In 1950, the leader of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), Walter Ulbricht, began a policy of connecting foreign threats with domestic policy failures as if the two were the same, and as if he was not responsible for either. This absolved him of blame for those failures and allowed Ulbricht to define his internal enemies as agents of the western powers. He used the state's secret police force, known as the Stasi, to provide the information that supported his claims of western obstructionism and to intimidate his adversaries. This resulted in a politicization of intelligence whereby Stasi officers slanted information so that it conformed to Ulbricht's doctrine of western interference. Comparisons made of eyewitness' statements to the morale reports filed by Stasi agents show that there was a difference between how the East German worker felt and the way the Stasi portrayed their attitudes to the politburo. Consequently, prior to June 17, 1953, when labor strikes inspired a million East German citizens to rise up against Ulbricht's oppressive government, the politicization of Stasi intelligence caused information over labor unrest to be unreliable at a time of increasing risk to the regime. This study shows the extent of Ulbricht's politicization of Stasi intelligence and its effect on the June 1953 uprising in the German Democratic Republic.

This is an analysis of the U.S. Army's personnel decisions in the Second World War. Specifically, it considers the U.S. Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall's appointment of generals to combat command, and his reasons for relieving some generals while leaving others in place after underperformance. Many historians and contemporaries of Marshall, including General Omar N. Bradley, have commented on Marshall's ability to select brilliant, capable general officers for combat command in the war. However, in addition to solid performers like J. Lawton Collins, Lucian Truscott, and George S. Patton, Marshall, together with Dwight D. Eisenhower and Lesley J. McNair, often selected sub-par commanders who significantly underperformed on the battlefield. These generals' tactical and operational decisions frequently led to unnecessary casualties, and ultimately prolonged the war. The work considers six case studies: Lloyd Fredendall at Kasserine Pass, Mark Clark during the Italian campaign, John Lucas at Anzio, Omar Bradley at the Falaise Gap, Courtney Hodges at the Hürtgen Forest, and Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr. at Okinawa. Personal connections and patronage played strong roles in these generals' command appointments, and often trumped practical considerations like command experience. While their superiors ultimately relieved corps commanders Fredendall and Lucas, field army and army group commanders Clark, Hodges, and Bradley retained command of their units, (Buckner died from combat wounds on Okinawa). Personal connections also strongly influenced the decision to retain the field army and army group commanders in their commands.

Existing literature identify betrayal as one of the major challenges that former SADF soldiers face in the “new” South Africa, and identify a need for studying the nature and types of betrayal and the effects it has on relationships. This study aimed to describe and interpret former SADF soldier‟s lived experience by focusing on the psychology of betrayal. A cross-sectional qualitative research methodology was used, guided by an interpretive phenomenological approach. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews, and the data was analysed using Heidegger‟s hermeneutical principles. The identified themes are (1) in the belly of the beast, (2) different agendas, (3) volte-face, (4) keeping the score (5) and just carry on. The findings offer deeper insights and understanding into how former SADF soldiers experience betrayal and the impact it has on their everyday lives. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

This thesis examines the urban social, economic and cultural history of a community under stress and in transition at the turn of the century. Two themes run through the study: how the residents responded to long-term challenges such as the decline of the town in relation to its nearest urban neighbour, the increasing significance of the black population of the town and district, and the end of the millennium; and secondly, the effects of the South African War on King William's Town society and how the residents perceived the various stresses it exerted on the town. Chapter 1, by way of introduction, provides a general overview of the history of King William's Town and of the current state of historical research on the town. It also examines historiographical strands reflected in this study, focusing on urban history, social history, local history and the new cultural history. The chapter ends with a brief note on sources and methodology. Chapter 2 sets the scene be examining the population of the town and district in relation to its eastern Cape neighbours. It briefly explores the settlement patterns in the town, and the social divisions and racial attitudes manifested by its inhabitants. The third chapter provides a study of the town's economy with particular emphasis on the mercantile sector, agriculture and manufacturing. The informal sector, domestic service and labour relations are also explored. Political processes in this period are dealt with in Chapter 4. The 1898 elections and the re-alignment of political allegiances, the outbreak of the war, the main political issues that emerged and the suppression of the Imvo Zabantsundu newspaper are discussed. Chapter 5 provides an examination of military aspects of the town and district during the war. The impact of the imperial garrison, the attitudes of the residents to the war and the imposition and effects of martial law are amongst the topics covered. The next chapter deals with municipal matters, with particular reference to the townspeople's attitudes to Borough status, public health and sanitation, municipal locations and residential segregation, and the various successes and failures of the Borough Council during the war. The seventh chapter focuses on crime, legislation and social control in the town. The number and type of criminal incidents during the period are analyzed, the various laws establishing the parameters of society and the manner in which these were applied are examined. Chapter 8 seeks to define the cultural contours of the town, looking at religion, the large number of different clubs and societies, sport and recreation. It explores the way in which cultural pursuits were both a reflection and a reinforcement of the social, political and economic order. The ninth and final chapter links the preceding themes with regard to the effects of the war on King William's Town society, with particular reference to the mentalité of the community as displayed in the attitudes of the residents to the various developments discussed in the body of the thesis.

Existing literature identify betrayal as one of the major challenges that former SADF soldiers face in the “new” South Africa, and identify a need for studying the nature and types of betrayal and the effects it has on relationships. This study aimed to describe and interpret former SADF soldier‟s lived experience by focusing on the psychology of betrayal. A cross-sectional qualitative research methodology was used, guided by an interpretive phenomenological approach. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews, and the data was analysed using Heidegger‟s hermeneutical principles. The identified themes are (1) in the belly of the beast, (2) different agendas, (3) volte-face, (4) keeping the score (5) and just carry on. The findings offer deeper insights and understanding into how former SADF soldiers experience betrayal and the impact it has on their everyday lives. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology, with specialisation in Research Consultation)