Category Archives: European Union

Hollande Wins French Presidency

Posted on May 6, 2012 by briansandberg

François Hollande has won the French Presidential Elections today, becoming the first Socialist President in France since François Mitterand stepped down in 1995. Hollande won by a narrow, but convincing margin: 51.7% to 48.3% (according to the latest results as … Continue reading →

Posted in European History, European Union, French History, Political Culture | Leave a comment

Hollande-Sarkozy Presidential Debate

Posted on May 4, 2012 by briansandberg

François Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy squared off in a major presidential debate on French television this week, in preparation for this Sunday’s second round of the French presidential election. Sarkozy, the incumbent president, has been trailing Hollande in the polls … Continue reading →

Posted in European Union, French History, Political Culture | Leave a comment

Hollande Wins First Round of French Presidential Election

Posted on April 22, 2012 by briansandberg

French citizens went to the polls today (22 April) to vote in the first round of the 2012 French Presidential Election. François Hollande, the Socialist Party candidate, has won the first round with 28.8% of the vote, edging out President … Continue reading →

Posted in European History, European Union, French History, Political Culture | Leave a comment

French Elections and the Weight of History

Posted on April 21, 2012 by briansandberg

French people are used to having their politicians make historical references in their campaign speeches and policy statements. As the French head to the polls, the weight of French history is again shaping the presidential campaigns. The BBC reports on … Continue reading →

Posted in European Union, French History, History in the Media, Political Culture | Leave a comment

Napoleonland

Posted on February 18, 2012 by briansandberg

Ready for a Napoleonic theme park?  Here comes Napoleonland…. Yves Jago, a French politician in the Parti Radical, is proposing a project to build a historical theme park to celebrate the life and legacy of Napoleon Bonaparte.  The theme park … Continue reading →

Posted in European History, European Union, French History, French Revolution and Napoleon, History in the Media, War, Culture, and Society | 1 Comment

Americans’ (Politicized) Ideas of Europe

Posted on February 4, 2012 by briansandberg

Americans hold many preconceived notions about Europe and Europeans, often based on movies and tourism. During U.S. election cycles, American politicians frequently play on American stereotypes about Europe to score points against their rivals. Martin Klingst, a German journalist based … Continue reading →

Posted in European History, European Union, Globalization, Political Culture | Leave a comment

Playing Politics with History

Posted on January 30, 2012 by briansandberg

Politicians frequently use historical references and analogies to support their political positions and policy programs. Sometimes legislative bodies act to interpret historical events, attempting to reshape the historical memory of controversial periods of the past. Recently, French politicians have been … Continue reading →

Posted in European History, European Union, French History, History in the Media, Human Rights, Political Culture | Leave a comment

Movement for De-Baptism in France

Posted on January 29, 2012 by briansandberg

A movement promoting de-baptism is growing in France, challenging the authority of the Catholic Church and presenting quandaries for historians who use baptismal records as sources. A French man named René LeBouvier has sued the Catholic Church in order to … Continue reading →

Posted in European History, European Union, European Wars of Religion, French History, French Wars of Religion, Human Rights, Religious Violence | Leave a comment

Vada a bordo, cazzo!

Posted on January 21, 2012 by briansandberg

Almost every major disaster seems to have its heroes and its villains.  The Costa Concordia disaster off Isola di Giglio has made Captain Francesco Schettino a villain for allegedly abandoning his ship and Livorno Port Authority Commander Falco a hero … Continue reading →

Posted in European Union, Globalization, Italian History, Maritime History, Mediterranean World | Leave a comment

Wreck of the Costa Concordia in the Mediterranean

Posted on January 15, 2012 by briansandberg

A gigantic cruise liner with 4,234 passengers aboard ran aground near Isola del Giglio, a tiny island off the Tuscan coast, over the weekend. The Costa Concordia had sailed from Civitavecchia, heading on cruise of the western Mediterranean. As the … Continue reading →

Posted in Environmental History, European History, European Union, Globalization, Maritime History, Mediterranean World | Leave a comment