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The presented dissertation thesis analyzes one of the largest protests of the Czechoslovak Stalinism-era - the Plze revolt against the currency reform in June 1953. From a conceptual perspective, the work draws on the theory of the so-called new social movements. Therefore it sets the well-known Plze incident into the context of previous protest actions that occurred in the Plze region in the course of the years 1948-1953. This method enables the author to chart the development of several varied protest cultures which had been employed in particular parts of society in Western Bohemia on a long term basis and which inspired the inception and the course of the Plze revolt in the year 1953. This way the work offers not only a considerably more precise critical description of the June protests but also their cultural genealogy. By the means of this genealogy the author reveals the structure of the main social movements that took part in the revolt and an associated complex of social conflicts that caused the protests. There were in particular the following three: a socially-motivated strike movement of industrial blue-collars, a pro-western movement of both student and blue-collar youth and a latent tension within the communist party which was becoming evident through a passive resistance of its rank...

Notre thèse se donne pour objectif d’examiner la projection culturelle de la présence militaire américaine en France entre 1944 et 1967. Après la Seconde Guerre mondiale, alors que le monde bascule dans la Guerre froide, nul ne sait déterminer l’issue de la confrontation politique et idéologique qui se déroule entre les États-Unis et l’Union Soviétique. En 1949, la France fait partie des pays fondateurs de l’Organisation du traité de l’Atlantique nord (OTAN). Sa participation à l’organisation internationale entraîne le « grand retour » des soldats américains, les GI, sur le territoire français. Celui-ci s’accompagne d’une politique culturelle inédite, qui se traduit par de nombreuses actions menées tant au niveau institutionnel que sur le terrain des bases militaires. Comment et pourquoi les autorités diplomatiques et militaires s’appliquent-elles à développer une stratégie de promotion de la présence militaire américaine en France ? Quelles formes prennent les campagnes de publicité organisées par les services d’information américains en France (USIS-France), pour développer les rapports entre civiles et militaires ? Quelle image les Français et les Américains se font-ils de cette présence militaire en territoire étranger ? À la lumière d’études journalistiques, archivistiques et de terrain, nous montrons que Washington s’emploie à conduire une politique culturelle « parabelliciste » très maîtrisée. Cette notion, adaptée de la pensée de l’intellectuel français Jacques Ayencourt en 1946, caractérise avec à-propos la politique culturelle américaine conduite de l’arrivée des premiers GI en 1944 jusqu’au départ des derniers bataillons en 1967. / Our thesis aims to examine the promotion of the American military presence in France from 1944 to 1967. After World War II, as the world was slowly drifting into the Cold War, the outcome of the political and ideological confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union was still uncertain. In 1949, France took part in the foundation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Its participation in NATO led to the return of US soldiers, the GIs, to French territory. Their return was accompanied by an unprecedented cultural policy, implemented both at the institutional level and in the day-to-day lives of French citizens. How and why did the diplomatic circles and the military establishment feel the need to develop a strategy to promote the US military presence in France? How were the advertisement campaigns conceived by the US information services in France (USIS-France) in order to develop a relationship between civilians and the military? What image did the French and the Americans have of this military presence on French soil? Based on journalistic, archival and field studies, our work shows that Washington’s cultural policy was “parabellicist,” aiming deliberately to keep both the French and the Americans on a war footing. This notion, derived from Jacques Ayencourt’s work in 1946, appropriately characterizes American cultural policy conduct from the arrival of the first GIs in 1944 until the last battalions departed in 1967.

The thesis targets at events which took place in the town of Prachatice and its surroundings at the end of the Second World War. It is based on written sources (filed in the State District Archives Prachatice), as well as on literature sources focusing on this topic and eyewitness memories. The first part presents a brief characterization of the town from geographical, social and economic point of view. The second chapter deals with events taking place in September 1938 when Prachatice was occupied by Nazi Germans. The third part shortly depicts the process of front war situations in Europe. The main part of the thesis consists of chapter 4 and 5 which present the way of living and events happening in the town from January 1945 to May 1945 when Prachatice was liberated by the US army. The thesis aims to connect general relations with events that happened in Prachatice and its surroundings not only to illustrate the topic from literature sources but also from people{\crq}s own memories. It tends to depict this period full of worries and hope. It is hoped to contribute to completion of the town history.

The goal of this thesis is to do research , as wide as possible, in the most popular part of hobby named reenacting or reenacting (Napoleonic era, Austro-Prussian Wars, American Civil War, Second World War and some new topic - Czechoslovak Peoples Army, Royal Air Force and Czechoslovak Policemen before WW2). Thats mean commemoration and re-enactment of military history and military units in whole its history from time before 1989 to the future. I tried to find grounds of this hobby and describe development of it. As I expected, progress of this hobby or movement is larger, but this hobby existed before 1989 too. Reenactors reenacted and portrayed older conflicts as Napoleonic and Austro-Prussian war. Future reenactors were mainly fencers and tramps. Year 1989 was turning point for all reenactors. Theirs hobby is legal, it is possible to travel, to unite, to ground living history groups, own weapons, speak about all part of our history. It was possible to share and search information, regulation with and in foreign countries, foreigners and archives and museums. Main goal of reenactors is to portray theirs archetypes as good as possible. Public can see not only reconstruction of battles, but open air exhibition - "very interactive museums". This thesis can't be described as "Complete, all history of...

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This study explores the foundations of US counterinsurgency policy and doctrine in order to better understand the main historical influences on that policy and doctrine and how those influences have informed the current US approach to counterinsurgency. The results of this study indicate the US experience in counterinsurgency during the Greek Civil War and the Huk Rebellion in the Philippines had a significant influence on the development of US counterinsurgency policy and doctrine following World War II through the Kennedy presidency. In addition, despite a major diversion from the lessons of Greece and the Philippines during the Vietnam War, the lessons were re-institutionalized in US counterinsurgency policy and doctrine following the war and continue to have significant influence today, though in a highly sanitized and, therefore, misleading form. As a result, a major disconnect has developed between the “rhetoric and reality” of US counterinsurgency policy. This disconnect has resulted from the fact that many references that provide a more complete and accurate picture of the actual policies and actions taken to successfully defeat the insurgencies have remained out of the reach of non-government researchers and the general public. Accordingly, many subsequent studies of counterinsurgency overlook, or only provide a cursory treatment of, aspects that may have had a critical impact on the success of past US counterinsurgency operations. One such aspect is the role of US direct intervention in the internal affairs of a supported country. Another is the role of covert action operations in support of counterinsurgency operations. As a result, the counterinsurgency policies and doctrines that have been developed over the years are largely based on false assumptions, a flawed understanding of the facts, and a misunderstanding of the contexts concerning the cases because of misleading, or at least seriously incomplete, portrayals of the counterinsurgency operations.