And The Definition Of The English-Colonial Relationship In The Seventeenth Century, Christopher D. Purnell

History Theses & Dissertations

In the years 1650 to 1658 the Maryland colony faced severe political instability as a result of the conflict between Proprietor Cecilius Calvert and the Puritan population settled in Ann Arundel County. The roots of the conflict were found in the colony's royal charter, which conferred the Catholic proprietor with extensive powers of government. The Puritan population found this concentration of authority in the hands of a Catholic government intolerable and appealed to the English Commonwealth to void Baltimore's colonial charter. Instead Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell allowed the charter to stand, and in doing so ratified the differences in conditions …

"They Are Gone And I Am Going": The Battle Of Memphis 6 June 1862, Matthew T. Eng

History Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examines the 6 June 1862 naval battle of Memphis between the Confederate River Defense Fleet and Union Ram Fleet and Western Flotilla. In just under two hours, the crowded and anxious populace lined along the Memphis bluffs witnessed the complete destruction of the last remaining Confederate fleet along the Mississippi River. Within the combined Union army and navy operations throughout the late winter and spring of 1862, the clash of iron-wielded rams and gunboats that occurred on a casually warm June morning tells much of the scope of the western war and its importance in ultimately securing the …

Dr. Thomas Walker's Influence On Thomas Jefferson's Lewis And Clark Expedition, Kari Kemper Tudor

History Theses & Dissertations

The greatest accomplishments of Thomas Jefferson's presidency were the purchase of the Louisiana territory, which doubled the size of the United States, and the discoveries made by the Lewis and Clark expedition. These were not just single events that sprang into being in 1803, as we learned in elementary school, but the fulfillment of a lifetime of study and effort for Jefferson. Many factors influenced Jefferson to make the decisions that culminated in these twin events.

This thesis examines the role of Doctor Thomas Walker, who was Thomas Jefferson*s guardian, neighbor, and friend, to demonstrate the influence of a lesser-known …

The Interaction Of Domestic Politics And English Naval Operations During The Civil War And Interregnum, 1642-1660, Don P. Crowson

History Theses & Dissertations

The interaction of domestic politics and the English Navy during the Civil Wars and the following interregnum is analyzed. The period of interest is during the reign of Charles I (1646-1649); the Commonwealth (1649-1653), when the government functioned essentially as a republic; and the Protectorate, (1653-1660), when the executive function was performed first by Oliver Cromwell and then by his son, Richard Cromwell. A brief description of the immediate preceding years is included to establish the political climate of the time.

The major events with political implications are considered in detail. They are: (1) the struggle between Parliament and the …

The Sharper Image: Bringing Irish Nationalist Identity Into Focus, 1880-1923, Meghan M. Ferriter

History Theses & Dissertations

From 1880 to 1923, Irish nationalists created and sustained an independent cultural identity shaped by external and internal forces. British political cartoons reveal key external cultural perceptions of the Irish, while Irish nationalist writings endorse internal concepts of character and project political aims. Irish nationalists present an uninterrupted internal identity in pursuit of autonomy. Images published in Punch, or the London Charivari, provide external factors of identity that evolve from exaggerated threat to trivial concern while the nationalist political demands they represent escalate.

Identity is the product of complex interaction and compromise between external and internal definitions. Individuals …

Austrian Patriots And German Nationalists: Political Radicalism And Austrian Identity In Fin-De-Siècle Vienna, Scott O. Moore

History Theses & Dissertations

The political atmosphere of the last decades of the Austrian Empire is often characterized by the outbreak of radical political movements. These movements were sharply critical of the political, social, and economic developments which resulted from the state's transition into a modern, industrial society. Two of these movements, the Christian Socialist Party, led by Dr. Karl Lueger, and the Pan-German Nationalist Party, led by Georg von Schonerer, became notable for their use of anti-Semitism as a means of vocalizing these criticisms. While these two groups were contemporaries, Lueger's Christian Socialist's achieved unparalleled success, dominating Viennese politics by 1900; and Schonerer's …

"Those Who Can Suffer The Most": Cultural And Religious Symbols Within Irish Republican Prison Protests, Betsy L. Morgan-Cutright

History Theses & Dissertations

Hunger striking was a powerful weapon used by the Irish Republican Army throughout the twentieth century. This study will attempt to answer the question of which specific symbols were visible during the prison protests and hunger strikes in Northern Ireland from 1976 to 1981. It will also address how such symbols relate to the cult of Irish Republican martyrdom and Catholicism.

