La Pologne, son destin et sa vocation particulière aux yeux des écrivains français du XIXe siècle

Author(s): Wiesław Mateusz Malinowski / Language(s): French Issue: 34/2023

The author of the paper propounds a hollistic outlook on how French writers of the 19th century perceived the fate of Poland in the most dramatic moment of its history, when it was fighting a fierce, and almost hopeless battle for its independence, having disappeared from the map of Europe. In textes of many poets, publicists and men of letters in France one can find a unique set of motifs that not only reveal a highly consistent way of thinking with respect to the situation Poland was in at the time, but also build a parallel vision of its future, and even hold a belief that Poland was to play a special role among European countries. In this paper the author identifies and discusses six such motifs.

Early modern mobilities and people on the move: an epistemological challenge

Author(s): Marie-Elizabeth Ducreux / Language(s): English Issue: 01/2020

This essay concentrates on various aspects of mobility and motion and explores the issues of approaches and methods in history research and forms of history writing on things and people on the move in early modern times. The so-called mobility turn initiated countless new studies. Nonetheless, those publications are strikingly heterogeneous in their approaches and practices. It seems sometimes that, although we historians may be fully aware of how many categories have been eroded, how profoundly the internal historiographical clusters and boundaries have been deconstructed, we are still grappling with how best to arrange and relate structures, facts, contexts and theoretical reassessments. This essay calls for a critical historiographical self-reflection. It sets out by broaching Migration and Mobility as a social sciences and history field. Then, it briefly deals with questions of temporality and the challenges in connection to the early modern period, before developing the touchstones of the archival and methodological challenges we are facing: Sources, Traces, Archives, Facts, Levels and Scales. In addition, this paper outlines a case study and connects it to suggestions made by other scholars who have addressed the role of exile and emigration in conversion and religious affiliation. Finally, it considers how new micro-historical approaches may help historians reconcile the encounter between the global and the local when writing history

JAKUB RÁKOSNÍK, MATĚJ SPURNÝ, JIŘÍ ŠTAIF – Milníky moderních českých dějin. Krize konsenzu a legitimity v letech 1848–1989

Author(s): Pavel Kladiwa / Language(s): Czech Issue: 01/2020

Review of: JAKUB RÁKOSNÍK, MATĚJ SPURNÝ, JIŘÍ ŠTAIF – Milníky moderních českých dějin. Krize konsenzu a legitimity v letech 1848–1989, Praha 2018, Argo, 396 s., ISBN 978-80-257-2518-4.

EVA HAHNOVÁ – Češi o Češích. Dnešní spory o dějiny

Author(s): Veronika Středová / Language(s): Czech Issue: 01/2020

Review of: EVA HAHNOVÁ – Češi o Češích. Dnešní spory o dějiny, Praha 2018, Academia, 268 s., ISBN 978-80-200-2839-6.

FUNERAL CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS IN THE TRADITIONAL ROMANIAN VILLAGE. BIBLIOGRAPHICAL LANDMARKS

Author(s): Viorica Pîrvan (Soavă) / Language(s): English Issue: 32/2023

In man's attempt to decipher the mystery of death he wanted to understand the meaning of life. Life and death are connected, if life is the beginning of the line, death is its end. But the line is the same, the beginning and the end are part of the same process. Death is and remains an incomprehensible, undeciphered phenomenon, a great mystery, a great secret that only leaves room for the imaginary. If we can understand man's attitude towards death, we understand his attitude towards life. For the traditional man, who is himself a religious man, death is not just an end, but a life within another life. Death is even represented as a path to true life. He prepares for the great journey from his lifetime and makes sure that he lives in a faith-based way to secure a good place for himself in the next world. Thus, death is not seen as final or meaningless, but on the contrary, it brings with it a rebirth to another level of existence. The three great thresholds in every man's life are birth, marriage and death. Of these three great thresholds, the last threshold is of special importance because it, more than the others, brings to light all the beliefs, feelings and thoughts of man.

