Heather Metcalfe Doctoral Abstract, Ph.D. program, 2009 Department of History, University of Toronto “It’s All About War: Canadian Opinion and the Canadian Approach to International Relations, 1935-1939.” Canadians in the 1930s did not appear eager to focus on foreign affairs. The social and economic difficulties caused by the dislocation of the Great Depression meant that international developments often seemed remote and irrelevant. However, despite this focus on domestic issues, many Canadians were concerned with the trend of international events. As a result, the debate regarding the appropriate Canadian response remained an ongoing, if underlying, factor. In addition, the political issues raised by Canadian foreign policy, particularly through the Canadian involvement in the British Commonwealth and the League of Nations, meant the issue could not simply be ignored. During the later part of the decade, as the possibility of international conflict became ever more likely, increasing numbers of Canadians turned their attention to Canada’s international role. They also turned their attention to what this debate meant in terms of the Canadian sense of identity. These individuals were concerned as well with the response of Canadian public opinion to involvement overseas. This question, of the nature and susceptibility of Canadian public opinion to attempts to direct it, remains an intriguing one. The nature of this response remained open to question, and was the subject of significant debate among Canadian intellectuals, politicians and public figures. In response, a number of individuals and groups, including members of the Canadian press, attempted to influence Canadian public opinion. Many also pressured the Canadian government, led by William Lyon Mackenzie King’s administration, to play a more active role in shaping public opinion. Canadian intellectuals, for instance, influenced by contemporary writings on public opinion, seemed convinced of their natural role as ‘shapers’ of public opinion, particularly in a time of domestic and international crisis. These assumptions, and the ways in which Canadian public opinion both responded to, and rejected these attempts at direction, provide an interesting window into the question of public opinion, particularly in regards to international events. The debate regarding the Canadian response to the crises of the late 1930s can thus aid in gaining a greater appreciation of how public opinion shifts in response to outside challenges and the attempts to influence its course.

This thesis examines the historical problem of determining the relationship between a government's perception of public opinion and the decisions it takes. We introduce evidence for the social habits of the Cabinet in order to suggest new formulations of 'élite' and 'mass' public opinion. We argue that parliamentary opinion was generally more important in decision-making for the Cabinet, except at moments of extreme crisis when a conception of 'mass' opinion became equally significant. These characterization of mass opinion were drawn from a set of stereotypes about public opinion which academic and political theorization had produced. It is argued that this theorization was stimulated by ongoing debates about mass communication, the importance of the ordinary man in democracy and the outbreak of the first world war during the inter-war period. The thesis begins with an introduction to the methodological problems involved, followed by one chapter on theorization about public opinion in the inter-war period. Three diplomatic crises are considered in the case study chapters: the withdrawal of Germany from the Disarmament Conference in 1933, the German reoccuption of the Rhineland in 1936 and the threat of invasion of the Sudetenland in 1938. Two further chapters examine the role of public opinion in protests to Germany about the treatment of the Jews in 1933 and in 1938. It is argued that perceptions of public opinion played a much more important role in decision-making than has hiterto been thought. The most significant argument posits that perceptions of public opinion were equally as important as military considerations in the decision to refuse the Godesberg terms in 1938. More generally, the way in which politicians used public opinion rhetorically is described and the limits of the usefulness of the term for historians are suggested.

Thesis In the Light of Kabbalah: Jewish Mystique in Polish Literature in the Interwar Period deals with different models of reflection of Jewish religious and mystical tradition in the Polish interwar literature (on the example of three authors representing different ways of perceiving their own Jewish roots as well as the processing of themes based on the tradition of Jewish mysticism). Aleksander Wat, originally a futurist, was critical of the Jewish religious tradition - but still cannot his own "Jewishness" escape; prose writer Bruno Schulz offers an unique vision of cosmogony and eschatology reminiscent of - besides other things - selected concepts of Kabbalah; Bolesław Leśmianʼs relationship to this tradition is the looses, but on the other hand his method of working with motives which can interpreted in the context of the Jewish religious tradition is very original. Literary work of all three - as the heirs to the "people of the Book" - is marked by a specific relationship to language and the written word. In addition to this theme we deal with e.g. the Golem motive, the idea of the creation of the world or the idea of God. These analytical chapters are preceded by a theoretical and methodological introduction based on the traditions of literary hermeneutics, but also on selected concepts of...

The thesis focuses on the creation and functioning of the State statistical office and its contribution to the statistical science and theory development. The main goal of the thesis is to make the readers acquainted with the first period of the czechoslovak state statistics and enable them to get a thorough look into the institution's publication activities. In this concept the thesis is divided into three parts. In the first one the "modus operandi" of the statistical office itself is described, the second part comes up with the State statistical office's most influential personalities' biografical data. The third part brings the description and analysis ot books, magasines and other pieces publication. At the conclusion of the third section the key works of the statistical theory are analysed. The enclosure of the thesis implies the attachment with published laws and regulations of the Czechoslovak republic, which are directly tied to the statistical office's activities, and also the list of pieces published int the two key editions of the publication system. The contribution of the thesis is in the complex insight on the topic of the czechoslovak statistics in the interwar period. By now only some fragments have been compiled and described.