Several symbols manifested themselves during this time period. Upon examination, a pattern emerges where two overriding yet contradictory themes were used far more frequently than any other. These two themes were those of traditional Irish Republicanism and Irish Catholicism, …

Fueling And Fortifying The Foundational Machinery: Religious Necessity And Enlightened Republicanism In America's Founding, Jennifer L. Dyar

History Theses & Dissertations

The debate over the role of religion in the Revolution and Founding of America continues to rage despite years of fruitless wrangling. The obvious influence of Enlightenment thought on these events has led many historians to focus exclusively upon reason's authority, abandoning consideration of religion as a substantive force entirely and concluding it to be incompatible with Enlightenment ideology. Reason and religion, however, were neither incompatible nor mutually exclusive in the Founding. In both their revolutionary struggle for independence and their erection of a governmental framework, the Founders unquestionably utilized Enlightenment rhetoric and reason. This alone, though, was insufficient firs …

Bolshevism And The Avant-Garde: Marxist Ideology And The Aesthetics Of Soviet Film, 1923-28, Garrett H. Booker

History Theses & Dissertations

When Eisenstein's Strike burst onto the cultural scene in 1925, Soviet cinema began a creative odyssey that left to posterity a brilliant collection of films that redefined the manner in which audiences viewed them. Not only was the form of these films dynamic and innovative, but their content captured the heroic actions of a new historical subject, the revolutionary proletariat. As the Soviet State assumed control over the production of films, politics imprinted its indelible mark on the content of these films, especially as Stalin tightened his grip over all aspects of artistic life. The author of this project will …

The Anaconda's Head: The U.S. Consular Service In British North America, 1861-1866, Myron Becker

History Theses & Dissertations

Although the story of how Confederates attempted to spur rebellion in the North during the Civil War has been the subject of historical research, virtually nothing has been published about the work of Northern operatives in Canada during the period 1861-1866. Extensive research in the Library of Congress, the National Archives, and the Royal Canadian Archives and Library demonstrates that a team of U.S. Consuls and detectives led by David 8. Thurston thwarted Confederate efforts to launch those insurrections. The Southern strategy was to create so much havoc that the Union would negotiate a peace that would preserve the Confederacy. …

The Catholic Church In The Nicaraguan Revolution: Interdependence And Social Movements, Eric W. Frith

History Theses & Dissertations

In July 1979, Anastasio Somoza Garcia fled Nicaragua, signaling the beginning of a true revolution, in every sense of the word. The triumph of the Nicaraguan Revolution hinged primarily on the development of a broad-based opposition coalition that included workers, peasants, the bourgeoisie and conservative upper-classes, students, and Catholic Christians. For centuries the Catholic Church in Nicaragua had maintained a mutually supportive relationship with the State. In the mid-1960s, however, a social movement began to sweep through the Church at the grassroots, causing the foundations of the Church-State relationship to shift dramatically. This social movement manifested itself in a common …

Henri Iv As Military Commander, Terence W. Loveridge

History Theses & Dissertations

Henri IV won the throne of France as a feat of arms in a time of great social, religious, economic and military transformation. Militarily, Henri has generally been regarded as a gallant, opportunistic and lucky cavalry commander whose remarkable sense of timing and flexible personal principles enabled him to play a major role in the ending of the Wars of Religion in France. Current debate over the "Military Revolution" of the sixteenth century and the "Revolution in Military Affairs" of the twentieth has renewed interest in both the characters and the techniques of warfare in transformation.

