Abstract This paper presents a positive review of Arther Ferrill's study on the Roman Empire, "The Fall of the Roman Empire". The paper includes a discussion of some of the book's weaknesses, but focuses on the book's ability to deliver an informative, historical account of the decline of the Roman Empire. The paper also applies the lessons learned from the book to the current political situation in the United States and asserts that these lessons should be heeded in light of the comparisons that can be drawn between the political, economic, and military power of the United States and that of the Roman Empire during its time.
From the Paper "The Fall of the Roman Empire by Arther Ferrill (1986) provides well written and interesting reading for the non-historian. While Ferrill breaks down many areas of the Roman Empire and it's decline, there are other areas where the author's description of some important details remains sketchy and leaves the reader wanting more information. Ferrill breezes over some very important explanations concerning why the Eastern Empire survived despite the Eastern army suffering the two major defeats of Adrianople and Julian's failed Persian campaign. Ferrill also does not support the argument that the Fall of Rome was the result of a successful conquest of barbarism and religion. He instead maintains that uncomplicated military failures contributed to Rome's decline. The case he presents supports that these were created by political blunders, and that enough of the blunders created the misfortune that resulted in the decline of the Roman public spirit."
Tags: civilized, productive, lifestyle, oppressed, barbarians, minorities, national, liberation, battles, defense, in, depth, federated, status, roman, army
Abstract This paper begins by presenting the academic background that qualifies him to write such a book as the "To Die Game". Next, background on the subject of the book, the Lowry Gang, is described and a brief summary of the book presented. The paper also looks at the main thesis of the book, which is concerned with the Lumbee's fight against white suppression.
From the Paper "William McKee Evans? book, To Die Game, is a worthwhile piece of scholarly literature. The book, fully entitled To Die Game: The Story of The Lowry Band, Indian Guerrillas of Reconstruction, tells the story of the Lowry family, the ancestors of today's Lumbee Indians. Evans? accounting suggests that the Lowry gang's acts of violence were justifiable revenge against the brutal actions of the Ku Klux Klan and the Confederate Army. Ultimately, the author's substantial academic credentials and extensive scholarly research result in a thorough and worthwhile account of the lives of the Lowry Band."
Abstract This paper explains how, before the application of gunpowder, war and warfare was powered by human effort with the assistance of various forms of armor and hand-wielded weapons, such as swords and spears. This paper provides an historical overview of warfare and is divided into two sections, 1200-1600 and 1600-1850. It looks at the way gunpowder affected these two time periods differently.
From the Paper "By the time of the Crusades in Europe and the conquests of the Moors in Spain, the knowledge and use of gunpowder had spread far and wide. In 1247, the city of Seville was defended by cannon which ejected stone projectiles; in 1267, English philosopher and writer Francis Bacon penned Opus Tertium in which, for the first time in Europe, the components of gunpowder was described. This work, as Kenneth Allen points out, is considered to be the basis upon which Berthold Schwartz, a monk from Friburg, Germany, "further experimented with gunpowder's propulsive properties that led to the development of cannon in Germany after 1300 A.D." (1973). At this time, cannon and other weaponry which used gunpowder were virtually unknown to most European soldiers and military officials and artillery that utilized gunpowder did not exert any great influence on warfare until sometime after 1300 A.D."
Abstract This paper provides an overview of the reign of Louis XIV in France, focusing mainly on his foreign policy and his decision to go to war. The writer looks at how successful King Louis was at expanding his own kingdom and increasing the borders of France, but at the same time, causing economic and political turmoil in his own country.
Contents
Thesis
Introduction
Analysis
Influence on Modern History
Conclusion
From the Paper "Louis? previous successes proved to be his undoing - it made him over-confident and roused the whole of Europe against him. The Nine Years War was largely his fault. The War of Spanish Succession added disastrously to the debts already incurred, although France did not suffer territorially. The result was great suffering for the people of France. Whereas in 1680 Paris had awarded Louis the title "Great", news of his death in 1715 was greeted with relief - eloquent testimony to the failures of policy in the second half of his reign. The establishment of the modern frontiers of France was one of Louis great achievements, but the cost was arguably too high for his reign as a whole to merit the title "Great"."
Tags: revolution, spain, england, king, royal, paris
Abstract This paper presents an analysis of the movie, "Pearl Harbor", and compares and contrasts it to the actual event. The paper points out that, while the movie follows the basic lead-up to the horrific day, many things seen in the movie are, in fact, fictional and did not necessarily take place. The writer explores all aspects of the movie, from the two main male characters to the portrayal of President FDR, the Japanese fighters, and those who lost their lives on that tragic day.
