 |
 |
Elections under 20th Century Dictatorships
May 7 - May 9, 2009
| Location: | Germany |
| Conference Date: | 2009-04-27 (Archive) |
| Date Submitted: |
2009-04-03 |
| Announcement ID: |
167964 |
|
INVITATION
Why did almost all modern dictatorships try to seek formal legitimation through some kind of popular vote: the German Nazi Regime as well as the Italian Fascists and the Communist Regimes?
The aim of the conference is to examine the hypothesis that pseudo-democratic elections and plebiscites in 20th Century dictatorships should not be dismissed as trivial propaganda phenomena. Instead, these elections might offer valuable insights and a deeper understanding of the inner workings of these regimes.
We will be looking at the symbolic content and the practice of elections, at the interaction between authority and the people, and at the aspect of performance. Up to now, little effort has been made to investigate these aspects of elections under dictatorial rule from a historical and comparative perspective.
PROGRAMME
Thursday, May 7, 2009
16.00 – 16.15 Welcome and introduction
16.15 – 18.15 Keynotes and opening discussion
Ralph Jessen: Non-competitive elections in 20th century "totalitarian" dictatorships. Some questions and general considerations
Werner Patzelt: Elections in modern dictatorships. An analytical framework
19.15 Public lecture (in German)
Hans Michael Kloth: Der Anfang vom Ende: Die DDR-Kommunalwahlen vom 7. Mai 1989
Friday, May 8, 2009
9.00 – 12.30, 1st Panel: The function of elections and plebiscites in Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany
Paul Corner: Fascist national unity and the importance of the appearance of unity
Markus Urban: Self-representations of a plebiscitary dictatorship? The National Socialist regime between “uniformed Reichstag”, referenda and party rallies
Frank Omland: Elections and referendums in Schleswig-Holstein, 1933-1938
Enzo Fimiani: Plebiscites in Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany: comparative perspectives
12.30 – 14.00 Lunch
14.00 – 16.00, 2nd Panel: Elections and the legitimation of communist regimes
Virgiliu Tarau: The Soviet factor in the elections held in Eastern Europe in the first years after the Second World War
Pawel Machcewicz: The January 1957 elections in Poland
16.00 – 16.30 Coffee break
16.30 – 19.00, 3rd Panel The micro-politics of election campaigns in the USSR and East Germany
Marc Smith: The Supreme Soviet elections of February 1946: housing, welfare, and Stalinist legitimacy after the Great Fatherland War
Thomas Bohn: The elections for the Supreme Soviet of the USSR in 1958 – loyalty and dissent in communism
Hedwig Richter: Cultural history of elections in the German Democratic Republic
20.00 Conference dinner
Saturday, May 9, 2009
9.00 – 12.00, 4th Panel: Elections in non-state organizations under communism
Gleb Tsipursky: Celebration and dissent: youth engagement in Soviet elections, 1953-68
Peter Heumos: Works council elections in Czechoslovak industrial and mining enterprises, 1948-1968
Ondrej Matejka: A refuge of democracy in the communist dictatorship? Election issues in the Czech protestant milieu 1948-1989
12.00 – 13.30 Lunch
13.30 – 16.00, 5th Panel: Regime transformation and elections after 1989/91
Donnacha Ó Beacháin: Elections in post-communist Central Asian dictatorships
Michael Zeuske: Elections in Castro's Cuba
Tianjian Shi: Political experience: a critical variable in the studies of elections in rural China
16.00 Coffee break
|
|
Prof. Dr. Ralph Jessen
Dr. des. Hedwig Richter
University of Cologne
Department of History
Albertus-Magnus-Platz
D-50923 Köln / Cologne (Germany)
Email: hedwig.richter@uni-bielefeld.de
|
Didn't find what you're looking for?
Try our power search! |
Return to the top of this page
Return to announcements home
|
Send comments and questions to H-Net
Webstaff. H-Net reproduces announcements that have been submitted to us as a
free service to the academic community. If you are interested in an announcement
listed here, please contact the organizers or patrons directly. Though we strive
to provide accurate information, H-Net cannot accept responsibility for the text of
announcements appearing in this service. (Administration)
|
|
