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Few historical works focus on the period of German history immediately following World War I. Fewer still inquire about how the Majority Social Democratic Party (MSPD) regime exercised power. This paper looks at the rhetoric in the MSPD's party organ Vorwärts to understand how they presented themselves to the German people following the collapse of the Imperial regime. The official party organ provides unique insight into how the MSPD regime transitioned from a party in opposition to leading the provisional government and how it justified holding that power. The official party newspaper of the radical Spartakusbund coupled with the conservative Neue Preußische Kreuzzeitung provide a context to further understand the rhetoric of the MSPD and how the opponents of the majority socialist regime responded to the interim government. The MSPD was in a difficult position after the collapse of the Imperial regime, which was exacerbated by a hostile rhetorical environment. Upon assuming power, the MSPD was hesitant and defensive but grew into their position of leadership, winning the largest portion of votes in the January 19th election of 1919 as well as the early elections of the Weimar republic. / History

By exploring the history of cannabis in the French Empire, this dissertation builds on recent scholarly efforts to investigate the intersections of France’s national and imperial pasts. As scholar Gary Wilder argued in his seminal work, The French Imperial Nation-State (2005), “French historiography is traditionally guided by a national paradigm for which a correspondence between territory, population, and state is considered normal and the existence of colonies is treated as exceptional.” This fabricated barrier between France’s national and imperial pasts, he argues, conceals the reality that “the metropole and its overseas colonies exercised a reciprocal influence upon one another” and that both should be studied as one political and cultural unit, as what he terms the “imperial nation-state.” As this dissertation demonstrates, the history of drug use and prohibition in France is in large part a story of movement between colony and metropole. From the nation’s first imperial encounter with hashish during Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt in 1798 through the subsequent spread of cannabis use and cannabis-based medications in the French metropole during the middle 19th century to the creation of anti-cannabis laws in France and its North African colonies during the fin de siècle, the circulation of cannabis and ideas about cannabis use between colony and metropole drove the development of prohibition policies in France from the birth of the republic through the early 20th century / History

La loi mémorielle du 23 février 2005 a créé une grande controverse en France. Les historiens furent le fer de lance de cette opposition, tant cette loi heurtait les fondements même de leur profession. En effet, la loi de 2005 préconisait l’obligation pour ceux-ci d’enseigner le rôle positif de la colonisation française, ce qui contrevient à la liberté de pensée indispensable à la fonction de l’historien. Le présent mémoire analyse la réaction des historiens afin de cerner leurs positions et leur compréhension de la crise. Il porte un nouveau regard sur la crise mémorielle de 2005 et évalue les écrits et actions des historiens. Il s’avère que la crise fut plus complexe que l’interprétation que lui ont donnée les historiens. À cet égard, l’étude souligne l’importance de l’espace public dans la relation entre les communautés mémorielles et les historiens. A ce titre, l’école symbolise ce lieu de rencontre entre histoire et mémoire. Le mémoire examine aussi l’enseignement de l’histoire dans un milieu scolaire affecté par les tensions mémorielles. En réponse à ces débordements de mémoire, l’historien a un devoir de rigueur intellectuelle autant à l’école que dans l’espace public en général. / The memorial law of February 23, 2005 created quite an uproar in France. Historians spearheaded the opposition, as the act collided head on with the very basis of their profession. Actually, the law of 2005 advocated the obligation for them to teach the positive values of French colonization, a recommendation that contradicted the freedom of thought essential to their role as historians. This dissertation analyzes how historians reacted in order to work out their positions and their understanding of the crisis. It sheds new light on the memorial crisis of 2005 and assesses what historians wrote and acted upon in the wake of the law. It turns out that the crisis was more complex than the interpretation given by historians. In this respect, the study underlines the importance of the public arena in the relationship between memorial communities and historians. To that effect, schools symbolize the meeting ground of memory and history. The dissertation also examines the teaching of history in a school environment affected by memorial tensions. In response to these memorial excesses, historians have a duty to uphold intellectual rigor in school as well as in public space in general.

