Chinese Schools Essay

Chinese schools have come a long way since the colonial days. Over the years and with the evolution of the national education system, Chinese schools have had to face countless threats to their survival. Despite this, Chinese schools have gained popularity and have enjoyed high enrolments, even among non-Chinese students. It has been reported that at least 10 percent of students studying in Chinese schools come from non-Chinese backgrounds. A number of factors contribute to this growing phenomenon. First, Chinese schoolteachers are well known for their high level of commitment. For this and other reasons, students from Chinese schools often excel in public examinations especially in Science and Mathematics. The other attraction of Chinese schools is that students are required to learn an additional language, Mandarin, which is a highly marketable skill in the job market. Chinese Education: A Historical Perspective The beginnings of Chinese education in Malaysia can be traced to the early nineteenth century. It was recorded that by 1815, there were already three Chinese schools in Malacca. One was founded by the London Missionary Society. With regard to the other two, sociologist Yang Qinghuang suggests that â€Å"at least one would be a school founded by the Hokkien people. † Scholar Zheng Liangshu suggests that some old-type Chinese schools might have existed in the Straits Settlements since the end of the eighteenth century. For a long time, Chinese schools in the Straits Settlements received neither help from the British government nor assistance from the government in China. Despite this, they thrived —funded mainly by clan and dialect associations. When faced with political and financial difficulties at the turn of the twentieth century, the Ching government of China changed its attitude towards overseas Chinese and began to promote Chinese education outside of China. It implemented educational reforms based on a proposal by Zhang Zidong. Following the reforms, the curriculum was revised to include Chinese Classical Literature, History, Geography, Mathematics, Moral Education, Physical Education and other optional subjects like Commerce and Drawing. In Malaya, Chung Hwa Confucian School in Penang not only adopted this new curriculum (it was the first to do so), it went further to include English as a subject. Support from the Ching government, however, was short lived. It ended with the fall of the dynasty. Chinese schools that attempted to run modern educational programmes (with a modern curriculum and incorporating English as a subject) faced enormous challenges. On the one hand, they were constantly in need of more funds. On the other hand, they lacked competent teachers. Furthermore, they had to compete with the more established English schools. Even so, there were five hundred Chinese schools with modern educational programmes established in Malaya and Singapore in 1920. By this time, textbooks for these schools had departed from the classical into the vernacular Chinese language (baihuawen). Because of their impressive growth, the British government decided that it could no longer afford to ignore Chinese schools. On 29 October 1920, it introduced the Regist ration of School Ordinance to restrict the activities of Chinese schools in the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States by way of registration and inspection. In 1935, control was further tightened: textbooks and teachers from China were prohibited. Only local materials and Malaysian-born teachers were allowed, and activities in Chinese schools came under strict scrutiny. Despite these challenges, Chinese education continued to thrive until it was suspended at the time of the Japanese Occupation of Malaya. After the war, Chinese schools resumed operation. By 1946, their number had ballooned to more than one thousand in Malaya. However, following the Barnes and Fenn-Wu Reports (June 1951) and the Education Ordinance 1952, Chinese education was exclude d from the national education system. The Chinese community rallied to form Jiao Zong (United Chinese School Teachers Association of Malaya, UCSTAM) and Dong Zong (United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaya, UCSCAN) to safeguard Chinese education. The Malayan Chinese Association (MCA) joined in. Its president then, Tun Tan Cheng Lock spoke these memorable lines, â€Å"†¦Chinese in Malaya †¦ should be given Chinese education †¦ The dialect or mother tongue can be likened to a person’s shadow, and is inseparable from the person himself/herself†¦ † (translated from Chinese). Efforts to safeguard Chinese education became even more difficult following the Razak Report in 1956 and the Education Ordinance in 1957. Thereafter, Chinese primary education was officially included in the national education system, classified as standard-type primary schools with Chinese language as the medium of instruction. However, Chinese secondary schools were excluded from the system when the Lower Certificate of Education examination (L. C. E) was introduced in English. This was not in accordance with the promise of fairness to other ethnic languages in the country as specified in the Razak Report. Furthermore, the Chinese community were horrified by the terms of reference in Paragraph 12 of the Razak Report: â€Å"†¦the ultimate objective of educational policy in this country must be to bring together the children of all races under a national education system in which the national language is the main medium of instruction. † Paragraph 12 was subsequently omitted following strong opposition from the Chinese community headed by Jiao Zong. Both the Rahman Talib Report (1961) and the Education Act (1961) reaffirmed the education policy as stated in the Education Ordinance 1957. Since government financial aid was vital to the survival of Chinese secondary schools, more than half of the 41 Chinese secondary schools then had little choice but to ‘convert’ itself into English medium national type secondary schools. On hindsight, many Chinese view this decision as a big mistake. The remaining 14 schools refused to give in, and have remained ‘independent’ to this day. The MCA facilitated this ‘conversion’ as it was satisfied with the verbal promises made by the Education Minister that â€Å"the government has no intention to exercise its authority granted under the Act to change Chinese primary schools to national schools† and that â€Å"Chinese schools are allowed to allocate one third of their curriculum for learning Mandarin and Chinese literature. † As a consequence of this concession made at the secondary  school level, development of Chinese education in Malaysia was restricted thereafter to the primary school level. The New Education Act 1996 posed an even bigger threat. It threw into question the status of national-type schools that were not established under Section 28 of the new Act. In fact, prior to this during the initial stage of implementing the ‘3R system’ (Reading, Writing & Arithmetic) in 1980, Chinese schools had already been challenged to forgo their medium of instruction. Materials for learning all subjects except Mandarin were available only in Bahasa Melayu. In response, Dong Jiao Zong and various Chinese guilds and associations submitted a memorandum to voice their opposition to the Ministry of Education in 1981. The schools were given the assurance that the government had no intention of changing the character of Chinese schools. However in the ensuing years, Chinese schools were asked to consider the concept of ‘integrated schools’ (1985) and Vision Schools (proposed in 1995, implemented in 2000), in addition to the latest â€Å"2-4-3† resolution that sought to introduce the teaching of Mathematics and Science in English (proposed in 2002, implemented in 2003). Despite these challenges, Chinese schools seek to maintain emphasis on the â€Å"Five Aspects of Formal Education in Confucianism (Wuyu Jiaoyu)† namely, moral (de), intellectual (zhi), physical (ti), social (qun ) and aesthetic ( ei) education. Until today, Chinese schools m continue to value discipline, respect for the elderly, courtesy, personal character and morality, rather than marketable skills such as computer literacy, Mathematics and Science. Some Reflections How does the development of Chinese education affect the church community i Malaysia?  n Should we stake our claims to citizenry and defend our right to be educated in our own (mother tongue) language? What about racial integration? Is it possible to promote Chinese education without further polarising the different communities? First, we have a moral basis for defending Chinese education. Being given the choice and having the opportunity to be educated in one’s own language is a universal human right according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948. Chinese education ha s existed in this country since the nineteenth century. As such, I believe we ought to defend the right of its existence in the same way as we would for the education of other ethnic communities in their own languages. Second, there is value in the Chinese school culture that is worth speaking up for. Even though outsiders might consider the Chinese community uncompromising in its stand with regard to educational issues, it must be pointed out that it is not just about safeguarding the Chinese language but it is also about retaining the ideals of holistic education. Furthermore, Chinese schools have a tradition of nurturing dedicated schoolteachers, and the Christian community should be at the forefront to encourage this culture of service and excellence. In the past, many of them have had to pay a high price for their conviction and dedication by becoming ‘martyrs’: Zhuang Xiquan, Chen Taomin and others were deported for opposing the Registration of School Ordinance 1920; Lim Lian Geok and Yen Yuan Chang were deprived of citizenship in 1961; Lim Huang Sheng and Sim Mow Yu were jailed under the Internal Security Act in 1987. Chinese education aids evangelistic work among the Chinese community. It provides students with a better understanding of the Chinese culture. Whereas in the past, the content of Chinese education was often influenced by traditional beliefs and practices, the Chinese education system today is more open to intellectual discourse on rethinking and repositioning the Chinese identity. The main grouse against Chinese schools is the lack of racial integration since students come from predominantly one ethnic background. The question we must ask is, is this acceptable or healthy in a multi-ethnic society like Malaysia? Most advocates for Chinese education would argue that it is less than ideal but what choice do they have? If national schools were to adopt a more holistic philosophy, and their teachers showed a more credible record in terms of commitment and disciplining of students, and if they provided students with the opportunity to study their own languages, racial integration would be less of an issue and Chinese students would be more  evenly distributed between national and Chinese schools. Despite this obvious shortcoming related to racial integration, I still advocate Chinese education for what it offers. Clearly, through its holistic philosophy and track record, it has produced many responsible citizens through the years. Chinese education continues to play a significant role in nation-building and church life in Malaysia. Florence Kuek lectures Mandarin at Universiti Teknologi Mara.

