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In the run up to the 2014 centenary of the First World War, the German public was gripped by a heated debate on the origins of the war. This article explores the nature of this controversy and its role in shaping national commemoration of the Great War. It also draws parallels between the commemorations of the fiftieth anniversary of the outbreak of the war in 1964 and those of 2014. Through a comparison of Germany’s national memories of the war with those in Britain and France, the article also reveals how different and sometimes conflicting national interpretations of the history of the First World War have affected centenary commemoration. Memories of the First World War are nation-specific, constructed and developed over time to suit a particular view of a country’s past. Moreover, they can be instrumental in influencing that country’s future development and relations with its neighbours. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents a report from an April 6, 2017 conference of the Weimarer Republik e.V. historical society in Gotha, Germany on the centennial anniversary of the founding of the USPD (Unabhängige Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands/Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany) political party. Topics of presentations delivered include the alleged importance of the party to the German labor movement, the USPD's stance on World War I, and Karl Kautsky's political theories on the dictatorship of the proletariat.

In Germany a common narrative of the First World War could never be established. In the post-1918 period, explanations of Germany's defeat were highly contested between the political factions of the Weimar Republic. The subsequent Nazi tyranny, the Second World War and the Holocaust came – and continue – to overshadow any other event in German history. During the Cold War, the First World War was largely a forgotten conflict. In recent years, the federal government has remained hesitant about embracing the centenary, but countless exhibitions, seminars, books and other media productions have brought this aspect of history back to public attention from late 2013, and with it has come a renewed public debate on war guilt. 在德国是不会有共同的一战叙事的。1918年以后，对德国战败的解释成为魏玛共和国不同的政治派别的战场。接下来的纳粹独裁、二战以及大屠杀，则让德国历史上的任何其他事件黯然失色。在冷战期间，一战差不多被遗忘了。近些年联邦政府一直对庆祝百年的事犹犹豫豫。不过2013年底以来，无数的展览、研讨会、图书以及其他媒体产品使得这段历史成为公众关注的对象，关于战争的罪孽问题又起纷争。 [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In 1825, Michael Faraday, working in his workshop at the Royal Institution, discovered what he called bicarburet of hydrogen, now known as benzene. One hundred years later, his discovery was celebrated at the Royal Institution by a host of national and international delegates. Just over thirty years after Faraday's discovery, the industrial importance of benzene was realised with the establishment of the synthetic dyestuffs industry. In this paper, the Faraday Benzene Centenary Celebration is discussed in detail and compared with other celebrations that have linked benzene with colour, in particular the 1890 celebration in Germany of the benzene ring formula and the 1906 celebration of the foundation of the coal-tar dye industry. It is instructive to review the different economic and political agendas underlying these events, each within the context of a particular time and place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

University history has a long-standing record. The early formation of university historiography materialized not only as a result of scientific self-reflection, but also as an occasion-driven practice tied to anniversaries. Therefore, it was linked to a concrete context of utilization and application. Thus, university history was often some sort of casual remittance work, carried out on the occasion of a jubilee by historians who were chosen rather for their local availability than for their special knowledge. This holds true even today, in spite of the fact that since the mid-1990s there has been an increased research interest in university history, both on the national and international level. Thus, it still seems productive to ask what anniversaries mean for the writing of university history. In what follows, I will address this question by a three-step approach. First, I am going to roughly sketch out the history of university jubilees to illuminate the historical background of this particular production context. In step two, I will turn to some basic and systematic reflections about how university history can and should be written. Finally, step three will provide a short screening of the (German) anniversary publications that came out in recent years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is, with minor changes, a lecture delivered in April 2008 at The Library of The Jewish Theological Seminary as part of the commemoration of the Steinschneider Centennial. Much of the flavor of the original oral presentation has been maintained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the centennial anniversary of the birth of German historian and former editor of the history periodical "Jahrbücher für Geschichte Osteuropas" Günther Stökl. Biographical information on Stöckl's education and career is offered, Stöckl's love of the works of painter Raffael Becker and the music of composer Franz Schubert is described, and Stöckl's Russian history research is examined.