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Empires in the First Half of the 20th Century, 2008.
A comparison of imperial China and the Austro-Hungarian empire during the first half of the 20th century.
1,760 words (approx. 7.0 pages), 5 sources, MLA, $ 56.95
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Abstract
This paper examines the transformations in political structures that took place in the first part of the 20th century in China and Europe, in particular the area of Austro-Hungarian Empire, which was territorially-reconstructed after World War I. The paper points out that China was an Empire for two thousand years and Austro-Hungary was Europe's oldest great power. The paper argues that nationalism was the leading cause of the changes that took place. While imperial China stayed territorially more or less the same, its political structure changed significantly. The Austro-Hungarian Empire on the other hand ceased to exist, and the Empire collapsed, much like most European Empires at the time, giving birth to new nations and various forms of governments. Noting the general trend of change in both China and Europe, the paper concludes that, as empires crumbled, they were replaced by several forms of governments ranging from democracies to totalitarian regimes.
From the Paper
"There were many consequences of World War I, including the ten million casualties in the armies (Esler, 2004). Also, this war significantly changed the map of Europe. The Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed and in its place several new nations were born. The Slavic nationalists were somewhat appeased by the treaty of Versailles. Yugoslavia was formed, unifying Southern Slavs, with its core in Serbia. Czechoslovakia too was a Slavic country formed with the break up of Austro-Hungary (Sontag, 1971). The Russian Empire crumbled and was replaced with a communist revolution and regime. The treaty of Versailles also significantly weakened Germany. It was stripped of its colonies, disarmed and forced to pay reparations. Parts of it were given to Poland and the Czech Republic."
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Race and Ethnicity, 2008.
This paper addresses the assumptions concerning race and ethnicity in two travelogues; "Touch the Dragon-a Thai Journal" by Karen Connolly and "The European Tribe" by Caryl Phillips.
3,473 words (approx. 13.9 pages), 5 sources, MLA, $ 97.95
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Abstract
This paper examines two different travelogues: Karen Connolly's "Touch the Dragon-a Thai journal" and Caryl Phillips' "The European Tribe". The paper discusses how both authors have different kinds of self-consciousness rooted in their own racial and ethnic differences vis-a-vis the societies they visit. The paper looks at how they are regarded in these societies as well as their own impressions of unfamiliar peoples and cultures.
Outline:
Introduction
Karen Connelly - Falang
Caryl Phillips - on Being a Black Briton
Connelly - Impressions of Thai Culture
Phillips - Impressions of the European Tribe
Race and Ethnicity
Concluding Remarks
From the Paper
"From the beginning of her stay in Thailand in 1986, Connolly is warned that people will call her falang in the street, till they know her name, that she will be the only 'white' person in the town to which she is traveling and thus, will be popular. (p.3) As a novelty or perhaps due to Thai familiarity with occasional Western backpackers, she can expect to be the subject of some interest. She grows used to people staring, a group of children coming to visit on her first morning in the town just to have a look. (p.7) Connolly notes as others arrive and enjoy seeing her photographs of Canada and her family that she feels "like a new acquisition in a famous zoo." (p.7) It is up to the head of the English department of the school that Connolly attends to tell her the basics of Thai custom in which Connolly appears to have taken little interest when preparing to go abroad."
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Japanese Industrial Finance: An Article Review, 2008.
This paper reviews the article "Japanese Industrial Finance at the Close of the 19th Century: Trade Credit and Financial Intermediation" by Y. Miwa and M. Ramseyer.
1,188 words (approx. 4.8 pages), 5 sources, APA, $ 40.95
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Abstract
The paper discusses Japan's economic development at the turn of the 19th century with respect to an article published by Miwa and Ramseyer entitled, "Japanese Industrial Finance at the Close of the 19th Century: Trade Credit and Financial Intermediation." The paper is of the opinion that the article is useful and largely successful at supporting the authors' points. The paper points out, however, that the article is prefaced with an over abundance of historical data that is, at best, only partially relevant from a historical perspective.
From the Paper
"This article discusses several issues relevant to the Japanese economic experience during the late 19th century as it relates to financial revolutions that anticipate rapid economic growth. The observation is made that Japan did experience such a financial upheaval but that it was not artificially inspired but rather the natural by-product of private investor demands for greater financial infrastructures. Additionally, the authors observe that while securities existed in tandem with traditional bank credit structures, trade credit was largely relied upon in order to raise capital for ongoing industrial expansion."
