Abstract This paper examines the possibility that President Kennedy had advanced knowledge of Soviet intentions to place missiles in Cuba, but did not or could not prevent it, and instead used the peaceful settlement of the crisis as a means of moving toward detente.
From the Paper:
"The Cuban Missile Crisis was precipitated by Soviet desires to overcome the strategic superiority that the United States had developed in order to continue an aggressive global foreign policy. President Kennedy then allowed the crisis to develop so that it could be used as a stepping stone toward detente and the new world order."
Tags: jfk, soviet, union, khrushchev, military, cold, war, castro, fulbright
Abstract The paper provides a brief biography of Charlemagne and notes the improvements made during his reign to the quality of life in the Middle Ages in Europe. He improved education, helped unify Europe through military conquests and improved architecture.
From the Paper "During the long period from the fall of the Roman Empire to the Renaissance almost a thousand years later, referred to as the Dark Ages, Charlemagne is the only bright spot in European history; his is the only commanding presence. During most of this period, barbarians ranged around Europe, Christians made almost no progress against paganism and Western reading and writing were almost extinguished. This grim period, however, was illuminated briefly by Charlemagne and his reign."
Tags: ages, carolingian, dark, medieval, middle, renaissance, buildings, travel, war
Abstract This paper looks at Ridley Scott's movie , "Gladiator." The author compares and contrasts the movie's portrayal of Marcus Aurelius, Commodus, and Maximus Decimus Meridius, with what happened to them in their "real" lives in ancient Rome.
From the Paper "Marcus Aurelius was actually the Roman Emperor at the time the movie took place. The real Marcus Aurelius was the last of the Five Great Emperors of Rome. He ruled from 161 to 180 BC. The movie corresponded nicely with these dates. As portrayed in the movie, Marcus was a very wise stoic philosopher. In the movie Marcus desired to hand Rome to the Senate and showed so in his handing the Empire down to Maximus. In actuality Marcus Aurelius did often portray the image that he respected the Senate and publicly held a very Republican point of view. Speculations have been made though, that Marcus Aurelius simply may have put up this front to avoid the fate of other rulers such as Julius Caesar."
Abstract This paper discusses the roles of women in Ancient Greece, highlighting their separate and inferior status in a male-oriented society. It outlines womens' roles in the home, their political and social rights, and their status as sexual beings. Mens' social standing as a reflection of their marital status is raised.
From the Paper "The women of Ancient Greece lived through a period of critical oppression, which would last several centuries. They were completely inferior and separated from a male society. Women were confined to the homes and restricted against free movement in the streets. Their duties were to bear children and attend to household affairs."
Abstract This paper examines the history of women's roles and rights throughout China's history, and the philosophical underpinnings of these roles in Confucianism and traditional Chinese belief. The author examines the changes in women's lives since the Chinese Revolution.
From the Paper "Today, Chinese women have entered society, without necessarily walking out of the family, and so they are given more than one role in life. China is both an old country and a new country, and its expectations of women reflect that duality. For nearly 3,000 years, China was a feudal society. A new China emerged only after the establishment of the People's Republic of China, in 1949. And the country's modernization has continued in the last 15 years with the institution of economic reform and a policy of interaction with the outside world. In traditional China, marriage was the defining event of a female's life, shifting her space, affiliation and responsibility from her parents' family to her husband's. There is a common saying in China: "men tend the outside and women the inside" (nan zhu wai n? zhu nei). A woman's social role was confined to the family. Her major obligation was caring for her husband, in-laws and children."
Abstract This paper is an analysis of "A World Lit Only By Fire", William Manchester's work on the Middle Ages, ranging from the fall of the Roman Empire until the Renaissance. The author discusses the difficulties faced by societies during the Middle Ages, the wars, plagues, corruption, and specifically, the role that Rome played in influencing the beginning of the Renaissance in Europe.
From the Paper "Manchester's vision of the Middle Ages and the medieval mindset is founded rightly on this idea, on the enduring influence of the complex orderliness of Rome all the way to the Renaissance (and even through it, of course, with the rise of neoclassim). Rome maintained its presence in Europe even after it was gone because during the Middle Ages the various European states were so busily engaged in attempting to annihilate each other that they had no time to build the great artistic and cultural achievements that the Romans had with such seemingly easy grace mastered."
Abstract This paper briefly takes a look at the arguments presented in Winkler's book "Home Front USA." The author claims that American society changed dramatically as a result of World War Two and the writer looks at these claims on a social, racial and cultural level. The country as a whole changed on a industrial level.
From the Paper "World War II transformed the map of Europe. It changed the balance of power across the world. It also changed the face and the structure of American society. According to Allan M. Winkler's Home Front U.S.A.: America, during World War II, American society was completely reconfigured. These changes continue to impact our lives today.
Winkler does not deny the fact that certain changes were already underway before the even of war. Yet he states that the impact of the war was such that without it, today we would be living in a completely different world from both a social and an industrial perspective."
Tags: image, war, effort, mobilization, government, independence, development
Abstract This paper takes a brief look at the book "The Great Crash: 1929" written by economist John Kenneth Galbraith. It explains how the American population was so shaken by the crash because their expectations of the economy had been so high and the shock was great.
From the Paper "John Kenneth Galbraith's book The Great Crash: 1929 claims that the depression of 1929 was a direct result of the miscalculations of the financial analysts and the other brokers which caused the crash of the stocks. He states that these actors of the economic field had a direct involvement in the stock market and had become too greedy to actually see what was happening to the market around them---too greedy to actually fear the recuperation's of what was easily predictable as the downfall."
