H. R. Kedward
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198205784
- eISBN:
- 9780191676796
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198205784.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History, Military History
In the weeks following Aire-de-Côte, police in the Gard were dispatched in larger numbers to locate and hunt down those known to be hiding in the département, and one report refers to fifty ...
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In the weeks following Aire-de-Côte, police in the Gard were dispatched in larger numbers to locate and hunt down those known to be hiding in the département, and one report refers to fifty réfractaires hiding in abandoned farms on the isolated, wooded plateau of Méjannes-le-Clap. Throughout the summer and autumn of 1943 the nature of many Maquis locations was governed more by circumstances created by Vichy's hunt for réfractaires than by anything resembling military logistics. It was not a simple matter of expanding the first places of refuge. Because many of these had been linked to agricultural or forestry labour, offered illegally by peasant farmers or even organized lumber camps, an afflux of volunteers or réfractaires could wreck the delicate balance of needs and provisions on which these arrangements were based.Less
In the weeks following Aire-de-Côte, police in the Gard were dispatched in larger numbers to locate and hunt down those known to be hiding in the département, and one report refers to fifty réfractaires hiding in abandoned farms on the isolated, wooded plateau of Méjannes-le-Clap. Throughout the summer and autumn of 1943 the nature of many Maquis locations was governed more by circumstances created by Vichy's hunt for réfractaires than by anything resembling military logistics. It was not a simple matter of expanding the first places of refuge. Because many of these had been linked to agricultural or forestry labour, offered illegally by peasant farmers or even organized lumber camps, an afflux of volunteers or réfractaires could wreck the delicate balance of needs and provisions on which these arrangements were based.
David Moon
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199556434
- eISBN:
- 9780191747243
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199556434.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
This book offers the first environmental history of Russia’s steppes. From the early-eighteenth, settlers moved to the semi-arid but fertile grasslands from wetter, forested regions in central and ...
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This book offers the first environmental history of Russia’s steppes. From the early-eighteenth, settlers moved to the semi-arid but fertile grasslands from wetter, forested regions in central and northern Russia and Ukraine, and central Europe. By the late-nineteenth century, jlbjjbjthe steppes were the bread basket of the Russian Empire and parts of Europe. But, there was another side to this story. The steppes were hit by droughts, winds that whipped up dust storms, soil erosion, crop failures, and in the worst years - famine. From the late-eighteenth century, naturalists and scientists studied the steppe environment. Russian scientists came up with innovations, in particular, Vasilii Dokuchaev’s new soil science explained the fertile black earth as a product of the steppe environment in which it had formed. Scientists also studied environmental change, including climate change, and debated whether human activity or natural forces were to blame. They proposed remedies to the environmental barriers to farming on the steppes. For a long time, they focused on planting trees and irrigation, in attempts to make the steppes more like the homelands of the settlers. More sustainable were techniques of cultivation to retain moisture in the soil. Among the pioneers were Mennonite settlers. Such approaches aimed to work with the environment, rather than try to change it. The story is similar to the Dust Bowl on the Great Plains of the USA, which share a similar environment and environmental history. The story is also placed in the wider context of the environmental history of European colonialism around the globe.Less
This book offers the first environmental history of Russia’s steppes. From the early-eighteenth, settlers moved to the semi-arid but fertile grasslands from wetter, forested regions in central and northern Russia and Ukraine, and central Europe. By the late-nineteenth century, jlbjjbjthe steppes were the bread basket of the Russian Empire and parts of Europe. But, there was another side to this story. The steppes were hit by droughts, winds that whipped up dust storms, soil erosion, crop failures, and in the worst years - famine. From the late-eighteenth century, naturalists and scientists studied the steppe environment. Russian scientists came up with innovations, in particular, Vasilii Dokuchaev’s new soil science explained the fertile black earth as a product of the steppe environment in which it had formed. Scientists also studied environmental change, including climate change, and debated whether human activity or natural forces were to blame. They proposed remedies to the environmental barriers to farming on the steppes. For a long time, they focused on planting trees and irrigation, in attempts to make the steppes more like the homelands of the settlers. More sustainable were techniques of cultivation to retain moisture in the soil. Among the pioneers were Mennonite settlers. Such approaches aimed to work with the environment, rather than try to change it. The story is similar to the Dust Bowl on the Great Plains of the USA, which share a similar environment and environmental history. The story is also placed in the wider context of the environmental history of European colonialism around the globe.
David Moon
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199556434
- eISBN:
- 9780191747243
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199556434.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
Chapter six analyzes the massive efforts that went into planting trees on the steppes. Specialists in Russia and around the world believed that forests had considerable environmental benefits, in ...
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Chapter six analyzes the massive efforts that went into planting trees on the steppes. Specialists in Russia and around the world believed that forests had considerable environmental benefits, in particular moderating climates and increasing rainfall. There were also practical benefits from the products of forests. For a long time, the main solution to the environmental barriers to arable farming and to environmental changes on the steppes was seen as planting trees. This proved much harder in practice and many attempts failed. Among the few settlers who succeeded were Mennonites and some estate owners. With the development of scientific steppe forestry, Russians learned how to cultivate trees on the steppes. Early hopes of changing the climate through large scale tree planting did not materialize. Instead, attention was focused on planting shrubs and trees to bind drifting sands, planting shelterbelts of trees to serve as barriers to the winds, and planting trees in ravines to prevent erosion.Less
Chapter six analyzes the massive efforts that went into planting trees on the steppes. Specialists in Russia and around the world believed that forests had considerable environmental benefits, in particular moderating climates and increasing rainfall. There were also practical benefits from the products of forests. For a long time, the main solution to the environmental barriers to arable farming and to environmental changes on the steppes was seen as planting trees. This proved much harder in practice and many attempts failed. Among the few settlers who succeeded were Mennonites and some estate owners. With the development of scientific steppe forestry, Russians learned how to cultivate trees on the steppes. Early hopes of changing the climate through large scale tree planting did not materialize. Instead, attention was focused on planting shrubs and trees to bind drifting sands, planting shelterbelts of trees to serve as barriers to the winds, and planting trees in ravines to prevent erosion.
