The American Way of Life – Value Orientation

Values, goals and beliefs generally motivate people without becoming fully conscious. However, to Americans the valued are more conscious than to most others and their »Way of Life« is a subject of frequent discussion. One of the causes may be that Americans chose their country as immigrants and built it up according to an image they had formed in advance. The author maintains that in the fifties the American Way of life had the quality of a finely balanced system in accordance with the whole life, which had reached a certain equilibrium in this period. It was a moment of relative quiet and calm, shortly before great change and upheaval occurred at the end of the sixties. The author who studied and participated in American life 1950 to 60 and again at the end of the sixties found the value system a great help in understanding of many areas of American life, in the quiet period as well as the pendulum swung in the other direction. Several values are discussed which the author considers as dominant for the American way of life. The first is the pursuit of happiness, both from the aspect of the right to happiness as well as from the aspect of obligation to become happy (including the request to »keep smiling«). Another value is the reliance oil own strength, persistence and foresight, being the »master of my fate and the captain of my soul«, which excludes any belief in fate. A third value is a strong faith in progress, the belief that all things are becoming better with time, that the golden age lies in the future, and everything man can dream of can be achieved. With this value another is connected: a belief in »benign« human nature, the goodness of man and his capacity to improve. That includes disbelief in destructive and in strong aggressive tendencies in man. Helpfulness is another value, which manifests itself in many ways, reminiscent of the »fraternite« of the French revolution and has often a passionate quality and an uncritical, nearly naif, approach to people apparently in need of help. One value, which is pursued consciously is a law abiding attitude, a respect towards law, rules and regulations, which Americans themselves one of the pillars of their life style. Another high ideal is that of freedom including absolute individual independence and hostility to any sign which may suggest servility or dependence. Connected to the ideal of freedom is that of equality which is also pursued enthusiastically, but often causes dilemmas and conflicts as it is most difficult for many people to live up to this ideal. Last but not least is the goal of the »good life«, the »decent life« in accordance with the dignity of man, including high standards of living and cleanliness. Far from being Dolce Vita it has strong moral accents and pride in achievement. The material for this article is taken from a book manuscript which is being prepared for publication by the author: The American Way of Life — Triumphs and Defeats. It corresponds to the first chapter of a book of twelve chapters

Dr Lujo Weissmann (1895-1963)

Lujo se rodio 1895. u Požegi kao najstariji sin natkantora Josipa Weissmanna, vedrog i simpatičnog muzičkog stručnjaka i nastavnika kojeg su zavolele mnoge generacije opštinara i učenika jevrejske osnovne škole u Zagrebu. Umjetnička crta bila je jako izražena i u Luja: hteo se posvetiti muzici, ali se ipak odlučio za pravo. Poslije završetka prvog svjetskog rata upisao se na Zagrebački univerzitet, gdje se istakao kao Ijevičar, aktivista, izvrstan govornik. Lujo je postao neumorni zaštitnik i pravni branilac progonjenih. Da bi pomogao Ijudima koji su zbog svog političkog stava i rada bili hapšeni, mobilizirao je sve svoje veze i svoj veliki lični autoritet. Uspjevao je da uđe i u zatvore, u "sudske uze" i policiju u Zagrebu, u kaznione u Mitrovici i Lepoglavi, gdje je posjećivao političke uhapšenike i robijaše. Donosio im je hranu, novac, knjige, i zastupao ih besplatno pred sudom. Poslije dramatičnog spašavanja iz ratom zahvaćene Jugoslavije i mnogo lutanja Lujo i Zlata su stigli u New York, gdje su postali vrlo aktivni pobornici narodnooslobodilačke borbe Jugoslavije. Lujo je davao koncerte, držao mitinge, govorio na radiju, pisao u američkoj štampi o borbi protiv okupatora i o stvaranju nove Jugoslavije.Born in Požega in 1895, Lujo was the eldest son of cantor Joseph Weissmann, a cheerful and sympathetic music expert and loved teacher by many generations of Jewish community and Jewish elementary school students in Zagreb. Lujo wanted to devote himself to music but still opted for Law. After the end of World War I, he enrolled at the University of Zagreb, where he distinguished himself as a leftist activist, an excellent speaker. Lujo became a tireless protector and legal advocate for the persecuted. In order to help the people who were arrested for their political attitudes and work, he mobilized all his connections and his great personal authority. He also managed to enter prisons, the "court lines" and the police in Zagreb, the penitentiaries in Mitrovica and Lepoglava, where he visited political prisoners and prisoners. He brought them food, money, books, and represented them free of charge in court. After a dramatic rescue from war-torn Yugoslavia and much wandering, Lujo and Zlata arrived in New York, where they became very active supporters of Yugoslavia's national liberation struggle. Lujo gave concerts, held rallies, spoke on the radio, and wrote in the American press about the fight against the occupiers and the creation of a new Yugoslavia

Theories on the beginnings and structure of joint-families ("zadruga")

In this paper the author has a critical standpoint toward the most known theories on joint family communities. The works of the up-to-now called Yugoslav authors were put in the foreground. The works of foreign authors were placed after. They were classified by a general criterion, by how the authors saw the origins of this form of family. The comprehension of the basic characteristics depends, as a rule, on that, as well as the elements structure, changing processes, adjustment to new conditions and extinction of the joint family community. The first part of this article is devoted to theories about family communities as an institution of the Slavs. In this way its origin is connected with elements of a certain ethnic community. The range and consequences of such beliefs are suggested. The second part is reserved to explaining the family community as an institution which appeared in feudalism. It is a consequence of the tax system role. With its termination, the communities fell apart. This kind of social development determination and this type of family is proven to be ahistorical. It is predominantly stressed that the authors neglected that feudalism was a class society and overemphasized the force factor significance. The third part deals with theories which believe joint-family communities as an institution which arose in the transition from tribal to class society. These researchers stress that it is a general, historically determined conditioned form, which originated before class society and terminated with its development. Elements of its structure are especially important, as well as methods of its transformation in new conditions and termination processes. The essence of this belief is the following: a joint-family is a general historical form of family organization which arose in the transition from tribal to class society. The most important characteristics are: 1) blood relationship among men members; 2) common property; 3) undeveloped division of labor, and plain peoples work is the most important for its survival; 4) democratic control; and 5) it is not just mere gathering of simple families it is based on kinship, origin and precedes monogrammed families