Helping Students and Adults Explore History at the Source: My Dedication to Kim Eads

A special dedication to my longtime friend, Kim Eads, who passed away on June 9, 2022. Kim and I were colleagues and I knew her for over thirty years. But my fondest memories of Kim will always be the many educational trips we took student and adult groups on throughout the 1990's. We traveled across most of Europe, visiting some cities more than once and spent numerous summer weeks in Australia and New Zealand, educating students, sharing new cultures, and having fun. Kim was a tireless trip co-leader, getting up early and waiting in hotel halls long past evening curfews.

Prague is an excellent example. We were housed in a former Communist hotel with a number of other groups. One of our kids, the type to always break the rules, wasn't in his room. We were told he was after a girl from some other group. Kim knocked on the door of that other group. They reluctantly let us in, seeing we were teachers and traveling with the same group they were, EF Educational Tours.

The room, typical for most teenagers including our own, was littered with beer bottles and full ash trays. Someone was in the shower. Neither of us wanted to invade the privacy of a bathroom! Since we didn't see Bryan, our wayward kid, we left.

But Kim and I parked ourselves outside the door in the wide hallway, grabbed a table and two chairs, and played gin rummy for several hours. Finally the door opened. It was Bryan, amazed to find us siting there. We kept an extra eye on him for the rest of the trip and restricting him from any beer (although we allowed the rest of the group to have a beer with a meal).

 It was also in Prague that another teacher from Little Rock grabbed my arm at the elevator and told me some of our boys had just left the hotel. Kim and I looked at each other. We had not given permission. I rushed outside and ran to the back of the hotel. To my amazement, our guys were playing basketball with some neighborhood teens. This was what an educational tour was all about!

After a particularly grueling few nights in Budapest, Kim looked at me while on the bus to Vienna and said, "Want to call their parents and ask them to finish the trip with their kids so we can fly home?"

We had other great experiences - so many I could write a book. But I could always count on Kim. She also joined me every February as a faculty advisor in Boston at the Harvard University Model Congress.

After moving to Arkansas in 2000 to teach and pursue a graduate degree program, she had an accident at school that required knee replacement surgery. This didn't go well and ultimately she had several surgeries to correct problems arising from the first operation. She was in great pain and was forced to go on disability. Every time we talked she told me how much she missed the classroom and our foreign trips.. 

Kim was a dedicated, caring educator. She was the best human being I ever knew, never showing any negative feeling toward anyone.

She moved back home several years ago to care for her ailing parents but they passed away in late 2019. 

Kim and I often met at the Golden Coral when she came home to visit, to sit and reminisce for hours about our students, and adventures, and the many people we were fortunate to meet and call friends. I'll greatly miss her!

Kim and I at Neuschwanstein castle in southern Bavaria.
 

The historical equilibrium between obliteration and human existence has always managed to avoid the black hole of chaos. It has always been believed that good people are in greater abundance than bad people. Poets have given us this assurance. The mythological tales of ancient gods also point toward an ultimate goodness. Osiris would triumph for the people of Egypt. For the Greeks it was Olympus. And the Romans provided the Pax Romana which kept the peace of Rome for centuries. Every religion or belief system has a positive force, or "god" if you will, that ensures life will go on.

 But history shows us that there were anomalies. There were men motivated by blood-lust and conquest. Like Attila the Hun, Ivan the Terrible (or "Formidable." And so many others. Human life was cheap and the life of a peasant perilous.  The newly risen Christian Church offered graces to mitigate the death and destruction, but it never fully worked. Too often great numbers perished, as in the 13th Century Black Death or Plague that killed off half the population of Europe and came back several times. 

Meanwhile, Christians tolerated their own and persecuted others, like Jews and Muslims. The love of Christ never extended to the millions who populated vast swaths of God's creation. In short, without recounting in bloody detail the history of the Christian Church, it is very obvious that the words of Jesus, ostensibly the founder, have been drowned out by the clash of swords or the bombardment of tanks.

Nuclear weapons, indeed, any so-called weapons of pass destruction, are still waiting in the wings until some truly mad person releases them on billions of people. Is this the so-called sign of the end?

The wars all over the globe, large and small, clearly show that mankind has not learned from the past. And in the advanced, wealthy countries, people do not even consider the possibility of annihilation. 

They go about their business, championing sports, keeping the shop keepers busy, and patronizing the super heroes on vast movie screens. It is a tale of two worlds. No wonder we no longer teach history in many institutions.  