Abstract The Progressive Era saw the beginning of women wanting more from their lives. This paper discusses the development of women's roles in society throughout history. It details how women began to develop careers and campaign for their right to vote. It tells of the hardships that American women had to face when taking on "male" professions such as: doctors, lawyers and managers.
From the Paper "Events during the Progressive Era altered the role of women in the United States. In the late nineteenth century women began to emerge into society with a strong voice. They began to enter into professional careers and launched a campaign for women's suffrage. American women often found themselves excluded from most of the emerging professions in the late nineteenth century by custom, law, and by prejudice. However, there was a noticeable number of middle - class women from new women's colleges and coeducational state universities that began to enter into the professional world. Very few women were able to establish themselves as physicians, lawyers, and corporate managers. Most women turned to professions that society deemed "suitable" for women. These were careers such as teaching and nursing. These careers were known as "helping professions". It was this characteristic that made women's professions distinctive from male dominated professions and it was these so-called women's professions that altered the pay scale for men and women also. "
Tags: rights, suffrage, women, movement, professions, Progressive, Era
Abstract This paper examines the personality of Cesar Chavez and how it influenced his mission in life. It provides a history of the cause and looks at the unfair conditions that were prevalent in Mexican-American farm relations. The paper also discusses his style of leadership and the path of his fight including the obstacles and challenges.
From the Paper "All great leaders have a talent for persuasion and an insatiable drive to invoke change; yet not all great leaders have had to face the adversity and oppression that Cesar Chavez has faced. Certainly most great leaders have encountered their fair share of opposition from critics, however, Chavez? determination to create fair working conditions for Mexican-American farm workers incited his own unique brand of resistance."
Abstract The following paper examines the events and consequences of the Vietnam War which cost Americans many lives. The writer focuses on the issue that was created as a result of the war, that of creating the need for someone or something to blame. This paper discusses the possibility that Lyndon B. Johnson was in fact the scapegoat.
From the Paper "There have been few tragedies in history as serious and as hostile as the Vietnam War. Therefore it is critical to understand the underlying triggers which caused a solvable problem to escalate into a full blown catastrophe, if we are to avoid similar mistakes in the future. The causes of America's involvement in the war that 'wasn't really a war' are numerous and varied, but can be essentially pinpointed to the election of President Lyndon B. Johnson."
Abstract This paper presents a detailed examination of the Irish Republican Army. The writer presents a history of the I.R.A. and an overview of its political and social structure. The writer looks at how events in world history, beginning in 1790, with the organization's inception in order to see how world events would influence the path that the I.R.A. would follow. The writer also looks at the support or lack of support the organization receives from the world community.
From the Paper "This show of compromise by the Irish Republican Army has re-established the lines of communication with the United States and President Bush has given his support to IRA and applauded its effort to move the disarmament along to resolve the issues. This disarmament is being done to comply with the 1998 Good Friday agreement between Britain and the Irish Republican Army (Are, 2001). Other nations around the world have also shown recent support for the IRA. In years past there was little support form the rest of the world with some exceptions. One of those exceptions is Libya."
Abstract This paper outlines the concept of leadership and the characteristics of an effective leader. It includes a discussion of the knowledge necessary for leadership including how to motivate people, and the ability to be a good communicator as well as listener.
From the Paper "The essence of leadership is the ability to motivate people. The first principle that a leader must know is what motivates their employees. Teachers must know what motivates their students. People are not motivated by money alone. They are motivated by many factors including praise, recognition, high self esteem, and other emotional and physical factors. There are many qualities, which make a good leader and many methods to motivating those under you. This paper will focus on the qualities necessary to being an effective leader.
Charles James, of the Institute for Innovation, Integration, and Impact, Inc., identified the characteristics, which make a good leader. In the modern world an effective leader must strive to maintain balance in all areas of their life, both professional and personal. He discusses the idea of "inner integration" as achieving a balance between all of those facets. A person who achieves better inner integration is a better communicator with others. An integrated thinker must be able to relate to other people on their level. This requires the ability to think like them. (James, 2002)."
Abstract This paper discusses how these presidents had different approaches for bolstering the economy of the United States during the Great Depression. Their policies in the areas of business, labor, agriculture, banking, and relief for the unemployed are compared and contrasted. The effectiveness of these policies on the long-term American economy is also analyzed.
From the Paper "The Great Depression is generally thought to have started in 1929 and ended in 1941. The Depression brought massive unemployment, failed businesses and agriculture. During the Great Depression, as many as one in four Americans were unemployed.
"Herbert Hoover had the misfortune of being the President when the stock market crashed in 1929, and the Great Depression began. Franklin D. Roosevelt won over 57 percent of the popular vote, and defeated Hoover in the 1932 election."
From the Paper "Transformational leaders are able to effectively communicate their vision to an organization and provide an environment where individuals are empowered to achieve that vision. Instead of telling employees what to do, transformational leaders provide the tools that can help employees achieve greatness. A subset of transformational leadership is charismatic leadership, which is built on the idea that sheer force of personality can be enough to provide leadership to an organization and inspire high levels of personal loyalty from employees to leaders.
The Disney Company has had two charismatic leaders in its history: Walt Disney and Michael Eisner. Disney's tenure was followed by lackluster performance at the company after his death, and none of the executives at the organization possessed a personality strong enough to..."
