Abstract The paper discusses how for a brief time in the latter half of the 19th century, there was a huge increase in communications and cordial relations between GreatBritain and China. However, this had nothing to do with friendship, or any kind of warm relationships. The paper explains that on the side of China, diplomacy seemed the wisest course of action for the faltering Ch'ing dynasty. On the British side, diplomacy was pursued purely in the interests of commerce. These two assertions can clearly be shown by examining relations between the two countries during the time period 1860 to 1864.
Abstract The country of GreatBritain is arguably the first country to ever experience the impact of new economies, based primarily in their position as a leader in new social and technological innovations. GreatBritain's acceptance of change placed it in the position to profit financially from changes within their social system, indicating that the recent history of this country's economy can be traced to various social trends. This paper describes the transitions in the economy of GreatBritain from the Agricultural Revolution to the recent day, with a focus on the economic rise and fall of the country.
Abstract This paper examines GreatBritain's decision to not join the European Community (EC) monetary union and not use the Euro as legal tender in GreatBritain.
Abstract The paper looks at Thomas Jefferson's draft of the Declaration of Independence that outlined the reasons why the Colonies should establish their own rule outside the influence of the crown of GreatBritain. The paper examines the changes made to the final Declaration of Independence and discusses Daniel Leonard's beliefs in sustaining America's relationship to GreatBritain. The paper then looks at Adams' response to Leonard's arguments.
Outline:
Introduction
Jefferson's Draft
The Declaration
Daniel Leonard's Warning
Adams' Novanglus
From the Paper "The Declaration of Independence came about during a time of great tumult in America. Britain was seemingly encroaching upon the rights of the inhabitants of the new world, visiting abuses upon their former subjects, and the people were growing in unrest. Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence in response to this, outlining the reasons why the Colonies should establish their own rule outside the influence of the crown of Great Britain. This document would be further revised before its publication with such individuals as Adams, with a few noted changed coming through. To reinforce the feeling of patriotism and separatism, Adams wrote a document in response to a loyalist American, Daniel Leonard. Leonard contended that British rule was ultimately beneficial and that Americans should be seeking representation in Parliament as opposed to a sovereign government. His argument was apparently not dominant, as will be exhibited."
Abstract This paper begins by defining the term 'political culture' and then examines how this term relates to both GreatBritain and Italy. It looks at the political origins and history of both states and compares the two. It then looks at the countries current political climates and explores whether there are any similarities.
Introduction
What is Political Culture?
Britain - The Politics of Continuity
Contemporary Politics
Italy - The Politics of Regionalism
Conclusions
References
From the Paper "Upon first examination, one would think there no two political cultures in the world more unalike than those of Great Britain - the United Kingdom - and Italy, that comparing the two is like comparing a Yorkshire Pudding with a Calabrian Pasta. It is true that Great Britain is the first modern nation-state, and was such when the King of France ruled little more than the Ile de France and was not as great as his nobles. Italians were busy killing each other off in the internecine wars of small city-states as Britain founded the first great western empire since that founded by the Romans. The nation of Italy has only a bit more than 150 years as a unified state - one that has never settled into unification easily. Yet there are more things in common between these two cultures than one might suppose at first."
Abstract This paper argues that globalization has had some striking consequences for the people of GreatBritain, for the people of Europe (principally Western Europe) and for the social policies geared towards assisting them. The paper suggests that globalization has been a negative force in the lives of working-class people and that, even if it has not quite led to the contraction of social welfare policies in Europe and in the UK, it has certainly served as the external impetus keeping governments from doing all they might on behalf of the less-fortunate. As a final point, the final part of this paper asserts that France has been relatively more resistant to the de-centralizing forces of globalization than either Britain and Germany, but there is simply no evidence that any of these three major countries have been able to escape the neo-liberal pressures of the global marketplace.
From the Paper "At the same time as the United Kingdom finds itself burdened with a society that is more polarized than ever before, it must also be borne in mind that the state - courtesy globalization - is seen by many has having less control over internal matters than ever before. Furthermore, countries like Great Britain have been forced to acknowledge that the new logic of globalization splits apart the traditional coupling of economic growth with an increase in social standards; in other words, a country can grow more economically powerful without necessarily seeing the living standards of many of its working-class families increase (Mishra, 1998)."
Abstract This paper deals with many concepts of modern international relations, such as the departure from the bipolar system of the Cold war and how, with the united Europe, the world may be headed back to a bipolar system. The paper also explores how, beyond just being allies, the united Europe positions itself as an economical adversary of the United States. Finally, the essay explores the role of GreatBritain in the formation of the European Union, while looking into the British refusal to enter it completely, as with acceptance of a single currency.