Ce mémoire tente de présenter la politique allemande de François Mitterrand de 1981 à 1991 à travers le discours public du président français. À cette fin, il présente la position du chef d’État socialiste sur le rôle de l’Allemagne dans la construction de l’unité européenne et dans la politique de défense et de sécurité française, ainsi que sur la question de la réunification allemande. Il tente ensuite de situer la politique allemande de François Mitterrand par rapport à celle du général de Gaulle, et de juger de la valeur du discours public du président français comme source primaire. L’hypothèse principale que nous soutenons est que le président socialiste tente, de 1981 à 1991, de s’appuyer sur la République fédérale d’Allemagne pour atteindre les objectifs de grandeur et d’indépendance fixés pour la France par de Gaulle dans les années 1960. Nous croyons qu’il souhaite d’abord se rapprocher de la RFA pour que celle-ci l’aide à unifier politiquement, économiquement et militairement l’Europe autour du couple franco-allemand. Nous croyons également que Mitterrand veut s’assurer, au début des années 1980, que la RFA restera ancrée solidement au camp occidental et qu’elle ne glissera pas vers le neutralisme, ce qui doit, selon le président français, permettre à la France d’augmenter son niveau de protection face à l’URSS et accroître son indépendance face aux États-Unis. Enfin, nous croyons que le président socialiste ne tente pas d’empêcher la réunification de l’Allemagne, mais qu’il tente d’en ralentir le processus afin de pouvoir mettre en place l’unité européenne au sein de laquelle il souhaite exercer une influence sur l’Allemagne réunifiée, et à partir de laquelle il prévoit développer sa politique d’après-guerre froide. Ces initiatives doivent permettre à la France d’absorber les contrecoups de la réunification allemande et de sauvegarder ses intérêts nationaux. Dans l’ensemble, la politique allemande de François Mitterrand est en continuité avec la politique allemande développée par le général de Gaulle de 1958 à 1964. Les deux hommes cherchent ainsi à s’appuyer sur la RFA pour créer l’unité européenne afin que celle-ci serve de tremplin à la France pour qu’elle atteigne ses objectifs de grandeur et d’indépendance. Enfin, nous croyons que le discours public du président socialiste peut être utilisé comme source primaire car il renferme une quantité importante d’information, mais son utilisation doit se faire avec précaution car comme tous les discours politiques, il vise d’abord et avant tout à convaincre l’opinion publique du bien fondé des politiques avancées. / This memoir presents the German policy of former French president François Mitterrand from 1981 to 1991 through his public speech. For this purpose, it shows the former president’s position on the role of Germany in building the European community, in the development of the French defence policy, and on the German reunification. It also locates the German policy of Mitterrand by comparing it to Charles de Gaulle’s, as well as it analyses the value of this public speech as a primary source. The main assumption is that François Mitterrand tries, from 1981 to 1991, to lean on the Federal Republic of Germany to achieve the goals of grandeur and independance wished for France by de Gaulle in the 1960’s. We believe that Mitterrand wishes initially to get closer to the FRG in order, along with Germany, to unify Europe politically, economically and militarily around the Franco-German couple. We also believe that Mitterrand wants to make sure, at the beginning of the 1980’s, that the FRG will stay firmly anchored to the West and will not slide towards neutralism, thus allowing, according to the French president, to increase France’s protection towards USSR and independence towards the United States. Finally, we believe that Mitterrand does not try to prevent the German reunification but that he instead tries to slow down the process in order to realize the European unity within which he wishes to exert an influence on the reunified Germany, and from which he envisages his post-cold war policy. These initiatives must allow France to absorb the by-effects of the German reunification and preserve its national interest. Globally, the German policy of François Mitterrand is in continuity with the German policy developed by general de Gaulle from 1958 to 1964. Both men seek to lean on the FRG to create European unity in order to use it as a springboard for the achievement of France’s goals of grandeur and independance. Finally, we believe that Mitterrand’s public speech can be used as primary source because it contains a significant amount of information. But its use must be done with precaution in order to avoid the usual traps provided by these sources: convincing the public opinion of the good of the advanced policies.

The practice of irregular and clandestine marriage ran rampant throughout Britain for centuries, but when the upper class felt they needed to reassert their social supremacy, marriage was one arena in which they sought to do so. The restrictions placed on irregular marriages were specifically aimed at protecting the elite and maintaining a separation between themselves and the lower echelon of society. The political, social, and economic importance of marriage motivated its regulation, as the connections made with the matrimonial bond did not affect only the couple, but their family, and, possibly, their country. Current historiography addresses this issue extensively, particularly in regards to Lord Hardwicke's Marriage Act of 1753 in England. There is, however, a lack of investigation into other groups that influenced and were influenced by the English approach to clandestine marriage. The Scots, Irish, and British military all factor into the greater landscape of clandestine marriage in eighteenth-century Britain and an investigation of them yields a more complete explanation of marital practices, regulations, and reactions to both that led to and stemmed from Hardwicke's Act. This explanation shows the commonality of ideas among Britons regarding marriage and the necessity of maintaining endogamous unions for the benefit of the elite.

