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Books > Social sciences > Warfare & defence > War & defence operations
For years, the history of the anti-Nazi resistance in Germany was
hidden and distorted by Cold War politics. Providing a much-needed
corrective, Red Orchestra presents the dramatic story of a circle
of German citizens who opposed Hitler from the start, choosing to
stay in Germany to resist Nazism and help its victims. The book
shines a light on this critical movement which was made up of
academics, theatre people, and factory workers; Protestants,
Catholics and Jews; around 150 Germans all told and from all walks
of life. Drawing on archives, memoirs, and interviews with
survivors, award-winning scholar and journalist Anne Nelson
presents a compelling portrait of the men and women involved, and
the terrifying day-to-day decisions in their lives, from the Nazi
takeover in 1933 to their Gestapo arrest in 1942. Nelson traces the
story of the Red Orchestra (Rote Kapelle) resistance movement
within the context of German history, showing the stages of the
Nazi movement and regime from the 1920s to the end of the Second
World War. She also constructs the narrative around the life of
Greta Kuckhoff and other female figures whose role in the anti-Nazi
resistance fight is too-often unrecognised or under appreciated.
This revised edition includes: * A new introduction which explores
elements of the Red Orchestra’s experience that resonate with our
times, including: the impact of new media technologies; the dangers
of political polarization; and the way the judiciary can be shaped
to further the ends of autocracy. The introduction will also
address the long-standing misconception that the German Resistance
only took action when it was clear that Germany was losing the war.
* Historiographic updates throughout the book which take account of
recent literature and additional archival sources
When Abraham Lincoln expressed gratitude for the northern churches
in the spring of 1864, it had nothing to do with his appreciation
of doctrine, liturgy, or Christian fellowship. As a collective
whole, the church earned the president's admiration because of its
rabid patriotism and support for the war. Ministers publicly
proclaimed the righteousness of the Union, condemned slavery, and
asserted that God favored the Federal army. Yet all of this would
have amounted to nothing more than empty bravado without the
support of the men and women sitting in the pews. This creative
book examines the Civil War from the perspective of the northern
laity, those religious civilians whose personal faith influenced
their views on politics and slavery, helped them cope with physical
separation and death engendered by the war, and ultimately enabled
them to discern the hand of God in the struggle to preserve the
national Union. From Lincoln's election to his assassination, the
book weaves together political, military, social, and intellectual
history into a religious narrative of the Civil War on the northern
home front. Packed with compelling human interest stories, this
account draws on letters, diaries, and church records from 165
manuscript collections housed at 30 different archives and
libraries, letters and editorials from 40 different newspapers, and
scores of published primary sources. It conclusively demonstrates
that many devout civilians regarded the Civil War as a contest
imbued with religious meaning. But in the process of giving their
loyal support to the government as individual citizens, religious
Northerners politicized the church as a collective institution and
used it to uphold the Union so the purified nation could promote
Christianity around the world. Christian patriotism helped win the
war, but the politicization of religion did not lead to the
redemption of the state.
In 1961, the U.S. government established the first formalized
provisions for intercountry adoption just as it was expanding
America's involvement with Vietnam. Adoption became an increasingly
important portal of entry into American society for Vietnamese and
Amerasian children, raising questions about the United States'
obligations to refugees and the nature of the family during an era
of heightened anxiety about U.S. global interventions. Whether
adopting or favoring the migration of multiracial individuals,
Americans believed their norms and material comforts would salve
the wounds of a divisive war. However, Vietnamese migrants
challenged these efforts of reconciliation. As Allison Varzally
details in this book, a desire to redeem defeat in Vietnam, faith
in the nuclear family, and commitment to capitalism guided American
efforts on behalf of Vietnamese youths. By tracing the stories of
Vietnamese migrants, however, Varzally reveals that while many had
accepted separations as a painful strategy for survival in the
midst of war, most sought, and some eventually found, reunion with
their kin. This book makes clear the role of adult adoptees in
Vietnamese and American debates about the forms, privileges, and
duties of families, and places Vietnamese children at the center of
American and Vietnamese efforts to assign responsibility and find
peace in the aftermath of conflict.
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