Stories about History from July, 2011
Singapore's old playgrounds
just rambling creates a google map of Singapore's old playgrounds.
Russia-Lithuania: Did Russian Pressure Set KGB-Officer Free?
Gerhard Mangott discusses [GER] to what extent Russian pressure was decisive for Austrian authorities to let a former KGB-officer free, wanted by Lithuania for January 1991 Vilnius deaths.
Serbia: First Reactions to Acquittal of Sandor Kepiro
On Monday July 18, 2011, a court in Budapest acquitted 97-year-old Sandor Kepiro, a Second World War Hungarian police captain who served in occupied Serbia and, until recently, was “the most wanted Nazi.” He was charged with war crimes against Serbs, Jews and Roma during the Novi Sad Raid –...
Chile: Salvador Allende's Death Ruled a Suicide
As Greg Weeks reports in his blog Two Weeks Notice “Salvador Allende's death has officially been ruled a suicide. I think it is fair to say that very few people believed otherwise. Nonetheless, there is evidence that the military (under the orders of Augusto Pinochet) would have murdered him if...
Colombia: On Independence Day
Colombia celebrates its 201st birthday on July 20. Guapacho writes about this year's Google Doodle [es]; Triana remembers [es] José María Espinosa, one of the first Colombian cartoonists; and Julián Rosero Navarrete argues [es] that the “independence” was actually a “secession war” among Spaniards from both sides of the Atlantic.
U.S.V.I: Rhys’ Literary Identity
“Both the English and American interpretations of Rhys have always truly baffled me…the English reading…completely glossing over Rhy's well-documented disdain for the English and her discomfort with ‘whiteness’, and the American reading as an odd feminist revision”: A Nation or Nobody blogs about the ambiguities of writer Jean Rhys and...
Puerto Rico: Puerta de Tierra Website
The legendary neighborhood Puerta de Tierra, in the outskirts of the walled city of Old San Juan, has a website with a wealth of information [es] on its history, people, and activities.
Lithuania-Austria: Ex KGB-Officer Causes Controversy
Albatross of Litauen blog reports [GER] about a controversy between Lithuania and Austria, where Austrian authorities first arrested and then released a former KGB-officer, who commanded Soviet Alpha-forces during the bloody Vilnius 13 January 1991 events.
Iran: Rage Against Pre-Islamic Statues
It seems that even statues are not safe in Iran. Religious motives appear to be behind the recent theft and destruction of several bronze statues of Iranian national heroes from public places.
Germany: Stasi and its Informers
David Cook at The View East writes about the East German security police, Stasi, during the Cold War, and its system of informers.
China: The development of investigative report
Wang Keqin, a prominent journalist in China, has written an article in China Media Project on the development and political impact of investigative report in China over the past decade.
Cuba: Interview with Palacios
the voice of el morro interviews Hector Palacios, a name associated with “the internal opposition in Cuba.”
Germany: Rocking the Wall of the GDR
James Shingler at The View East writes about East German rock and pop music and its subvertive role in changing society during the 1970s and 1980s.
East Timor: Arts and Creative Industries in Focus
With the main purpose of launching the future Academy of Arts and Creative Industries of East Timor, a series of cultural events and an international conference are taking place in Dili until the 17th of July. The organization's website Tatoli ba Kultura includes a media map featuring unique works by Timorese...
Russia-Middle East: Comparing the Fall of the Wall and the Arab Spring
Dr. Sean's Diary compares the difficulties of area studies in handling the fall of the commnist bloc in Central and Eastern Europe in the 1990s with that of the current Arab spring, against the backdrop of a recent Foreign Policy article.
Russia: Putin-Stolypin Liberalism
Sean's Russia Blog writes about Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin inaugurating a monument to his early 20th century predecessor Pjotr Stolypin, and discusses how this link serves the interests of advancing a specific type of Russian liberalism.
Russia: Lasting Legacy of Landladies
Natalia Antonova writes about her Moscow landlady as an example of the constant problems lasting Soviet mentality creates in everyday life.
Chile: 40 Years of Nationalized Copper
As Setty writes in his blog, July 11 marked “the 40th anniversary of Chile’s nationalization of the copper industry.” Codelco, (Chile's state-owned copper mining company) workers went on strike that day “to protest the ‘undercover privatization’ of the company”, Setty explains.
Estonia: Agonizing Over History
Giustino of Itching for Eestimaa reflects upon historical memory and guilt against the background of Estonian town Viljandi celebrating the 70th anniversary of Nazi occupation.
Cuba, U.S.A.: About that Embargo
Iván García contends that despite the general pragmatism of U.S. policy, “regarding the Cuban embargo, the Americans show a notable stupidity”, calling it “an authentic mirrors game…of course, the ones who blame the embargo for all the misfortunes that have been happening are also lying.”
Cuba, Trinidad & Tobago: Fire Festival
Havana Times blogs about Santiago de Cuba's exciting Fire Festival, saying: “This year was the festival’s 31st edition and was dedicated to Trinidad and Tobago.”