THE EDUCATIONAL NETWORK IN AN OPPIDUM IN SZEKLERLAND FROM THE EARLY MODERN PERIOD TO THE MIDDLE OF THE 20TH CENTURY

Author(s): Sipos István / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 33/2023

A town is only as developed as its educational institutions. Several educational institutions have been established in Cristuru Secuiesc since the Middle Ages. The first schools were founded and supported by churches. Catholic, Reformed and Unitarian church schools were founded from the first half of the 17th century onwards, but there are historians who state that these schools have already been established in Cristur in earlier centuries, just like in other Transylvanian towns. However, from the second half of the 19th century, other educational establishments appeared alongside these schools: a Girls' Normal School and even a Pedagogical High School. This paper aims to present the brief history of these educational institutions from the mid-20th century.

FACTORS OF ROMANIZATION IN THE DACIAN AREA OF THE LOWER OLT RIVER

Author(s): Mihaela Florentina Dumitrașcu (Lală) / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 33/2023

The process of Romanization of the inhabitants had begun long before the conquest of Dacia, because at the time of the conquest it was very advanced, and that this conquest did nothing but consecrate this fact on political ground and to complete it also as a cultural one. These conditions, however, no matter how favorable they were, would not have given results so quickly and completely, if they had not been helped by certain antecedents, such as: the orientation of civilization of Dacia before the Roman conquest and the slow infiltration of the Roman element in free Dacia. The Romanization of Dacia had a significant impact on the local society and culture. It brought changes in the social and economic structure, influenced the art, architecture and daily customs of the local population. However, Romanization was not a complete and uniform process, and traditional Dacian elements continued to exist in some communities for a long time. The Romans also introduced the Roman religion in Dacia, promoting the cult of the Roman gods and building temples in their honor. However, in rural areas, traditional religious beliefs and practices of the Geto-Dacian population continued to exist in a syncretic form with Roman elements. It is important to mention that in the year 271 C.E., after several invasions by migrating tribes, the Roman Empire abandoned Dacia and withdrew its troops. This led to a major change in the region, and the Romanization process was interrupted.

CONFLUENCES AND INTERFERENCES OF CUSTOMS IN THE ROMANIAN-BULGARIAN BORDER AREA

Author(s): Nicoleta Diana Jilavu (Matei) / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 33/2023

Our approach includes, on the one hand, the meeting point of customs in the cross-border area of the Danube and, on the other hand, it aims at the common points and the differences that they imply. The cross-border region of the Danube in the Bulgarian region, the holidays over the year have certain corresponding elements in the existing customs and traditions and in the Romanian cross-border space. There are not so many written references about the folklore of this area, which is at the center of research in this area. They were reduced after the 40s of the 20th century, after the establishment of communism. "After a hiatus of several decades, only since the seventh decade have several anthologies of prose and popular Aromanian poetry been published," as Iulia Wisoşenschi states.

Potop szwedzki w listach Johana Ekeblada

Author(s): Wojciech Krawczuk / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1 (66)/2023

Courtier, cavalry captain and diplomat Johan Ekeblad (1629–1697) was considered one of the most outstanding Swedish epistolographers of the 17th century. The main aim of the article is to discuss the significance of his rich correspondence and to present some examples of it translated from Swedish into Polish. Ekeblad’s letters are considered by Swedish historians and literary scholars to be a very important source for studies on the modern mentality of the Swedish nobility.A small part of the correspondence concerns Ekeblad’ participation in the activities of the Swedish army on the territory of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1656. At that time it was already clear that the Commonwealth would not be easily invaded. The letters present a picture of the Swedish army, everyday life, fears and expectations from the perspective of a well-connected officer. The article contains an analysis of the threads taken up in these statements.

"Hadrář" Prahy dvacátého století?

