Milos Mladenovic
Encyclopedia
Miloš Mladenović was professor emeritus of History
at McGill University
in Montreal
, and an expert on Cold War
politics of the day.
After World War II, Miloš Mladenović settled temporarily in Western Europe. Unwilling to return to a Yugoslavia under a Communist regime, Mladenović chose to settle in Canada permanently. A polyglot
and with degrees (in law
and economics
) from the University of Belgrade
in Serbia and a PhD from the Sorbonne
in Paris, Mladenović joined the Department of History at McGill University
as a specialist on Eastern Europe as soon as he landed as an immigrant in Canada in June 1950. He immediately proceeded to expand the department's offerings in Russian and Byzantine history. Six months later, he was also joined by his wife (Gertrud) and stepson (Peter Schaal, now a prominent Toronto surgeon).
Witness to the Slav tragedy of World War II, German occupation of Czechoslovakia, Poland and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, the Nazi attempt at invading Russia, Mladenović aroused not only a desire but a need for better understanding of Slav people and their countries among the McGill staff and students he taught. He is credited at revitalizing the Department of History at McGill with his lectures and life's experiences. Mladenović was not only a scholar but a diplomat in the service of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia before the war. He was a staunch anti-Communist.
As an émigré professor, Mladenović brought with him a more intimate understanding of cultures that Canadian scholars had viewed from the perspective of the outsider, who can observe external forms more readily than their inner spirit. Not only Slavic and Russian Studies, but also many other neglected fields of knowledge benefited. Under Mladenović the history of warfare and of science became important branches of professional historical scholarship. At McGill, Mladenović had the oldest program in military history in Canada outside of the service colleges, having set up the beginnings of its program with two other McGill professors – C. C. Bayley and Robert Vogel (1929-1994)-- in 1957.
J. Larry Black, PhD (McGill), a former student who went on to great distinction himself, wrote the following obituary in English in a Serbian publication (Spomenik: Srpske Pravoslavne Crkve Svete Trojice: 1954-Montreal-1984, p. 26):
"Mladenović's first years were taken up in organizing his courses on East European history which previously had been treated at McGill as a minor dimension of general European history. He endeavored to organize a department and show students that Eastern Europe was specific political and economic, as well as social and cultural, part of the world and that it was formed under the influence of both Roman and Byzantine inroads. The Mongols, Turks and Western Europeans also left traces of their civilizations in Eastern Europe. In addition to examination of general historical developments, Mladenović introduced the study of war and society in which he attempted to demonstrate that war is a result of a complex interplay of reciprocal influences.
"As a result of his efforts, over 30 students obtained Master degrees and 15 earned doctorates. Of these, eleven now serve Canadian universities as professors of East European history. Several have been departmental chairmen, and one is currently the director of the Institute for Soviet Studies at Carlton University. Most of them are active in the Canadian Association of Slavists, of which Mladenović is an honourary life member."
McGill University's biographer Stanley Brice Frost wrote: "Miloš Mladenović, who came to this country in 1950 as a refugee, originally from Yugoslavia, and who almost singlehandedly introduced the serious study of Russian and East European history, not only to McGill but also, through his former students, to many other Canadian universities."
Professors Veljko Lalich and Dr. T. Domaradski, Mladenović's counterparts at the University of Montreal, often invited him to offer courses at their Department of Russian and Slavic Studies. Mladenović was a sought-after speaker outside of the academic community, too. The Canadian Forces
, in collaboration with McGill University, invited Mladenović to conduct seminars on Soviet Law for the Faculty of Law, and arrange conferences at various units stationed in the Province of Quebec.
In his spare time, Mladenović prepared and published a series on Eastern Europe, as well as early articles on the Serbs in Canada for the Canadian Encyclopedia, book reviews for The Montreal Star, and a study of East European Law in Canada for Bulletin zur Ostforschung. He also edited, together with one of his pupils, The New Review, Canada's only scholarly journal expressly dedicated to East European history.
In 1969, his students presented professor Mladenović with a Festschrift
to commemorate his 65th birthday. Entitled "Eastern Europe: Historical Essays," the book contained essays from nineteen current and former students.
Mladenović was the beloved teacher and mentor to hundreds of students during his three decade tenure at McGill.
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, and an expert on Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
politics of the day.
After World War II, Miloš Mladenović settled temporarily in Western Europe. Unwilling to return to a Yugoslavia under a Communist regime, Mladenović chose to settle in Canada permanently. A polyglot
Multilingualism
Multilingualism is the act of using, or promoting the use of, multiple languages, either by an individual speaker or by a community of speakers. Multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. Multilingualism is becoming a social phenomenon governed by the needs of...
and with degrees (in law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
and economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
) from the University of Belgrade
University of Belgrade
The University of Belgrade is the oldest and largest university of Serbia.Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-based departments into a single university...
in Serbia and a PhD from the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
in Paris, Mladenović joined the Department of History at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
as a specialist on Eastern Europe as soon as he landed as an immigrant in Canada in June 1950. He immediately proceeded to expand the department's offerings in Russian and Byzantine history. Six months later, he was also joined by his wife (Gertrud) and stepson (Peter Schaal, now a prominent Toronto surgeon).