Hrm Challenges in Staffing

EMGT N441: Human Resource and Relation Management Scenario: This task requires you to work in teams of three or four students to prepare a report and then deliver a 15- 20 minute presentation to your teacher and your peers. Due date: Week 8 Assessment weighting: 20% (50 marks for the group report and 50 marks for the presentation) Guidelines: 1. With reference to the HRM topics discussed in weeks four, five and six in your EMGT N441 class, choose any one of the HRM topics. Analyze the selected topic with reference to the UAE. Submit a group report including the following requested information.A. A general overview of the topic chosen by your group. B. Critical evaluation of the topic you have chosen. Your evaluation of the importance of the topic in the UAE business environment. C. State what you think are 3 current HRM challenges for the UAE with reference to the selected topic. D. Provide at least 3 academic references and 2 industry examples to show that you have applied your acad emic knowledge to industry. E. Give 3 detailed recommendations for improvement (remember to provide supporting evidence). The report should be in the range of 2000 to 2500 words. . The report then should also be converted into a power point presentation. The presentation requires between 6 and 8 PowerPoint slides. Each of your group members will be required to equally participate in the presentation of 15 to 20 minutes duration. 3. At the end of the presentation the audience/teacher will ask the presentation team 3 questions. Please be confident of your subject material and be prepared to justify any statements that you made in your presentation. Follow the attached marking scheme to complete all sections of the report and the presentation.Key to grading criteria Late Assessment Guidelines Guidelines for Late Submission of Coursework Assessments Preamble Due dates for submission of all college-based coursework assessments are set on the portal and confirmed in class a week before th e due date. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure s/he submits the assignment to the class teacher at the stated time. Policy In the absence of extenuating circumstances, a student who does not submit a course-work assessment on the due date will receive a zero grade for that assignment.If extenuating circumstances apply, the student has to submit valid documentation to the Department Chair within seven days of the missed assessment. Procedure 1. Students who miss (or expect to miss) the due date for a coursework assessment due to extenuating circumstances must meet the Department Chair (or AF) to submit the relevant documentation (application form and document detailing the reason for the late submission). 2. The Chair will decide if extenuating circumstances apply and may give permission for a late submission of the assessment. This date is not negotiable. 3.Students who have no acceptable explanation for submitting late will receive a grade of zero. Missed Assessment Guidelines Preamble Dates for all in- class and system wide assessments are set on the portal and confirmed in class a week before the assessment. Other than illness or unforeseen emergency, there should be no reason for a student to miss an in class assessment or turn up late. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure s/he arrives in good time for an assessment on the correct day. Policy: In the absence of extenuating circumstances, a student who misses an in-class timed assessment (test) will receive a mark of zero.In exceptional circumstances, approval to take a missed assessment at another time may be given by the Program Chair. Where a student disagrees with the Chair’s decision they have the right of final appeal to the Director through the Dean. Procedure: There are no college-wide procedures. Each instance will be dealt with on a case by case basis by the individual Chair of the department. In the Business department, approved students to take missed assessmen ts must inquire about the calendar for make-up assessments. Failure to appear on the rescheduled day will result in a new missed assessment process.Academic Honesty Cheating is an attempt to gain grades dishonestly. It is important that you read page 10 of the Students Handbook, paying attention to the Definition of Cheating as well as the practical examples. Plagiarism is copying and the presentation of someone’s work as your own. This could be from another student’s assignment/projects, books or the Internet. This can be either intentional or unintentional (did not know it was necessary to reference material used in essays or written assignment). Plagiarism is also considered as a form of cheating and the penalty for cheating is outlined in student Handbook. Any student found guilty of cheating will be dismissed by the Vice Chancellor on the recommendation of the College Director. A record of this shall be entered in the student’s official record and transcrip t†. You will be requested to read and sign the Academic Honesty policy document. When you sign this you will be confirming that you understand the policy and the consequences of breaching it. Further information on HCT policies and procedures can be found in your HCT catalogue or on the web catalogue at: http://www. ct. ac. ae/publications_and_reports/aspx/student_handbook. aspx Referencing Guidelines Sharjah HCT business courses use both APA and MLA referencing style depending on the program level. Information on referencing can be found on the Referencing page of the Sharjah Colleges ILC Website: http://shct. hct. ac. ae/sites/library_site/referencing. html This page provides links to   the Sharjah Colleges APA and MLA referencing and style guides and to NoodleTools, a web-based service for storing and formatting references.

Question and Case Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Question and Case Analysis - Assignment Example ing Aoki is manufacturing to China, Mexico, or Eastern Europe, the company must first carry out thorough scanning to understand the political and economic laws in these countries. China has religious law, which may not affect Aoki firm greatly in its operations. China and Mexico do have a mixed economy where both government intervention and market mechanisms operate. The Chinese government encourages foreign investors as compared to Mexico and Eastern Europe states. In Mexico, businesses are marred with violence thus discouraging investments. Nonetheless, there is socialism system of government in some parts of Eastern Europe such as Russia that controls all economic and political matters. Most of the businesses bribe to acquire important documents such as licenses and there are increased crimes and killings that involve seizing of individual businesses. Russia and some countries in Eastern Europe do not have a strong antipiracy law hence may weaken the business by manufacturing fake glasses as the ones manufactured by Aoki firm. Aoki Company should therefore consider manufacturing in China than in Mexico and Eastern Europe. Aoki’s decision to sell its products to Latin America and Europe is welcomed due to political stability in these regions that comprises deeper application of civil law. There are also good quality infrastructures such as communication that may help in doing business. Furthermore, market forces are left to control trade hence democracy in trade and economic freedom. Aoki will be able to make economic decisions to facilitate its operations thus maximizing its profits. According to the American corporation policy, Aoki will repatriate a given percentage of its taxable profit to the home country. Emerging markets have a large number of middle class that provide a good market for commodities in their countries. The middle-income earners have enough disposable income that enable them purchase electronics. The ability to purchase electronics

Peer review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 15

Peer review - Essay Example In Psalm 106:3, God says, â€Å"Blessed are they who maintain justice, who constantly do what is right†. As a result, organizations have to ensure that they protect every employee from any violation of their human rights. In addition, the paper highlights the importance of training in fighting the vice. Educating employees about the problem is an effective approach in minimizing its occurrence (Cooper & Schindler, 2014). However, the paper has failed to focus on the importance of punishing individuals who perpetrate such actions at the workplace. Any person who harasses a colleague or a junior employee should face serious consequences. Besides losing their job, there should be further punitive measures taken. The practice would discourage employees from engaging in the practice. As a result, it will protect the image of the organization. In the event that the perpetrator of the practice is a supervisor, the organization may be viewed negatively (Abbott, Elkins, Phillips & Madera, 2014). The victim may feel that it provides an enabling environment for such activities. The organization can encourage such activities by tolerating people who disregard such policies (Buchanan, Settles, Hall, & O’Conner, 2014, p. 689). Abbott, J. L., Elkins, T. J., Phillips, J. S., & Madera, J. M. (2014). Attributing corporate responsibility for sexual harassment: The supervisory connection. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 55(4), 376-387. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1938965513511145 Buchanan, N. T., Settles, I. H., Hall, A. T., & O’Conner, R. C. (2014). A review of organizational strategies for reducing sexual harassment: Insights from the U.S. military. Journal of Social Issues, 70(4), 687-702.

Divorce ( by lack of communication skills) Essay

Divorce ( by lack of communication skills) - Essay Example So many times, people think of listening as simply hearing the words. This is not the case though as the process involves hearing the words, thinking about them and analyzing what the message is being conveyed beyond the words. Reacting quickly and furiously to words is just a sign of hearing but not listening, often resulting to a fight which eventually puts a hedge between couples if not breaking the bridge between them. On the other hand, speaking is construed as saying words to communicate what is in one’s mind. Howbeit, this is usually abused with one party wanting to be considered most of the time. This causes problems which could result to getting tired of a spouse’s much talk, leading to bickering that could worsen to fights and eventually separation. Concurrently, silence would be the resort of the partner who does not like to fight verbally which is a form of communication problem with the person involved being unable to express what is in his heart. Behind communication as a cause for divorce, there are still so many issues that need to be considered which this paper can not contain due to some restrictions. In any case, it is the purpose of this paper to show that communication problem is one of the reasons for divorce which was discussed earlier. In this regard, it might be good for couples to have counseling on this to reduce the risks of divorce which can cause lack of con fidence, and more communication

See below Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

See below - Term Paper Example On the third part of the paper, the impact of the great power and the attitude of the corporation were also discussed. The documentary entitled â€Å"The Garden† was used in this discussion. It displayed the attitude shown by the corporation. And the last part is the conclusion which is the idea and the opinion of the writer were written. On January 1, 2002, an article was published by The Washington Post written by Michael Grunwald which was entitled â€Å"Monsanto Hid Decades of Pollution: PCB’s Drenched Ala. Town, But No One Was Ever Told.† This article is regarding the contamination of a nearby creek from an area of wet lands where the Monsanto Factory hid PCB toxins. It was said on the article that some scientists tested the said creek from toxicity by releasing fish and in three and a half minutes, most of the fish died. A lawsuit had been filed against the corporation but on January 5th the corporation issued a clarification regarding the article stating that the Monsanto Corporation had no involvement in the ongoing lawsuit concerning PCB pollution which was made by the old Monsanto Corporation in Anniston Alabama Solutia Incorporated. The corporation said that the Monsanto Corporation’s chemical operation had been spun off in the year 1997 into a Solutia Incorporated which is responsible for the issue and which is the defendant of the lawsuit. The above example is just one of the happenings that showed the power and attitude of the Monsanto Corporation. The growing power, attitude and global control of Monsanto Corporation lead to the violation of the essence of â€Å"dirt,† leading to the farmers to become slaves and the risk of human and animal’s health. Monsanto Corporation was founded in the year 1901 at St. Louis Missouri. John F. Queeny, an Irish immigrant and a 42-year-old who is a purchaser of a Drug Company of the Meyer brothers, started this kind of

Were agency problems responsible for the bankruptcy of Lehman brothers Dissertation

Were agency problems responsible for the bankruptcy of Lehman brothers in 2008 - Dissertation Example However, such event took place even after repeated assurances made by the chief executives of the company mentioning their claim that Lehman Brothers was financially sound, had high liquidity levels and the leverage was present at manageable levels. The fallout of this Wall Street financial institution resulted in shattering of the consumer confidence during a fragile time in the financial market. Soon after the collapse of Lehman Brothers, a lot of decisions taken by it were found to be questionable. This study entails with finding the reasons behind the fallout of Lehman Brothers. This research study would try to find out the possible causes behind such a historic event that took place in United States which had a significant impact not only in the country but worldwide. Lehman Brothers was founded in the year 1850 and was headquartered at New York, United States. Lehman Brothers was considered to be one of the most prominent investment banks in the world and was engaged in the business of providing financial services to governments, municipalities and corporations worldwide. It became one of the largest underwriters of United States mortgage bonds (Onaran, 2008). Apart from offering services related to investment banking, Lehman Brothers was also involved in business activities corresponding to selling and buying of US treasuries and they were the primary dealers. It has been believed that the abolition of Glass-Steagall Act marked the beginning of Lehman Brothers’ demise. This landmark legislative act which was institutional since the Great Depression helped in separating the interests of commercial and investment banks and thus prevented it to have competition between them (Fox, 2009). It also helped to protect the balance sheets of the com mercial and investment banks to by allowing them to focus on the business transactions that they used to manage in the best possible way. The investment banks were typically meant to maintain highly liquid assets in their portfolios. On the other hand commercial banks were meant to handle the portfolios that were highly capital intensive in nature including corporate or real estate investments. In addition to this, the Glass-Steagall Act helped insulating the company from collapsing in case of the failure of one of the sectors by preventing similar

