The diploma thesis provides an in depth overview of Czech exile in Mexico during the Second World War. Initially the text describes the political and social situation in Europe and Mexico during the 1930's and 1940's and elucidates the reasons leading to emigration. In the following part the subject matter of exiled Czechs is characterised, especially regarding Czech authors writing in German. The last chapter maps the communities of expat and their activity in aid of the Czechoslovak resistance movement; provides a detailed description of the Czechoslovak-Mexican Association and finally presents the stories of several exiles who were forced to leave Czechoslovakia during the Second World War.

The thesis analyses prince Max Egon Hohenlohe-Langenburg's relationship to Czechoslovak Republic from its origin to year 1945. It focuses on the issues of prince's role in Czechoslovak politics and his attitudes to all the situations which affected the aristocracy in the 20th century in ČSR - land reform, Sudeten crisis and postwar turn of events. In the first chapter the thesis concentrates on foundation of ČSR and its impact on aristocracy and thus also on prince Max Egon at the time. The second chapter deals with consequences of land reform on property of Hohenlohe-Langenburg's House, the third chapter is about Sudeten German crisis and prince Max Egon's role in it. The last chapter shows aristocracy's situation after year 1945. The author comes to conclusion that the personality of prince Max Egon was very ambiguous - he always tried to get on well with everybody in effort to gain personal profit, and for fear that he could not keep his property in the extent that he had had since the time Hohenlohe- Langenburg's family settled down in current Czech border. Keywords Max Egon zu Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Czechoslovakia, Munich agreement, World War II, Sudetenland

This thesis examines the relationship between the private naval armaments industry, businessmen and the British Government’s supply planning framework between 1918 and 1941. More specifically, it reassesses the concept of the Military-Industrial Complex by examining the impact of disarmament upon private industry, the role of leading industrialists within supply and procurement policy, and the successes and failings of the Government’s supply organisation. This work blends together political, naval and business history in new ways, and, by situating the business activities of industrialists alongside their work as government advisors, it sheds new light on the operation of the British state. This thesis argues that there was a small coterie of influential businessmen, led by Lord Weir, who, in a time of great need for Britain, first gained access to secret information on industrial mobilisation as advisers to the Supply Board and Principal Supply Officers Committee (PSOC), and later were able to directly influence policy. This made Lord Weir and Sir James Lithgow among the most influential industrial figures in Britain. This was a relationship which cut both ways: Weir and others provided the state with honest, thoughtful advice and policies, but, as ‘insiders’ utilised their access to information to build a business empire at a fraction of the normal costs. Outsiders, by way of contrast, lacked influence and were forced together into a defensive ‘ring’ – or cartel – and effectively fixed prices for British warships in the lean 1920s. However, by the 1930s, the cartel grew into one of the most sophisticated profiteering groups of its day, before being shut down by the Admiralty in 1941. More generally, this work argues that the Japanese invasion of Manchuria was a turning point for supply organisation, and that between 1931 and 1935, the PSOC and its component bodies were governed by necessity. Powerful constraints on finance and political manoeuvre explain the nature of industrial involvement. Thus, it is argued that the PSOC did a broadly effective job at organising industry with the tools it was given, and the failings were down to the top levels of policymaking – the Cabinet – not acting upon advice to ease procurement bottlenecks early enough, to the extent that British warship construction was more expensive and slower than it could have been. In sum, this group of industrialists, the Admiralty and a few key figures in the PSOC such as Sir Harold Brown, effectively saved MacDonald, Baldwin and Chamberlain’s National Government from itself.

