The history of the expansion of Protestant Christianity among the Nepali diaspora

The history of the Protestant Christian church among Nepali people started while Nepal was still a "closed" country, among a diaspora community across the eastern border in Darjeeling, then a part of British India. This thesis documents the history of the expansion of Christianity throughout the Nepali diaspora as it spread to disparate parts of India and beyond. In order to trace that history, it was also necessary to historically trace the dispersion itself and its contacts with Christianity.The first chapter deals with the basic question of "Who is a Nepali?" and the historico-sociological forces that led to widespread external migration out of Nepal. Then a two-tiered region by region historical analysis is made of the Nepali diaspora itself in the context of its receptor communities and the influence of Christianity among it, resulting in the establishment of Nepali Protestant Christian churches. This process is traced from its early beginnings in Darjeeling on through the Eastern Himalayan states of Sikkim and Bhutan and into the Duars, and along the relentless eastward migration trail into North East India and Burma. The analysis then looks at the regions to the south and west of Nepal in three broadly defined blocks: the North India plains of North Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, the Western Himalayas with emphasis on the UP hills and Himachal Pradesh, and urban India. A separate chapter documents the spread of Christianity among Gurkha soldiers, particularly within the British Brigade of Gurkhas. Throughout attention is given to the agents of Christian expansion and other factors inherent in that expansion, the particular ethnicity of the Nepali most affected, their links back to the "mother church" in Darjeeling and with the church in Nepal. Finally, contrasts concerning where and how Christianity has spread among the Nepali diaspora are drawn between the regions

The Russian Army and foreign wars 1859-1871.

The thesis examines how the Russian army interpreted and what lessons it learned from the wars in Europe between 1859 and 1871 and the American Civil War. This was a time marked by rapid change - political, social, economic and technological. By raising the question of learning from foreign wars the thesis attempts to fill a gap in the historiography of the Russian army. The army was one of the pillars on which the Russian regime built its power, and it was crucial for the survival of the regime both in domestic and foreign affairs. The reactions and thinking of the military at a time of rapid social, political, economic, and technological change, therefore, tell a lot about the regime's ability to adjust, develop, and ultimately survive. Furthermore, the influence of foreign wars on Russian strategic war planning is analysed with the use of the first Russian war plan of 1873 and the proceedings from the strategic conference, chaired by Alexander II, in 1873. The influence of foreign wars on the General Staff officer education is also investigated. The thesis is largely based on extensive research in Russian archives. Special attention is given to the military attaches and, thus, the thesis fills a gap in the historiography of the Russian army. It uncovers the development of the military attache institution with the use of new archival material. The Russian military attache reports from the European Great Powers 1859-71 and the observer reports from the different war scenes are also examined. In addition, extensive use has been made of the military press and contemporary military literature with regard to the wars