New approaches to military …

The Virginia Conservative Party, 1965-1969, Gerald Paul Gaidmore Iii

History Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the Virginia Conservative Party of the 1960's. The party was founded in 1965 as a protest against the increasing liberalism in Virginia and national politics. Dedicated to providing voters an alternative to the two major parties, the Conservative Party participated in every major state election from 1965 to 1969. Although failing to win any statewide election, the Conservatives played a significant role in Virginia politics during the 1960's. Paradoxically, the Virginia Conservative Party contributed to the demise of the conservative Democratic Byrd Organization by refusing to support conservative Democrats. Subsequent internal disputes over the party's action in …

The United State Government Versus John Harrison Surratt: A Study In Attitudes, Thomas Michael Martin

History Theses & Dissertations

The same day on which accused Abraham Lincoln murder conspirator Mary Eugenia Surratt was arrested at her Washington, D.C. boardinghouse, her son and alleged co-conspirator, John Harrison Surratt, was in a small town in northern New York. The arrest of the widow Surratt, however, marks the first of a series of points of departure between the destinies of the mother and the son. She was destined to follow a path from arrest to trial and execution by means of a military commission created by the War Department. John's circuitous route from trans-Atlantic flight to extradition, trial, and dismissal by a …

The Ottoman Reaction To The Annexation Of Bosnia-Herzegovina In 1908 By Austria-Hungary, Yücel Yanikdağ

History Theses & Dissertations

This thesis investigates the reaction of the Ottoman Government and people to the annexation of Bosnia- Herzegovina in 1908. The people organized a boycott of Austro-Hungarian goods and services. The Government, under the Grand Vizierate of Kamil Pasha, was able to use the boycott and the support of the other Powers to drive a hard bargain with Austria. In the end, Austria paid T£2,500,000 and offered economic concessions in return for the Ottoman recognition of the annexation. This study makes use of published German, Austrian, British, and Turkish documents as well as unpublished archival documents.

A Historiographical Survey Of The Assassination Of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Ottie Jackson Moore Jr.

History Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the three decades of literature produced in the investigation of the assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. With the publication of the Warren Commission Report in 1964, the federal government concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination of President Kennedy and the wounding of Governor John Connally of Texas. Within two years several books were published which openly criticized this finding and created feelings of suspicion among the public which prevail to this day. This thesis will use a variety of primary and secondary sources to analyze the investigation of President Kennedy's death. In …

The Defenders Of State Sovereignty And Individual Liberties, 1954 - 1967, David Pembroke Neff

History Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the Defenders of State Sovereignty and Individual Liberties from 1954 to 1967. By 1956, the Defenders were the most powerful segregationist organization in the state of Virginia. Dedicated to preserving segregation in Virginia, especially in regards to the state's public schools, the Defenders greatly influenced the Byrd Organization and the Virginia General Assembly on massive resistance legislation from 1954 until 1959. Some historians have suggested that the Defenders had "Complete and full control of the Political Machinery of the state" in regards to massive resistance. This thesis uses a variety of sources to provide an analytical overview …

Francis Gildart Ruffin: A Jeffersonian Agrarian In The Old South And New Virginia, 1816 - 1892, R. Allen Brahin

History Theses & Dissertations

For over forty years, Francis "Frank" Gildart Ruffin derived his livelihood from slave labor and agricultural pursuits. Like Jefferson, Ruffin believed that the nation should be based on the industry of small farmers. Once the Civil War began, he served the Confederacy on the staff of the Commissary Department. Following the war, Ruffin actively engaged in politics in the Old Dominion, though he never sought office. He became associated with the "Readjuster" party in Virginia. Its goal was to readjust or reduce the state's debt, which was to be particularly beneficial to farmers. Ruffin was an original Readjuster, but later …

J. Robert Oppenheimer And His Role In The Development Of The United States Nuclear Weapons Policy 1945-1953, Craig M. Harris