From the Paper "The European Union has been a formidable geo-political and economic institution for the past forty years. It has not always existed as we see it today. To obtain today's form it has evolved in a similar fashion to other multi-lateral bodies in the world as well as some countries, such as the United States. The idea of a United Europe evolved from the ardent advocacy of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. On the 19th of September 1946, at Zurich University, he promoted the idea of a United States of Europe. From that moment on the European states began the Herculean task of coordinating economic agreements the most prominent of which is the new Exchange Rate Mechanism, or the ?Euro,? and other multi-national decisions that would be the beginning phases of economic, and in-turn governmental, integration in Europe. As Nigel Lawson stated; Economic and monetary union implies nothing less than European government. The first effect of this growing movement was the implementation of the Euro as a means of continental transaction amongst the member states in 1998 and the eventual full integration of the Euro among the member nations as of January 1, 2002."
Abstract This paper compares government funding of political parties in three democratic countries: the United States, GreatBritain and France. It looks at the significance of the issue of financing political party electoral campaigns. It concludes that all three countries have implemented changes in campaign finance regulations, but considers the government as a necessary source of some of the funds for political candidates and parties, but differ on the issues that have an impact on electoral activity.
From the Paper "political party electoral campaigns has long been a subject of discussion and as significantly of controversy. Given ..."
Tags: political parties, campaign finance, France, GreatBritain, United States
This review of W.Travis Hanes III and Frank Sanello"The Opium Wars":The Addiction and Corruption of two empires gives a detailed analysis of the cultural and international trade dispute between China and GreatBritain in the mid 1800s.
Abstract This paper describes the cultural collision and international trade dispute between China and GreatBritain in the the mid 1800s. The paper explains that both nations were corrupt and were both filled with pride .Each one believed themselves superior to the other and thus led to an important escalation of hostilities which caused the First Opium War.
From the Paper ""Lord McCartney's mission to open trade in China was abruptly ended when he refused to kowtow to Emperor Qianlong. Neither party respected the other. The Chinese looked upon foreigners as barbarians, and the British struggled to see the Chinese as an equal sovereign nation at best. These primary signs of conflict are emblematic of each nation's intense addiction to power and dominance...
''Britain's addiction to substance came in the form of black tea, imported from China. The British government became economically dependent on tea, as they levied huge import taxes on the product. As China would only accept payment for tea in the form of silver, Britain's silver supply drained quickly. "
Tags:GreatBritain, China, India, opium, war, trade, corruption
An examination of the role of the British government, society and economics in bringing about and dealing with the Great Irish Famine of 1845-1849 and its consequences.
Abstract This paper discusses the Great Irish Famine of 1845-1849 which stemmed from a then unknown fungus disease, phytophtora infestans, which ruined most of the Irish potato crops in 1845 and 1846. It looks at how British policy toward the relief of the misery and suffering caused by the potato blights was hamstrung by a rigid, narrow and basically inhuman economic doctrine which served the interests of the governing classes in GreatBritain at the expense of the starving and diseased masses of Ireland afflicted as a result of the Famine.
Outline
Introduction and Summary Conclusions
Development of the Potato Monoculture and Obstacles to Reform
Peel's Response to the Famine, 1845-46
Failures of the Whigs after Mid-1846
British Society and Irish Relief
Upper and Middle Class Arrogance and Indifference
Overall Assessment
Conclusion
From the Paper "The first potato blight which struck the harvest of 1845 caught political leaders and government officials by surprise because previous potato crop failures had been localized, and, according to Percival, "the potato crop had never failed for two years running" (42). Ireland had been relatively prosperous in the late 18th century. It benefitted from the strong demand and high prices for agricultural products during the Napoleonic wars. However, according to Whelan, after 1815, "agricultural prices halved" and "the linen industry was dislocated by the advent of factory-spinning and weaving" (25). Almost all of Ireland other than Ulster remained agricultural. In 1801, Parliament at Westminster destroyed the last vestige of Irish autonomy by abolishing the Irish Parliament under the Act of Union. "
Abstract The paper discusses how the Industrial Revolution changed Britain from an agricultural and rural economy to a city-based urban economy with many other effects. The paper explains how the Revolution changed the way people looked at work, greatly added to the British economy and trade around the world and changed the social aspects of the country, including the creation of large, dirty, urban areas and working conditions that would require much change and legislation. The paper therefore shows how the Industrial Revolution really changed almost every aspect of British society.
From the Paper "The Industrial Revolution began in the mid 18th century and lasted through the mid 19th century (roughly 1750 through 1850), and it was one of the most influential aspects of British history, influencing just about every part of life in the British Isles and beyond. Essentially, the Industrial Revolution was the transformation of a society that relied on good produced by hand to goods produced by machines. These machines were often gathered together in groups, known as "factories," and these machines and their factories were indeed revolutionary for the time (Thackeray & Findling, 2002, p. 1)."
