Abstract This paper likens Mark Twain's anti-imperialist stance in the latter part of the nineteenth century to the protesters of the sixties in response to Vietnam, or the anti-war demonstrators of today. It shows that the sentiments are eerily familiar; the arguments stand the test of time. The paper introduces Mark Twain through a biography and then covers his anti-imperialistic theories. It examines his critics and then shows how his views are relevant today.
Table of Contents:
Mark Twain on War and Imperialism
Introduction
Biography
Twain's Anti-Imperialist Theories
Criticisms of Twain
Relevance to Current Events
Conclusion
Bibliography
From the Paper "Newspapers and magazines responded to "To the Person Sitting in Darkness" for a solid month. For nearly half of the remainder of the year, satirical cartoons and editorials appeared randomly throughout the country. Twain's reputation was altered during the twilight of his life. From humorist and novelist, Twain was transformed into a political reformer and outspoken critic. The critic then became the recipient of criticism. Twain's "Defense of General Funston" denounced the capture of Filipino General Aguinaldo by deceptive practices under the leadership of General Funston. This essay was featured in the North American Review in May of 1902. When the U.S. Philippine's Commission established the treason act in the same year, Twain had said he?d rather be labeled a traitor than to be labeled as a Patriot and classified with the Funstons. Just weeks before, Funston had delivered a speech in New York City in which he called for anti-imperialist writers to be "hanged for treason"."
Tags: Samuel, Langhorne, Clemens, Civil, War, Anti-Imperialist, League, Spanish-American, War
Abstract This paper presents an overview of the anti-imperialist tradition in the United States and argues that it is the most noble type of foreign policy to follow. The paper also traces the roots of the U.S. anti-imperialist ideology and looks at where the country has veered from an anti-imperialist foreign policy towards a policy that favors meddling in the affairs of other countries. The paper argues that pursuing an imperialist foreign policy betrays the lofty ideals upon which the U.S. was founded.
From the Paper "While the pro-imperialists saw the imperialism as economically and strategically beneficial for the country, the anti-imperialists considered it a betrayal of the country's lofty ideals and felt that the policy ran counter to America's founding ideology. They also believed that a democratic republic such as the United States could not be an empire and reasoned that if the country kept its empire the republic would fall. (Zwick, 1996-"Imperialists and...") American Imperialism at the time was also a manifestation of racism and a reflection of the theory of "the white man's burden" advanced by imperialist writers such as Rudyard Kipling. Andrew Carnegie, a member of the Anti-Imperialist League, gave a fitting response to expansionists who felt that the Americans had a duty to occupy Philippines in order to "civilize" the Filipinos, by remarking: "Congratulations. You seem to have about finished your work of civilizing the Filipinos. It is thought that about eight thousand of them have been completely civilized and sent to heaven." (Zwick in "An American Anti-Imperialist ....")"
Abstract This paper looks at Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" from a historical perspective and argues that Conrad's views were both anti-imperialist and stereotypical as well as racist of the West and non-West.
From the Paper "Conrad's work examines the struggles between civilization and savagery, nature and progress, cannibalism against culture, Christianity versus magic: all these opposites and others battle in the dense undergrowth of the narrative. Although it may seem that in Heart of Darkness, Conrad is expressing anti-imperialist sentiment, a deeper theme may lie beneath. Conrad may be critiquing society as a whole, using imperialism as a means because it was the strongest example of what was evil in society in his time. Thus, by examining Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness in its historical context, it is evident that Conrad's views are both anti-imperialist and stereotypical and racist of the West and non-West. "
Tags:anti, congo, imperialist, non, stereotypical, west
Abstract Edgar Lee Masters was both a poet and essayist. This essay explores his anti-imperialist and populist views but focuses primarily on his poetry. It begins with a short biography and develops views on his writing as well as
providing details about his life, death and epitaph writing style.
Abstract This essay argues that Ernest Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises" is anti-Semitic in terms of its treatment of the character Robert Cohn. Cohn is painted in a negative light and none of the characters like him. Cohn is the anti-hero, yet he has Jewishness intentionally imposed upon him. In this respect, "The Sun Also Rises" involves anti-Semitism.
Abstract The following assignment is for a third year sociology course. The topic discussed is collective social behaviour. The collective social behavior examined in this assignment is anti-war demonstrations. The writer uses social contagion theory and emergent norm theory in order to examine the nature of anti-war demonstrations.
