Working Through a War: The Traders of John Holt & Co. in Cameroon During the First World War

This paper will explore the experiences of John Holt & Co.’s European and African traders who were in German-controlled Cameroon when war broke out in August of 1914. Using company and government archives, the paper argues that local employees, who came from multiple European countries and from across the west coast of Africa, faced significant hardships but, through skill, experience, and self-interest, kept the company afloat at a time of crisis and transition. The paper begins with an investigation of how the German government in Cameroon made British employees prisoners of war and then, after the British conquest of Douala, German employees were subjected to the same treatment by occupying forces. The second part explores the breakdown of trading networks and the difficult situation of employees in the interior who suffered from a lack of security, the violence of invading armies, and the destruction of property. Despite the hardships, wartime conditions also created economic opportunities for some African employees, and part three explores their enlarged responsibilities during the war years. The final section examines the post-war era as the region transitioned from German to Anglo-French control, exploring some continuities with the pre-1914 period as well as the consolidation of some companies and an increasing expatriate dominance over the commodities trade.

On Site. Colonial Labour, Business and the Construction of the Swakopmund Jetty, c. 1911–1915

The Swakopmund jetty was one of only two entry points to the colony of German South West Africa (GSWA) located on the Atlantic coast. It was first built as a silted-up mole at the turn of the century and then as a provisional wooden jetty during the colonial war of 1904–1908. This article focuses on the post-war building of the iron jetty in Swakopmund that was constructed in a private enterprise from 1911 into the First World War. It draws on new material from the construction site bureau and sheds light on the diversity of the labourers who worked on the jetty. It focuses on the recruitment, wages, working conditions and control of labour on the construction site by tracing the networks between the metropolis and the colony of GSWA, its engineers, foremen and craftsmen, as well as African labour migration such as Cape, Ovambo and Herero workers and local day labourers. With the focus on sources held in corporate archives, it claims to take the challenges to business in this new colonial context into account, revealing especially the limitations of recruitment and the agency of Ovambo and Cape workers in a labour market in transition after the colonial war.

Misfire: British Empire Special Forces and Defeat in Malaya in World War II by Brian P. Farrell, Lawrence, KS, University Press of Kansas, 2025, 334 pp., $54.99 (hbk), ISBN 9780700639953

Catholic Antisemitism Across Borders: Bishop Fallize’s Role as an Antisemitic Multiplier in Luxembourg and Norway, c. 1870–1914

In this article, I examine how the Catholic bishop Johannes Baptiste Fallize (1844–1933) disseminated antisemitic ideas in Norway through the Catholic journal St. Olaf , from its founding in 1889 until the outbreak of the First World War. The article situates Fallize’s antisemitism within the broader context of modern (Catholic) antisemitism in Europe following Jewish emancipation, demonstrating that he underwent a radicalization on the ‘Jewish question’ during the 1870s. This shift was influenced by his studies in Rome amid the fall of the Papal States and subsequent anticlerical policies. Prior to his arrival in Norway as apostolic prefect in 1887, and his later appointment as bishop, Fallize had been an active and polemical journalist and politician in Luxembourg, where he articulated pronounced antisemitic views in several Catholic newspapers, conflating religiously grounded animosity towards Jews with modern conspiracy theories. The virulent antisemitism of St. Olaf thus represented a perpetuation of Fallize’s antisemitic activities in Luxembourg. The article contends that Fallize acted as an ‘antisemitic multiplier’, especially in Norway, where outspoken antisemitism was, at that time, relatively uncommon.

Politics of Veteran Policies in a Peaceful State: The Compensation Act for Danish Victims of World War II 1945–1969

This article examines the development and implementation of the Danish Compensation Act for victims of World War II, enacted shortly after liberation in 1945, and its revisions up to 1969. It explores the interplay between political debates, resistance narratives, and societal myths that shaped the legislation. While there was broad initial consensus on the need to support former resistance fighters and other victim groups, divisions quickly emerged regarding eligibility criteria and the scope of compensation. Drawing on archival sources, parliamentary records, and resistance media, this study reveals how the law became a battleground for conflicting narratives: the consensus myth promoted by political elites and the conflict narrative embraced by resistance circles. Despite its broad inclusivity, the Compensation Act ultimately mirrored traditional social policies rather than introducing groundbreaking measures. Resistance associations’ campaigns, particularly in the late 1960s, highlighted the inadequacies of the original legislation, leading to significant amendments that improved access and benefits. However, this newfound recognition for former resistance fighters did little to alter the broader public narrative of the wartime era, which remains dominated by the consensus myth. This case study thus highlights the enduring influence political narratives can have on social policy development.

A century of divorce: a time series analysis of macroeconomic conditions and marital dissolution in Sweden 1915–2010

Divorce increased throughout the twentieth century across Western nations. Procyclical divorce, i.e. following macroeconomic cycles, is often suggested and women’s increased economic independence is considered a contributor to increasing divorce rates. Research has, however, overlooked that different factors may drive divorce rates across time horizons. Macroeconomic conditions, like unemployment, covary with divorce in the short term, while processes like women’s economic independence, correlate with the long-term divorce trend. Most studies focus on post-war United States, neglecting historical perspectives and Nordic countries that pioneered high divorce rates. To address these gaps, we used band spectrum regression to analyse time series capturing macroeconomic conditions, women’s economic independence, welfare state expansion, and divorce rates in Sweden, 1915–2010. This method differentiates between short- and long-run associations. Results show that this is important because most variables only covary with the divorce rate within one horizon. Results show that context matter. Contrasting U.S. findings, including novel estimates for 1930–2010, our results suggest countercyclical divorce and positive correlations between government expenditure, female-to-male relative wages, and the divorce trend in Sweden. This likely reflects the stabilising effect of the growing welfare state, which lessened financial barriers to divorce and promoted economic independence through female employment, transfers and services.

Emergency Powers and the Home Fronts in Britain and Germany during the First World War Keil, André, New York: Oxford University Press, 256 pp, $110.00, ISBN 9780198918547, Publication Date: March 2025

Seeds of Victory: Defeat, Triumph, and the American Way of War Ellman, James. Essex, Connecticut: Stackpole Books, 308 pp., $29.95, ISBN: 978-0-8117-7677-6, Publication Date: July 2025

State of War: A History of World War II in Florida Atwood, Anthony D. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 217 pp., $28.00, ISBN 9780813081151. Publication Date: September 2025

Faith and Fear: America’s Relationship with War since 1945 Daddis, Gregory A. New York: Oxford University Press, 496 pp., $34.99, ISBN 9780197804223. Publication Date: August 2025