http://hdl.handle.net/11089/59092 2026-08-14T06:40:30Z 2026-08-14T06:40:30Z Ekdahl, Sven http://hdl.handle.net/11089/59102 2026-08-13T01:40:40Z 2026-08-12T00:00:00Z

Documents on the Efforts of Swedish Diplomacy for the Release of the “Warsaw Swedes” (1942–1945) Ekdahl, Sven The publication contains ten documents from the Political Archive of the German Foreign Office in Berlin regarding Swedish citizens arrested in 1942 on charges of collaborating with the Polish underground resistance. These published sources enable the tracing of the espionage network’s activities and illustrate Swedish diplomatic efforts to secure the detainees’ release. Ultimately, the sentences imposed on the accused by the Third Reich authorities were mitigated, most likely in exchange for deliveries of ball bearings to the German army.

2026-08-12T00:00:00Z Pawłowska, Antonina http://hdl.handle.net/11089/59098 2026-08-13T01:40:48Z 2026-08-12T00:00:00Z

Eternal Battle — the Memory of Conflict in Belfast Murals Pawłowska, Antonina The murals present in the urban space of Belfast are one of the most distinctive forms of expression of the beliefs of Northern Ireland loyalists. Their symbolism and depictions of historical events that create a coherent imagery not only produce a network of associations and symbols, but they also contribute to maintaining the group’s distinctive identity. This article provides a detailed analysis of murals themselves as a medium, as well as that of the motifs appearing on those of them which still exist within city’s landscape. The heraldic and vexillological symbols discussed are placed within the broader context of loyalist ideology and worldview. The role of paramilitary organisations in the creation of the system of symbols present in the cityscape is being examined. Recurring depictions of historical events on the city walls are being discussed within the broader context of the narrative of the past favoured by loyalists in Northern Ireland. Loyalist art constructed the image of reality in this way. The role of memory of the past in creating the contemporary social imaginary plays a special role in this discussion. These reflections, which align with the research on national myths, lead to conclusions regarding the role played by memory politics and historical narratives in creating a sense of religious, ethnic and political distinctiveness. This analysis is particularly relevant in the context of the changes that have been taking place in Northern Irish society in recent decades, including those related to the Brexit process.

2026-08-12T00:00:00Z Diakova, Helena http://hdl.handle.net/11089/59100 2026-08-13T01:40:45Z 2026-08-12T00:00:00Z

Urbanonymy as an Instrument of Commemoration and De-commemoration of the German-Soviet War in Kharkiv Diakova, Helena The article explores the process of commemoration and de-commemoration of the Second World War events in Kharkiv. The study examines how the memory of the German-Soviet War is inscribed into Kharkiv’s toponymic landscape and analyses the transformations shaping this commemorative dimension in the present era. The scientific novelty of this publication lies in examining the emergence and consolidation of the memory of individuals and events of the Second World War, particularly its German-Soviet dimension, within the toponymic landscape during the second half of the XX century and the first quarter of the XXI century; in assessing the influence of state normative and legal acts adopted between 2015 and 2025 on the contemporary nomination of urbanonyms; and in advancing hypothesises concerning the prospective trajectories of commemorating the history of 1941–1945 through the renaming of specific toponyms.Analysing the transformations in Kharkiv’s contemporary toponymy, the author concludes the city is undergoing a reformatting of historical memory through the new nomination of urbanonyms. The current authors of state ideology, active proponents of a revised interpretation of Ukraine’s history, expect that by renaming objects within the street and road network, they will be able to reshape the commemoration of the German-Soviet War. Over time, this is anticipated to erode the respectful attitude toward that period of the country’s past in popular memory and to alter public perceptions of the veterans of that war. An examination of the de-commemoration of the German-Soviet War reveals an intensifying state involvement in the nomination of geographical names. At present, Ukraine has a series of normative legal acts that regulate the narratives to be employed in geographical naming. An analysis of commemoration and de-commemoration in Kharkiv indicates that the formation of the city’s new toponymic landscape is significantly influenced by members of the non-governmental organisation (NGO) ‘Decolonisation. Ukraine.’ This organisation seeks to contest and reframe the public memory of those who fought against the Nazis in the ranks of the Red Army during the Second World War, as well as the events that unfolded in the Kharkiv region between 1941 and 1945.

2026-08-12T00:00:00Z Chrostowski, Maciej http://hdl.handle.net/11089/59097 2026-08-13T01:40:49Z 2026-08-12T00:00:00Z

The School Image of The Spanish Civil Warm and the Second World War as an Instrument for Collective Memory Manipulation A Comparative Case of History and Civics Textbooks from Early Francoist Spain and People’s Republic of Poland During Stalinism Chrostowski, Maciej This article compares the school image of the wartime past (the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War), created during the transformative early postwar phase of Francoism in Spain and Communism in Poland. Demonstrating the political usefulness of the narratives on war was crucial to the consolidation of both regimes. Legitimisation of the new regime called for emphasising the war effort, not only in defeating the enemy but also in its struggle for social issues. For school-taught history, the early years of both dictatorships marked a period of breaking with prewar educational concepts, introducing and testing new ‘revolutionary’ pedagogical solutions. This article not only explains the aspirations of political rulers to rebuild the students’ memory but also contributes to our understanding of the textbook authors’ perception of the recent past. It analyses the meanings of terms specific to mythical stories, such as nation, power, heroes and their deeds, or wartime struggle.The initial phase of People’s Poland and Franco’s Spain was thus a period of ‘identity formation’. Those in power sought to create a homogeneous ‘imagined community’ with the leading party, where the right to rule was legitimised by the victory in the recent war. One of the tools used was the manipulation of the collective memory of the students.The following cross-national study of Spanish and Polish teaching materials, which employs the analysis of over 90 primary sources in the form of History and Civics textbooks, seeks to elucidate the similarities and differences in the pursuit of educational politics in the two Cold War enemy camps. Comparative studies enable the discernment of phenomena that may not be readily apparent in the context of a single country’s research.This study seeks to establish which narratives were used to mark the textual boundaries of war heroes’ behaviour that should have served as a moral compass for students in their epistemological orientation in the ‘new world’. Questions are posed concerning which discursive strategies were used in the early stages of both dictatorships to memorise the path to victory. This analysis seeks to establish whether, and how, the textbook narratives differed and whether they abounded in arguments that were universal for the consolidation of totalitarian power. The conclusion summarises the usefulness of studying narratives concerning both wars when examining collective memory and group identity.

2026-08-12T00:00:00Z