From the Paper "Still another debatable point of contention is the attack its self. In the film, the Americans immediately take to the skies and fight back. Yet historical accounts will tell us that it was not immediate, for a number of reasons. In the film, there appear to be many people wandering around the base. In actuality, the base was far less populated than usual, due to the timing of the attack. This meant it took longer for the service men to fight back. In addition, the film shows the Arizona being hit once, and sinking. History tells us the Arizona was actually struck eight times before sinking."
Tags: world, war, 2, film, ben, affleck, movie, cinema
Abstract This paper discusses how both Juan Domingo Peron of Argentina and Getulio Vargas of Brazil were very influential people in the evolution of their nations and their region as a whole. It looks at how both of them were highly popular leaders in their time and enjoyed almost godlike status in their nations. It analyzes how both men took power when their countries were suffering from recession, unemployment, and economic hardship. It also shows how, due to the very different nature of the two nations and the time at which they took control of them, the two leaders were very different.
From the Paper "Vargas? regime was largely uncontested during the twenty four years of his rule. This is largely due to the fact that his power within Brazil was absolute, and no one could contemplate opposing him. Furthermore, Vargas always held out the possibility of making a deal with the opposition to include them in his administration, which was a powerful sop designed to keep people faithful to him. On the other hand, Peron's regime lasted less than ten years, and was followed by a coup that saw him toppled and sent into exile."
Abstract This paper looks at Nazi Germany's attempts at the economic recovery of the nation. Hitler's priorities concerning the economic recovery of Germany, programs initiated by Nazi Germany to stimulate the economy, and the principles of Hitler's four-year plan are discussed in this paper.
From the Paper "In the early 1930?s, Germany was plagued by unemployment and stagnant growth despite efforts by the administration to alleviate the country's economic difficulties. The economic liberalization of the banking system was one of few cautionary steps taken by administrations prior to Hitler to boost Germany's failing industries. This all changed following the Nazi rise to power; two notable banking acts passed in 1934 and 1936 effectively converted the banking system into Hitler's personal lender, allowing him to replace commercial borrowing with the various savings institutes that would allow him to re-build the German army. In this period, wages were frozen and the armaments business boomed, while individuals suffered as wages were frozen at their pre-Hitler-era rate. Meanwhile, the government was able to continue to borrow money from Germany's savings banks to contribute to the building of the military."
Abstract "For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War", by James M. McPherson, addresses the question why U.S. citizens chose to enlist in the Confederate or Union armies, while attacking several other issues, such as slavery, religion, patriotism, and issues of humanity. The paper analyzes the book and shows how the author used documents written by soldiers to get their feelings across, without riddling the book with his own opinions.
From the Paper "After President Lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation, slavery became an issue for the Union soldiers as well as the South. Most Union soldier had no real concept of what slavery was like until they reached the southern states. "I thought I hated slavery before I came here, but here, where I can see some of its workings, I am more then ever convinced of the cruelty and inhumanity of the system" (118). As the Union armies began to free the slaves, the former slave owners would attempt to recover their lost property, only to be pounced on by the Union soldiers. The freed slaves would often contribute to the day-to-day chores that had to be accomplished such as washing, cooking, and cleaning and this aided the Union soldiers by adding more soldiers to the line to fight."
Abstract This paper discusses the value of a legal obligation as opposed to a moral one. The paper makes references to two documents, "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau and "Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King. Both Thoreau and King address the issue of moral obligation versus legal obligation, in which an individual experiences conflict with the government and society as s/he tries to follow his/her free will as a member of the society and the rules and laws imposed by the government at the same time.
From the Paper "In his discourse, Thoreau asserts, ?That government is best which governs least,? which means to say that the least government intervention in the society results to a better state of civil society. This is because he thinks that the government is susceptible to manipulation by people with vested interests, who consider the government as an institution that can be used to provide greater privileges to other people and not the society in general. Thoreau contends, ?But a government in which the majority rule in all cases can not be based on justice, even as far as men understand it."
Abstract This paper discusses the life of Anne Moody, an African-American civil rights activist who left her home town and family determined to take part in protests and sit-ins in America's turbulent South in the 1960s. The paper uses quotes from Moody's autobiography, "Coming of Age in Mississippi", to show her determination, as well as her anger against both blacks and whites involved in the struggle.
From the Paper "She struck out on her own, recognizing that it was time help in the fight against injustice. She worked diligently as a civil rights activist with the Congress of Racial Equality and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. She also spoke and participated in civil rights activities such as the Woolworth's luncheon sit-in. At times, including when working to support voter registration, she was fearful for her life. Activists were being killed, and Moody's name was on a Ku Klux Klan black list."