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Filipino Community Analysis of Union County, New Jersey, 2008.
This paper presents a community analysis of the Filipino community in Union County, New Jersey.
3,370 words (approx. 13.5 pages), 8 sources, APA, $ 95.95
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Abstract
The paper examines the Filipino community of Union County, New Jersey, through a windshield survey, an analysis of the local resources and a look at the bio-statistics for the community. The paper discusses interviews with four community residents and identifies the themes of expensive health care and health insurance, economic disparity, education and safety and recreation. The paper explores the assets held by the Filipino community and the problems that have been identified in this study. The paper provides a list of issues that require attention, along with diagnoses for these issues and their stated outcomes.
Outline:
Introduction
Windshield Survey
Community Resources
Bio-statistics
Community Identified Health Needs
Identification of Problems and Assets
From the Paper
"Immigration to Union County by local Filipinos was gradual; Union County was not a purposeful destination but enough Filipino residents took up permanent homes that it evolved into a resident community outside of Manhattan. There are no current trends that influence population settlement or growth of the Filipino community beyond those that initially prompted its creation, but the resident population continues to increase slowly through birth rates and immigration (Omi & Winant, 1994)."
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A Democratic Audit of China, 2008.
A look at the forces that have hindered China's movement towards a democratic government in the past 20 years.
2,515 words (approx. 10.1 pages), 10 sources, MLA, $ 76.95
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Abstract
Through a detailed analysis of 3 key topics from the democratic assessment framework in application to China, this paper attempts to understand how China is today a country still far removed from the promise of democracy. The paper looks at how important the issues of collective identity/citizenship, the rule of law, and economic rights are to the future of China and recognizes that it is difficult to come to a conclusion since China is still fundamentally an authoritarian state in which power is monopolized by the political-economic elite.
Outline:
Introduction
Nationhood and Citizenship
The Rule of Law and Access to Justice
Economic and Social Rights
Conclusion
From the Paper
"It must be acknowledged that this development of an authoritarian economic state was essential to the survival of China's ruling elite in the wake of the global collapse of communism in the early 1990s (Huang 54). In this analysis, it is was primarily through the ruling political elite's reaching out to the emerging business classes and co-opting them that allowed the Chinese system to survive the collapse of communism as an ideological system. However, it must be acknowledged that this has occurred at a great cost as one of the consequences of the development of this new elite has been a marked increase in corruption that parallels economic dislocation for much of the population (Fuller 152)."
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The Asian Financial Crisis, 2008.
This paper analyzes the Asian financial crisis by comparing the economies of South Korea and Malaysia.
2,745 words (approx. 11.0 pages), 6 sources, APA, $ 82.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that, because investors lost confidence, the Asian financial crisis was not just a domestic problem but rather spread to other parts of the, world especially Third World countries. The author posits that the recovery from the crisis was dependent on the macro economy prior to the crisis within each country. The paper relates that South Korea and Malaysia have different internal structures, were at different levels of development before the crisis and have different survival rates with very different 'after crisis' scenarios. The author points out that the crisis in Malaysia was more of a currency crisis, which had spillover effects within other sectors of the macro economy; however, South Korea faced more of a banking crisis. The paper discuses the role of the International Monetary Fund, the government's role in each region and the Asian Monetary Fund to present a policy outline for preventing future crises.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
A Historical Debate
Asian Financial Crisis: A Closer Look at South Korea and Malaysia
Role of the IMF
Figure 1: Malaysia's and South Korean Unemployment Worsened by IMF Policies
Asian Monetary Fund: Policies and Procedures for Future Crises.
Figure 2: Economic Growth, the Main Aim of the AMF: Implications for Asia
From the Paper
"There were a lot of issues that caused the financial crisis. Mainly, investors lost confidence in the Asian market and started to remove capital from South Korea and Malaysia. The onset of the loss of confidence by investors began when the economies, such as Mexico had crises that preceded the Asian crisis. Similarly, the United States was increasing interest rates during the period to lower inflation as part of its monetary policy. Investors prefer to invest in the United States versus Asia, since the former is considered less risky."
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"The Spider Eaters" - An Inside View of Mao's China, 2007.
A review of the book "The Spider Eaters" by Rae Yang.
