Book Post #5
Dietrich, John. The Morgenthau Plan: Soviet Influence on American Postwar Policy. New York: Algora Pub, 2002.
Found through the Library Catalog with a Keyword Search, using the terms: “soviet” AND “american” AND “germany”
My topic is focused not only on the Office of Strategic Services, but how intelligence adapted to the growing presence of the Soviet Union in post-World War II Germany. This book will help in providing political background.
libs101 | Comments (2)Book Post #4
Mauch, Christof. The Shadow War Against Hitler: The Covert Operations of America’s Wartime Secret Intelligence Service. New York: Columbia University Press, 2003.
Found through the Library Catalog with a Keyword Search, using the terms: “germany” AND “office of strategic services”
Mauch’s book tackles the subject of American intelligence operations in Nazi Germany and likely addresses those involving labor resistance.
libs101 | Comment (1)Book Post #3
Smith, Bradley F. The Shadow Warriors: O.S.S. and the Origins of the CIA. New York: Basic Books, 1983.
Found through the Library Catalog with a Keyword Search, using the term: “office of strategic services”
As the Office of Strategic Services is the main focus of my research, The Shadow Warriors should be useful in providing general background on the agency.
libs101 | Comment (0)Book Post #2
Thelen, Kathleen Ann. Union of Parts: Labor Politics in Postwar Germany. Cornell Studies in Political Economy. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1991.
Found through the Library Catalog with a Keyword Search, using the terms: “labor” AND “germany”
Since I’m looking at labor resistance in Germany – both during the war and after – Thelen’s book may be helpful in providing a picture of the trade unions and workers post-1945.
libs101 | Comment (0)Book Post #1
West, Nigel. Historical Dictionary of World War II Intelligence. Historical Dictionaries of Intelligence and Counterintelligence. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2008.
Found through the Library Catalog with a Keyword Search, using the terms: “intelligence” AND “world war II”
Since my topic is concerned with American intelligence during the Second World War, a reference book would be helpful for looking up any general terms – people, places, missions, tactics.
libs101 | Comment (0)Musical Analysis: U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday”
For my musical analysis I chose U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” having some familiarity with the Troubles from a previous class on British political history. The song title itself references the shooting of thirteen Irish civil protestors on Sunday, January 30, 1972, but the lyrics address the broader period of the Northern Irish Troubles.
I think what is most historically significant about a song depends from work to work, but in the case of “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” I feel the authorship and context were most critical. The members of U2 were raised in the Republic of Ireland but the violence of the Troubles was not limited to the North. This firsthand experience makes the band a valid witness to the period and lends the song value as a historical account. As for context, U2 may have written in retrospect to Bloody Sunday but not to the greater Troubles – violence was still a very viable threat. The song assumed life as a protest to the sectarian conflict, banned in some countries as too volatile in content. In a sense, U2 became a part of the history of the Troubles when the band activated politically and initiated a call for peace between factions.
Songs acquire historical significance through different values – for U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” it was obtained through band members who claimed a stake in a current ethnic conflict and dared to speak out against violence.
Here are the lyrics, if anyone’s interested!
Uncategorized, h471prc09 | Comment (0)Just a little project update.
I still need to post on my musical analysis, but I thought this would be a good place to update on my project, just so I have a place to reference to!
I originally proposed a broad examination of Sino-Soviet relations during the 1950s and how the Odd Couple alliance brought Socialist Realism to Chinese propaganda posters. At Dr. Fernsebner’s suggestion, I’ve decided to focus the topic a little further – and looking through the primary sources, the posters, I may have found a direction to take.
In the posters the audience can witness the Big Brother-Little Brother relationship of the Soviet Union and China. The newly formed People’s Republic of China needed a Communist role model and Moscow was prepared to accept the role – the two nations signed the Treaty of Peace, Security and Friendship in 1950. A critical feature of the alliance was the encouragement of economic development as China relied upon Soviet backing as it strove for financial stability. Here are a couple of representative images of Soviets during the 1950s:
Uncategorized, h471prc09 | Comment (0)