Tags: machines, factories, workers, economy, society
Abstract This paper looks at the creation of the police force in GreatBritain, which set a criminal justice system precedent that Western nations are still adhering to, for conservatives continue to believe that professional police departments offer the best means of preserving order in society. It looks at how this response to crime has succeeded to a certain extent and how it ignores the fundamental causes of crime, which are psychological, social, and economic in nature.
From the Paper "Two centuries ago, the creation of a professional police force in Great Britain set a criminal justice system precedent that Western nations are still adhering to, for conservatives continue to believe that professional police departments offer the best means of preserving order in society. This response to crime has succeeded to a certain extent, but it ignores the fundamental causes of crime, which are psychological, social, and economic in nature. In the early nineteenth-century, Sir Robert Peel theorized that professional, 'new police' forces offered a practical solution to crime. His arguments persuaded British authorities that crime rates could be reduced and public order could be maintained by a vigilant police force of trained officers. "
Abstract This paper explains that, by 1800, no state or institution on earth was as old as the Chinese Empire but it was on the brink of dissolution brought on by opium addiction and the Great Opium Wars between China and GreatBritain. The author points out the Emperor Tao-kuang, in an attempt to prohibit the use of opium, in 1820, demanded that the trading ships of the very powerful Britain dump their opium cargoes. The paper relates that, overwhelmingly defeated, on the 29th August 1842, the Chinese signed the Treaty of Nanking, paid an indemnity for the destroyed opium, ceded the island of Hong Kong and the opium trade remained illegal but with no way to stop it: The Chinese Imperial Government lasted only another seventy years.
Table of Contents
A Brief Political History of China
China in the 18th and 19th Century
Opium Addiction in China
The Opium Wars
The Loss of Hong Kong
The Collapse of the Chinese Empire
From the Paper "Prior the Qin Dynasty which began around 25 AD, China was a divided country by both subculture and written language. The Qin Dynasty lasted only for 14 years under the reign of emperor, Qin Shihuang, a particularly cruel ruler. Qin Shihuang is credited for unifying the written Chinese Language and with credited with introducing an administrative system that remained in place for more than 2000 years. Principle features of this administrative system are a strong central rule and a system of provinces, governed by administrators appointed by the center. Even communist China still follows this model."
Abstract This paper discusses 19th century Britain and focuses on the political, social, and economic reforms that took place during this era. The paper explains that the reform in the British government between 1831 and 1850 greatly aided in the dynamic changes within England based on the economic, political, and social agendas held by the various political parties. The paper claims that these reforms were a necessary adjunct to English history, for they made the country stronger and more cohesive, helped immensely during the coming years of the 20th century when England would be tested to its limits in the 'Great War' of 1914 and World War II.
From the Paper "Between 1831 and 1850, Great Britain experienced numerous economical, political and social problems that threatened to literally tear the country apart. For many of those associated with the English government, especially the men that sat in the House of Lords and the House of Commons, it was clear that after the disastrous war with the American Colonies that England must somehow reform its laws and statutes that mostly affected the middle and lower classes. Thus, many new bills and acts were passed that in essence served as the dynamic process for change in Great Britain. The Industrial Revolution, which had vastly altered the social and economic face of England between 1750 and 1850, brought about the need for change, for it "posed a set of technical administrative problems which no. . . party, Whig or Tory, was capable of handling" and forced the British government to seek out "a fresh interpretation of the duties of government" (Churchill 23-24)."
Abstract This paper addresses the various issues on the top of public debate regarding the introduction of the Euro as a replacement for the current British currency of pounds. It present arguments for and againsts its introduction and examines Prime Minister Blair's position on the issue. It explains Blair's "five economic tests" conditions that the Euro needs to pass before being introduced in Britain. It discusses how public opinions change according to social classes and concludes with a discussion on Britain's general attitude towards Europe.
From the Paper "Whether to adopt the euro is a controversial issue in Great Britain. Public opinion sways on the subject, based on national economic and political concerns, as well as international developments. The centrist Tony Blair has cautiously backed the adoption of the Euro, but he continues to face significant opposition, from within his own Labor Party as well as from the opposition Conservative Party. While some in Great Britain support adopting the euro, many feel that adopting the currency would not be in the country's best interest. Some feel simply that they would lose control of their economy, and consequently, their country. Others frame the argument in terms of a larger criticism of the European Union, which is often portrayed as overly bureaucratic by the British media. There are, of course, those who support the Euro, citing the long term political and economic benefits for Europe as a whole, in which Great Britain would share. And, of course, there are those who simply are not sure?a significant portion of the population."