1,132 words (approx. 4.5 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 39.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses Rae Yang's memoir - "The Spider Eaters". The paper explains that the books is the story of a classless person who came of age during the Cultural Revolution and who obviously worked hard to present her experiences in a direct and emotional manner. The paper explains that Yang's volume covers the decades between 1950 and 1980 and clearly illustrates the cruelty that Yang came to see all around her though a committed communist and Red Guard. The paper also shows how Yang's memoir points to Mao as a very aware person, a megalomaniac in Communist clothing who had no care as to the degree of cruelty that was inflicted through an entire society, or how this experience might shape future Chinese society and politics. In conclusion, the paper shows that Mao and the Chinese Cultural Revolution destroyed the Chinese who might have had much to offer the socialist experiment, drove great wedges between people and accustomed the Chinese once again to conditions of great fear.
From the Paper
"Mao's regime could be, just as the Red Guard she came to recognize as brutal, a movement quickly dissolving into anarchy, a kind of gang warfare, till the Red Army intervened. This is an interesting revelation given that one is so often instructed that Mao was not aware of the abuses inflicted on many Chinese during the Cultural Revolution, that the Red Army had somehow taken over or carried out what he had not intended. Yang's memoir points to Mao as a very aware person, a megalomaniac in Communist clothing who had no care as to the degree of cruelty that was inflicted through an entire society, or how this experience might shape future Chinese society and politics. Yang's volume covers the decades between 1950 and her 1980. Shortly after, Yang left for the United States where she made her career."
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Mencius and Xunzi on Human Nature, 2008.
A discussion of the views of two influential Chinese philosophers from the third century B.C., Mencius and Xunzi, on human nature.
3,570 words (approx. 14.3 pages), 9 sources, MLA, $ 99.95
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Abstract
This paper examines the views of Mencius and Xunzi, Chinese philosophers from c. 300 B.C., who belonged to the school of thought of Confucius (551-479 BC). It compares their differing approaches to human nature and relates that while Mencius saw the individual as fundamentally good, Xunzi's viewed human nature as bad and in need of care and correction. The paper addresses the influence of these two extremely influential philosophers, whose contrasting approaches continue to be seen today in Chinese civilization. The paper concludes that their thoughts on human nature are timeless and, thus, they will continue to be reviewed and discussed for many years to come.
Outline:
Introduction
Human Nature as Corruptible
Man as Weak and Bad
Implications over Time
Concluding Remarks
From the Paper
"Mencius spent years moving from court to court and we presume that he had many chances to see how feudal rulers chose to lead. He was a sought after advisor to different rulers towards much thinking on what worked and what did not to restore order, for example, or prevent future troubles. He seems to have come up with something like the Social Contract that shaped Western thinking in the modern era in a model of a decent kind of leadership and attention to the needs of life and protecting citizens to which individuals could adhere. If a decent environment was not provided, then the people should be expected to overthrow those in power towards new leadership. In the view of Mencius, a ruler must show jen in humaneness, humanity and benevolence, as a very old Chinese concept indeed. (Chan Jen) There should also be the yi of righteousness and a sense of duty, if a ruler wanted to see righteousness, cooperation and industriousness amongst his subjects."
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East Asian History, 2008.
This paper explores the forces behind several events in East Asian history.
1,186 words (approx. 4.7 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 40.95
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Abstract
The paper examines the historical meaning behind several important events in East Asian history through the 'people' perspective and nationalism. The paper argues that although nationalism was the driving force behind these events, particularly in China, diverse events were brought about by different groups of 'people' in that society. The paper focuses on China and Korea and examines the the Japanese colonial rule in Korea, the 1911 Revolution in China and the Chinese May Fourth movement.
From the Paper
"The situation in Korea at the beginning of the 20th century was particularly complex. The Korean peninsula was of interest to both Russian and Japanese imperial interests for economic and strategic reasons. After the Russo-Japanese war (1904-1905) Korea was acknowledged as Japanese sphere of interest by United States and Britain. In 1910 Koreans officially lost their sovereignty when the treaty of annexation was signed. Many see the Japanese rule over Korea as contradictory. Korean people suffered from the police regime the Japanese authorities have established. The punishment for riots and crimes were strict. The Korean participation in all forms of government was cancelled."
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The Chinese Famine, 2008.
This paper examines the reasons behind the famine of China's "Great Leap Forward".
2,809 words (approx. 11.2 pages), 9 sources, APA, $ 83.95
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Abstract
The paper utilizes Amartya Sen's entitlement approach to famine as an explanation of the famine during China's Great Leap Forward. The paper argues that the primary reasons for this famine were the fundamental problems in central planning policy, together with structural inadequacies of the government system of the People's Republic of China in the 1950s.