Author(s): Veronika Košnarová / Language(s): Czech Issue: 1/2023

The book entitled "Praha, hlavní město dvacátého století: Surrealistická historie" is a Czech translation of the original English edition "Prague, Capital of the Twentieth Century: A Surrealist History" (Princeton – Oxford, Princeton University Press 2013) by British-Canadian cultural historian Derek Sayer. It deals with a number of events, phenomena and figures from the artistic and cultural history of Prague and the Bohemian lands from the late nineteenth to the second half of the twentieth century, with a special focus on the interwar period. The reviewer is primarily concerned with the author’s method. Sayer, she argues, takes inspiration from the methods of the German philosopher and sociologist Walter Benjamin (1892–1940), and in the style of montage and collage (as a “ragman of memory”, as Benjamin himself put it) freely transitions between different time periods, fields of art and culture, and the perspectives from which he examines the phenomena under study. The surrealist movement from the book’s title is only one of the topics which reveal the author’s predilection for the myth-making genius loci of “magical Prague”, in the spirit of the Italian writer and Bohemianist, Angelo Maria Ripellino (1923–1978). But Sayer does not equal Ripellino in poetic quality. In terms of the scope and diversity of the facts and events discussed, Sayer’s book is a monumental achievement, but the reviewer points to methodological problems in the handling of literary texts, a limited knowledge of Czech scholarly literature and a sensationalizing tendency. What is innovative about the book is not the point of view or the facts presented, but their arrangement, which represents a postmodern way of writing about cultural history.

„Dwójka” i miasto. Agendy polskiego wywiadu i kontrwywiadu wojskowego w międzywojennej Bydgoszczy (1920–1939)

Author(s): Wojciech Skóra / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2021

In Bydgoszcz, with a population of just over 100,000, at least seven Polish military intelligence and counterintelligence agencies operated in the interwar period. They are discussed sequentially in the text. In total, taking into account the staff changes, several dozen officers of these services worked in the city, supported by hundreds of non-commissioned officers and civilian employees. It was a noticeable and specific professional group. Some city authorities assessed their presence in Bydgoszcz negatively, complaining and sending inspections.

Geneza asystencji wojskowej w II Rzeczypospolitej

Author(s): Piotr Hac / Language(s): Polish Issue: 3/2021

The article presents the issue of the genesis of military assistance in the Second Polish Republic. In interwar Poland, this term was understood as providing aid by the armed forces for the benefit of civil authorities, primarily in connection with ensuring public safety, or in the event of natural disasters. The text analyzes Polish and foreign experiences with the use of the army for the indicated purposes, as well as characterizes the regulations of foreign countries established before 1918 in this field. In the period from January to April 1919, basic regulations concerning the discussed issues were issued.

Powstanie listopadowe w świetle wspomnień Erazma Rozwadowskiego

Author(s): Maciej Trąbski / Language(s): Polish Issue: 4/2021

Like many of his contemporaries, Erazm Rozwadowski, who served as an officer in the 5th Mounted Riflemen Regiment of the Royal Polish Guard, left behindan account of his service career. Importantly, Rozwadowski only presented what hewitnessed himself, in the way he remembered the event. Rozwadowski’s accountincludes personal details, such as his view of the uprising as seen through the eyesof a student at the Riding Cadet School, his stay at the camp of Grand Duke Konstantin near Wierzbno, and the financial difficulties he faced in order to properlyequip himself upon becoming an officer.

Wkład Wojskowego Biura Historycznego w obchody stulecia powstania listopadowego

Author(s): Marta Cękalska / Language(s): Polish Issue: 4/2021

This article presents the course and effects of the work that was produced by theIndependent Department of Old Wars of the Military Historical Bureau to commemorate the centenary of the November Uprising. This work included materialprovided by the 5th Congress of Polish Historians in Warsaw and a special issueof Przegląd Historyczno-Wojskowy and important publications such as The Guide tothe Battlefields of the Polish-Russian War 1830–1831 (edited by Otton Laskowski,Warsaw 1931) and Sources for the history of the Polish-Russian war 1830–1831, Vol.1–4 (ed. Bronisław Pawłowski, Warsaw 1931–1935).

Tajny Wywiad Zagraniczny Abwehry w latach 1919–1933

Author(s): Florian Altenhöner / Language(s): Polish Issue: 4/2021

The article analyzes the role of the Abwehr’s secret intelligence service duringthe Weimar Republic. General information concerning the structure of the Abwehrand its activitiesis is provided alongside the confrontation of the myths about the“Versal regulations” and nonexistence of the Abwehr. The author presents the structure of the Abwehr, and its most important sources of information are presented(agential and technical) and its cooperation with foreign intelligence services. Theanalysis carried out leads to the conclusion that the Abwehr were a small but appreciated organization which provided the Reichswehr with important information.

