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In the last two decades, historians have faced difficult methodological challenges in exploring former party archives in East Central Europe and in reconstructing the political history of communist regimes. A remarkable answer to this challenge has been provided by a new generation of historians who turned their attention to the social history of socialist dictatorships in East Central Europe, and took a peculiar interest in the "small," the "mundane" and the "insignificant" of everyday life under communism. Their laborious research has focused not on high politics, but on local communities. Their works deconstructed the life-styles, living conditions, fashion and dressing, leisure, tourism and consumption, sexual habits and childcare of ordinary people. The current study provides a historiographic overview of the major thematic and methodological orientations of the history of the everyday life in socialist dictatorships. It focuses on two distinct but overlapping directions of research: the analysis of the daily habitual organization of communist societies; and the communist authorities' attempt at a micro-politics of everyday life. The study argues that, while the new social history of the socialist dictatorships has greatly added to our understanding of significant aspects of the social and political structure of these countries, it has also constructed a representation of everyday life as essentially impertinent to power. In doing so, it ignored the capacity of habitual social and cultural behavior in producing techniques of control and discipline.

Cover title. ; "This brochure was prepared in the U.S. Army Center of Military History by Charles R. Anderson"--P. [2]. ; Shipping list no.: 93-0350-P. ; Includes bibliographical references (p. [4] of cover). ; Mode of access: Internet.

Throughout history there have been seemingly inexplicable phenomena whose results have caused deaths, miracles, witchcraft trials and even profit and loss of military battles. This article presents a microbiological-historical survey where some microorganisms (Claviceps purpurea, Fusarium sporotrichioides, Stachybotrys chartarum and Serratia marcescens), may be the hypothetical cause of some of these phenomena. ; A lo largo de la historia han existido fenómenos aparentemente inexplicables cuyos resultados han originado muertes, milagros, juicios por brujería e incluso ganancias y pérdidas de batallas militares. En este artículo se realiza una inspección microbiológica-histórica en donde algunos microorganismos (Claviceps purpurea, Fusarium sporotrichioides, Serratia marcescens y Stachybotrys chartarum), pueden ser los hipotéticos causantes de algunos de estos fenómenos.

Russia's transition to a market economy has been tortuous to say the least. However, this book argues that the arguments and counter-arguments that pitch shock therapy against gradualism are wide of the mark and quite pointless. Indeed, the reasons for the warped outcomes can actually be traced back through the long sweep of Russian history. Decisions made in the distant past can fully influence policy- making in the present. Hedlund's thesis can, like this, be seen as influenced by the 'path dependency' theories of Paul David among others.

Interview with Sir Don McKinnon, conducted 27th February 2013 in London and 8th April 2014 in Auckland, as part of the Commonwealth Oral History Project. The project aims to produce a unique digital research resource on the oral history of the Commonwealth since 1965 through sixty oral history interviews with leading figures in the recent history of the organisation. It will provide an essential research tool for anyone investigating the history of the Commonwealth and will serve to promote interest in and understanding of the organisation. Biography: McKinnon, Donald Charles. 1939- . Born in London, United Kingdom. Educated at Lincoln Agricultural College, New Zealand. Elected as Member of Parliament for Albany, New Zealand, 1978. Senior Whip for New Zealand National Party in Opposition, 1987-90. Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand, 1990-96. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 1990-99. Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Nations, 2000-08. Chairman, Global Panel Foundation, Australasia Division, 2008- .

All over Europe, the founding of new history museums brings to the fore questions as to which stories should be told, which objects should be put on display, for what audiences and with what results and future possibilities. This collection of papers brings together reflections on the nature and roles of history museums on a general level with reports from case studies in Brussels, Berlin, Warsaw and Paris. The cases dwell on the challenges and negotiations of collections, communities and citizenship that arise when polities create new museums. How to balance political and intellectual concerns? The report starts out with the intersection between policy and research, including interventions from the European Commission and reflections on the balancing acts involved in producing research with policy relevance. The conference and the report were co-produced by EuNaMus and the House of European History. The conference proceedings are produced within the three-year research programme EuNaMus – European National Museums: Identity Politics, the Uses of the Past and the European Citizen, coordinated at Tema Q at Linköping University (www.eunamus.eu). EuNaMus explores the creation and power of the heritage created and presented by European national museums to the world, Europe and its states, as an unsurpassable institution in contemporary society. National museums are defined and explored as processes of institutionalized negotiations where material collections and displays make claims and are recognized as articulating and representing national values and realities. Questions asked in the project are why, by whom, when, with what material, with what result and future possibilities are this museums shaped. ; Correction: The series name on the title page is incorrect. The correct series name is Linköping Electronic Conference Proceedings, No. 83 .

A Vital Interest in the Affairs of Latin America has Grown Recently in Australia. There, in that land "in back of the beyond," professors are offering new programs of Latin American Studies while their librarian counterparts have strengthened their holdings through active participation in the Latin American Cooperative Acquisition Program (LACAP) and in the Seminars on the Acquisition of Latin American Library Materials (SALALM). The move of Claudio Véliz from the Universidad de Chile to the Chair of the Department of Sociology, La Trobe University (Bundoora, Victoria), will stimulate further the development of Latin American Studies in the Antipodes, while the resurgence of trans-Pacific sailings during the past decade is attracting the interest of the Australians to the nations across the Pacific. It is worth noting that last year Professor Gilbert Butland of the University of New England, Armidale (New South Wales) published a general study entitled The Other Side of the Pacific: Problems of Latin America (Sydney, 1972).

Comments on Matthew Worley's (1999) reflections on historiography of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB), deeming it disappointing for its dearth of political probing & political judgment & raising the issue of whether historians consciously or otherwise, & in various ways, illegitimately reconstruct history to synch with their preconceptions. It is argued that Worley failed to engage with the arguments & interpretations of the various works he either lauded or dismissed. He required readers to take these verdicts on trust & provided nothing explicit in way of a framework in which he passed judgment. It is contended that Worley biased his assessment in favor of those who offered a sympathetic view of the CPGB in the interest of presenting the CPGB as dissenting from the Comintern line. Attention is given to the importance of Stalin in driving CPGB policy, contra Worley who asserted the British party's autonomy from the Kremlin & essentially whitewashed Stalin's impact. Focus turns to critiquing Worley's (eg, 2000) revision of the conventional estimations of the Third Period, highlighting his (2002) consolidation of said work in a book. Seen as a rehash of earlier work, the book's similar lack of political probing & judgment is noted. The evidence presented therein does not amount to a convincing reevaluation of the Third Period; despite Worley's revisionist assertions, it is maintained that the CPGB offered no real challenge to the Comintern line. J. Zendejas

More than 80 years ago, an important award was established in the USSR - the Hero of Socialist Labor. This article presents a brief historical and political excursion into the appearance and existence of this award in the Soviet state.