Outline:
Introduction
The Great Leap Forward
Famine - The Theoretical Literature
Famine as a Crisis in Central Planning
The Relevance of the Sen Model
Conclusion
From the Paper
"In order to understand the famine in China in the late 1950s it is first necessary to understand the political, social and economic context that gave rise to the famine in the first place. With the establishment of the People's Republic of China under a Communist government in 1949, centuries-old traditions of agricultural production and economics were been revised at all levels of Chinese society."
"After 1949 China embarked on a series of Five-Year Plans that were designed to reestablish China's industrial capabilities and increase agricultural production. The shaping of these plans led to considerable political disagreement within the leadership of the People's Republic. The architects of the first of these plans - particularly Chen Yun and Zhou Enlai - believed that material incentives would lead to gradual increases in grain and industrial production (Spence 1990, 575). However, such "gradualism" ran contrary to paramount leader Mao Zedong's "heroic" vision of revolution as "continuing struggle" (Spence 1990, 596)."
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"With Respect to the Japanese", 2008.
This paper reviews John C. Condon's book, "With Respect to the Japanese".
733 words (approx. 2.9 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 26.95
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Abstract
This paper examines John C. Condon's book, "With Respect to the Japanese", which is devoted to an overview and discussion of international relations between the Japanese and Westerners, particularly Americans involved in business contacts with the Japanese. The paper discusses how Condon believes that truly understanding another culture requires a special effort to see the people of the other culture as they see themselves. The paper summarizes the contents of Condon's book and asserts that it is a valuable contribution to the literature of popular cultural studies of modern Japan, written for a Western audience.
From the Paper
"Condon begins with the somewhat facetious statement that Japan and America make up an "odd couple," that is to say, two nations that are very different from each other, possessing what seem to be mutually alien ways of living and thinking, and yet which are tightly tied together in a relationship of mutual dependence, ironically facilitated by Japan's defeat in World War II. At that time, the almost total destruction of Japan's economy and industry and the occupation of the country by United States forces and interests created a unique situation in which the rebuilding of the former enemy would bring it into much closer contact with the victors than would otherwise ever be possible."
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A Review of Tomoko Makabe's Book "Picture Brides", 2008.
A summary and review of "Picture Brides" by Tomoko Makabe, which chronicles the lives of five Canadian-Japanese women.
1,408 words (approx. 5.6 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 46.95
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Abstract
This paper critically reviews "Picture Brides" by Tomoko Makabe, a Japanese woman living in Canada, who became fascinated by the fact that women would go overseas to marry men they did not know. The author of this paper feels that, while the book is interesting to read, a person aware of Japan's 19th and 20th century history, and the longer story of the Japanese in North America will find little that is so 'amazing' in the experience of the five women informing Makabe's work.
From the Paper
"Also, the phenomenon to which Makabe gave her attention involved a range of factors to which she seems not to have given ample thought led by the extreme gaps in Japanese social classes in the 19th and 20th centuries. Young women choosing to marry abroad, as ever, were often people with few or no alternative prospects. Makabe seems not to have considered a number of factors of the kind. For instance, a somewhat irritating aspect of Picture Brides is the author's repeated reference to how courageous the picture brides were, in a manner showing that the author has failed to imagine the turn of the 20th century and the courage that all men and women without prospects in Japan, or anywhere else, needed in order to simply survive. Makabe's informants had come to Canada as picture brides in the 1920s, by which time many Japanese women had undertaken the same sorts of journeys, going to join a settled and working man of whom their families were apt to know little or nothing. In addition to traditional family methods of locating spouses, brokers were often involved, a woman taking some risk as ever in terms of how her husband across the world turned out to be but she went abroad with the approval of her family having settled a daughter and sometimes expecting remittance funds.
As an Oral History volume, Picture Brides would be better if the author had managed a shorter introduction on herself and tried for a briefer introduction to 100 years of Japanese in Canada. More weight should have been placed on events in Japan in the later 19th and early 20th centuries that made becoming a picture bride of appeal. For instance, Makabe notes that the women were from village backgrounds and notes how a newly industrializing Japan had few waged opportunities for women that most could not work beyond the home. She seems not to see either that as elsewhere in Asia, marriage was a necessity for poorer families, and that embarking across the world as a picture bride could solve various family problems. Becoming a picture bride was probably more strategic or simply straightforward than courageous or heroic. One gains the impression that the author was fairly sheltered or had not reflected on social reality of the time in either Japan or Canada when beginning research with the assistance of the Multicultural History Society of Ontario."