Jerzy Niezbrzycki (Ryszard Wraga) and the Polish Intelligence in the Soviet Union in the 1930s

Author(s): Hiroaki Kuromiya / Language(s): English Issue: 4/2021

Jerzy Niezbrzycki (born 1901/2 – died 1968) was a key figure in Polish intelligence during the Polish Second Republic. After WWII, he lived abroad where heengaged widely in the analysis of Soviet affairs and published under the pen nameof Ryszard Wraga. His unfinished memoirs written in English not only illuminatethe battle between Polish and Soviet intelligence before WWII but also suggest thateven the most experienced foreign intelligence operatives like Niezbrzycki weremisled by elaborate Soviet disinformation.

AMIR SIJAMHODŽIĆ, MONOGRAFIJA "ISLAM I MUSLIMANI BUŽIMSKOG KRAJA"

Author(s): Ferid Dautović / Language(s): Bosnian Issue: 93/2023

Review of: Amir Sijamhodžić, Monografija Islam i muslimani bužimskog kraja, BZK “Preporod” Bužim, Bužim, 2022

Podpułkownik Marian Chodacki „Maracz” i jego dziedzictwo

Author(s): Mariusz Krzysztofiński / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2020

Hluboký vhled do smutného konce úspěšného muže

Author(s): Jana Wohlmuth Markupová / Language(s): Czech Issue: 2/2023

In her book "Soukromá válka Huga Vavrečky: Mikrohistorie z rozhraní soudobých dějin (1945–1952)" [Hugo Vavrečka’s Private War: A Microhistory from the Edge of Contemporary History, 1945–1952)], the historian Jana Wohlmuth Markupová presents the fate of journalist, economist, manager, diplomat and for a short time also politician Hugo Vavrečka (1880–1952). The first Czechoslovak ambassador to Hungary and then to Austria, in the interwar period Vavrečka was also commercial director of the Baťa Works and, in autumn 1938, at a critical time for Czechoslovakia, a government minister. He was also the grandfather of the playwright and president Václav Havel (1936–2011). According to the reviewer, Wohlmuth Markupová’s book occupies a unique place among Czech biographical publications in that it contains a thorough reflection on the genre of historical biography and examines the relationship between the biography of a particular person and the microhistorical approach to the problem of contemporary history. It is this methodological emphasis which makes it extremely inspiring and valuable. The author focuses on the last eight post-war years of Hugo Vavrečka’s life, when from a former member of the social elite he became an outsider, and attempts to capture his psychological traits and life strategies. The result is a deep, nuanced and gloomy insight into the confrontation of an exceptional personality (but by that time also an old and sick man) with the pressure of changing social conditions, especially the communist regime after 1948.

Příběh posledního lidického faráře

Author(s): Marek Šmíd / Language(s): Czech Issue: 2/2023

In his biography "Nejvyšší oběť: Poslední lidický farář Josef Štemberka (1869–1942)" [The Ultimate Sacrifice: The Last Parish Priest of Lidice, Josef Štemberka (1869–1942)], the church historian František Kolouch tells the life story of a Roman Catholic priest who was executed by the German occupiers on 10 June 1942, along with other male inhabitants of the destroyed Central Bohemian village of Lidice. The biography of the extraordinary personality of Josef Štemberka, who had served as a parish priest in the village since 1909, is intertwined with the political, economic and social history of the village of Lidice, the local region and the entire country from the last years of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy through the whole period of interwar Czechoslovakia, until to the fourth year of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. The author stays mainly at the level of regional history. The reviewer points out that Kolouch has managed to collect an impressive amount of mostly unpublished sources, which enabled him to reconstruct Štemberka’s fate from his youth to its tragic climax in a detailed and engaging way, while at the same time, correcting many traditional clichés. The reviewer’s objections are directed at the absence of a broader context of Church and religious history, the narrow range of the literature used, and the nonnegligible number of factual and interpretive errors.