The topic of this diploma thesis is to prove the author's deep roots in the Romanian literary tradition (Urmuz, I. L.Caragiale), to try to prove that the poetics of his famous plays is actually contained in his work from the 30's and echoes of his personal and artistic experience from Romania can be also found in his French mature creative period. Therefore, Ionesco's writings will be compiled for the first time in our country in its wholeness since Czech and Occidental interpreters and comentators have mostly ignored the author's Romanian period of creation. Key Words Eugen Ionescu, Eugène Ionesco, Romanian literature 20th century, French literature 20th century, The Theatre of the Absurd, Romanian literaly exile

The work focuses on the specification of the specificities of the thinking of some smaller evangelical churches in the territory of Bohemia in the period 1890-1940. Specifically, this is the Brethren Unity of Chelčický (Baptist), the Unity of Czech Brethren (formerly Reformed Free Church) and the Evangelical Methodist Church. The focus of the interpretation is to introduce the construction of confessional identity based on the relationship to the past and the specific interpretation of the personalities and events that shaped the tradition from which these churches were based. Another element forming the identity of the members of these churches was their attitude to the modern secularization tendencies against which they stood in opposition. Last but not least, their confessional consciousness determined their definition of other forms of piety. The aim of the work was to provide, based on the study of the published written sources left by the members of these three churches, a comparison and characterization of their way of viewing certain subjects through their religious beliefs.

This master thesis examines the heritage of the Prague journal Volja Rossii, one of the leading Russian emigration's periodical publications in 1920s, in terms of literary criticism. The research aims to describe the main tendencies in the perception of current socio-political processes of that era, as well as the Soviet literature and other cultural processes in SSSR of the interwar period, by the magazine's critics and columnists. Furthermore, this study includes biographical data, thematical and theoretical preferences in publications of the key personalities in the journal's editorial staff.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the experience of modernity, and how it related to the process of establishing and determining one’s individual identity. By studying the protocols from discussion seminars on contemporary topics attended by students at Swedish folk high school Wiks folkhögskola in the 1920s and 1930s, the study explores how the students defined themselves in relation to societal changes as well as how they evaluated what they considered to be modern versus traditional. The thesis approaches the subject through the theoretical lens of modernity, defined as the experience of living in an uncertain and changeable present, fundamentally different from what is perceived to be the past. This generates paradoxical feelings of both optimism for the future and nostalgic longing for the past. Alongside the concept of modernity, the thesis utilises theories of individualisation and historical research on the making of the modern self to explore how experiences of modernity related to processes of identity formation. The analysis is structured around three themes, urban and rural lifestyles, leisure as opportunity and threat, and changing gender norms, which were present both in the students’ discussions and in Swedish public discourse during the interwar years. Throughout, the experiences of modernity expressed by the students were much more complex and dynamic than what previous historical research on the modernisation of Sweden has suggested. The thesis therefore argues for a pluralistic and experience-based view of modernity. Furthermore, it questions the relevance of theories of modern individualisation, and to what extent the students’ identities were individual and emancipated from traditional hierarchies. Instead, it considers the role of school authorities, and concludes with the assertation that concepts such as modernity and identity should be approached through empirical studies of historical context and with a critical eye towards power dynamics, authorities, and dominant narratives.

The presented diploma thesis deals with the issue of the legacy and reflection of the peace conference in the 20th century, through the theories of realism and idealism. The theoretical part presents the key theories of realism and idealism, from the perspective of several authors, as well as the first great debate in the sector of international relations. The distribution of forces at the peace conference in Paris is described in more detail, all the treaties forming the Versailles peace system are presented, and attention was also paid to the process of establishing the League of Nations. The main part of the work contains an analysis of the situation during the interwar period, with an emphasis on the sustainability of the idealistic peace concept, which contrasted with the realistic activities of individual states. Based on this, the main goal of the work is to answer the questions what caused the failure of the system of collective security, the demise of the League of Nations, as well as the possible transcendence of peace treaties to the present. Key words Peace conference, idealism, realism, interwar period, Versailles peace system, League of Nations

The endeavor of this thesis is to throw light on the portrayal of women by the Austrian-Jewish writer Joseph Roth. Roth’s women are regarded as highly negative and thus the author has increasingly been judged a male chauvinist and misogynist. This opinion seems particularly questionable since hardly any studies on his fictitious women have ever been conducted. The present study aims at filling that void and thereby presenting Roth’s views in a more differentiated manner. A new approach to Roth is thus called for. The analysis draws from the socio-historic background in which Roth’s work is situated. In his journalism as in his fiction, Roth strived to demonstrate and deal with the challenges of the times he lived in. His work frequently revolves around the “damaged” post-war generation in the 1920s and 30s, the feeling of being literally and metaphorically homeless. His later works are mostly set in the past, although this should not be viewed as escapism but as an attempt to come to terms with present reality. The worlds he portrays are dominated by men who are neither whole nor strong. But although women are few and it is said they are depicted only in crude stereotypes, the study shows that Roth does address their problems and plights. By observing women within established types, modern and traditional, it is revealed that Roth indeed shows depth when characterizing women, and that his interest in them is to use them as examples to illustrate fundamental aspects of the human condition. Rather than portraying them subservient to man, Roth demonstrates their common humanity. His understanding for the condition of women in his times often becomes apparent only when the narrative perspective is isolated from the protagonists. Simultaneously his work presents a valuable literary contribution for Gender Studies. / Classics & Modern European Languages / (D. Litt. et Phil.) (German)