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Marketing - Essay Example Examining the similarities and differences of each of the studies creates a deeper understanding of how results can differ and what is excluded from different studies, despite the similarity of focus with the studies. This research paper will examine four different studies related to the sports retail industry. These will be evaluated first to show how each links to the sports industry and what the main conclusions were. When looking at the different studies, there will be the ability to evaluate and determine both similarities and differences between the studies. By looking into this and examining the alterations between various types of studies, there is the ability to create a deeper understanding about the sports retail stores and how this relates to customer service and management. At the same time, the limitations and developments with the studies can help to define what changes need to be made for more effective applications to the studies. Qualitative Studies The first qualit ative study was based on observations of perceived value which customers had, specifically which related to attitudes, self – image congruence, satisfaction and behavioral intentions. The model which was used included showing how each of these levels related directly to how shoppers’ was influenced when shopping in a sports retail store. ... If the positioning wasn’t correct, then it was likely that the behaviors would become negative and the management would seem inflictive. Positioning directly affected the purchase and the feeling of customer satisfaction when creating behavioral intentions from customers (Ibrahim, Naijar, 207: 2008). A second concept which is known to relate directly to the impact of customer relationships and management is with defining the relationship qualities which are built in retail stores and in fitness centers. It has been found that when there are more services and products in sports centers, individuals are more likely to respond in a positive manner. When management follows this with orientation toward different products, then it is also known that the relationships become more significant in the stores. Specifically, there is the belief from the customers that the orientation of services and products is based on building relationships and orientation toward the individuals working in the sport centers, as opposed to only the sale of various products. This increases quality and shows a sense of loyalty, customer satisfaction, commitment and social bonds that are a part of customer needs (Athanassopoulou, Mylonakis, 355: 2009). Quantitative Studies The first quantitative study which was defined was based on the customer satisfaction related to various approaches to management and customer service. This was defined with the customer satisfaction index, which included stated and derived importance variables. The scores were based on the importance that customers had to basic concepts within the store as well as performance that was a part of the store. A regression analysis was performed to find which was considered the most valuable to customers.

Imagine Yourself 26 Years Ahead Essay Example for Free

Imagine Yourself 26 Years Ahead Essay It was flaming hot, the sand beneath my bare legs burned when it hit water. I thrived to keep my eyes open, but instead I drifted into my daydreams imaginations, and spontaneously everything was peaceful and utterly dreamy. It was more to a vision than a dream when I imagine myself in 2026, but within an instant I am blown away. I discover that I am the new legend in the genetic research field in the United States, not only that but a mother too. Consequently, I see an extraordinary day of my future sought life, a casual day yet inscribed within history: the day I discover the AIDS cure. Suddenly, a river of emotions erupts through my veins but I know it’s everything I want in my future and everything I want the world to remember me by, to be a person who changed the world. In my future life I’m married to a guy called Joseph khan, he becomes the first man to step on Jupiter. I linger in my visions and expectations of future, wanting nothing more but to reach for it and make it happen, but then I wake up. The sun was down but I can see my surroundings as still as they were, then out of nowhere I see a guy setting near, â€Å"what’s your name† the stranger said in a soft deep voice, â€Å"Mariah† I breathed, stunned. He walked slowly and stretched his tanned arm toward me â€Å"khan, Joseph khan.† I was hooked.

Metaphysics Essay Example for Free

Metaphysics Essay Plato vs. Freud on Metaphysics Plato and Freud have made great strides in their respective fields of study. Both men have made a lasting impact on the way we now as humans view the world that we live in. Plato and Freud have similarities in views that they share but they also have some differences metaphysically. Plato believes that what is ultimately real are ideas, he believes that images are imperfect representations of the perfect concepts. While Freud believes what is physically real is by the evolution of man. Freud ultimately puts his faith in what he can see and analyze in front of him instead of what he cannot. Freud developed a â€Å"talking cure† which he would let the hysterical patient talk freely about the earliest occurrences which would then entirely eliminate the patient’s symptoms.†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦developed the idea that many neuroses (phobias, hysterical paralysis and pains, some forms of paranoia, and so forth) had their origins in deeply traumatic experiences, which had occurred in the patient’s past but which were now forgotten–hidden from consciousness. The treatment was to enable the patient to recall the experience to consciousness, to confront it in a deep way both intellectually and emotionally, and in thus discharging it, to remove the underlying psychological causes of the neurotic symptoms.† Plato answers the question of metaphysics by saying of ideas and ideal forms and Freud answers the metaphysical question through his belief in hu man nature. For Plato what is ultimately real are ideas and Ideal forms. Plato believes that the object was constantly changing so the ideal form is what was ultimately real. Everything in existence has a form of perfection for itself. All things in the physical world work in their existence to approach their perfection. An object, living or dead, always works in some way or another to meet its nature. For example, if you have a brand new table in your house the brand new table itself is not perfect. It is not perfect because the table itself is in a constant state of change. There is however a perfect ideal form of the table that does not change. â€Å"It is most of all from Plato that we get the theory of Forms, according to which the world we know through the senses is only an imitation of the pure, eternal, and unchanging world of the Forms.† While on the other hand Freud believes ultimately what is real is physical matter the whole universe is in evolution, which means he believes in no God or Gods. He concludes that all religious beliefs are illusions that have little proof. Freud also believed that the evolution that man had endured from the beginning to where he stood presently is what is ultimately real. â€Å"The psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, whose practice began in 1885, believed that each person’s subconscious mind was fraught with desires stemming from earlier phases of evolution. These desires, suppressed by modern society, accounted for much of neurotic behavior. Likewise, an individual’s personality was at least partially determined by heredity.† Freud believes that evolution plays a very pressing role in the lives of humans and that is what is real in the world. Further, what is ultimately real about humans is that man is the highest and most complex of all living creatures whose personali ty is composed of three interacting parts—the Id, the Ego and the Super-ego. The Id (or it) part of the psyche is the primitive instinctive component of personality. It consists of all of the inherited biological components of personality including the sex life. The Id is impulsive and unconscious and responds immediately to the instincts of human beings. The personality of a newborn child is all id and later it starts to develop ego and superego. The ego develops in order to mediate between the unrealistic id and the external real world. It is the decision-making component of personality. The ego only satisfies the id on the realistic terms sometimes compromises to avoid negative consequences of society. The superego incorporates the values and morals of society, which are learned from ones parents and others. It develops around the age of 3 – 5 during the phallic stage of psychosexual development. Through all of these different stages in personally there are some check and balance stages that go along with stages. For example if the id wants somethin g that is wrong and the ego lets the person have such thing, guilt can come into play. â€Å"The superego consists of two systems: The conscience and the ideal self. The conscience can punish the ego through causing feelings of guilt. For example, if the ego gives in to id demands, the superego may make the person feel bad though guilt.† Freud and Plato have made great strides in influencing the world after their work in their respective fields was completed. Freud has influenced many great psychologists after him and Plato has done the same in his respective field of philosophy. Freud influenced the minds such as: Anna Freud, Melanie Klein, Karen Horney, Alfred Alder, Erik Erikson, and Carl Jung. Freud’s influences in his field were great toward the constant search for a deeper analysis of how the mind works. â€Å"His work supported the belief that not all mental illnesses have physiological causes and he also offered evidence that cultural differences have an impact on psychology and behavior. His work and writings contributed to our understanding of personality, clinical psychology, human development and abnormal psychology.† Plato as well left a lasting impression on philosophers after him. He gave great insight to know the world around him works and functions. Plato’s ideas were used to jus tify some religions and certain academic subjects. Plato gave a lot to the teachers and scholars after him. â€Å"In his lifetime he was the most celebrated teacher of his day. After his death his ideas were taken up by countless other thinkers. Philo of Alexandria used Platos ideas to give a philosophical framework to Judaism. Early Christian writers eagerly embraced Platos thought as the best available instrument for explaining and defending the teachings of the Bible and church tradition. Of the Christian Platonists, St. Augustine of Hippo was the best known and most influential. Platos influence spread into Islam as well, through the writings of the philosophers Avicenna and Averroes.† Freud and Plato are not just polar opposites they have things in common as well. They both thought that trouble in the human soul/mind arises when the three parts dont work in harmony with each other. Plato thought that the key to such harmonious relationship was to yield control to the rat ional soul; after all, he was the founder of the rationalist program in philosophy. Freud, on the other hand, concentrated on dealing with the id by means of psychoanalytical techniques. The difference of these men is clearly seen but they also have ideas that intertwine them. Plato thought the human soul, which we now call the mind, was made up of three parts: appetitive, rational, and the spiritual soul. Freud in turn in his career built a system around Plato’s comparable ideas. The system was: id similar to the appetitive soul, ego similar to the rational soul, and superego similar to the spiritual soul. Both men have given the world a foundation to build upon and expand their theories. References Brickhouse, Thomas, and Nicolas D. Smith. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Plato []. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. Thornton, Stephen P. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Freud, Sigmund []. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. KR, Holmes. Result Filters. National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. Lorenz, Hendrik. Ancient Theories of Soul. Stanford University. Stanford University, 23 Oct. 2003. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.