Master of Arts / Department of History / David A. Graff / On December 7, 1941 the Japanese Empire launched a surprise attack on the United States at the Pearl Harbor naval base in the territory of Hawaii. The following day President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared war on Japan, and America was suddenly an active participant in a global war that had already been underway for over five years. World War II pitted the Axis (Japan, Germany, and Italy) against a coalition of allied nations that were united primarily by fear of Axis totalitarianism. Typically referred to as the Allies, the alliance’s most powerful participants included the United States, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain. However, many other nations were involved on the Allied side. Smaller European countries such as Holland, Belgium, and Poland fought with armed forces and governments in exile located in London after their homelands had been overrun by the Germans in 1939 and 1940. China had been at war with Japan since 1937. After the United States entered the war, allied action resulted in the creation of different, localized military coalitions between 1941 and 1945. These coalitions presented Allied leaders with unique problems created by the political, geographic, military and logistical issues of fighting war on a global scale. The earliest coalition in which the United States was involved was known by the acronym ABDACOM, short for the American, British, Dutch, Australian Command. ABDACOM’s mission was the defense of the Malay Barrier, which stretched from the Malay Peninsula through the Dutch East Indies to New Guinea, and the protection of the Southwest Pacific Area from Japanese invasion. In its brief two-month existence the ADBA coalition in the Southwest Pacific Area failed to prevent the Japanese from taking the Malay Barrier, Singapore, Burma and the islands between Java and the Philippines. This was due not to one overriding problem, but to a combination of planning, command, and logistical problems, compounded by the distance of Allied production and training centers from the front lines. These problems can be traced from the late 1930s to the dissolution of ABDACOM at the end of February 1942. Historians have often overlooked the underlying causes of the United States’ first foray into coalition warfare in World War II. To better understand why the Allied forces succumbed to the Japanese onslaught so quickly, one must look at political, military and economic relations between the United States and its allies prior to the onset of hostilities in 1941. Domestic political realities combined with international diplomatic differences kept the United States from openly preparing for coalition action until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The ensuing military coalition suffered from numerous deficiencies in command structure and logistics. Though pre-war planning existed within each of the Allied governments, the lack of cooperative action gave the Japanese military an insurmountable military advantage over the members of the ABDA coalition. Given the limited scope of this paper the focus will be on American participation in ABDACOM. The other countries involved will be included insomuch as they help to fill out the story of the United States and its first coalition effort in World War II. The story of the ABDACOM coalition is one of perseverance, creative planning, and deep stoicism in the face of overwhelming odds. The short life of the coalition gave planners in Washington, D.C. and London time to sort out potential conflicts between the Allies.

A woman just getting settled in New Orleans with her fiancé is uprooted by Hurricane Katrina. She spends the two months after the hurricane in various parts of Louisiana trying to pick up the pieces of her uprooted reality. Along the way, she encounters ordinary people who act as inspirations and is also reminded of her deceased Chinese grandmother, whom she was care-giver to before she died and whose stories about life in China and the US parallel the woman´s own life during the post-Katrina months of vulnerability and change.

The Green Light letter from President Franklin Roosevelt to Major League Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis gave MLB permission to continue throughout World War II. The team owners felt relief that MLB is the only professional sport to survive during the years of World War II (1941-1945). MLB became a primary contributor toward the war effort. While war-supporting efforts were conducted, team owners positioned themselves to benefit from the bond between baseball and the American people. MLB portrayed itself through the commissioner’s office policy as a patriotic partner by providing entertainment for American factory workers and contributing equipment to servicemen overseas. MLB also remained a monopoly without Congressional inquiries or public challenge. Since MLB was exempt from anti-trust laws, team owners operated within MLB’s anti-trust exemption and strengthened position for the post war period.

As produções artísticas do pintor Kazuo Wakabayshi podem ser divididas em duas etapas. A primeira é um conjunto de obras de tonalidade escura, de tom universal e sem qualquer indicação de sua origem étnica. A segunda fase, que se inicia por volta dos anos de 1980, consiste em obras de cores vibrantes, cujo detalhe apresenta elementos da cultura japonesa, tais como personagens do teatro kabuki, estampas da indumentária tradicional e outros elementos pertinentes àquela cultura. Apesar das notáveis diferenças entre as duas etapas, a elipse é a forma geométrica que sempre existiu na vida artística de Wakabayashi. O propósito da presente tese é trazer à tona o que está imerso nessas criações, primeiramente de natureza universal e, posteriormente, identitária. Acredito que a compreensão da arte desse artista imigrante poderá trazer respostas acerca da história de sua vida / The artistic productions of the painter Kazuo Wakabayashi, who spent his teenage years during the World War II can be divided in two stages. The first one is represented by the group of paintings in dark tones, which lacks any sign of ethnic origin, and which seeks to preserve a universal tone. The second stage, which begins in 1980s, consists of vibrant colours paintings, whose details are rich on Japanese culture elements, such as the Kabuki play characters, the patterns of traditional clothing, among other elements. Although there are striking differences between these two stages, the ellipsis is the geometric form which has never left his artistic life. The present thesis seeks to bring to the surface what is immersed in the depth of these productions in his first stage, which has an universal character and in the later one, after the acception of his ethnic identity. The understanding of his work will enable us to find answers on the personal life of this Japanese immigrant artist

