The Test of Command: McNaughton and Exercise “Spartan,” 4–12 March 1943

The large-scale General Headquarters (GHQ) exercise known as “Spartan,” held in the south of England during March 1943, was a significant event in the history of the Canadian Army in the Second World War. The purpose of “Spartan” was to test the army in the dual tasks of breaking out of an established bridgehead and making the transition to open warfare. As a direct result of shortcomings on the exercise, three Canadian generals lost their commands. Of greatest significance was the eventual relief of General A.G.L. McNaughton as commander of the First Canadian Army in November 1943. During and after “Spartan” the Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS), General Sir Francis Alan Brooke, and the Commander-in-Chief of Home Forces, General Sir Bernard Paget, claimed that McNaughton’s performance proved his incapacity to lead First Canadian Army in the field. In consequence, Brooke and Paget orchestrated his removal and Canadian military historians have generally supported their assessment. However, the considerable criticism directed at McNaughton resulting from “Spartan” has suffered from oversimplification. This article will review McNaughton’s performance during the exercise and assess its role in his relief

Sharing Responsibility? Short- and Long-term Effects of Sweden's "Daddy-Month" Reform

In 1995, the Swedish government reformed the parental leave system with the view to increase the share of fathers in child care, change gender roles in society, and improve the chances of mothers in the labor market. We investigate a unique data set comprising the entire population of Swedish children born in a span of two weeks before and two weeks after the reform. The reform constitutes a natural experiment. Comparing two cohorts of a total of 7600 newborns, their mothers, and fathers over a period of eight years, we look at a) the number of days mothers and fathers take parental leave and b) the number of days for care of sick children. We find that the reform had a strong short-term effect on parental leave by fathers, but that there are no long-run effects on fathers' willingness to increase their part in care for sick children.Gender; Labor market; Natural Experiment; Policy Evaluations

Australia

Australia: A Cultural History, first published in 1988, is still the only short history of Australia from a cultural perspective. It has acquired a unique reputation as an introduction to the development of Australian society and was listed by the historian and public intellectual John Hirst in his ‘First XI: The best Australian history books’. The book focuses on the transmission of values, beliefs and customs amongst the diverse mix of peoples who are today’s Australians. The story begins with the 60,000 years of the Aboriginal presence and their continuing material and spiritual relationship with the land, and takes readers through the turbulent years of British colonisation and the emergence, through prosperity, war and depression, of the cultural accommodations which have been distinctively Australian. This 3rd Edition concludes with a critical review of the challenges facing contemporary Australia and warns that ‘we may get the future we deserve’. [Some images unavailable for OA

Deed John Rickard - May 12, 1888

Deed between John Rickard and Jacob W. Ruffne