Development of the Petroleum Industry

Development of the Petroleum Industry Historical background Petroleum In the beginning of the XX. century carbohydrates became more and more important in the world because they were pure, easily manageable, cheap, have huge energy capacity and were available in big amounts all over the world. Petroleum can be used as a source of energy as well as a raw material in the manufacturing of plastics and fertilizers, and only very few commodities have become as vital as it, and petroleum has been the object of geopolitical confrontations as a commodity of strategic importance. At that period several geopolitical events were closely related to oil or had consequences on oil prices and supply. The decision in 1912 by the British Admiralty to convert warships from coal to oil propulsion because of speed and range advantages was the first event that led to the geopolitical importance of oil. Great Britain nationalized the Anglo-Persian Oil Company and committed itself to the protection of this resource in Persia since 1934 the country is called Iran because the country had no oil resources at all. In the beginning the United States of America did the 60% of the total exploitation, but by 1990 the undeveloped countries took over it; the Near East gave 26%, Russia 21% and North America only 17% of the whole exploitation. 80% of the known and exploitable oil resources were found in 8 countries in the world: Saudi Arabia, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Iran, Venezuela, Russia and Mexico. The first oil crisis was only a local crisis; it had no significant effect on the world market. It took place in Iran, because Mohammad Mossadeq, the prime minister of Iran, nationalized the oil companies, so English professionals went home and the country went bankrupt in 3 years. Then began the Suez crisis in 1956 when Nasser nationalized the canal. In the 50es annually 210-220 thousands of tons of cargo went through the canal and the 2/3 of it was petroleum that had to be transported to Western Europe. But after the arab-israeli war blow-up, Nasser made the canal totally unusable. As the canal had a great significance, it caused some outstanding problems provisional petroleum shortage evolved in Western Europe, so consumption was decreased, higher taxes were levied on petrol, and petrol coupons were introduced. Simultaneously Syria closed the petroleum lines in the Iranian areas and Saudi Arabia introduced embargo towards Great Britain and France. By 1957 the crisis came to an end, 90% of the petroleum export that was not transported was compensated, and at that time petroleum utilization was not so important (1956 only approximately 20% of Europes energy use) and there were no considerable changes in the prices. World War I demonstrated the increasing importance of the internal combustion engine on modern military operations, such as planes, trucks and tanks. In the 1920s motorization automobile was becoming an important mode of transportation and these years were characterized by exploding civilian demand for oil. At the same time a few primal corporations -that became the oil giants of today started to control the industry quickly. The oligopolistic commercial control on the price and the production of oil was in 1928 by the Achnacarry Agreements first established between the greatest oil multinationals of the time: the Seven Sisters. Seven Sisters of the petroleum industry The term Seven Sisters refers to seven huge oil companies that dominated since Rockefellers first gigantic monopoly the mid 20th century oil production, refining and distribution. Five of them were American and the two other were British. The American companies included Exxon, Mobil, and Socal which later became Chevron, Gulf and Texaco. The British companies were Royal Dutch Shell (it was a joint venture with the Netherlands) and British Petroleum (BP), whose interest in world oil expanded with the discovery of oil fields in Iraq and in Indonesia. Later through acquisitions and mergers the Seven Sisters have become four enormous oil companies; ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, BP and Chevron-Texaco. These corporations have invested a lot in extraction infrastructures, particularly in the Middle-East and Latin-America. They were effectively in control of the oil supply and demand of the world with a set of strategies, such as fixing production, prices and quotas. However, in several developing countries a nationalization trend started to emerge, slowly leading to the future oil supply control and shocks. In 1938 Mexico vigorously took control of its entire oil industry by expropriations, undermining its accessibility to foreign markets for a while, but generating sympathy in a lot of developing countries as a symbol against foreign exploitation of national resources. World War II. revealed to be a conflict that was strategically dominated by oil because the key weapons were air and armored forces. In 1941 the United States decided to establish an oil embargo on Japan, this was one event that triggered the war in the Pacific. The strategic objectives of Japan were to secure the resources of Southeast Asia, mainly the Indonesian oil fields, and the country has planned fast operations in order to achieve these objectives. The same year, Germanys invasion of the Soviet Union had the securing of the oil fields in the Caucasus region among its primal objectives, but both Germany and Japan failed to establish a secure source of oil, in 1945 that contributed to their overthrow by strategically more mobile allied forces. About 86% of the worlds oil supply was controlled by the allied nations. The increasing geopolitical importance of the Middle-East was underlined by the post World War II. era, as from that region the United States and Europe were importing growing quantities of oil. In1948 in Saudi Arabia a new source of oil was discovered, called Ghawar Field, that accounted for the largest conventional oil field in the world; more oil reserves were discovered in this region, so the supply was shifting rapidly. They were trying many times to integrate countries like Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia in alliances with Western powers, but a series of geopolitical events, just like the creation of the OPEC and Islamic nationalisms, would complicate access to oil resources. The OPEC The western Seven Sisters wanted to achieve a powerful economic control of oil production, so many producing countries most of them were from the Middle-East had a common goal: to gather a bigger share of the oil incomes by controlling supply. In 1960 an organization called Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was founded at the Baghdad Conference. It contained five founding members: Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela, but by the end of 1971, six other nations had joined the group, they were the following countries: Qatar, Indonesia, Libya, United Arab Emirates, Algeria and Nigeria. They also wanted to maintain the oil prices. In 1968 the Arab countries founded the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries. Throughout the post World War II period exporting countries found increasing demand for their crude oil but there was a 40% decline in the purchasing power of a barrel of oil. The balance of power shifted in March 1971. And this month the Texas Railroad Commission set proration at 100 percent for the first time which meant that Texas producers were no longer limited in the volume of oil that they could produce. It meant more significantly that the power to control crude oil prices shifted from the United States Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana to the OPEC. There was no more spare capacity in the United States and as a consequence no tool to put an upper limit on prices. A little over two years later OPEC through the unintended consequence of war achieved a glimpse of the extent of its power to influence prices. The OPEC was unable to increase oil prices until the beginning of the 1970s. The major reasons were the importance of production in non-member countries and there OPEC members had some difficulties to agree on a common policy, since economic theory clearly underlines that cartels are bound to fail at fixing prices. Accordingly, developed countries were confident: the price of petroleum would remain relatively stable. In the early 1970s it was predicted by the American Government that by 1980 oil prices might rise to about 5 dollars per barrel. So the petroleum prices were very low and the economic growth was strong but this situation changed quickly. During the period of the Six Day War (1967) OAPEC members announced an embargo towards countries aiding Israel; Iraqi and Saudi oil lines became shut down. Then 900 tons less were exported each day and also the Suez Canal was closed at that time, so the exploitation was raised in the United States, Venezuela, Iran and Indonesia. In the end Iran and Saudi Arabia boycotted the embargo and they could manage to avoid a serious crisis. The only losers of this event were those Arab countries that were closing down the export. The embargo In the early 1970s under President Nixons order, the United States of America began shipping arms to Israel. In 1993 the Yom Kippur War broke out between Israel and Egypt (and several Arabian countries). This war gave the OPEC additional reasons to intervene: they imposed export quotas, reduced production by 25% and nationalized production facilities. The oil crisis started on October 17th 1973 and lasted until June 1974. Not long after the start of the War, when the Arab countries decided to turn to the oil weapon again; the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries announced the reduction of oil exploitation by 5% each month in those countries supporting Israel in the conflict during the war. In their opinion Israel could stand against the attack of the other two counties because the West gave them help. They wanted to undermine Israels support, mainly the USA, so oil became a geopolitical weapon. The market became controlled by supply by oil producers, causing the first oil shock. The oil embargo affected the United States of America, its western European federates and also Japan. During this half year period the western world was facing with the strategic significance of oil and its shortage for the first time. For example in the States at the top of the crisis on even days only cars ending with even registration number and on odd days cars ending with odd number were allowed for a while to be refueled. This embargo damaged the U.S. economy so greatly that many were unsure if the country would escape such devastation. Among the few countries that were affected, the United States suffered greatly, because after they gave aid to Israel the whole oil export ended toward them. The ability to control crude oil prices was passed from the United States to OPEC, and it was removed during the Arab Oil Embargo. Prices increased 400% in 6 months, and the extreme sensitivity of prices to supply shortages became all too apparent at that time. The world crude oil price was relatively flat from 1974 to 1978, ranging from 12.21 dollars per barrel to 13.55 per barrel, but when adjusted for inflation world oil prices were in a period of moderate decline. The crisis in 1973 had a huge effect on the world market, because this year the oil export from the Near East amounted 1 billion tons, and 40% of the petroleum of the bourgeois world originates from this region England 73%, France 83%, Italy 85% As a result of the shortage of oil petrol and gas oil prices increased, so the forestalling of fuel started. This resulted in bigger shortage and prices became higher and higher. In America the rise of prices almost caused a shock just like the world war. Prices started to fall at the New York Stock Exchange, restrictions were introduced for car usage, and people were encouraged to use less energy. With the start of the embargo, U.S. imports of oil from the Arab countries decreased from 1.2 million barrels a day to a mere 19,000 barrels. Daily consumption dropped by 6.1% from September to February, and by the summer of 1974, by 7 percent as the United States of America suffered its first fuel shortage since World War II. The impact of the embargo was drastic and it had an immediate effect on the whole economy. In the United States of America the retail price of a gallon of gasoline rose from a national average of 38.5 cents in May of 1973 to 55.1 cents in June of 1974. Meanwhile, The New York Stock Exchange shares lost $ 97 billion dollars in value in 6 weeks. Prices were rising since 1971 and by 1973 the price of petroleum reached the 11,68 USD/ton, this means that the prices became 10 times higher than they were originally. It could occur because of the disharmony of the consumer countries and so they could not make movements together against the embargo (for example anti-Americanism in France). Conclusion In times of shortage or oversupply crude oil prices behave much as any other commodity with wide price deflections. The crude oil price cycle may circulate over many years responding to changes in demand as well as OPEC and non-OPEC supply. From 1974 to 1978 under the control of the OPEC, the price of oil still remained high but stable: around $12 per barrel. Many developed countries started to worry about the unreliable supply sources and the exhaustion of oil reserves, but they did not do much one on this regard. The Iranian revolution in 1979 and the ensuing Iran-Iraq War lasting from 1980 to 1988 caused the second oil shock where the price of oil surged over $35 per barrel, this imposed several drastic but somewhat temporary measures to lower oil consumption. This resulted in a relocation of energy-consuming industries, in strategies for consuming less energy, such as energy efficient cars and appliances, in relying more on national energy sources like petroleum, coal, natural gas, hydroelectricity, nuclear energy, in building strategic reserves, and in substituting petroleum for other energy sources when it is possible. About 2 billion barrels are estimated to be held in strategic reserves all around the world, t he bulk of it in the United States, Germany and Japan. In 1980 the Carter Doctrine, which states that the United States would intervene militarily if its oil supply was compromised, is also the outcome of the uncertainties derived from the first and second oil shocks. The military presence of the United States in the Middle-East was extended, as the oil of the Persian Gulf was clearly perceived as of foremost significance to the national security. References http://www.people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/ch5en/appl5en/ch5a1en.html http://www.wtrg.com/prices.htm Anthony Sampson. The Seven Sisters: The Great Oil Companies and the World They Shaped. New York: Viking Press, 1975

drug traffickers :: essays research papers

The days of getting cash from the bank are long gone. We, as individuals, are now able to enjoy the convenience of using automatic teller machines (ATM), debit, and credit cards. These cards can be used to make payments, purchase goods over the internet, and even pay for gas at the gas station. As you can see, using these cards is just like using cash. Instead of giving paper to the teller, you give a plastic card that would deduct the cost of your purchase from the funds you have in the specified account. Debit and credit card transactions are now considered forms of electronic money. Throughout the years, drug traffickers have utilized many creative ways in which they buy, sell, and deposit profits made from the illegal sale of drugs. An example of this would be through the process of money laundering. Money Laundering involves the establishment of a legitimate business. The launderer would inject increments of ‘drug’ money that would mirror increasing company profit. The individual would then be able to declare the increasing profit on his or her tax returns as to not raise any red flags and resemble the lifestyle of a normal individual. In response to such activities, President Bush signed the U.S.A. Patriot Act on October 26, 2001. This act required all financial institutions to use anti-money-laundering controls (AML). AML technology analyzes transactions at a bank and recognizes suspicious patterns of activity; it also seeks out names of blacklisted individuals and corporations which it can match transactions. With the increase in credit/debit card and AML technology use, it is quite clear that drug traffickers will be worse off than when they were in a predominantly paper(currency) oriented society. With such technology in full effect, drug traffickers will have a harder time moving their cash around the world. It will now be easier to track money transactions for whether we believe it or not, there are individuals that analyze accounts in order to identify and investigate unusual account activity. This would include deposits from certain individuals/companies, deposits of certain amounts (particularly over $10,000), time period of deposits, money transfers, and which countries and accounts the money is being transferred/deposited into. In the age of paper, it would be easier to utilize large amounts of money by laundering it rather than placing it into an electronic account.

