The Incredible Beginning of the First World War: Madame Caillaux on Trial

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One hundred years ago, Europe was on the road to war. By the end of July, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, starting a series of declarations between the Great Powers that ended on August 4 when Britain declared war on Germany for its invasion of neutral Belgium. A month before on June 28 1914, the heir to the Habsburg crown, Franz Ferdinand, was assassinated by the young Serbian nationalist, Gavrillo Princip. None foresaw that Princip's actions would become one of the most monumental acts of the 20th century, though in July of 1914 few cared to notice. For most Europeans (and Canadians!) they were more interested in the “trial of the century” taking place in Paris. French socialite Madame Henriette Caillaux was found not guilty on July 28, the same day Austria declared war on Serbia.

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Popularizing D-Day: 70 Years On

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In his monumental work, The Great War and Modern Memory (1975), American literary historian Paul Fussell sought to situate how the men of the First World War gave meaning to their painful and life-changing experiences. But it wasn’t just a meaningful exercise for veterans of the First World War, for the book had been written at an opportune time about 60 years after the outbreak of war in 1914 and just 30 years after the end of Fussell’s war in 1945. Fussell had become interested in previous experiences not unlike his own—he sought to explore these experiences across time and space.

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The Easter Rising in 1916 - Ninety Eight Years Ago

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The Easter Rising of Ireland in April 1916 was the second last attempt of the Irish to throw off the yoke of their British masters. Just recently we passed its 98th anniversary and Ireland is preparing for its centenary with the novel idea of inviting historians to advise their government on its commemorations. It's almost like we're especially skilled to discuss history's role in society and government. It's always worthwhile to refresh ourselves about the facts of the Easter Rising, one of the most significant events in Irish history.

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The Pope of Peace and the First World War

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It has been slightly over a year since Pope Francis was named the Vicar of Christ to replace the ageing Pope Benedict XVI. From the beginning, Pope Francis has been committed to shaking things up in Rome. He was the first non-European Pope since the Syrian Pope Gregory III in 1272, the first Jesuit Pope, the first South American Pope, and the first Pope to use a name not used by a predecessor since Pope Lando in 913. His pronunciations on the role of the Catholic Church and commitment to be a more humble and personable representative of Christ have been met with positives reactions by many. Though some critics wonder if Pope Francis is only speaking of reform but not initiating it, he's at least attempting to maintain the Church's influence in a world where religious institutions seem increasingly parochial – no pun intended. Today we examine one of Pope Francis' predecessor who also struggled to keep the Catholic Church relevant in a changing world.

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Canada’s Cold War – Part II

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This is the second post in a series which examines Canada’s Cold War. In our first post, we provided a framework to situate Canada’s postwar interests within a North American security context. Canada’s foreign and domestic policy in this era was to a large degree predicated by its role in the Commonwealth, but the geo-strategic vulnerabilities of northern North America forced a reorientation of Canada’s national allegiances. The United States replaced Britain as Canada’s primary security partner, and the Cold War’s impact on Canada must be understood accordingly.

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Is Russia of 2014 like Germany of the 1930s? Some Historical Context to Austria's Anschluss, Czechoslovakia and the Munich Agreement

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For many, the evolving situation in Ukraine harkens back to European history of the 1930s. Whether it is the German-Austrian Anschluss or the German claim to Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland, many across the world (and within Russia itself) have made the comparison between Russia's recent aggressive stance in the Crimea and the actions of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. Such comparisons can be useful as they place the situation in Ukraine in a comprehensible (if perhaps simplified) framework. Most informed observers of contemporary affairs are broadly familiar with the events leading up to the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, and can easily understand a conception of Russia's action within such a comparison. Given the number of sources that have made the comparison in the last week, we thought it would be fruitful to remind our readers of those events in more detail.

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The Borderland: Between Russia and the Rest

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In early December 2013, we wrote about the controversy surrounding Ukraine’s decision to sidle alongside Putin’s Russia rather than sign agreements with the European Union that would allegedly bring the country closer to European integration. Over the last few months, the controversy has evolved considerably from a string of peaceful protests to violent unrest. The official response has escalated in turn, leading to violent clashes in the streets and hundreds of casualties since mid-January of this year. The most recent developments, however, have raised the stakes significantly as both Russia and Ukraine mobilize their militaries for war and a weary diplomatic community scrambles to ease the tensions.

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The Long History of Practical (University) Education

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Over the past few years, newspapers, blogs, and other media sources have recounted the endemic problems associated with the underemployment of university graduates. One of the latest pieces to explore this topic was CBC’s The Current with Anna Maria Tremonti, which aired last week and focused on the income gap between tenured-track professors and adjunct or sessional instructors. The vast majority of commentary has highlighted the “gloom and doom” of humanities and liberal arts graduates. Many are quick to point out that humanities students are less likely to find a well-paying job following graduation, while others show that graduates in history or philosophy are almost always paid less than those with degrees outside of arts or humanities. Still others, like The Current, have focused on those people at the problem’s apogee: PhDs in the humanities.

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Canadian and EU Integration: No Easy Road

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Last week we explored some issues involving EU integration and Kiev’s decision not to sign the historic EU Association Agreement, which some argue would have put the Ukraine firmly on the road to prosperity. In light of the recent riots in the Ukraine’s capital—and the harsh government reaction to them—this post looks at some of the difficulties North Americans have when conceptualizing EU’s endless objective of expansion.

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Ukraine, EU Integration, and the Road to Prosperity

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Earlier this year, the European Union (EU) welcomed Croatia as the 28th member state, a decision which caused some degree of controversy. While some commentators claimed that the EU had already overstretched its boundaries, many politicians in the European community remain convinced that expanding the EU and signing European economic agreements is the optimal choice for the continent’s prosperity.

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Overstretching the EU's Overstretched Boundaries

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In this post, we suggest that given such severe financial crises, the EU should place a moratorium on the accession process. Croatia, which became the twenty-eighth member of the EU last month, brings with it a series of new challenges whilst other EU countries try to remedy their own. The post raises an important question: has the EU overstretched its boundaries?

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