Critical and scarce: the remarkable career of limestone 1850–1914

ABSTRACT

Over the past decade, the notion of ‘critical raw materials’ has appeared as a political concept. The reliance on these raw materials is characterized by the ambivalence of enabling future development and indicating vulnerability posed by the risks of potential scarcity. In this paper, Haumann argues that the concept of ‘criticality’ can be extended to historical research on resource scarcity. It highlights the importance of the construction of value added chains, analysed as dynamic technological systems, as a background for the social reflection on scarcity. As an example, the paper analyses how the use of limestone became ‘critical’ when it was adopted as flux in iron- and steel-making during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, enabling unprecedented economic growth. It stresses the interrelation of the reflection on vulnerability and scarcity on the one hand and the dynamic (re-)construction of the technological system attuned to this material on the other.     

Crown, corporation and church: the role of institutions in the stability of pioneer settlements in the Canadian West, 1870–1914

The agricultural settlement of western Canada took place within the framework of a complex socio-economic system produced by Canadian national institutions: the Crown, corporations and churches. The interaction of these Canadian institutions with institutions introduced to western Canada by immigrants played an important role in determining the long-term stability of immigrant rural communities. Whether an immigrant group achieved long-term stability or suffered social disintegration depended on the degree to which immigrant and host institutions werecongruentordissonant. The interaction of social and economic institutions is examined through the settlement experiences of five diverse groups that settled in western Canada before 1914: the Mennonites, Doukhobors, Jews, Mormons and Ukrainians.     

The Millennial Voice in Victoria to 1914

The expression of millennial beliefs in Australia has been little studied, perhaps because of the slight impact of adventism on the general religious experience. This essay surveys the millennial ideas current in nineteenth‐century Victoria. Both Protestant Christian sects and the mainstream churches of British origin are considered; fringe groups which drew inspiration from Christian concepts are also noticed. An outline of the prophetic concerns which emerged in England late in the eighteenth century and refined in detail thereafter is followed by a discussion of the introduction of those ideas to Victoria. Special attention is given to a number of millennial sects that established a presence in the 1850s. This is followed by a consideration of the millennial beliefs employed later in the century by the mainstream denominations, especially as they were faced with threats from liberals, doubters, and freethinkers. In conclusion, the impact of liberalism and moral enlightenment on the Christian faith is discussed and related to the decline in church membership during the twentieth century.     

The Strange Birth of Anglican Synods in Australia and the 1850 Bishops' Conference

The emergence of synods in Australian Anglicanism and their shape flowed in large measure from the social democratic forces at the time and these were for the most part expressed by Anglican lay people. While the Bishops' conference in 1850 identified the issue of church governance and lay involvement the precise recommendations of the conference were nowhere followed. The popular memory of this process which gives determining influence in shaping the form of church constitution to the theological opinions of the local bishop owes its origins to some key interpretations at the beginning of the twentieth century which were part of the political debate about a national church constitution, a debate which was being argued with theologically shaped rhetoric. The reality in the middle of the nineteenth century was quite different but nonetheless implied a theological perspective which validated the use of contemporary social and political ideas in shaping church structures. In order to secure a model which incorporated the whole church community the synods used the mid nineteenth century parliamentary model. Whether that remains the best model for synods is a question.     

Assessing the danger of war: parallels and differences between Europe in 1914 and East Asia in 2014

The article looks at structural analogies between the strategic situation in Europe in the summer of 1914 and in East Asia today, with particular emphasis on the probability of the outbreak of a major war. The author examines analogies regarding the nature of the international system, i.e. is the international system characterized by outright anarchy or by a more or less developed and institutionalized understanding among the main actors about the way to preserve peace and to organize economic exchange? The article addresses domestic factors (nationalism, democratic, authoritarian or semi‐democratic regimes) and investigates military dynamics against the backdrop of geography and the availability of military equipment and technologies. Possible routes of military escalation are also discussed. Special attention is paid to states that have isolated themselves and that dispose of military means that might promise swift victory. The article comes to the conclusion that there are very few similarities between Europe in 1914 and East Asia today, but that both the high degree of militarization of the Korean peninsula and the evolving military competition between the US and China in the region do imply the possibility of a major armed conflict in a not too distant future.     

熊梁进步党内阁的成立与失败

二次革命期间,进步党处于北洋派和国民党竞相争取的有利地位,获得了上台组阁的机会,经过许多曲折,终于成立以熊希龄、梁启超为核心的新政府,立完派第一次掌握了部分中央政权。新内阁提出了雄心勃勃的大政方针,但也副署了取消国民党议员资格的命令导致国会解散。一种流传很广的说法是袁世凯利用承德盗卖文物案胁迫熊希龄副署,本文经过考证认定这种说法是错误的。熊、梁等进步党内阁派早已存在开明专制思想,而且对民初议会政治实践不满,他们希望在袁世凯的支持下走开明专制的道路。但是在国会解散后不久,失去支持的熊梁内阁也在北洋派的压力下黯然倒台,标志着这种依附性的开明专制道路完全破产。     

一九一四年审判厅大裁并之源流

1914年,袁世凯政府将清末以来陆续设置的地方审判厅裁撤三分之二,初级审判厅全部裁并。①该事件"几欲举司法而根本推翻之",②被当作中国推行新法制过程中的一大逆流,③成为此后整个民国时期司法与行政不分的背景,以及初级审判组织迟迟无法建立的源头。从江庸等亲历者的回顾,到当前韩秀桃、吴永明、李超、李在全等学者的论著,都涉及这一近代法制     

内蒙古敖汉旗新石器时代聚落形态研究

敖汉旗位于内蒙古自治区赤峰市东南部,地理坐标为北纬41°42'～43°02'、东经119°30'～120°53',总面积8294.14平方公里,地处燕山山脉东段之努鲁儿虎山脉北麓,科尔沁沙地南缘,地形较为复杂,南部为低山丘陵区,中部为黄土丘陵区,北部为沙漠平原区,地势西南高,东北低,海拔350～800米左右,最高山峰海拔1255米,相对高度100～300米左右.