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On December 22, 1926, an opening ceremony of the so-called Gypsy school was held in Uzhhorod, the capital of the Czechoslovak administration in Carpathian Ruthenia. Czech officials who gave talks pointed out pedagogical significance of the established institution which they described as unique and exceptional "experiment". The creation of a special school for children of those inhabitants who were labelled as "Gypsies" on the territory which was annexed by Czechoslovakia only later after the First World War and which in the contemporary imagination represented specific, "backward" region of the newly established state, served to consolidate the legitimacy of the First Republic as a democratic, progressive, modern, liberal state which belonged to the developed and civilized West. More than a half year later, on July 14, 1927, representatives in the Czechoslovak Parliament in Prague passed the Act No. 117/1927 on Wandering Gypsies. The development of this law was related to an immense interest of the contemporary media in "Gypsies" which was encouraged by the arrest of approximately twenty "Gypsies" from a village located in East Slovakia. They were charged of numerous robberies and murders. In contrast to the situation shortly after the First World War when the central Czechoslovak authorities...

The doctoral thesis compares and interprets the development of local integration policies of (West) Berlin and Vienna in 1971-2011 on the background of the transformation of Germany and Austria from ethnically homogenous to multicultural countries. Both metropolises first balanced between refusing the permanent integration of immigrants ("temporary integration") and selection of foreigners suitable for integration, later searched for a balance between the traditional concept of assimilation and the more modern multicultural approach; in the last decade they favoured the diversity policy, in more or less close connection to the concept of interculturalism. Although both cities represent essentially similar cases, this development was not straightforward and simultaneous, especially in the first phase before the migration crisis at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s. The research study focuses mainly on two questions: why the development of local integration policy in West Berlin started significantly earlier than in Vienna and why both cities started to support diversity policy at the beginning of the new century. The comparative framework derived from the "contrast of contexts" method interprets the development of local integration policies in the context of the national and transnational political...

The master thesis "Germany's European policy in the Western Balkans on the example of Croatia's accession to the EU" deals with the role of the Federal Republic of Germany in the Europeanisation of the countries of the Western Balkans in order to achieve stability in the region and peaceful resolution of the conflicts. Germany's main objectives in its European Policy in the Western Balkans have been to restore democracy, liberal economic market, rule of law, resolution of the refugee problem, protection of minorities, protection of the human rights and regional cooperation. The stabilisation of the Western Balkan should be achieved by its integration with the West: EU and NATO. Germany is intensively present in the Western Balkans since the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. Through its active involvement in the crisis of Kosovo, Germany strengthened its leadership role and responsibility within the EU. At the same time it also strengthened its position in the Western Balkans by its political, economic and humanitarian engagement. The focus will be on the description and interpretation of the motives of Germany's involvement in the integration of the Western Balkan in the EU. The aim of the thesis is to interpret the steps Germany took as a strong advocate of the EU- accession by the example of Croatia's...

The thesis "The Importance of the Marshall Plan for the Power Electric Industry in North Rhine Westphalia" deals with the influence of the Marshall Plan on the power supply in this state. It describes the role of the American help in the reconstruction of the most important electric power public utilities. The thesis concentrates on the period 1948-1952 during which the counterpart funds were provided. There were more reasons to choose the state North Rhine Westphalia as a research basis. Most of the German industry was concentrated on this area. Therefore there was the highest consumption of electricity in Germany. On the same time, because of the concentration of many important electrical companies North Rhine Westphalia was the biggest producer of electricity in Germany. Therefore this state was also to provide electricity supplies to other German states. The thesis depicts if the Marshall Plan contributed to the reconstruction of the two chosen companies RWE and VEW. It examines which kinds of project were mostly supported. It also concentrates on the cooperation between the management of the companies, the German institutions and the American administrators of the Marshall Plan. Finally the thesis concludes that because of its size and importance RWE profited more than the smaller company VEW. Powered...

The thesis "50 Years of Zentrale Stelle and Criminal Prosecution of Nazi Crimes in Federal Republic of Germany" describes an institution formed in 1958 in Ludwigsburg. The purpose ofthis institution is to conduct comprehensive research on Nazi crimes, committed especially in Eastern Europe, as well as the subsequent preparation and coordination of criminal prosecution. Since 1958, almost all court trials of Nazi criminals have been closely linked to this organization and are backed by investigations and research of its members. During its 50 years of existence, the Zentrale Stelle has managed to assemble a unique archive of documents and authentic materials, thus contributing significantly to the historical research on Nazi criminals and their crimes. The submitted work describes first the organization itself, its activities and the issues it faces. Further on, it presents an overview of the Zentrale Stelle's results in respect to the overall persecution of Nazi criminals by (West) German courts. Significant attention is also devoted to the present situation in Ludwigsburg and the local collection. An office of Bundesarchiv and a research office of Stuttgart University were established in the Zentrale Stelle to elaborate the documents and materials ofthe archive.