Beneš decrees

The Beneš decrees is a term referring to a series of laws enacted by the Czechoslovak Government-in-Exile during World War II in the absence of the Czechoslovak parliament (see details in German occupation of Czechoslovakia). Today, the term is most frequently used for the part of the decrees that dealt with the status of ethnic Germans and Hungarians in postwar Czechoslovakia, and laid the ground for the deportation of around 3 million Germans and Hungarians from the land that had been their home for centuries (see expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia and Hungarians in Slovakia). The Beneš decrees have become a symbol for historical debates over the expulsions and its ramifications in today's politics. Officially, the decrees are referred to as Decrees of the President of the Republic (in Czech, dekrety presidenta republiky).

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Alfred-Maurice de Zayas

Alfred-Maurice de Zayas (born 31 May 1947^[1] in Havana, Cuba) is an American lawyer, writer, historian, a leading expert in the field of human rights, as well as a former high-ranking United Nations official. He is currently a professor of international law at the Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations,^[2] and was formerly a senior lawyer with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights,^[3][4] Secretary of the Human Rights Committee, and the Chief of Petitions. He practised law in New York as an associate in the law firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett from 1970 to 1974, specializing on corporate law, and is also a retired member of the Florida Bar.

Allies of World War II

The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War (1939-1945).^[1] The Allies became involved in World War II either because they had already been invaded or were directly threatened with invasion by the Axis or because they were concerned that the Axis powers would come to control the world.^[2] After 1941, the leaders of the United Kingdom, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and the United States of America, known as "The Big Three",^[3] held leadership of the Allied powers. France, before its defeat in 1940 and after Operation Overlord in 1944, as well as China^[4][1][5] at that time, were also major Allies.^[6] Other Allies included Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Ethiopia, Greece, India, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippine Commonwealth, Poland, the Union of South Africa, and Yugoslavia.^[7]

Bavaria

Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria (German: Freistaat Bayern, pronounced [ˈfʁaɪ.ʃtaːt ˈbaɪ.ɐn]  ( listen)) is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of the country. With an area of 70,548 square kilometres (27,200 sq mi) and almost 12.5 million inhabitants, it is the largest German state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany. Its capital is Munich in Upper Bavaria.

Beneš decrees

The Beneš decrees is a term referring to a series of laws enacted by the Czechoslovak Government-in-Exile during World War II in the absence of the Czechoslovak parliament (see details in German occupation of Czechoslovakia). Today, the term is most frequently used for the part of the decrees that dealt with the status of ethnic Germans and Hungarians in postwar Czechoslovakia, and laid the ground for the deportation of around 3 million Germans and Hungarians from the land that had been their home for centuries (see expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia and Hungarians in Slovakia). The Beneš decrees have become a symbol for historical debates over the expulsions and its ramifications in today's politics. Officially, the decrees are referred to as Decrees of the President of the Republic (in Czech, dekrety presidenta republiky).

Cambridge University Press

Cambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted a Royal Letters Patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest continually operating book publisher. Cambridge is both an academic and educational publishing house, with a regional structure operating in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA); the Americas; and Asia-Pacific.

Cas Mudde

Cas Mudde (b. 1967) is a senior lecturer and former chairman of the Department of Political Science at the University of Antwerp in Belgium. His research includes the areas of political parties, extremism, democracy, civil society and European politics.

Christian Social Union of Bavaria

The Christian Social Union in Bavaria ( CSU – Christlich-Soziale Union in Bayern (help·info)) is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It was founded as a continuation of the Weimar-era Catholic Bavarian People's Party. It operates only in the state of Bavaria, while its sister party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), operates in the other 15 states of Germany. The difference between the CDU and the CSU is mainly that the CSU is more conservative in domestic issues but more progressive in social issues. At the federal level, it forms a common faction in the Bundestag, the federal parliament, with the CDU. This makes up the CDU/CSU faction, which is frequently referred to as die Unionsfraktion (the Union faction). The CSU currently governs at the federal level with the CDU and FDP. In the state of Bavaria, the CSU governs in a coalition with the FDP. Even after the 2009 general election, the CDU/CSU emerged as the largest party in Germany, yet both lost votes predominantly to the FDP. The CSU received only 42.5% of the vote in Bavaria in the 2009 election, which constitutes its weakest showing in the party's history.

Code enforcement

Code Enforcement is the act of enforcing a set of rules, principles, or laws (especially written ones) and insuring observance of a system of norms or customs. An authority usually enforces a civil code, a set of rules, or a body of laws and compel those subject to their authority to behave in a certain way. In the United States, those employed in various capacities of code enforcement may be called Code Enforcement Officers, Municipal Regulations Officers, or with various titles depending on their specialization. In Canada and some Commonwealth Countries, the term Bylaw Enforcement Officer is more commonly used, as well as Municipal Law Enforcement Officer or Municipal Enforcement Officer. In the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, various names are used, but the word Warden is commonly used for various classes of non-police enforcement personnel (such as Game Warden, Traffic Warden, Park Warden).

Collaborationism

Collaborationism describes the treason of cooperating with enemy forces occupying one's country. As such it implies criminal deeds in the service of the occupying power, including complicity with the occupying power in murder, persecutions, pillage, and economic exploitation as well as participation in a puppet government.

Communist Party of Czechoslovakia

The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, in Czech and in Slovak: Komunistická strana Československa (KSČ) was a Communist and Marxist-Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992.

Crime against humanity

Crimes against humanity, as defined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Explanatory Memorandum, "are particularly odious offences in that they constitute a serious attack on human dignity or grave humiliation or a degradation of one or more human beings. They are not isolated or sporadic events, but are part either of a government policy (although the perpetrators need not identify themselves with this policy) or of a wide practice of atrocities tolerated or condoned by a government or a de facto authority. Murder; extermination; torture; rape and political, racial, or religious persecution and other inhumane acts reach the threshold of crimes against humanity only if they are part of a widespread or systematic practice. Isolated inhumane acts of this nature may constitute grave infringements of human rights, or depending on the circumstances, war crimes, but may fall short of falling into the category of crimes under discussion."^[1]

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic /ˈtʃɛk rɨˈpʌblɪk/ (help·info)^[3] (Czech: Česká republika, pronounced [ˈtʃɛskaː ˈrɛpuˌblɪka]  ( listen), short form Česko [ˈtʃɛskɔ]) is a country in Central Europe^[4]. The country borders Poland to the northeast, Germany to the west and northwest, Austria to the south and Slovakia to the east. The capital and largest city is Prague (Czech: Praha). The country is composed of the historic regions of Bohemia and Moravia, as well as parts of Silesia. The Czech Republic has been a member of NATO since 1999 and of the European Union since 2004. From 1 January 2009 to 1 July 2009, the Czech Republic held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Czechoslovak Government-in-Exile

The Czechoslovak government-in-exile (sometimes styled officially as: provisional government of Czechoslovakia) was an informal title conferred upon the Czechoslovak National Liberation Committee, initially by British diplomatic recognition. The name came to be used by other World War II Allies as they subsequently recognized it. The Committee was originally created by the former Czechoslovak President, Edvard Beneš in Paris, France in October 1939.^[1] Unsuccessful negotiations with France for diplomatic status, as well as the impending Nazi occupation of France, forced the Committee to withdraw to London in 1940. From there, it moved to Aston Abbots, Buckinghamshire in 1941, where it sought relative safety from the London Blitz.^[2]