 

 Pavel Pestal and the Decembrists in Russia: Attempt at Revolution and Change

 

On the morning of December 14, 1825, an attempt at revolution broke out at St. Isaac’s Square in St. Petersburg, Russia. The revolution’s leaders, many young and representative of some of Russia’s most important aristocratic families, intended to force a Manifesto on members of the Senate and thus proclaim a new government that included the abolition of serfdom. These were the Decembrists, idealistic revolutionaries who chief contribution would be in providing martyrs to the future generations of Russian radicals and revolutionaries.

 

Decembrist Goals

 

Formed as a secret society in 1816, the loose organization that would tie Northern and Southern conspirators together went through several phases of ideological maturity from advocating a constitutional monarchy to regicide. Not all members agreed with each other on proper actions to take nor could they all agree on exactly what form of government should ultimately replace the autocratic rule of Tsar Alexander I. Pavel Pestel, considered the greatest intellect among the group, would confess in 1826 that he had come to the conclusion, after years of reading and observing, that “the republican form of government was superior,” and referred to the United States as a model.

 

Decembrist leaders were, for the most part, highly educated and harbored hopes of a reformed Russia after Alexander I returned from the 1815 Congress of Vienna. Instead, the tsar became more reactionary, even closing Masonic Lodges which had gained in popularity. Decembrists viewed national salvation in terms of republican ideals, using historical guidelines as models. Pestel idealistically invoked Republican Rome, contrasting it “with its lamentable fate under the rule of emperors” and spoke of the “glorious time of Greece when it was a republic.”

 

Casting the Die

 

The death of Alexander I in late 1825 gave the Decembrists the opportunity they had been waiting for. Although everyone assumed Alexander’s brother, Constantine, would succeed him, this was not to be. Constantine had abdicated earlier through a secret letter to his older brother. Alexander then named Nicholas, his 29-year old younger brother to succeed him. So secret was the affair that even Nicholas was unaware of the new arrangement. The Decembrists used this turmoil in succession to launch their revolution in St. Petersburg. The affair would be short-lived. The feeble military units occupying St. Isaac’s Square were leaderless, Prince Trubetskoi, ostensibly the commander of the operation, had absconded. Eventually, Nicholas I, now the Tsar after Constantine’s letter had been made public, ordered grape shot fired into the motley crowd, dispersing them in a melee of fear.

 

In the South, Serge Muraviev, leader of the southern faction, refused to admit defeat and fermented a mutiny with the intent on marching to Kiev. An imperial army had little difficulty ending the affray and arresting the leaders. Although most of the Decembrists were banished to Siberia, five, including Pestel and Muraviev, were executed.

 

Martyrs of a Cause

 

In her book on Mikhail Bakunin, [1] Aileen Kelly refers to the memoirs of Alexander Herzen, the “father of Russian Socialism.” In the memoir, Herzen relates that he was fourteen when Pestel and the other leaders were executed. The impression on him was to act out Schiller’s Don Carlos with his cousin. Far from ending a movement, the repressive policies of Nicholas I, the “Iron Tsar,” forced revolutionary sentiment underground. The Decembrists bred a progeny of future radicals that identified with these early Russian Jacobins.

 

[1] Aileen Kelly, Mikhail Bakunin: A Study in the Psychology and Politics of Utopianism (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1987) p.9ff.

 

Other Sources:

 

Imperial Russia: A Source Book, 1700-1917, Basil Dmytryshyn, editor (New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, Inc., 1967)

 

Adam B. Ulam, Russia’s Failed Revolutions: From the Decembrists to the Dissidents (London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson, 1981)

 

 Comparing Peter the Great and Louis XIV of France

The mid to late 17^th century in Europe is defined by the lives of two men whose efforts greatly influenced the balance of power in the next century while creating competitive societies among the large and small European powers. Peter the Great of Russia and Louis XIV of France – the “sun king,” began their respective reigns with vision. Both would leave a legacy of strong leadership that resulted in the formation of powerful nations. Each ruler, alike in many ways, helped define the age.

 

The Early Years in France and Russia

 

Louis inherited a potentially prosperous kingdom with the largest population of any European nation. Yet for most of his twenty million subjects, everyday life in France reflected a day to day existence based on poverty, an inefficient and punishing tax system, and the continuance of a feudal system whereby a small group of powerful nobles controlled all aspects of society. Louis’ early years were marked by the Fronde, an uprising of nobles that forced him to flee Paris as a child.

 

Peter’s Russia was also a backward feudal society with a history of political and social unrest. Like Louis of France, Peter’s early childhood was marred by an unsuccessful attempt to seize power by his ambitious half-sister, Sophia. Both Peter and Louis took personal control of the state after coming of age, Louis’ reign identified as “Absolutism” while in Russia the rigid “Autocracy” was strengthened under Peter.