Comparing Presidents of the United States of America Essay -- Comparis

Comparing Presidents of the United States of America Because of their positions in the government and their resulting influential abilities, presidents are either praised for advancing the nation, criticized for not doing anything to help the country, or even making the country’s situation worse. Their success as president is dependent on the success of the country. People don’t take into consideration the attempts presidents make, but only those things that help or hurt the country. This leaves room for there to be a good president who may not accomplish much and a bad president who may accomplish a lot. President Herbert Hoover took office shortly before the Great Depression began, in a time in which the country was doing well. Once the Depression struck, however, the country needed help desperately. In attempt to pull the country out of the Depression, Hoover followed his beliefs in trickle-down economics and passed laws that followed this philosophy, laws the gave money to large corporations, in hopes that they would be able to hire more workers, who would get paid and who would go out and buy products, which would increase the demand for products, which would increase revenues of businesses, which could start the entire circle all over again. In theory, Hoover’s plan would have worked, however, the country was in such trouble that nothing much at that time would help it. The Depression first had to run its course for a while, before anything could be done. During the Depression, it took time for people, especially presidents of large corporations, to humble themselves to a point where they would accept aid from the government. Often, they remained the greedy people they were and didn’t use the government’s funds for ... ... that Americans are self-reliant and that charity should come from local communities. According to this philosophy, if the federal government gave aid to people, it would be insulting to their rugged individualism. Reagan’s policy of Reaganomics is based on rugged individualism. According to Reaganomics, since people are strong enough to help themselves, the government doesn’t need to help people as individuals; it only needs to help businesses, because they are the dominant force in the economy. Every president has his own way of dealing with the problems he faces. Some succeed by saving the country from its problems, while others fail by digging the country deeper in its hole. What is important, though, is that they do their best. Not all will succeed since there are some cases in which the country is helpless and must wallow in its problems for a short while. Comparing Presidents of the United States of America Essay -- Comparis Comparing Presidents of the United States of America Because of their positions in the government and their resulting influential abilities, presidents are either praised for advancing the nation, criticized for not doing anything to help the country, or even making the country’s situation worse. Their success as president is dependent on the success of the country. People don’t take into consideration the attempts presidents make, but only those things that help or hurt the country. This leaves room for there to be a good president who may not accomplish much and a bad president who may accomplish a lot. President Herbert Hoover took office shortly before the Great Depression began, in a time in which the country was doing well. Once the Depression struck, however, the country needed help desperately. In attempt to pull the country out of the Depression, Hoover followed his beliefs in trickle-down economics and passed laws that followed this philosophy, laws the gave money to large corporations, in hopes that they would be able to hire more workers, who would get paid and who would go out and buy products, which would increase the demand for products, which would increase revenues of businesses, which could start the entire circle all over again. In theory, Hoover’s plan would have worked, however, the country was in such trouble that nothing much at that time would help it. The Depression first had to run its course for a while, before anything could be done. During the Depression, it took time for people, especially presidents of large corporations, to humble themselves to a point where they would accept aid from the government. Often, they remained the greedy people they were and didn’t use the government’s funds for ... ... that Americans are self-reliant and that charity should come from local communities. According to this philosophy, if the federal government gave aid to people, it would be insulting to their rugged individualism. Reagan’s policy of Reaganomics is based on rugged individualism. According to Reaganomics, since people are strong enough to help themselves, the government doesn’t need to help people as individuals; it only needs to help businesses, because they are the dominant force in the economy. Every president has his own way of dealing with the problems he faces. Some succeed by saving the country from its problems, while others fail by digging the country deeper in its hole. What is important, though, is that they do their best. Not all will succeed since there are some cases in which the country is helpless and must wallow in its problems for a short while.

