This work aims to provide an objective portrait of Emperor Karl I and an analysis of his early reign in order to help determine his responsibility in the collapse of Austria-Hungary and to fill the gap in a historiography distorted by both hagiography and underestimation. This thesis examines Karl’s character, education, ability, outlook and ambitions prior to his enthronement in November 1916, and his attempts in the following six months to revive political life, implement administrative and constitutional reform and bring about national reconciliation in Cisleithania. The Bohemian lands, and in particular the Czech-German conflict, constitute the main focus of this study, although developments among Poles, Ukrainians and South Slavs are also considered. Since Karl’s chief concern was nevertheless the conclusion of peace, foreign policy – in any case inextricably bound to domestic issues in the Habsburg Monarchy – is also given due attention. The examination of Karl’s pre-war years reveals a not unpromising young man. His short heirship, however, involved only a perfunctory introduction to statecraft, leaving him lacking in preparation and experience. Yet, contrary to popular belief, Karl was not a blank slate; nor was he without his prejudices. Upon his accession to the throne, although he enjoyed a remarkably free hand, he threw in his lot with the German nationalists. After four months, however, he – or rather his foreign minister – retreated under the influence of the Russian Revolution and of the American entry into the war. Karl then recalled parliament but did not have the resolve, courage, skill or support to build on this initiative. Offered no prospects, the political representatives of the Slav nationalities radicalized behind the scenes. With the reopening of the House, the irreversible extent of their disenchantment and estrangement burst to the fore. Although Karl finally sought to embark on a new course, his resolve again faltered and his half-hearted efforts bore no fruit. Largely as a result of his earlier mistakes and vacillation, the chance had, in any case, already passed.

This study investigates the conceptualizations of 'Talk-culture" from the late 19th century through to the 1930s. "Folk-culture" was broadly discussed in this period all over Europe (and Russia) and especially in science (Philologies, Folkloristics) and literature. More precisely, the thesis examines the debates held in the context of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire (Vienna and Prague) around the turn of the century. During this period of accelerating industrialization, commodification and separation of cultural spheres, a significant number of intellectuals and writers were interested in alternative forms of cultural production. As the hitherto disregarded 'Talk-cultures" provide different notions of the artwork and the artist, their interest in 'Talk-culture" and 'Talk-art" is part of the broader discussion of the societal status and function of art and literature at the turn of the twentieth century. Representing a vehicle for the analysis and reflection of current cultural developments, the theorization of folklore and other forms of folk-art seeks responses to the aforementioned processes conceived as culturally problematic. Part Istudies the emergence of 'Volkskunde' as a scientific discipline in Austria. Part IIanalyses the relations between German Philology in Prague and the German-speaking Jews in the Prague Circle,namely Oskar Baum, Max Brad, Franz Kafka and Felix Weltsch. Part 11/ deals with the Russian linguists and folklorists Roman Jakobson and Petr Bogatyrev who came to Prague in the 1920s and sought to develop, in cambining Russian and Western European theories, a new model of 'Talk culture".

The 12 March 1938 was not only the beginning of Nazi rule in Austria; it was also the end of a six-year struggle by a significant minority of Austrians to maintain Austrian independence against very considerable odds. This study has sought to refocus attention on the role of the Dollfuß Government 1932–34 in attempting to prevent a Nazi takeover, and to reassess the state of current scholarship on the reasons for its collapse. In this regard, this thesis sets out to re-examine the behaviour and motivations of Dollfuß in particular, and the Christian Socials in general, during the period in question, as well as to document and clarify the key strategies of the Austrian leadership in dealing with the twin threats of Austrian and German National Socialism. Its overall conclusion is that there is a pressing need to modulate the historical narrative of the Dollfuß era to reflect more accurately what actually occurred. This thesis seeks to prove that despite the extreme pressure that it was under from Nazi Germany, the Dollfuß government and its mainstay, the Christian Socials, used all realistic means at their disposal to keep the Nazis from the centres of power while maintaining Austrian independence. It investigates why Dollfuß refused to publicly co-operate with the Social Democrats, but was apparently willing to enter into a deal with the National Socialists, and what this tells us about his anti-Nazi stance. It also considers the question of whether the traditional focus on the breakdown of democracy, as a key cause of the collapse of the Austrian state in 1938, is useful in understanding of the period.

This thesis explores the different scales of sociality (or social interaction) found within the LBK through the lens of a broadly meshwork-based perspective. It evaluates the hypotheses that people in the LBK lived in and recognised multiple levels of 'community', that these different communities overlapped, resulting in negotiation and possibly conflict; and that membership of these communities was potentially open and fluid, varying according to season, task or personal preference. With the help of meshwork-thinking, I explore the social relationships that helped to define the LBK. In doing so, I demonstrate that this dynamic, multi-dimensional approach can offer a new perspective on understanding the degree of homogeneity and variation within the LBK tradition. The core of the thesis is divided into three case studies, each concentrating on a specific scale of analysis. The first case study focuses on social interaction at the household scale and considers the emergence of individual households, household complexes and co-operative groups of households within the Merzbach and Schlangengraben valleys. The second case study explores the inter-play between competing family and clan/lineage identities at the scale of the settlement cluster or micro-region. The third case study zooms out to the regional scale of the Lower Rhine basin, tracing more geographically spread patterns in the material culture as well as interaction with non-LBK groups beyond the loess regions. Calling on these cases studies, I also consider how scale was experienced in the LBK.

This thesis investigates the reception and treatment of the refugees from Hungary and Egypt who arrived in France and in Britain after the Hungarian revolution and the Suez crisis. The thesis argues that the reception of the refugees from Hungary and from Egypt was primarily linked to the French and British immigration policies and influenced by the Cold War context. The first part deals with the creation of the Hungarian refugees and their reception in France and Britain. Chapter two gives a brief account on the Hungarian revolution and what led 200,000 Hungarians to leave their country. Chapter three deals with the reception and treatment of the Hungarian refugees in France, and sets out to demonstrate how the revolution and the refugee situation were first exploited for propagandistic purposes and national political interests. It also examines immigration policy in France and how the Hungarians were to serve France's economic and demographic interests as candidates for immigration. French-Jewish responses to the refugee situation are also explored. Finally, it discusses the effects of the Cold War in the resettlement process. Chapter four explores similar questions about the Hungarians with respect to Britain. The second part of the thesis studies the expulsion of the French, British and stateless Jews from Egypt and their resettlement in France and Britain. Chapter five deals with who the refugees from Egypt were, and the unusual nature of their nationality and cultural background. Chapter six deals with the reception and treatment of refugees from Egypt in France, and focuses on how the French government and administration oscillated between obligation and desire to provide relief to the French Jews of Egypt, as they were not considered to be suitable candidates for resettlement in France according to immigration policies and practices. As most of the refugees from Egypt were Jewish, the chapter also looks at the Jewish specificity of the resettlement policy and how their resettlement made the refugees question their French identity. Chapter seven discusses the reception of the refugees from Egypt in Britain. It analyses the different domestic context regarding the Suez crisis and its impact on the refugees. The question of identity and cultural background is also explored.