L’apparition et la montée du fascisme en Italie sont des faits marquants du XXe siècle et plus précisément de l’entre-deux-guerres. Ce nouveau phénomène social a rapidement attiré l’attention de la communauté internationale. Il vient frapper les mentalités européennes dans le contexte de sociétés déjà polarisées par divers courants idéologiques. La Première Guerre mondiale a fait place à de fondamentales divergences d’opinions sur ce que devait être le futur, autant social qu’économique, des sociétés industrielles. S’étant imposé en Italie, le fascisme représente un de ses mouvements. Ce travail s’intéresse à la manière dont la société française a perçu la montée du fascisme italien. Pour ce faire, il retrace l’approche de plusieurs journaux français de 1919 à 1926 à l’égard de l’expérience italienne. L’analyse des grands journaux Le Temps, L'Humanité, Le Figaro et L'Action française permet un survol de l’opinion politique en France. La problématique avancée dans ce travail nous aide à en apprendre plus, non seulement sur l’apparition d’un phénomène majeur du siècle précédent, mais aussi, plus précisément, sur le regard porté sur lui par les grands courants politiques français. On a pu déceler plusieurs thèmes de prédilection abordés par la presse française. Premièrement, celle-ci a tenté de définir le fascisme, son origine et sa composition ainsi que le phénomène de la violence qui touchait la péninsule. Puis, le fascisme ayant accédé au pouvoir, elle a réfléchi sur le coup de force et ses répercussions. Finalement, elle a analysé la politique intérieure et extérieure du nouveau régime. Il en ressort une perspective unique grâce à l'analyse de quatre organes majeurs qui représentent et façonnent l'opinion publique en France. Notre analyse montre que le fascisme est un sujet préoccupant pour les contemporains par son caractère nouveau. Tous les journaux ont suivi l'évolution de ce mouvement avec attention. Les réactions en témoignent: ce fut, entre autres, l'exemple frappant d'une répression brutale pour les uns et l'émergence d'une idéologie susceptible de mettre fin à la terreur du bolchevisme pour les autres. Ce fut aussi un terrain d'affrontement idéologique. / The emergence and rise of fascism in Italy is a striking moment of the XXth century and more specifically of the interwar period. This new social phenomenon quickly attracted the attention of the international community. It influenced European mentalities greatly in the context of societies already polarised by different ideological trends. The First World War was followed by a period of divergent opinions on what should be the social and economic future of industrial societies. Fascism represents one of those movements that managed to impose itself in Italy This thesis examines the manner in which French society perceived the rise of Italian fascism. To that end, it retraces the narrative presented by major French newspapers from 1919 to 1926 when faced with the Italian experience. The analysis of the dailies Le Temps, L'Humanité, Le Figaro and L'Action française provides an overview of political opinion in France. The inquiry conducted in this dissertation allows us to learn more not only on the emergence of a major phenomenon of the past century but also, and more precisely, about the reaction to it by the main political trends in France. Several themes were taken up by the French press. First, it tried to identify fascism, its origins and composition and the phenomenon of violence that emerged in Italy. Then, once fascism was in power, it reflected on the seizure of power, followed by an analysis of both interior and foreign policy of the new regime. A unique perspective comes out of this study thanks to the analysis of four of the major organs that represent and help create public opinion. It shows that fascism, as a typically new phenomenon, was a subject of preoccupation for contemporaries. All of the dailies followed its evolution closely. It was, for some, the example of a brutal repression, among other things, and, for others, the emergence of a new ideology capable of ending the terror of bolshevism. It was also an issue for ideological confrontation.