From the Paper "Collective behavior is a very broad area of study. For example, in Collective Behavior Erich Goode states, 'Rumors and legends, fads, and collective protest- these and other social phenomena make up the subject matter of the field of collective Behavior'. Collective behavior is the relatively spontaneous, unstructured, extra institutional behavior of a fairly large number of individuals. The fact that collective behavior is such a diverse area of study means that many activities can be used to examine it. For this paper, demonstrations against the war in Iraq or anti-war demonstrations as they are commonly called will be used to examine many of the theories about collective behavior."
Abstract This paper summarizes the debate between the Federalists and Anti-federalists of the constitutional congress. It suggests some ongoing problems in American public life which demonstrate the main issues which drove that debate, far from being resolved during the constitution's ratification, continue to resonate in current events. This paper discusses the Ratification Debate and the major issues which drove the debate between the Federalists and the Anti-federalists: Distribution of power, protection of rights, limitations of institutions and the ongoing Relevance.
From the Paper "In the last few days of September in 1787, the Confederation Congress met to debate and construct a new Constitution of the United States. The document they wrote and sent for ratification to the thirteen states that made up the newly-formed country was intended to replace the Articles of Confederation that had ordered the nation since its inception. The nation was reaching a crisis point, as the experiment had been going poorly. Surprisingly, perhaps, the problem was not one of the many possible economic problems that new nations are likely to experience when reconstructing after a long and difficult war. As Gordon Wood (1969) argues, the general economy was running well and people felt comfortable and even prosperous (p. 395). Rather, the concerns that brought the nation's leading politicians together were primarily political. "
Abstract This paper discusses how in terms of ideologies, actions, and goals that exist, or should exist in order for the anti-globalization movement to develop into a successful global social movement, there is general agreement that there must be a greater emphasis on social and political issues such as gender equality, and economic issues such as product music and entertainment product copyright protection. The paper further discusses that these are only two of a multitude of important issues that need to be addressed, but they reflect the anti-globalization movement's fundamental goal of protecting the social, political, and economic rights of individuals, groups, and societies as globalization expands. For example, globalization has presented many challenges and opportunities for the transnational women's movement.
A discussion on the way that the punk subculture re-emerged in recent years in response to the rise of the far right in Switzerland and as part of the international anti-fascist and anti-globalization movements.
Abstract The paper focuses on the evolution of punk and its mutation into the more politically charged anarcho-punk movement and explores the violent side of the extreme left - both as an international force and in particular in Switzerland. The paper then discusses the Bern-based Antifa Switzerland group and explores the motivations of the Black Bloc anarchists. The paper highlights the use of violence in the anti-fascist movement and the connection between today's violent anarcho-punks with the ideals of the original punk movement. Several photographs are included with the paper.
Outline:
Introduction
Punk's First Wave
Punk Arrives in Switzerland
Switzerland, Anarcho-Punk, and Post-war Politics in the 21st Century
Conclusion
From the Paper "The media, however, interpreted the punks' image, music, and reckless behavior as a real threat to the status quo. This culminated in December of 1976 when the Sex Pistols and members of the Bromley Contingent appeared on the Bill Grundy television show in England. At the time of this momentous event, punk was still in its early stages. The public-at-large had little way of knowing about punk at the time. What they saw was a group of extravagantly dressed young people, visibly intoxicated, who took relish in using offensive words and insulting the host of the program in a manner that went way beyond the accepted morals of the time. The Bill Grundy episode would spiral the fledgling youth subculture into the wider cultural spotlight. At that point, punk was no longer a tiny subculture, but a mass media spectacle that would shock the conservative British public and inspire similar-minded youth all over the world."
Argues that over-prescribing anti-depressants world-wide could prevent rape survivors from seeking and receiving treatment for depression and other mental health diseases.
Abstract This paper contends that the skyrocketing number of prescriptions for anti-depressants recently has caused some to worry that patients, such as rape victims, who could benefit from the addition of medication in their recovery, might not be able to get the much-needed medicine.
From the Paper "The recent FDA decision regarding SSRI's (Selective Seratonin Reuptake Inhibitors) has caused the medical community to scale down anti-depressant prescriptions in recent months. This project in intended to shed light on the growing problem of over-prescribing anti-depressants and the effects that ultimately could prevent rape survivors from receiving the much needed medications they need for recovery."
The following paper discusses Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe" and Aphra Behn's "Oroonoko" with specific reference to the characters in these two novels who express a range of opinions on the propriety and morality of European colonialist enterprises.
Abstract This paper argues that despite the ambivalence that lies at the heart of "Robinson Crusoe" and "Oroonoko", each of them can be said to be in the end a strong challenge to British imperialism. It is of the opinion of this writer that while neither author combines imperialist practices outright or without ambivalence, they do not need to do so to mount a challenge to imperialism.