A presente dissertação analisa dois filmes norte-americanos produzidos e distribuídos pelo estúdio Warner Bros., ambos baseados em histórias reais, que de distintas formas representaram, seja de forma idealista ou condenatória, a União Soviética, o Comunismo e os membros do Partido Comunista dos Estados Unidos (CPUSA). O primeiro, Missão em Moscou, dirigido pelo já renomado Michael Curtiz e lançado no contexto da Segunda Guerra Mundial, apresenta evidências de ter sido feito sob a tutela tanto da agência governamental Birô do Cinema- Secretaria de Informação da Guerra quanto do presidente dos Estados Unidos à época, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Pela forma como interpretou fatos da história da Rússia e por sua campanha do país como membro dos países Aliados, o filme recebeu a denominação de pró-soviético pela literatura que o estudou. Já o segundo, Eu Fui um Comunista para o FBI, lançado apenas oito anos após Missão em Moscou, mas já no contexto da Guerra Fria, evidenciou, por outro lado, a tentativa da companhia cinematográfica em se alinhar à atmosfera de repúdio ao Comunismo reinante em boa parte da opinião pública norte-americana no período, bem como de tentar afastar as acusações do Comitê de Atividade Antiamericanas (HUAC) da presença dentro de Hollywood de elementos subversivos e de sua propaganda. Por sua representação, filmes como Eu Fui um Comunista para o FBI, recorrentes na década de 1950, foram denominados anticomunistas. O estudo aqui empreendido inicia-se com a caracterização da indústria cinematográfica em Hollywood na época de sua chamada Era Clássica (1930- 1948), primeiro capítulo; passando pelas análises fílmicas e de contexto de ambas as obras, resultando no capítulo dois e três; para encerrar-se, no último capítulo, com as considerações sobre a recepção das duas obras, levando para isso em conta as produções de significado de três agentes: os críticos cinematográficos; o seu público espectador, e os seus números de bilheteria. Por fim, nas considerações finais, colocamos em comparação a obra pró-soviética e anticomunista no tocante às suas diferenças, bem como similitudes, nas estratégias para a representação das personagens envolvidas em suas tramas. / This thesis analyses two American movies produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Studios. Both are based on true stories, that used different depictions, one in an idealized way and the other condemnatory, of the Soviet Union, of the Communism and of the members of the Communist Party of the United States. The first film, Mission to Moscow, directed by Michael Curtiz and released in the context of World War II, presents evidence that it was fostered by the governmental war agency, the Bureau of Motion Pictures Office of War Information and by the president of the United States himself at that time, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Due to its interpretation of recent facts in Russian history and because of its propagandistic campaign to generate a better understanding of this country among Americans, historians and film theorists have classified the picture as pro-Soviet. The second movie, I Was a Communist for the FBI, whose premiere occurred only eight years after Mission to Moscow, showed, on the other hand, Warner Bros. attempt to realign itself to the atmosphere of anticommunism perpetrated by the majority of American public opinion and also to deny any accusation that the motion picture industry was full of subversive elements and their propaganda. When considered for its representation and depiction of Communism, movies like I Was a Communist for the FBI, very common in the 1950s, was denominated anticommunist. We divided this work into four parts. We start in the first chapter by exploring the motion picture industry in Hollywood during what was called the Golden Age (1930 1948). Then, we move to the film analyses of both pictures, the content of chapters two and three; in chapter four we study the reception of the two feature films, using as elements of measure the productions of meaning of three different agents: the critics, the spectator and the box-office numbers. Finally, in Conclusions, we compare Mission to Moscow and I Was a Communist for the FBI, aiming to observe them in the light of their differences but also of their similarities in the strategies used for the representation of the characters in the stories.