À l'aube des années 1930, l'Alsace partage un passé trouble avec la France et l'Allemagne. Alors que la région est redevenue française après la Première Guerre mondiale en 1919, Paris éprouve de la difficulté à la réintégrer à la République, parce qu'il ne comprend pas que les quarante ans de l'Alsace au sein du Reich allemand ont bouleversé la vie régionale aux niveaux politique, culturel, religieux et linguistique. La France ne perçoit pas le particularisme des populations retrouvées et leur volonté de conserver les valeurs qui leur sont chères. L'autonomisme alsacien des années 1920 et la répression du mouvement par les autorités françaises mettent à mal les relations entre Paris et Strasbourg. Alors que le début des années 1930 se déroule sur ce fond de tensions, l'arrivée d'Adolf Hitler au pouvoir en 1933 en Allemagne modifie radicalement la donne. Le présent mémoire s'interroge sur la perception par la presse alsacienne francophone de la montée du nazisme en Allemagne, de 1933 à 1939. L'Alsace remet-elle en question son allégeance à une France qui démontre des signes de faiblesses et qui ne comprend pas la région ou préfère-t-elle une Allemagne forte et stable? En consultant des journaux de différentes orientations politiques et religieuses, soit Les dernières nouvelles de Strasbourg, Le nouvelliste d'Alsace, Le Lorrain et L'éclair de l'Est, nous avons analysé l'opinion de la presse alsacienne sur les événements allemands des années 1930. Il apparaît évident que la presse francophone n'est pas en faveur d'un retour avec le Reich. Néanmoins, l'allégeance à la France n'est pas aussi nette que le laisse croire l'historiographie à ce sujet. Jusqu'en mars 1938, la presse alsacienne francophone ne revendique pas de statut particulier, insatisfaite qu'elle est des options qui s'offrent à elle, autant du côté de la France que de l'Allemagne. Le point de vue de la région change régulièrement. Alors que Hitler attire tous les regards en 1933, la situation politique instable en France ainsi que les décisions du Front populaire sont le point de mire pour la presse alsacienne francophone à partir de 1936. Ce n'est que lorsque la guerre semble inévitable qu'elle se range derrière la République française. / At the dawn of 1930s, Alsace shares a troubled past with France and Germany. While the region came again under French rule after the First World War in 1919, Paris has difficulty integrating Alsace in the Republic, because it does not understand that forty years of German control upset the region's life at the political, cultural, religious and linguistic levels. France does not perceive the sense of identity of the population and its will to preserve its values. The Alsatian separatism of the 1920s and the repression of the movement by the French authorities damage the relations between Paris and Strasbourg. Along with the tension of the 1930s, Adolf Hitler's arrival to power in 1933 in Germany radically modified the situation. The thesis examines how the French-speaking Alsatian press perceived the rise of Nazism in Germany from 1933 to 1939. Did Alsace question its allegiance to France, a country that demonstrated signs of weaknesses, and did not clearly understand Alsace? Or did it prefer a strong and stable Germany? By consulting newspapers of various political and religious orientations, such as Les dernières nouvelles de Strasbourg, Le nouvelliste d'Alsace, Le Lorrain et L'éclair de l'Est, the thesis analyzes the opinion of the Alsatian press on the German events in the 1930s. The French-speaking press was not in favour returning to the Reich. Nevertheless, the allegiance to France was not as clear as the historiography leads us to believe on this matter. Until March 1938, the French-speaking Alsatian press did not claim particular status, even if it was dissatisfied with the options available, as much on the side of France as on the side of Germany. The region's point of view changed regularly. While Hitler caught everyone's attention in 1933, the unstable political situation in France as well as the choices of the Popular Front are the target for the French-speaking Alsatian press from 1936. It was only when the war seemed inevitable that it lined up behind the French Republic.

Thesis advisor: Ourida Mostefai / This thesis addresses the role of dress in the blurring of social class lines in pre-revolutionary France. The Ancien Régime had a set code for costume, in accordance with rank and birth. I outline this particular order, and the resulting disorder from this social structure through factual evidence and literary examples. The second part will discuss the creation and practice of fashion in the 18th century, leading up to the Estates General of 1789. This building significance of appearance in France made dress both a political and social tool that became incredibly useful during the French Revolution. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Romance Languages and Literature. / Discipline: College Honors Program.

Thesis advisor: James Cronin / This paper examines the esoteric and essentially negativist character of international reaction to the Spanish Civil War. While the mass of the foreign public, (specifically in the United States, Britain, and Ireland), remained apathetic, several interest groups became deeply involved in the conflict. Analysis of the reasons why each group became interested, the methods they used to win supporters, and the effectiveness of those methods in shaping the historical legacy of the war constitutes the bulk of the paper. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of the Roman Catholic Church and the Communist Party in Britain and the United States. The inquiry concludes with an analysis of the historical trends which have erased the Spanish Civil War from the popular consciousness even while it remains vital to specific political constituencies. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2004. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: History. / Discipline: College Honors Program.