Otto Von Bismarck and Bismarckian Germany

The historical interpretation of Otto von Bismarck and Bismarckian Germany has undergone extensive transformation, as historians have had access to a wider variety of sources and evidence, and have held differing social and political presuppositions influencing their portrayal of the German unifier. The changing historical interpretations can be seen over time, as differing contexts and sources influence the portrayal, as early interpretations of Bismarck from the 1870s to the 1920s portrayed Bismarck as a man in charge and as a necessity for Germany to move forward.The interpretation of Bismarck continued to change throughout the 1930s and 40s as a result of Nazism and the collapse of the Third Reich, the interpretations shifted, and throughout the 1960s, 70s and 80s the interpretation of Bismarck has become more balanced, not significantly influenced by political desires, whilst still influenced by social context. Through the study of historical debate focussing between the 1880s a nd 1980s, the changing interpretations of Bismarck can be illuminated and assessed.Historiographical debate of Bismarck’s impact upon Germany began almost immediately following his rise to prominence, as the primary initial historiography within Germany demanded a â€Å"strong man†[1], â€Å"who would cut the Gordian knot of nationalistic aspirations†. [2] Thus, German historians and the public throughout the 1850s and 1860s desired Bismarck to be portrayed as a benefactor to the German society; however Bismarck was also criticised as being detrimental to the development of Germany. The differing interpretations of Bismarck throughout the 1980s were â€Å"between the kleindeutsche and gro? eutshe historians†. [3] As the kleindeutsche historians argued that the unification was a â€Å"natural birth†, the gro? deutshe viewed it as a â€Å"caesarean section†. [4] The kleindeutshe school of though was largely composed of nationalist historians H einrich von Sybel and Treitschke. Treitschke argued that the subjection of Germany was an inevitable price of unification[5], countering Mommsen’s critique arguing that â€Å"the injury done by the Bismarckian era is infinitely greater than its benefits†¦the subjugation of the German spirit was a misfortune which cannot be undone†. 6] The nationalist-liberal interpretation of Bismarck was reflected significantly in the publications of the late 19th Century historians as for these historians, â€Å"Bismarck became the man with the masterplan†[7], and thus following the unification in 1871 â€Å"there was a feeling of fulfilment amongst historians†¦the status quo had to be supported†. [8] The impact of the historian’s context is clearly shown as â€Å"early biographies by German historians also show us the extent to which the political Zeitgeist made them distort the picture of Bismarck†. 9] The sources available to the historians of the 1880s and 1890s also influenced their interpretation of Bismarck as â€Å"the documents were chosen by Bismarck himself†[10], which has been clearly shown to have impacted upon the writings of the German nationalist historian, Sybel, as Sybel’s writings were checked by Bismarck prior to publication. [11] Thus, as a result of the impact of sources and context, Sybel portrayed Bismarck as a good servant who did his duty to his nation. 12] The writings of the late 19th Century, 1871 to the early 20th Century 1910 were significantly influenced by the nationalist-liberal interpretation of the time and context. The German defeat in the First World War, in 1918 was expected to have created a revision in German historiography however, this was not the case[13], as the failures of WWI were averted and blamed on others through the â€Å"Stab in the back† ideology, the Bismarck myth did not become tainted.The roots of the myth of Bismarck were planted throughout the 1 920s as â€Å"German historians of the twenties and thirties were driven by the idea of giving their countrymen an unchallengeable hero in Bismarck†. [14] The struggles of the German nation following the defeat in WWI and the social and political revolution resulted in Germany needing Bismarck â€Å"to provide courage and orientation†, and thus the manufactured interpretation of Bismarck was one of guidance and success. 15] Publications throughout this time were limited; however the ability to understand Bismarck’s impact was extensively amplified as â€Å"new documents were released from the foreign office archives†. [16] Thus as a result of the flourish of foreign policy research, the 1920 interpretation of Bismarck’s foreign policy portrayed it as â€Å"an example of modesty and wisdom†. [17] The writings of Emil Ludwig, Geschichte eines Kampfers in 1928 substantiates this romantic and savour view of Bismarck, as â€Å"Bismarck’s life is portrayed as an ancient Greek drama with a Faustian hero†. [18]The historiography surrounding Bismarck was significantly altered following the collapse of the Weimar Republic and the subsequent rise of the Nazis, as the Nazi regime constantly utilised Bismarck to justify themselves. They â€Å"found willing executioners in historians like Marcks to interpret their value-system in Bismarckian terms†. [19] The Nazis manipulated Bismarck and Bismarck’s historical legacy to benefit them as â€Å"on the ‘Day of Potsdam’, where he (Hitler) glowingly praised his predecessor’s work which had, in his view, started the ‘ascent’ of the German people†. 20] Hitler aimed at creating links with Bismarck to justify his expansionary foreign policy, such as the Anschluss in 1938, and to gain credit and popularity through association with Bismarck. The influence of the rise of Nazism upon historiography is highlighted by Wilhelm Momms en, originally a Republican[21], as he wrote Politische Geschichte von Bismarck bis zur Gegenwart 1850 – 1933, (1935), linking Bismarck to Hitler. Mommsen argued that â€Å"the first generation fulfilled the yearnings of the Germans and built the empire under Bismarck’s guidance,†¦. he second ossified†¦and the third grew up in the war and built a country that, though connected with Bismarck’s creation, also outgrew it in many ways†. [22] Mommsen argued for the Third Reich to have completed the structural complexities of society and industry that Bismarck had created. The writings of Bismarck became linked to Hitler as a result of the context in which historians wrote, firstly in one of persecution and censorship, however, German historians were not opponents of Hitler, and thus manipulated the history of Bismarck to benefit the Nazi Regime, of which they favoured. 23] Following the collapse of the Third Reich after the Second World War in 1945, â€Å"Bismarck, the creator of the nation, was bound to be seen differently†. [24] Friedrich Meinecke argued that historians should adopt entirely new perspectives regarding Germany’s past, â€Å"the staggering course of the First, and still more the Second World War no longer permits the question to be ignored whether the seeds of later evil were not already present in the Bismarckian Reich†. 25] Whilst there was a negative assessment of Bismarck’s role in the path of atrocities, German historians also â€Å"preferred to hark back to Bismarck’s greatness to show up the depth of failure among his successors†. [26] Due to the actions of Hitler and the Nazi state, the role of Bismarck was investigated as to how far he enabled the dictatorial powers and influenced the structures of war, which were experienced throughout Europe and as substantiated by Hans Hallmann, â€Å"the question for German historians after the Second World War was, theref ore: how should one write about Bismarck after Hitler? [27] The criticism was largely influenced by the context of which the historians were writing in, as the collapse of the Reich signalled a supposed failure in Bismarck, and questioned his success intentions, as â€Å"criticism of Bismarck centred rather unrealistically on the problem of deciding whether a German nation-state or a German-dominated Central Europe should have been created†[28]. A. J. P. Taylor’s, Bismarck: the man and the statesman written in 1955, typified post war historical thought, questioning the role of Bismarck in the collapse of democracy.Taylor contrasted the critical nature of Bismarck arguing for the general success of Bismarck. Taylor’s British context allowed him to keep â€Å"a healthy distance from the Bismarck myth†, which resulted in the influencing of many German historians[29], and thus enabled perspective. He argued for the understanding of Bismarck as a manipulator, due to his ability to avert problematic confrontations, as â€Å"on such occasions one can see not only Bismarck’s great intellectual gifts, but a manipulative emotional intelligence†. 30] Taylor utilised psychoanalysis of Bismarck to explain the factors impacting upon his policies, and as argued by Urbach was â€Å"especially effective in describing Bismarck’s youth†. [31] Through utilising a differing methodology of historical examination, Taylor received and portrayed a differing perspective of Bismarck and Bismarck’s role in Germany, portraying Bismarck as â€Å"a man who wanted peace for his country and helped to give Europe such peace for forty years†[32], whilst the majority of his countrymen would associate Bismarck with ‘iron, three wars and as the predecessor of Hitler’†. 33] The â€Å"revival of respect and even veneration for Bismarck†[34] was countered significantly in the â€Å"passionately partisan c riticism of Bismarck’s work†[35], Bismarck and German Empire (1963) of Erich Eyck. Eyck was typically a liberal historian, and thus opposed Bismarck, from â€Å"the standpoint of iustitia fundamentum regnorum†, arguing that justice should be the major foundation of governance, as Eyck wrote â€Å"in the tradition of the great liberal opponents of Bismarck†[36].Eyck argues that Bismarck was the â€Å"hero of violent genius†[37], through his 3 volume biography of which is greatly influenced by his liberal standpoint and historical context of persecution by Hitler, and his background as a lawyer as he â€Å"despised Bismarck’s lack of respect for the rule of law†. [38] Eyck continually criticised Bismarck’s detrimental impact upon liberalism within Germany and â€Å"passionately condemned Bismarck’s cynicism towards liberal, democratic and humanitarian ideals†[39], which he states to have â€Å"incapacitated the peop le†. 40][41] Bismarck and German Empire influenced the historiography of the Bismarckian topic among German and international historians, presenting â€Å"an interpretation neoconservative in nature†. [42] This criticism of Bismarck has influenced the German historian, Hans Rothfels, whom followed Eyck, arguing that â€Å"Eyck’s belief in a ‘liberal option’ for a united Germany was not justified, that no one but Bismarck could have united Germany†. [43] Fritz Fischer’s Germany's Aims in the First World War (1968) signalled the â€Å"first significant German historian to blame Germany for starting the war†[44].Fritz Fischer’s publication significantly demonized Bismarck and Bismarck’s Germany, arguing for the path that Bismarck had essentially led the path to the German cause of the First World War. Fischer’s writings and interpretation of Bismarck largely contradicted the mainstream views of Bismarck and Bism arck’s Germany, and as substantiated by Feuchtwanger, â€Å"It contradicted much of the work done in Germany on the war guilt question and caused great controversy†[45].The controversial nature of Fischer’s publication resulted however in a flow of reassessments of his original publications, still maintaining the criticism of Bismarck and resulting in a â€Å"massive attack on Bismarck’s creation†. [46] The flow of secondary publications created a Fischer school of historical thought, which â€Å"stood on the political left and its opponents on the political right†[47].Through the publication of Fritz Fischer’s Germany's Aims in the First World War, the German historian utilized â€Å"political, economic, social and cultural evidence†[48], to persuade and research, thus creating a revision of historiography. The debate between Fischer and the right created significant disruption within the history fraternity, as â€Å"The left , who believed in critical social history, felt cheated because†¦the historical establishment strongly resisted their new and much more critical view of German history†. 49] The Fischer school of historical thought was extensively revised in the 1980s, of which Bruce Waller refers to as the ‘conservative 1980s’[50]. Edgar Feuchtwanger claims, â€Å"Revisionism provokes further revision†[51], as â€Å"German historians and the population in general began to view the past more reverently†[52]. The political complexities of the Bismarckian era influenced and resulted in a change of interpretations of Bismarck Bismarck’s Germany, as moves to the more political right occurred, and thus a return to a more approving view of Bismarck was undertaken.Through one of the most revered and respected historians on Bismarck, Otto Pflanze’s trilogy Bismarck and the Development of Germany (1963, but reprinted and reassessed in 1990), significant in grounds have been made to the overall historical value of the Bismarckian era. Bismarck’s assessment was, as argued by Kraehe, â€Å"taking into particular account the work of Helmut Bohme†[53], whom Pflanze critiques, â€Å"Bohme’s account of the relationship between economic and political forces in domestic politics during the period of unification also appears overstated†. 54] Pflanze argues against the typical liberal-nationalist interpretation arguing â€Å"the primacy of political and individual action†,[55] continuing against the nationalist sentiment of early German historians in arguing that â€Å"the war of 1866 was neither inevitable nor necessary†. [56] Pflanze significantly impacted upon historiography, contrasting the Fischer approach to German and Bismarckian history, although still remaining critical of Bismarck and Bismarck’s Germany. Kraehe argues that to Pflanze, â€Å"Bismarck was always larger than life†[57 ], due to the immense coverage and detail provided in Pflanze’s trilogy.Pflanze uses differing concepts of investigation to outline the Bismarckian era, as outlined by Waller, â€Å"Pflanze uses psychological insight and works with Freudian concepts†. [58] Pflanze in essence portrays a structuralist interpretation of Bismarck’s unification and impact, arguing that Bismarck took taking advantage of certain opportunities, â€Å"Pflanze stresses Bismarck’s flexibility, his concern to keep options open†[59]. Pflanze’s changed views of Bismarckian historiography can be seen due to his â€Å"return to the sources†[60], and thus uses a â€Å"psychological history†[61], hich as Urbach concludes, enabled him to â€Å"analyse in detail†. [62] Pflanze openly argued for the structuralist interpretation of Bismarck, within the nature of Bismarck’s opportunism and manipulation of events, rather than intentionally staging events . [63] The 1980s biography Bismarck: The White Revolutionary, by Lothar Gall significantly impacted upon the historiography of Bismarck and Bismarck’s Germany, as Waller describes, â€Å"It is probably the most searching biography we have†. 