 

Building a Modern State

 

Although labeled “Antichrist” by the Orthodox Church, Tsar Peter’s determined efforts sought to modernize the feudal state along the lines of western European societies such as England and the Netherlands. His reforms, often called “revolutions,” affected everything from dress to architecture. His greatest act was the creation of the Russian navy. The traditional beard, so much a part of religious tradition, was outlawed and women were freed from their cumbersome clothes in favor of western-style fashion.

 

Much of this “fashion” came out of Louis’ France and the glittering court he presided over at Versailles. Like Peter of Russia, Louis transformed a semi-feudal society into a competitive mercantile nation. This involved an overhaul of the taxation system via the talents of treasury minister Colbert as well as the establishment of a modern, efficient army created by the Marquis de Lavois. Louis’ reforms helped to grow an urban middle class, the bourgeoisie.

 

Control of the Nobility and Symbols of Power

 

Louis’ most visible legacy was the great palace of Versailles, a model for all future rulers that wanted to demonstrate power and control. At the same time, Versailles was used to lure the restless nobility. At Versailles, the aristocracy was kept busy with endless parties and concerts, hunting and gambling, and dozens of diversions. In the midst of it all was the sun king, the epitome of absolute rule.

 

In Russia, Peter’s 1703 construction of St. Petersburg on the Neva River achieved similar purposes. It was his “window to the west.” Originally built as a fortress in the quest to deprive Sweden Baltic dominance, the city came to represent the ideals of Peter’s vision. Peter’s control of the nobility was linked to the “Table of Ranks,” which mandated state service for all nobles.

 

Death of Peter and Louis

 

Both Peter and Louis died leaving an uncertain future. In Russia, Peter’s second wife, Catherine, ruled with the help of advisors. Following her death, Russia experienced a brief second “time of troubles.” In France, a regency oversaw the interests of the infant king who would one day proclaim, “After me, the Deluge.”

 

Peter the Great and Louis XIV were larger-than-life figures at a pivotal time in western European history. Their lives saw many parallels and both men died bequeathing their people a stronger state.

 

Sources:

 

James Cracraft, The Revolution of Peter the Great (Harvard University Press, 2003)

Pierre Goubert, Louis XIV and Twenty Million Frenchmen (Vintage Books, 1972)

 

A Reprint from the Past...

Viktor Orban's Hungary has a Spotty Human Rights History and Should Start Acting Like an EU Nation

 

As the Second World War drew to a close, an enigmatic Swede fought against time to save the last large Jewish community from the Nazi death camps. Eclipsing Oskar Schindler, whose similar efforts were immortalized by Steven Spielberg, Raoul Wallenberg rescued more than 100,000 Hungarian Jews. Wallenberg disappeared when Budapest fell to the Soviet Army in January 1945. Despite inquiries at the highest diplomatic levels, his disappearance has never been adequately explained.

 

The Call to Sacrifice

 

Raoul Wallenberg was born into a prominent Swedish family. Well educated, Wallenberg graduated from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, returning to Sweden to be groomed for a banking career by his diplomat grandfather. Even before the outbreak of war in 1939, Wallenberg was told of the growing persecution of Jews in Hitler’s Germany. These impressions led to his determination to play a part in stopping the madness. He resolved to confront evil face to face and save as many Jews as possible. In July, 1944, he traveled to Budapest.

 

Sweden was a neutral nation during the war. Working at the Swedish legation, Wallenberg began issuing schutzpasses, official documents, to desperate Jews. The passes effectively put their bearers under Swedish protection. Wallenberg personally visited Admiral Horthy, the Nazi puppet ruler, pressing him to stop deportations. Finally, he enlisted the support of the other neutral legations in Budapest. Wallenberg purchased empty buildings in Budapest to use as safe houses and established an intricate intelligence network within the Jewish community.

 

Confronting the Face of Evil

 

As the Soviet Army drew closer to Budapest, the Nazis increased their efforts to exterminate the Jews, using their local surrogate force, the Arrow Cross, to do much of the killing. Agnes Mandl, whose description of events is listed with the National Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, credits Wallenberg with saving many lives. Her account details the Arrow Cross leading bound Jews to the Danube River, shooting one and then dumping the group into the cold December waters to drown. She, along with Wallenberg and others, rescued fifty people by jumping into the waters to save the drowning people.

 

Wallenberg eventually confronted Adolph Eichmann, who had returned to Budapest to complete the Final Solution in Hungary. Wallenberg was unsuccessful in his attempt to reason with the man responsible for the Third Reich’s railroad network devoted to transporting hundreds of thousands to Auschwitz, Sobibor, and other extermination camps. Eichmann was tried for war crimes in Israel in 1961-62 and executed for what historian Hannah Arendt called, “the banality of evil” in her 1962 book, Eichmann in Jerusalem.

