Tijdschrift voor Geschiedenis - Volume 129, Issue 4, 2016

Seasonal labour and migration in Roman Italy

Cities in Roman Italy offered work to many thousands of people in all kinds of sectors. Most of that work was more or less permanent, and much of it required skill and expertise. The urban economy was subjected to periods of expansion and contraction which were partly cyclical and seasonal, partly due to such external factors as imperial policy. As a result, the labour demand of the urban economy fluctuated, in part following a pattern of predictable and regular seasonal cycles, in part as a result of less predictable and less short-term trends that were primarily caused by imperial spending. Governed by their short-term and more long-term labour strategies, members of rural households sought wage-earning labour in the cities. The low opportunity cost of many members of rural households meant that they were prepared to work for low wages at least for short periods, which lowered the urban wage-levels for unskilled labour. If they had mules or oxen, they used animal labour besides their own. While in the city of Rome the grain dole shifted the balance somewhat in comparison with cities without such free hand-outs, it did not support a large group of city-dwellers who were unemployed in slump times. Hence at peak times many people from the countryside were hired to perform wage-labour in the cities, but when labour demand contracted, in winter or when a major building project was finished, many wage-earners returned to the countryside.

‘The Belgians ran at the first shot.’ The battle of Waterloo and the rhetoric of cowardice

For many generations British historians have decried the conduct of the Dutch troops at the battle of Waterloo as cowardly, an accusation which Dutch and Belgian historians, in their turn, have tried time and again to refute. This accusation of cowardice results from the exclusive and uncritical use a chauvinistic British historiography made of compatriotic eyewitness accounts. The slighting assessments of the Dutch military they contain, in most cases, derive from misinterpretation: the smoke and noise, the chaos and danger of battle precluded an objective appraisal of each other’s combat performance. Miscommunication further enhanced this negative opinion. Since the occasional allies of Waterloo were not allowed time to get to know and appreciate one another, they were unfamiliar with each other’s language, uniforms, and command structure. Nonetheless, the British were certainly acquainted with fighting side by side with foreign troops, and they were more than willing, if applicable, to appraise their professionalism. As this common battle experience was lacking at Waterloo, historical prejudices could easily prevail.

Raising proper communists. Bringing up children in the communist movement, 1918-39

The aim of this article is to understand better how, during the interwar years, the Communist Party of the Netherlands (CPN) tried to bring up children of communist families in accordance with communist ideology. Which norms and values were considered important and how were they conveyed? Which media and strategies were employed? How, in other words, did the lives of children from communist parents take shape within the contours of the communist ideology? The children were brought into contact with the communist ideology in a multitude of ways, all chosen to appeal to the young audience. Through a variety of icons, rituals, and communal activities these children were taught the values, habits, and sentiments at the core of Dutch communist party culture.

‘How the bride doth suffer the groom’s wrath.’ Sexual violence and the Dutch armed forces in Indonesia, 1945-50

Members of the Dutch armed forces committed various acts of sexual violence, from exploitation to assault and rape, against Indonesian civilians during the decolonisation war of 1945-1950. Based on new research in archives and the egodocuments of veterans, which unearthed 79 cases of sexual violence, this article argues that although the Dutch army never used sexual violence as a tool of war, it nevertheless was an integral part of its military presence. While aware of the problem, military and judicial authorities repeatedly failed to curb the practice or press charges against perpetrators. Secondly, this article analyses the historical and cultural background against which this sexual violence occurred, in order to better explain why some servicemen sexually violated women. Finally, it looks into possible new directions for further research on this sexual violence and the problems and limitations of writing about such a controversial topic.

The charisma of Henk Sneevliet and the party culture of the Revolutionary Socialist Party in the Netherlands

Recent scholarship on the history of political parties has emphasized the need to research party culture, thereby focusing on the interaction between party leaders and their supporters. This article, however, claims that in order properly to understand party culture, due attention must be paid to the internal workings of political parties. Various case studies show how Henk Sneevliet led the Revolutionary Socialist Party in the Netherlands during the 1930s, revealing several mechanisms that strengthened his own role in the party while at the same time weakening the party organization. It is argued that the enduring support of core members within the party was central to the continuation of these mechanisms. The reason for this was not only political support for Henk Sneevliet, but also the fact that Sneevliet as a person embodied revolutionary values. The case study of Henk Sneevliet and the RSP therefore illustrates how party leadership, party organization, and party culture are interlinked.

Imperial anxieties. Security and empires in historiography

Recent events have brought to light the possible links between nineteenth-century imperialism and current-day security issues. In the relevant literature, however, there has been little attempt to analyse the historical relationship between security and empires. The conference ‘Security and empire. Mechanics of securitization in imperial spaces’, held in Marburg (Germany)16-18 March 2016, was perhaps a founding moment of imperial security studies. Taking this conference as a starting point, I discuss the current state of affairs in the historiography and indicate the potential to analyse security in imperial contexts. In bringing together the historicizing of security and a comparative approach to imperial history, the conference in Marburg can help us to grasp security in empire.