64] Lothar Gall portrays Bismarck as a revolutionary, however conservative in nature. As highlighted by Bruce Waller, Gall wrote Bismarck: The White Revolutionary â€Å"to counter the school of historians whom the individual matters little†, and thus like Pflanze investigated the implications of an individual upon a society. Whilst, â€Å"unlike Pflanze, Gall did not uncover new sources† he utilised the analysis of existing Bismarckian sources to investigate the true impact of Bismarck upon 19th Century Germany. 65] Whilst Waller points out that â€Å"most historians, but not the majority of students, have now consigned the view of Bismarck as a reactionary to history’s dust bin†, Gall’s major inve stigation was to highlight the reactionary nature of Bismarck’s role as chancellor. [66] Gall’s 1980 biography was aiming to â€Å"describe the circumstances the chancellor faced and then to see the way he reacted to them†[67], and as highlighted by Urbach, â€Å"Gall wanted to show how Bismarck, when faced with developments he had not created himself, turned them to his advantage†. 68] Thus, due to Galls idealisation that Bismarck was a reactionary, he â€Å"portrayed him after 1871 as the Zauberlehrling (sorcerer’s apprentice)†[69], arguing that he had lost his magic touch, an argument that may have been â€Å"the most devastating criticism of the man yet†. [70] Thus Gall portrayed Bismarck as a chancellor that â€Å"was not the great genius who knew and guessed it all well in advance†[71], as â€Å"Gall argues that the iron chancellor conjured up powers – nationalism, liberalism, and economic modernisation – w hich spun out of control and that therefore what he achieved was not what he had striven for†. 72] Gall’s interpretation of Bismarck has been seen as largely critical, however still remains a significant German interpretation, countering the initial nationalist-liberal interpretations portraying Bismarck as totally in charge, whilst also countering the arguments that Bismarck’s planning was the leeway for Hitler’s ascendancy and dictatorship. In essence Gall identified Bismarck’s accomplishment as â€Å"imperfect and – to a point – unintended†. 73] As noted by Urbach, Bismarck himself hinted at his own imperfection, â€Å"one cannot possibly make history, although one can always learn from it how one should lead the political life of a great people in accordance with their development and their historical destiny†. [74] The Bismarckian historical debate was notably influenced by the writings of Ernst Engelberg, writing in the 1980s, and proposing an altered interpretation of Bismarck. Engelberg as a Marxist â€Å"interpreted the Reichsgrundung as a phase of social progress that helped the working class to develop from a national base†. 75][76] Whilst Waller argues that â€Å"Engelberg was a life-long communist and one of East Germany’s leading historians who in the past had insisted on strict Marxist history†[77], he argues that his biography of Bismarck is not fully weighted on Marxist ideology, â€Å"it additionally gives full weight to psychological and religious as well as to political and economic factors†. [78] Engelberg, like Gall, did not utilise his own research and discover new sources, as stated by Urbach, â€Å"Engelberg used much of the old research of Erich Marcks and A.O. Meyer†[79], however she continues by stating Engelberg â€Å"includes more analysis†. [80] Engelberg’s argument of Bismarck is similar, yet differing to Gall’s, as both historians â€Å"see Bismarck as someone who tried to control the current of the time and not as a creator†[81], and thus to some extent was critical of Bismarck’s power, however Engelberg also defended the power of Bismarck stating that â€Å"despite the machinations, Bismarck was far from acting like an adventurer†¦On the contrary his preparations†¦proved to be prudent†. 82][83] Waller states that Engelberg’s argument was influenced by â€Å"Prussianism†, highlighting Engelberg’s biography to be â€Å"Prussian to the extent of disparaging the attitudes and actions of other Germans, especially those who attempted to thwart Bismarck’s initiatives†. [84] Engelberg proposed a favourable interpretation of Bismarck in his 1980s biography, arguing that whilst his control was not always complete, his ability was.Engelberg critiqued the post war historiography arguing that Bismarck’s successors were â€Å"re sponsible for gambling away the inheritance†, and thus links made between Bismarck and the collapse of democracy were perverse. [85] The historical interpretations of Otto von Bismarck have undergone an extensive change, due to changing social and ideological contexts of historians that have assessed the chancellor and his impact upon Germany.The historical writings throughout time, from the early historians on Bismarck, such as Heinrich von Sybel, historians writing in the times of Nazism, and following the collapse of Nazism have all succeeded in assessing the personality and his impact, however were unable to emancipate themselves from their social and political contexts, and thus the interpretations of Bismarck have reflected these influences. 86] The most recent assessments of Bismarck have also significantly transformed the historiographical debate; however have successfully avoided being overly impacted upon by context, and thus present an emancipated history of Bismarc k and his impact upon Germany. The flourishing debate over the Bismarckian era will result in continual changing interpretations of the statesman; however the discovery of new sources and evidence highlights the sequential move towards the objective portrayal of Otto von Bismarck and Bismarckian Germany. Word Count: 3072. ———————– [1] Urbach, Karina, (1998). Historiographical Review, Between Saviour and Villain: 100 years of Bismarck Biographies†. The Historical Journal. Printed in the United Kingdom. 1998 Cambridge University Press. Pp 1143 [2] Ibid. , p. 1143. [3] Ibid. , p. 1144. [4] Jaspers, Karl, (1960). Freiheit und Wiedervereinigung. Munich. Pp. 42 [5] Heinrich v. Treitschke. (1867 – 97) Historische und politische Aufsatze. 4 volumes. Leipzig, (1874 – 79) Zehn Jahre deutscher Kampfre: Schriften zur Tagespolitik 1865 – 1879). 2 volumes. Berlin. [6] Kohn, Hans, (1961). The mind of Germany: educat ion of a nation. London. Pp 188 [7] Urbach, Karina, (1998). Historiographical Review, Between Saviour and Villain: 100 years of Bismarck Biographies†. The Historical Journal. Printed in the United Kingdom. 1998 Cambridge University Press. Pp 1144 [8] Wehler, Hans-Ulrich, (1976). Bismarck und der Imperialismus. Munich. Pp. 15 [9] Ibid. , p. 1144. [10] Seier, Helmut, â€Å"Heinrich v Sybel†, in Wehler, Deutsche Historiker. Pp. 144 [11] Ibid. , p. 144. [12] Urbach, Karina, (1998). â€Å"Historiographical Review, Between Saviour and Villain: 100 years of Bismarck Biographies†. The Historical Journal. Printed in the United Kingdom. 1998 Cambridge University Press. , p. 1145. 13] There were only a few critical voices emerging. For example: Johannes Ziekursch, Politische Geschichte des neuen deutschen Kaiserreiches (3 volumes. Frankfurt. 1925 – 1930); Ulrich Noack, Bismarcks Friedenspolitik (Leipzig 1928). [14] Zmarzlik. Das Bismarckbild. Pp. 19. [15] Urbach, Kar ina, (1998). â€Å"Historiographical Review, Between Saviour and Villain: 100 years of Bismarck Biographies†. The Historical Journal. Printed in the United Kingdom. 1998 Cambridge University Press. , p. 1148. [16] Ibid. , p. 1148. [17] Rothfels, Hans, (1924). Bismarck’s englische Bundnispolitik. Berlin. [18] Urbach, Karina, (1998). Historiographical Review, Between Saviour and Villain: 100 years of Bismarck Biographies†. The Historical Journal. Printed in the United Kingdom. 1998 Cambridge University Press. , p. 1149. [19] Ibid. , p. 1150 [20] Ibid. , p. 1150 [21] Meaning he was in favour of the Weimar Republic, which collapsed in 1933, resulting in Hitler’s ascendancy [22] Mommsen, Wilhelm, (1935). Politische Geschichte von Bismarck bis zur Gegenwart 1850 – 1933. Frankfurt. Pp. 252 [23] Urbach, Karina, (1998). â€Å"Historiographical Review, Between Saviour and Villain: 100 years of Bismarck Biographies†. The Historical Journal. Printed in t he United Kingdom. 998 Cambridge University Press. , p. 1151. [24] Quoted from Gall, ed. , â€Å"Geschiechtsschreibung†, pp9 [25] Meinecke, Friedrich (1946). â€Å"Die deutsche Katastrophe: Betrachtungen und Erinnerungen†. Wiesbaden. Pp. 26. [26] Feuchtwanger, Edgar (2001) Imperial Germany 1850-1918. New York and London: Routledge [27] Hallmann, Hans (1972). â€Å"Revision des Bismarckbildes : die Diskussion der deutschen Fachhistoriker 1945-1955†. Darmstadt [28] Waller, Bruce (1998). â€Å"Bismarck: Bruce Waller looks at recent debate about modern Germany’s greatest statesman†. History Review. March 1st. p. 41. [29] Urbach, Karina (1998). Historiographical Review, Between Saviour and Villain: 100 years of Bismarck Biographies†. The Historical Journal. Printed in the United Kingdom. 1998 Cambridge University Press. Pp 1154 [30] Ibid. , p. 1154. [31] Ibid. , p. 1154. [32] Taylor interview with the Westdeutscher Reundfunk, 31 March 1965 [33] Ur bach, Karina (1998). â€Å"Historiographical Review, Between Saviour and Villain: 100 years of Bismarck Biographies†. The Historical Journal. Printed in the United Kingdom. 1998 Cambridge University Press. Pp 1154 [34] Waller, Bruce (1998). â€Å"Bismarck: Bruce Waller looks at recent debate about modern Germany’s greatest statesman†.History Review. March 1st. [35] Sturmer, Michael (1971). â€Å"Bismarck in Perspective†, Central European History 4. Vermont. [36] Feuchtwanger, Edgar (2001) Imperial Germany 1850-1918. New York and London: Routledge [37] Footnotes 11 of Michael Sturmer [38] Urbach, Karina (1998). â€Å"Historiographical Review, Between Saviour and Villain: 100 years of Bismarck Biographies†. The Historical Journal. Printed in the United Kingdom. 1998 Cambridge University Press. Pp 1142 [39] Ibid. , p. 1142. [40] Quoted in Schoeps, Hans-Joachim (1964). â€Å"Unbewaltigte Geshichte: Stationen deutchen Schicksals seit 1793†. Berli n.Pp 108 [41] Urbach, Karina (1998). â€Å"Historiographical Review, Between Saviour and Villain: 100 years of Bismarck Biographies†. The Historical Journal. Printed in the United Kingdom. 1998 Cambridge University Press. Pp. 1142 [42] Sturmer, Michael (1971). â€Å"Bismarck in Perspective†, Central European History 4. Vermont. [43] Ibid. , p. 1143. [44] Waller, Bruce (1998). â€Å"Bismarck: Bruce Waller looks at recent debate about modern Germany’s greatest statesman†. History Review. March 1st. [45] Feuchtwanger, Edgar (2001) Imperial Germany 1850-1918. New York and London: Routledge [46] Waller, Bruce (1998). Bismarck: Bruce Waller looks at recent debate about modern Germany’s greatest statesman†. History Review. March 1st. p. 41. [47] Ibid. , p. 41. [48] Ibid. , p. 41. [49] Ibid. , p. 41. [50] Ibid. , p. 41. [51] Feuchtwanger, Edgar (2001) Imperial Germany 1850-1918. New York and London: Routledge [52] Waller, Bruce (1998). â€Å"Bismarc k†. History Review March 1998 [53] Kraehe, Enno, (1990). ‘Review Article on Otto Pflanze’s Bismarck Trilogy’, Central European History, 23, 4. Emory University Press, Atlanta. , p. 369 [54] Pflanze, Otto, (1968). Another Crisis among German historians? Helmut Bohme’s Deutchlands Weg zur Grossmacht.Journal of Modern History 40. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. , p. 125. [55] Kraehe, Enno, (1990). ‘Review Article on Otto Pflanze’s Bismarck Trilogy’, Central European History, 23, 4. Emory University Press, Atlanta. , p. 369. [56] Ibid. , p. 369. [57] Ibid. , p. 369. [58] Waller, Bruce (1998). â€Å"Bismarck: Bruce Waller looks at recent debate about modern Germany’s greatest statesman†. History Review. March 1st. [59] Ibid. , p. 43. [60] Urbach, Karina (1998). â€Å"Historiographical Review, Between Saviour and Villain: 100 years of Bismarck Biographies†. The Historical Journal. Printed in the United Kingdom . 998 Cambridge University Press. Pp 1156 [61] Ibid. , p. 1156. [62] Ibid. , p. 1156. [63] Waller, Bruce (1998). â€Å"Bismarck: Bruce Waller looks at recent debate about modern Germany’s greatest statesman†. History Review. March 1st. p. 42. [64] Ibid. , p. 42. [65] Urbach, Karina (1998). â€Å"Historiographical Review, Between Saviour and Villain: 100 years of Bismarck Biographies†. The Historical Journal. Printed in the United Kingdom. 1998 Cambridge University Press. Pp 1157 [66] Waller, Bruce (1998). â€Å"Bismarck: Bruce Waller looks at recent debate about modern Germany’s greatest statesman†. History Review.March 1st. p. 42. [67] Urbach, Karina (1998). â€Å"Historiographical Review, Between Saviour and Villain: 100 years of Bismarck Biographies†. The Historical Journal. Printed in the United Kingdom. 1998 Cambridge University Press. Pp 1157 [68] Ibid. , p. 1157. [69] Ibid. , p. 1157. [70] Waller, Bruce (1998). â€Å"Bismarck: Bruce Waller looks at recent debate about modern Germany’s greatest statesman†. History Review. March 1st. p. 42. [71] Urbach, Karina (1998). â€Å"Historiographical Review, Between Saviour and Villain: 100 years of Bismarck Biographies†. The Historical Journal. Printed in the United Kingdom. 998 Cambridge University Press. Pp 1157 [72] Waller, Bruce (1998). â€Å"Bismarck: Bruce Waller looks at recent debate about modern Germany’s greatest statesman†. History Review. March 1st. p. 42. [73] Ibid. , p. 42. [74] Bismarck’s statement of 1892, quoted in Pflanze. â€Å"Period of unification†. Pp. 16 [75] Urbach, Karina (1998). â€Å"Historiographical Review, Between Saviour and Villain: 100 years of Bismarck Biographies†. The Historical Journal. Printed in the United Kingdom. 1998 Cam Kingdom. 1998 Cambridge University Press. Pp 1158 [76] Quoted from Wolter, Heinz, (1983) Bismarcks Au? enpolitick, 1871-1881.East Berlin. Pp. 5 [77] Waller, Bruce (1998). â€Å"Bismarck: Bruce Waller looks at recent debate about modern Germany’s greatest statesman†. History Review. March 1st. p. 42. [78] Ibid. , p. 42. [79] Urbach, Karina (1998). â€Å"Historiographical Review, Between Saviour and Villain: 100 years of Bismarck Biographies†. The Historical Journal. Printed in the United Kingdom. 1998 Cambridge University Press. Pp 1158 [80] Ibid. , p. 1158 [81] Ibid. , p. 1158 [82] Ernst Engelberg, â€Å"Zur politischen Vorbereitung des Krieges†, in G. Seeber and K. Noack, eds. , Preu? en in der Geschichte nach 1789. (1983). East Berlin. Pp. 03 [83] Urbach, Karina (1998). â€Å"Historiographical Review, Between Saviour and Villain: 100 years of Bismarck Biographies†. The Historical Journal. Printed in the United Kingdom. 1998 Cambridge University Press. Pp 1158 [84] Waller, Bruce (1998). â€Å"Bismarck: Bruce Waller looks at recent debate about modern Germany’s greatest statesman†. Histor y Review. March 1st. p. 42. [85] Urbach, Karina (1998). â€Å"Historiographical Review, Between Saviour and Villain: 100 years of Bismarck Biographies†. The Historical Journal. Printed in the United Kingdom. 1998 Cambridge University Press. Pp 1158 [86] Ibid. , p. 1160.