History Theses & Dissertations

J. Robert Oppenheimer played a highly visible role in the development of nuclear weapons policy for the United States. He was very influential in President Harry S. Truman's Administration after the Second World War. Following the Soviet Union's first atomic bomb blast in August 1949, Oppenheimer became out of step with those who made nuclear weapons policy. He continued to give advice on disarmament issues. In 1953, the first year of Dwight D. Eisenhower's Administration, Oppenheimer questioned the utility of the Superpower's nuclear arms build up, particularly the hydrogen bomb, while leaving the American people ignorant of the impact such …

Party Politics During The Compromise Crisis: The Virginia Congressional Elections Of 1849 And 1851, Jodi Lee Bennett Koste

History Theses & Dissertations

The Second American Party System developed in Virginia from the factions contesting the presidency between 1824 and 1840. Following its formation, Virginia voters adopted party allegiances and regularly supported their party in the various local, state and national elections. These voting patterns began to change with the elections of the compromise crisis, the period between the presidential elections of 1848 and 1852, when the "politics of slavery" dominated every contest. Defense of the peculiar institution became paramount and party lines were disrupted as a result. Virginia's Whig congressional candidates, unable to present themselves as safe on the slavery question, were …

The U.S. Army And The Development Of The Rok Army: 1945-1950, Charles M. Ayers

History Theses & Dissertations

When the Korean War began in June 1950, the South Korean Army was unprepared and was unable to cope with the forces from the North. This study seeks to determine whether the decisions made by the US Army as to the building of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Army during the period from 1945 to 1950 were appropriate in regard to the political and strategic situation in the Korean peninsula. The study approaches the problem by examining us documents and other archival material concerning the Army's policies toward Korea, how these policies were developed and executed, and what effect they …

Politics Of Self-Destruction: The Virginia Republican Party Split Of 1895-1897, Michael Anthony Southwood

History Theses & Dissertations

In explaining the rise of Democratic rule in Virginia, political historians have overlooked the significance of the Republican split of 1895-1897. Drawn mainly from primary source materials, this thesis traces the rupture that divided the GOP leadership after the death of General William Mahone, one of the Commonwealth's most remarkable political figures. The controversial election of Mahone's successor (Colonel William Lamb of Norfolk) as party chairman in November 1895 sparked two years of bitter struggle, a conflict that ultimately left the state Republicans shattered as a political force. An understanding of Democratic dominance as it developed in Virginia is incomplete …

Reopening The Fair Gate, Toshihiro Tanioka

History Theses & Dissertations

On July 27, 1952, the Congress of the United States of America passed, over President Harry s. Truman's veto, the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, more commonly known as the McCarran-Walter Act. The act codified almost all existing laws relative to immigration and naturalization and newly incorporated more strict exclusion provisions.

This paper analyzes the legislative process from the passage of the act in 1952 to its major revision in 1965. The paper analyzes that the act was a mere reaffirmation of the pre-war immigration policy and thus not reappraisal or reformation in the drastically changed world milieu. The …

Virginia In Transition: The 1961 Democratic Primary, Thomas Carter Evans

History Theses & Dissertations

The year 1961 marked a turning point in Virginia politics. Two years had elapsed since the General Assembly had abandoned its policy of massive resistance to school integration. In the aftermath of that crisis the Byrd Organization found itself decided between moderates and members of the "Old Guard." In the 1961 Democratic primary Lieutenant-Governor A. E. S. Stephens, a moderate, vied with Attorney General Albertis S. Harrison, the choice of the Byrd Organization, for the gubernatorial nomination. Stephens charged that. the aged leaders of the Organization were too reactionary to lead the state in the 1960s. Harrison reaffirmed the Organization's …

Symbol Of American Discontent: The Selective Service During The Vietnam War, Jean B. Todd

History Theses & Dissertations

This thesis presents an intensive study of the nature and scope of the Selective Service System in an effort to analyze the system that became the focal point of growing discontent with the Vietnam War. The primary objective is to determine whether the Selective Service System equitably executed its congressionally mandated objective of raising military manpower. In order to ascertain whether the System operated with balance and fairness, its structure and procedures are examined. The study of the Selective Service System's structure 'necessitated an analysis of the characteristics and backgrounds of both administrators and those who met the System's quotas …