A Alemanha iniciou o século XX com uma posição influente na comunidade científica mundial, o que é evidenciado na quantidade de Prêmios Nobel e nas descobertas realizadas no país, por alemães e estrangeiros que fizeram carreira por lá. Esse estado de coisas poderia ter mudado após o final da Primeira Guerra Mundial, quando a fragilidade da Alemanha era evidente, agravada pelas duras condições impostas pelos Aliados. Porém, o período conhecido como República de Weimar conheceu uma grande produção em vários campos, com destaque para a Física, que continuou a sua trajetória ascendente. A ascensão dos Nacional-Socialistas, em 1933, foi responsável por uma grande involução do papel alemão no cenário científico mundial desde o primeiro ano de seu governo, por meio de demissões, perseguições e outros atos. O início da Segunda Guerra Mundial magnificou esse estado de coisas. Em meio a tudo isso, é iniciado um Projeto Atômico, com o objetivo de construir uma arma de destruição em massa de alcance quase inimaginável. O Projeto não desenvolve tal arma a tempo de ser utilizada durante a guerra, mas a Alemanha desenvolve uma tradição sólida nas áreas da ciência e tecnologia nuclear. / Germany started the 21st century at a privileged status in the world science community, what is proven in the amount of Nobel Prizes and discoveries carried out in the country, by Germans and foreigners who pursued their careers there. Such state of things could have changed after the end of World War I, when Germany´s weakness was evident, increased by the harsh conditions imposed by the Allies. Nevertheless, the period known as Weimar´s Republic faced a great production in various fields, including Physics, which kept its ascending trajectory. The National-Socialists seizure of power, in 1933, was responsible for a major involution of the German status in the world science scenario from the first year of their government, by means of dismissals, harassment and other actions. The start of World War II magnified this situation. Amidst all that, an Atomic Project began, aimed at building a mass destruction weapon of an almost unthinkable reach. The Project does not develop the weapon in time to be used during the war, but Germany develops a solid tradition in the fields of Nuclear Science and Technology.

\"A Modernidade em Hans Broos\" é um estudo que parte da obra alemã e brasileira do arquiteto Hans Broos (1921), compreendida entre fins da década de 1940 e os anos 1970. O cenário alemão pós-guerra torna-se contexto chave, onde o arquiteto reúne densa formação teórica e prática, e experiências que conformarão o cerne de seu fazer arquitetônico. À formação ampla e diversificada junta-se o desejo de contextualizar suas propostas no ambiente brasileiro, quando aqui chega no início da década de 1950. Este encontro inicial com a arquitetura da Escola Carioca resultará especialmente fértil, maduro e complexo quando o arquiteto assimila os pressupostos gerais do Brutalismo Paulista, que se mesclam às referências que o mantém atrelado à experiência alemã. O objetivo da tese é demonstrar o quanto sua arquitetura brutalista mantém-se afinada aos pressupostos de sua formação, seja pela via teórica e indireta, seja pelo exemplo direto do trabalho do mestre Egon Eiermann. A partir de referências múltiplas, também sua obra ajudará a compor o cenário multifário do Brutalismo Paulista nos anos 1960 e 1970. / \"Modernity in Hans Broos\" is a study developed from the analysis of the german and brazilian works by architect Hans Broos, between the late 1940s and the 1970s. The postwar german situation is the key context, in which the architect gathers a dense theorical and practical background, and experiences that will form the core of his architectural practice. To this broad and diverse background, he adds the desire of contextualizing his work to the brazilian environment, when arriving here in the early 1950s. This primary encounter with the brazilian architecture of the Carioca School will prove specially fertile, mature and complex when the architect assimilates the main concepts of the Paulista Brutalism, which are bound to the references he attains to his german experience. The focus of the thesis is to show in what dimension his brutalist architecture is aligned to his background\'s concepts, wether by the theoric and indirect way, or by the direct example of the works of master Egon Eiermann. From multiple references, Hans Broos\'s work will also cope with the multifaceted scenario of 1960s and 1970s Paulista Brutalism. Keywords: Hans Broos, Post-World-War-II german architecture, Paulista Brutalism