Poverty in America: A Global Epidemic

A Global Epidemic Ben Sims Sociology 445: Contemporary Social Problems Professor Shannon Sellers August 2, 2014 Of all the social problems that exist within America today, poverty Is undoubtedly the most prevalent . The stigma of poverty Is no longer solely the plight of third world countries, but rather an epidemic that has vigorously manifested itself in the united States at an alarming rate. Yes, in America, the country teeming with an abundance of natural resources and the patents to the most pioneering technological advances f modern time, Indisputably faces an unprecedented burden of poverty.It is estimated that more than 46 million Americans live in poverty in the US (Tighten 157). American families are increasingly finding themselves struggling to make ends meet, and with the continuing rate of unemployment and the rapid increases to the cost of living more and more families are left to choose between the very basic necessities of life such as food, shelter and healthcare. Po verty has also had a profound impact on education and crime, predominantly in inner-city communities where the wealth inequality is most apparent.With all the carnage caused by poverty being distinctly obvious In America why Is nothing being done about It? Does anyone care? Sadly, the most egregious aspect of the epidemic of poverty in America is that it doesn't have to exist at all. The US ultimately has the resources and means to eliminate poverty altogether, if only it was placed as a high enough priority. To truly comprehend the profound impact that poverty has had on America, there must first be an understanding of what poverty essentially means and how It was caused.Webster dictionary describes poverty as â€Å"the state of one who lacks a usual 1 OFF Dictionary). The textbook however, offers a more in-depth perspective on the term stating that poverty is â€Å"a standard of living below the minimum needed for the maintenance of adequate diet, health and shelter† (Tigh ten 181). This definition implies that the poverty threshold is based on those who can make the minimum amount of money required to maintain a decent level of life and those who cannot. Although these particular descriptions of poverty are not necessarily wrong, they are also not entirely accurate.When most people think of poverty the assumption may be that the core percentage of those actually living in poverty are the homeless or unemployed, but relative to popular belief most of the people living in poverty actually work. They are classified as the working poor. According to US Census data over 2. 6 million full-time workers lived below the poverty line in 2010 (Tighten 161). How is this possible? First and foremost, the federal minimum wage requirement in the United States is $7. 25. So for an employee who works 40 hours a week their total monthly salary would be $1 , 165. 0 before taxes. Now let's analyze how much it would cost for an average American earning a minimum wage sal ary to pay for the 3 most Asia necessities in life: food, shelter and health care. The average percentage that Americans pay in housing costs is approximately 28 to 35 percent of their take home pay (Curmudgeon, 2010). 28 percent of $1,160. 00 is $324. 80. According too 2010 survey conducted by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Americans spend roughly $1 51. 00 a week on food, equaling a whopping $604. 00 a month (Mended, 2012).If we add the average monthly cost of healthcare under Beam's Affordable Care Act, which is $328. 00 (Persuade, 2014), the total monthly expenses for Just the basic necessities alone is a staggering $1 ,256. 0. The basic necessities alone total more than the average worker, earning minimum wage, in America makes in a month and that figure still doesn't account for utility bills, transportation and other miscellaneous expenses. Not to mention the addition of a spouse or children. It is important to understand that poverty is a very complex social dilemma, with a variety of unfounded stereotypes that persist about its causes.One of the most common misconceptions about poverty is that the poor inherently cause their own poverty, alluding to the poor having a lack of drive and ambition necessary to change heir financial status. This perception is often referred to as the person-blame approach . This means that social problems such as poverty are the result of the pathologies of individuals (Tighten 163). Although this notion is credible, in this particular instance, it is slightly off kilter due to that fact that even though 2. Million people go to work and log over 40 hours a week they still won't surpass the threshold of even half of the nation's median salary. And therein lies the problem. The issue is not whether members of society are willing to work, because not only are a majority f the poor willing and able to work hard, they do so when given the opportunity. The real root of the problem is the minimum wage requirement in the US and the lack of access to adequate education and training necessary to acquire better-paying Jobs.The system-blame approach is more fitting in this instance because there is no shortage of people willing to work but rather a shortage in the amount that is being paid out for said work. There is also no shortage in people willing to procure and utilize the sufficient training and education needed to attain better employment but underprivileged. Although the government has in fact tried to implement programs to solve the problem of poverty in America, many of these programs contained crucial flaws and in many cases made the predicament worse. Welfare is the most notable of these programs.Welfare was established to assist underprivileged families and individuals get out of poverty (Tighten 165), but have ultimately led to a disturbing rate of dependency. Instead of assisting families welfare had essentially enabled them in many ways, with a vast majority of recipients not feeling the need to work. Provisions thin the program even made it easier to stay on welfare than to seek employment and encouraged unmarried woman to have children. Thus, the enactment of the Welfare Reform Act of 1996. This bill was established to reduce the number of families and individuals dependent on government assistance.These institutional changes helped to reduce welfare dependency by mandating that recipients actively seek work while receiving government assistance, increasing the level of accountability for those in need of financial aid. The government also developed several other programs in an effort to curve poverty such as the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program (TANK) which provides financial assistance to low-income families but also requires them to work at least 20 hours a week to receive benefits (Saddler, 2012).Addition services such as Medicaid, Food Stamps and WICK were all established to essentially assist low-income families achieve financial stability while pro gressively becoming independent of all government aid. Although these programs and institutional amendments have been extremely valuable in assisting the poor and underprivileged maintain a sustainable level of life, unfortunately they haven't been enough to end or even cut the poverty level in Alfa.These programs have ultimately helped sustain the global threshold of poverty in many ways by serving to only assist low-income families get through financial difficulties instead of helping them get out. The only way for members of the underprivileged society to rise above poverty is to provide the means to earn more than the nation's median income. This goes back to the need for programs that assist individuals in acquiring the knowledge and training necessary to acquire higher paying Jobs and also for the government to raise the minimum wage requirement.Perhaps the most compelling explanation for the persistence of poverty is the remarry of private profit. The basic principle of capit alism is – who gets what is determined solely by private profit rather than collective need (Tighten 173). By private corporations emphasizing the theory of maximizing profits they ultimately end up endorsing poverty. This is done by companies paying their workers the minimum amount possible including benefits and pocketing the wealth that was created by laborers and distributing it among the owners instead of the working class.Primacy of profit also endorses poverty by employing a bevy of uneducated and desperate laborers who are eager to work for low wages. Many of these laborers are illegal immigrants and don't view having benefits as a necessity. This in turn makes it extremely profitable for owners of businesses and large corporations to hire these workers because of the amount of money that they will be able to save while still being able to employ laborers full time.Poverty is supported and maintained through my belief that the US government has made attempts to curve the impact of poverty, I believe that the United States has the power to end poverty all together. This can be accomplished by making poverty a top priority. The United States spends roughly 712. Billion dollars of our nation's defense each year (Tighten 177). A percentage of that figure can be deducted and contributed to combat poverty without Jeopardizing our nations' defense at all.This extra money could be used to provide adequate schooling and fund programs that promote academic advancement in inner-city communities. Those funds could also be used to provide training seminars for individuals with limited education who seek higher paying Jobs and wish to be more competitive candidates in today's Job market. Most importantly however, those funds could be used to raise the federal minimum wage requirement to a level that allows ore people to earn above or at least earn wages comparable to the nation's median salary.