Policing in East Germany in the wake of the Second World War

This article focuses on the tremendous upheaval experienced by Germans in the Soviet Occupation Zone after 1945, and how the new ‘People’s Police’ developed during the difficult postwar years. Initially, when the needs of the population for police protection were greatest, the new police force was least able to provide that protection. Lacking sufficient trained personnel, equipment and powers, the Volkspolizei could not really effectively police a profoundly shaken postwar society. However, after the initial emergency had passed, the Volkspolizei grew to become a substantial force, but one whose main purpose was to serve the new political order rather than meet the needs of the population.Cet article porte sur l’énorme bouleversement qu’ont vécu les Allemands dans la zone d’occupation soviétique après 1945 et sur le développement de la «police populaire» dans les années difficiles de l’après-guerre. C’est dans les premiers temps, alors que la population avait le plus besoin d’une protection policière, que la nouvelle force de police était la moins capable de remplir cette tâche. Manquant de personnel entraîné, d’équipement et de pouvoir, la Volkspolizei ne pouvait accomplir sa mission dans une société d’après-guerre profondément troublée. Toutefois, une fois l’urgence initiale passée, la Volkspolizei devint une organisation d’une puissance considérable, dont la tâche principale, toutefois, était de servir l’ordre nouveau plutôt que de répondre aux attentes de la population

A Candidate Substellar Companion to HR 7329

We present the discovery of a candidate substellar companion from a survey of nearby, young stars with the NICMOS coronagraph on the Hubble Space Telescope. The H ~ 12 mag object was discovered approximately 4" from the young A0V star HR 7329. Using follow-up spectroscopy from STIS, we derive a spectral type between M7V and M8V with an effective temperature of ~ 2600 K. We estimate that the probability of a chance alignment with a foreground dwarf star of this nature is ~ 10^(-8) and therefore suggest the object (HR 7329B) is physically associated with HR 7329 with a projected separation of 200 AU. Current brown dwarf cooling models indicate a mass of less than 50 Jupiter masses for HR 7329B based on age estimates of < 30 Myr for HR7329A.Comment: 8 pages LATEX, 5 ps figures, accepted for Ap

The S.A. in the eastern regions of Germany, 1925-1934

This is a study of political violence in the Nazi rise and seizure of power at local and regional levels. Its subject is the SA in the former eastern regions of Germany - East Prussia, Pomerania, Silesia and the Border Province of Posen and West Prussia. The thesis is organised thematically, but within a rough chronological framework, and falls essentially into four parts. The first offers background, by examining social, economic and political conditions in eastern Germany during the Weimar Republic and then discussing the rise of the Nazi movement there. The second concerns the SA itself its composition, the nature of membership in the organisation, its relationship to other components of the Nazi movement and to the Reichswehr. The third, the core of this study, is a detailed analysis of SA violence and terror, both in the rise of the Nazi movement and the seizure of power. Finally, the fourth deals with the SA after the seizure of power, the failure of the SA to find a new political role, and the purge in 1934. In conclusion it is argued that the violence of the storm troopers, while ideally suited to attacking the Nazis' political opponents, eventually undermined the position of the SA. After the seizure of power, the SA no longer served a useful purpose for the Nazi leadership, and it fell easy victim to the SS during the purge.</p

Leaving violence behind: thoughts on the development og Germany after 1945

Among the "miracles" that characterised post-war Germany, perhaps the most miraculous was the turn of the German population away from violence and their violent past. The transformation already had begun during the last months of the war, when the violence visited on Germans reached its peak. This avalanche of violence provided a shock that created the basis for a profound cultural shift: away from militaristic values as Germany became a strikingly peaceful, non-violent country. After considering what occurred in 1945, the article goes on to discuss various spheres where this cultural shift may be traced: attitudes towards the military and military service, corporal punishment in schools, the increased prominence of women in public life, and the general process of liberalization that affected postwar Western Europe generally.Entre los "milagros" que caracterizaron a Alemania durante la posguerra, quizás lo más milagroso fue el alejamiento de la población alemana de la violencia y su violento pasado. La transformación ya había comenzado en los últimos meses de la guerra, cuando la violencia visitada a alemanes alcanzó su nivel máximo. Esta avalancha de violencia generó un shock que sentó las bases para un cambio cultural profundo: lejos de los valores militaristas Alemania se convirtió en un país sorprendentemente pacífico, no violento. Después de considerar lo que ocurrió en 1945, el artículo pasa a discutir diversos ámbitos donde puede encontrarse este cambio cultural: las actitudes hacia lo militar y el servicio militar, los castigos corporales en las escuelas, el mayor protagonismo de la mujer en la vida pública y el proceso general de liberalización que afectó a Europa de posguerra en general

Hunters, Clients and Squatters: The Contemporary Socioeconomuc Status of Btswana Basarwa

This paper examines the past and present socioeconomic situation of the Basarwa (Bushmen, San) of the Republic of Botswana. Changes in adaptive strategies are outlined, and it is shown that Basarwa groups have chosen a number of alternative lifestyles. In some cases, Basarwa have become clients of other groups; other people have been dispossessed and are now squatters on what used to be their land; and still others have continued foraging. Case studies of 5 communities are presented which range from the hunting and gathering !Kung of the Dobe region to the settled agropastoral Chwa of the Nata River area who are engaged in self-help activities. Changes which will have implications for the future of the Basarwa are discussed, including the land reform program in the tribal grazing areas, the remote area development efforts of the Botswana Government, and the militarization of !Kung and other Basarwa in Namibia. It is concluded that the future of the Basarwa will depend upon how political, economic, and environmental issues are resolved, and whether or not the Basarwa are included in decision-making regarding development action