 

Final Days in Budapest

 

Two days before the Soviets liberated Nazi death camps, Wallenberg threatened to have SS General August Schmidthuber tried for war crimes once the war ended if the planned massacre of the remaining Jews in Budapest was not stopped. The pogrom was cancelled at the last minute, although Schmidthuber was eventually executed for atrocities committed in Yugoslavia.

 

Raoul Wallenberg, in an attempt to make contact with the Russian commander, was taken by the Soviets and never seen again. Budapest was “liberated” by the Red Army. The Budapest Jews would not be exterminated. But the great hero whose passion was to confront and stop evil, disappeared. No adequate explanation has ever been offered by the Soviet government despite reports of sighting Wallenberg in the Russian Gulag. It remains as one of modern history’s mysteries.

 

Sources

 

http://www.ushmm.org (National Holocaust Museum)

Linnea, Sharon. Raoul Wallenberg: The Man Who Stopped Death (Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 1993).

Terror House Museum, Budapest (visited by author, December 2006)

 Louis Kossuth Comes to American abroad the USS MISSISSIPPI as Congress Seeks to Help Hungarian Revolutionary

Foreign Affairs Under President Fillmore   -Michael Streich

 

America’s thirteenth president and second “accidental” president, Millard Fillmore, is often subjected to scorn and criticism. Serving only three years and unable to secure nomination in his own right, some have argued that he was a weak chief executive with few credits to his name. President Fillmore, however, holds a legacy of achievements affecting Americans positively. Further, he was one of the first self-made men to reach the highest office, coming out of dire poverty as a child.

 

Fillmore’s Early Years

 

Born in a log cabin in Cayuga County, New York, Millard Fillmore was one of nine children. In the absence of formal education, he taught himself to read and eventually apprenticed himself as a cloth maker. With the help of a local judge who saw promise in the young man, he paid off his indenture and studied law.

 

Rising in New York politics and government, Fillmore represented New York in the Congress for four terms. During the Tyler administration, he was instrumental in breaking a tariff impasse by shepherding a new tariff through the House Ways and Means Committee, which he chaired.

 

By the time the Whig Party nominated him as Vice President in 1848 to run with General Zachary Taylor, Fillmore’s resume included the New York State Assembly, a failed run for the governorship, and his years in the National Congress.

 

Millard Fillmore as President

 

Fillmore became President upon the untimely death of Zachary Taylor on July 9, 1850. At the time, he set a precedent by refusing to deliver an inaugural address. The most pressing issue before the Congress was the Compromise of 1850 or “Mr. Clay’s Compromise,” which Fillmore supported but Zachary Taylor opposed. A friend and admirer of Clay, Fillmore would sign the five separate bills passed by the Congress that summer through the efforts of Illinois Senator Stephen A. Douglas.

 

The 1850 Compromise, according to Fillmore, represented the “final settlement” regarding territorial disputes regarding the expansion of slavery. Everyone involved fervently hoped that the legislation would avert a civil war. Fillmore himself opposed and hated slavery, but believed that the Constitution protected it.

 

1850 was also the year that President Fillmore negotiated the release of Hungarian freedom fighter Louis Kossuth, who had taken refuge in Turkey. Fillmore sent the USS Mississippi to bring Kossuth, his family, and numerous other veterans of the 1848 European revolutions to the United States.

 

During Fillmore’s presidency, a movement to invade Cuba revolved around Narciso Lopez, an ambitious Spaniard who capitalized on Spain’s inept governance of the island. The movement was viewed favorably by Southern leaders like Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee, who was approached about leading the invasion force made up mostly of Southern volunteers. Cuba had always been an inviting acquisition for the Southern slavery advocates.

 

Fillmore, however, rejected these efforts and sent federal officials to Southern ports to turn back would be invaders. Fillmore’s decision was prudent and in keeping with his moderate Whig views. Japan, however, was another matter.

 

Although the Treaty of Kanagawa “opening Japan” is associated with President Franklin Pierce, it was Fillmore who sent Commodore Matthew Perry to Japan, arriving just weeks ahead of an Imperial Russian delegation. President Fillmore’s message to the Japanese rulers was polite but firm: “We wish that our People may be permitted to trade with your People, but we shall not authorize them to break any law of your Empire.”

 

Fillmore’s Attempt to Win a Second Term

 

When the Whig Party met in 1852 it took them 53 ballots to finally nominate a presidential candidate, General Winfield Scott, “old fuss n’ feathers.” Fillmore, Daniel Webster, and Scott had been the front runners and at one point Fillmore almost clinched the nomination during negotiations with Webster supporters.

 

The protracted fight to nominate Fillmore is a testament to his strength and leadership. Millard Fillmore should be historically rehabilitated as a President whose achievements were noteworthy.