Witness to the Slav tragedy of World War II, German occupation of Czechoslovakia, Poland and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, the Nazi attempt at invading Russia, Mladenović aroused not only a desire but a need for better understanding of Slav people and their countries among the McGill staff and students he taught. He is credited at revitalizing the Department of History at McGill with his lectures and life's experiences. Mladenović was not only a scholar but a diplomat in the service of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia before the war. He was a staunch anti-Communist.
As an émigré professor, Mladenović brought with him a more intimate understanding of cultures that Canadian scholars had viewed from the perspective of the outsider, who can observe external forms more readily than their inner spirit. Not only Slavic and Russian Studies, but also many other neglected fields of knowledge benefited. Under Mladenović the history of warfare and of science became important branches of professional historical scholarship. At McGill, Mladenović had the oldest program in military history in Canada outside of the service colleges, having set up the beginnings of its program with two other McGill professors – C. C. Bayley and Robert Vogel (1929-1994)-- in 1957.
J. Larry Black, PhD (McGill), a former student who went on to great distinction himself, wrote the following obituary in English in a Serbian publication (Spomenik: Srpske Pravoslavne Crkve Svete Trojice: 1954-Montreal-1984, p. 26):
"Mladenović's first years were taken up in organizing his courses on East European history which previously had been treated at McGill as a minor dimension of general European history. He endeavored to organize a department and show students that Eastern Europe was specific political and economic, as well as social and cultural, part of the world and that it was formed under the influence of both Roman and Byzantine inroads. The Mongols, Turks and Western Europeans also left traces of their civilizations in Eastern Europe. In addition to examination of general historical developments, Mladenović introduced the study of war and society in which he attempted to demonstrate that war is a result of a complex interplay of reciprocal influences.
"As a result of his efforts, over 30 students obtained Master degrees and 15 earned doctorates. Of these, eleven now serve Canadian universities as professors of East European history. Several have been departmental chairmen, and one is currently the director of the Institute for Soviet Studies at Carlton University. Most of them are active in the Canadian Association of Slavists, of which Mladenović is an honourary life member."
McGill University's biographer Stanley Brice Frost wrote: "Miloš Mladenović, who came to this country in 1950 as a refugee, originally from Yugoslavia, and who almost singlehandedly introduced the serious study of Russian and East European history, not only to McGill but also, through his former students, to many other Canadian universities."
Professors Veljko Lalich and Dr. T. Domaradski, Mladenović's counterparts at the University of Montreal, often invited him to offer courses at their Department of Russian and Slavic Studies. Mladenović was a sought-after speaker outside of the academic community, too. The Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
, in collaboration with McGill University, invited Mladenović to conduct seminars on Soviet Law for the Faculty of Law, and arrange conferences at various units stationed in the Province of Quebec.
In his spare time, Mladenović prepared and published a series on Eastern Europe, as well as early articles on the Serbs in Canada for the Canadian Encyclopedia, book reviews for The Montreal Star, and a study of East European Law in Canada for Bulletin zur Ostforschung. He also edited, together with one of his pupils, The New Review, Canada's only scholarly journal expressly dedicated to East European history.
In 1969, his students presented professor Mladenović with a Festschrift
Festschrift
In academia, a Festschrift , is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during his or her lifetime. The term, borrowed from German, could be translated as celebration publication or celebratory writing...
to commemorate his 65th birthday. Entitled "Eastern Europe: Historical Essays," the book contained essays from nineteen current and former students.
Mladenović was the beloved teacher and mentor to hundreds of students during his three decade tenure at McGill.
His Works
Mladenović authored several books and published numerous studies and articles in various magazines and journals of learned societies. His books and manuscripts were published mainly in French, Serbian, German and English and include:- Le caractere de l'etat serbe au moyern age (1930);
- L'etat serbe au Moyen Age (1931);
- Stanoje Stanojevici i istorija srpskog srednjevekovnog prava (1938);
- Zakonik Leke Dukacina (1938);
- Dve srpske geopoliticke studije: Sta je geopolitika?;
- The New Yugoslav Historiography and the Problem of Feudalism in Medieval Serbia (1956);
- Serbische Familiennamen osmanischer Herkunft" (1960);
- Die Herrschaft der Osmanen in Serbien im Licht der Sprache (1961);
- Lazni idoli i varljivi ideali (1965);
- Family Names of Osmanli Origin in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1976);
- Kako sudvojica siromaka postali politicki emigranti (1984);
- Selo Do u ratu i revoluciji: Roman (1984);
- Samostalan i organizovan zlocin: Roman (1984);
- Andjeo unistenja;
- Umece letenja;
- Geopoliticke sile na Sredozemnom more (1994).