From the Paper ?Thus as we read these two novels we find ourselves repeatedly asking which character in the novel ? in which there are bound to be differences amongst the characters ? best expresses the views of the author? Are do all of the characters inevitably reflect an author's world view in some way? And what if the author himself or herself is conflicted about the nature of the world? Perhaps indeed they are writing the novel precisely as a way through which they themselves can come to terms with conflicting values and ideas in their own lives. That seems to be the most likely explanation in this case.?
Abstract In his novel, "Heart of Darkness", Joseph Conrad exposes the reality of imperialistic rule and shows the world the true picture of the white man's 'enlightenment' projects in the 'savage' world. This paper shows how Conrad viewed imperialism as an intrusion by corrupt and ignorant white men, who left a profoundly negative mark on colonies and destroyed them in the most barbaric manner possible.
From the Paper "Prior to his trip to Congo, Joseph Conrad had also been under the same false impression of imperialism being a good influence. The savage world of Africa actually represented to him a romantic fantasyland. However nothing could be farther from the truth as Conrad's tour of Congo proved. This psychological damaging trip to Congo brought an ?end to the idealized realities of a boy's daydreams!"(Conrad, 25) His melancholic visit to the heart of darkness prompted him to pour out his observations and details of his experience in this novel, which turned into a classic almost instantly."
Abstract This paper examines the narrative, syntactic devices, and imagery in the novel "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad. The author examines the novella's psychological journey and argues against past criticisms of its racist and anti-imperialist tone.
From the Paper "In the historical context in which it was written, Heart of Darkness seems to be responding to the monstrous activity that was occurring overseas in the mysterious ?Dark Continent.? In the late 1800?s, about the time Joseph Conrad wrote the novella, King Leopold of Belgium and other European nations invaded Africa with the goal of converting the natives to Christianity and stripping the continent of it's rich supply of ivory. In effect, the "civilizing" of the Africans developed into a cruel exploitation of their labor and perversion of the land. The anti-imperialistic voice of Marlow, as told by an unknown narrator, resonates with the growing anxiety over the Empire; but his savage portrayal of the Congolese pervades the narrative with a racist tone. Since the issue of British imperialism entails African slavery, the position that many critics take, that Conrad is anti-imperialistic and yet racist, would have to be eradicated in order to avoid a contradiction. Conrad honors these contradictions by intentionally confusing questions of race, black and white, good and evil, civilized and savage. Therefore, the heartless portrayal of the empire is not necessarily a literal commentary on history; rather Marlow's journey through the mysterious Congo is a metaphorical mapping of the inner workings of human nature in the absence of the imposed restraints of society."
Abstract This paper examines the development of nationalism in modern China, from the Han response to the Qing government to anti-imperialist agitation and republicanism under the guidance of Sun Yatsen. It looks briefly at the New Culture Movement and the role of secret societies such as the Tongmeng hui.
From the paper:
"Nationalism has been a defining ideology in the creation of Modern China, promoted at first by a series of secret societies, and later by both the Guomingdang and the Chinese Communist Party to achieve different ends. It was central to the early student movements, and the May Fourth Movement, and nationalism was the first of Sun Yatsen's Three Principles of the People. In its early stages, Chinese nationalism was based on ethnic and racial identity, and centered on Han identity, however over time the significance of ethnic identity has decreased. Foreign influence in the conceptualization of Chinese nationalism has been problematic to developing a clear understanding of the movement; despite this, nationalism developed in a particularly Chinese manner."
Abstract This paper discusses the issue of whether the United States is another imperialist nation, seeking to build an empire. The paper contends that in the late 1800s and throughout the 1900s this statement can be argued in terms of historical developments in the U.S., which impacted the world. The paper illustrates how the United States did in fact act imperialistically either through a formal or informal empire. This imperialism had negative effects throughout the world and continues still today.
From the Paper "The policy of extending the control or authority over foreign entities as a means of acquisition and/or maintenance of empires, either through direct or indirect methods of exerting control on the politics and/or economy of other countries isn't a concept conceived by the European explorers (Imperialism). The existence of empires dates back to the beginning of written history in Egypt and Mesopotamia. Here, local rulers extended their realms by conquering other states and holding them in a state of subjection or partial subjection. In Asia there were long lasting and complex imperial organizations demonstrated by various Chinese dynasties. This ancient imperialism reached its climax under the Roman Empire, the eastern part of which lasted until late into the Middle Ages as the Byzantine Empire. So, for arguments sake, the United States was late in this game, for it didn't actually acquire colonial possessions until the Spanish-American War in 1898."