Abstract This paper begins with a brief comparison of the events that led up to the American Industrial Revolution, parallel to the events in Britain. It then lists major inventions that occurred during the revolution and continues to survey the effects of the Industrial Revolution on American labor. The economic and social implications are also discussed.
From the Paper "Countless historical events and cultural impacts have influenced the future of the American culture and society since the period of the Industrial Revolution. Drastic changes were brought to men, transforming their ways of life into convenience and improvement through the advance discoveries of the geniuses of the past and the revolution of diverse industries. Without the era of the industrial revolution, our lifestyles today, in terms of the technology that we currently have, will not be as progressive as they are. Essentially, the industrial revolution had built the history of technology."
Abstract This paper analyzes the autobiography, "Jarhead", by Anthony Swofford, which tells the story of the author's life before entering the Marines, the time of his engagement in the Middle East, and some of his struggles in reintegrating into civilian life after the war. The paper also critiques the book and comments on the author's excessive use of description.
From the Paper "One of the most critical revelations in Swofford's Jarhead is the depiction of the soldiers as simply human, flawed, and ultimately scared young men. There are no over-the-top heroic posturing here, as the elite special forces solder tells about the terror that led him to wet himself as rockets exploded close by. His tale ultimately makes the reader wonder if the soldiers sent into operation Desert Storm were as coolly professional and prepared as the government's spin machine made them out to be."
Abstract This paper provides a comprehensive look at how the United States failed in Vietnam. Its main focus is that the U.S. didn't understand the nature of the war. The paper provides a summary of the war, intertwined with evidence about why American leadership did not have a full understanding of the war.
From the Paper "The Vietcong instead utilized guerilla warfare, which was effective against the French, and fared well against the U.S. too. This was a strategy that was also coined total war, because it was the destruction of the adversary at all calls. In addition, it included a myriad of small-group surprise attacks with the Vietcong then retreating back into the jungle. But also, the United States did not realize how powerful the Vietcong could be, thanks to the Soviet Union and China. "American technology was well matched by defensive fighter aircraft and radar-directed antiaircraft weaponry put in the hands of the Vietcong by the Soviet Union". One such example was the widely used Soviet-built surface-to-air missle (SAM). "The SAM was a kind of highly sophisticated aerial torpedo launched from the ground" (Larson 52). Along with the SAM, the Soviets supplied AK-47s and MiG interceptor aircraft among other items."
Abstract This paper examines how the military force that the Athenians fielded in the Sicilian Campaign was unprecedented in the Peloponnesian War. It attempts to determine why it was it utterly defeated. It looks at how a series of failures of command from the political and military leadership exacerbated the likely failure of the campaign. It also explores how the end result was a greatly weakened Athens, how there were numerous defections from the Delian League, and how the myth of Athenian invincibility on the seas was shattered.
Outline
Introduction
Discussion
Hubris Within Athens
Hubris Within the Expedition
The Athenian Failures of Command
Counterpoint
Conclusion
From the Paper "The war-time footing on which the Athenians found themselves was difficult for them to maintain. The destruction of their lands and homes outside of the walls of Athens, the plague, and gradual breakdown of the structure of Athenian society led a shift away from Pericles? strategy for victory and away from the unity of purpose and common good within Athens and towards private ambition and gain. By the Melian dialogue, a year or so before the Sicilian Campaign, the Athenians had given up Pericles? conservative approach and limited war aim, the defeat of Sparta, when an Athenian acknowledged that of gods and men, ?by a necessary law of their nature they rule wherever they can.? Though not universal, by 415 B.C., the dominant theme among Athenians was the overbearing belief in their abilities and the growth of the empire."
Tags: hubris, pelopennisian, sicilian, sicily, sparta, thucydides, war
Abstract This paper, written from a pro-union stance, provides background information on the development of unions, explains the reasons that workers unionize, and takes a look at the pro and con sides of unionization.
From the Paper "It goes without saying that the balance of power between the employers is always heavily tilted in favor of the employers. The workers are, therefore, vulnerable to gross exploitation leading to low pay, long working hours and poor working conditions. In an unequal relationship, a lone worker stands no chance against an employer who is focused on deriving the maximum profit from his business. Collectively, of course, the workers can be a force to be reckoned with. The initial period of the Industrial Revolution, both in Europe and the United States, was marked by appalling working conditions, and grinding poverty for vast numbers of the working people. Twelve-hour or longer working days for 7 days a week under the harshest of conditions were the norm. The birth of the Labor Movement was, therefore, a logical outcome. Workers in factories, coal-mines, and rail-roads began to organize themselves and demanded better pay and working conditions. The employers, who were used to getting things done cheaply, opposed the formation of such "unions" vigorously. This led to confrontation and strikes but eventually the workers were able to get some of their demands accepted."