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Rae Yang's "The Spider Eaters - a Memoir", 2008.
A critical review of Rae Yang's book "The Spider Eaters - a Memoir".
1,050 words (approx. 4.2 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 36.95
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Abstract
This paper takes a look at Rae Yang's "The Spider Eaters - a Memoir", a book addressing the Cultural Revolution from the perspective of a person who was caught up in a frightening time in the early People's Republic of China (PRC).The paper considers the book a disturbing reflection on the youth of the Red Guard and the vicious sort of fascism created by Chairman Mao. It concludes that the book is well written and informative.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Maoism and Youth
Divisions
Conclusion
From the Paper
"Yang writes in a way that is immediate and also indicating that her days in the Red Guard were far away, a dream somehow, and as much of the volume moves back and forth between the present and the past and with anecdotes to do with her childhood and family adding to a surreal and very personal explanation of a frightening time and different people's reactions to it. A chapter "A Strange Gift from the Pig Farm" refers to her habit of waking at 3 a.m. that remained after she was placed in the Manchurian countryside just as millions of other young people to finish high school were sent for menial labour away from the cities. She had had to waken at 3 a.m. to perform part of her assigned work and the habit remained, years later. (pp. 1-2) So much forgetting a disturbing time, or the person she had become, as 3 a.m. waking in America showed that some things could not be washed away. The inability to reconcile what Maoism preached, what happened, and came into view as very wrong with the CCP movement produced despair later and a wish to die which took time to overcome. Rae Yang embarked on graduate studies at the University of Massachusetts. She graduated from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in 1981 and in the U.S., completed her M.A. in 1985 and her Ph.D. in 1991, obtaining a post at Dickinson College where she specializes in pre-modern and modern Chinese literature."
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Nuclear Proliferation: India and Pakistan, 2008.
This paper explores the nuclear weaponry proliferation in India and Pakistan.
3,031 words (approx. 12.1 pages), 13 sources, MLA, $ 89.95
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Abstract
The paper examines the nuclear weaponry proliferation from a "collective goods" perspective and explores the many reasons why a nuclear arms race between India and Pakistan will not lead to a stable balance of power in the region. The paper discusses international terrorism, sectarian and ethnic hatreds, deep-seated paranoia and the fact that Pakistan is overly-reliant upon its nuclear weaponry for its defense. The paper therefore argues that India and Pakistan should be discouraged from their present nuclear build-ups.
From the Paper
"To start with, "collective goods" is really a term drawn from economics - albeit it is one that can be applied to a number of different disciplines depending upon the context within which it is being introduced. For our purposes, "collective goods" are really public goods wherein the item in question cannot be withheld from one consumer without also withholding it from all consumers. A classic example of this is national defense whereby a nation cannot defend its borders without also defending all individuals who reside within those borders at any one time - including foreigners or "undesirables". Additionally, the "flip-side" of collective goods is that, not only are they items which cannot practicably be denied to any one person, but they are also items which benefit those who simply refuse to pay for them; suffice it to say, the collective good makes "free-riders" out of many people (Yamagishi & Sato, 67-69). This concept has immediate application to the issue of nuclear proliferation in India and Pakistan."
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Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-Shek, 2008.
A comparison of the personalities of Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-Shek and a discussion of their relationship with each other.
1,394 words (approx. 5.6 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 46.95
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Abstract
This paper compares and contrasts the personalities of Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-Shek. The paper discusses the characteristics and actions of both men and their relationship with each other. After providing examples from their lives, the paper concludes that while their personalities appear to have had some similarities, particularly that both men were resolute, Mao was a far more ruthless and intolerant man.
From the Paper
"On the other hand, the most outstanding aspect of Chiang's personality appears to have been his fixity of purpose. This fixity of purpose played no small part in the fact that Chiang's Kuomintang party became the official government of China in the early 1930's. However, his army was defeated by Mao's army in 1949, clearing the way for Mao to found the PRC. While Mao went on to be dictator of China, Chiang was able to become the dictator of the Republic of China on the island of Taiwan for 26 years. Thus, one thing the two men certainly had in common was that they both came from relatively humble beginnings to eventually be dictators for decades - no mean feat, and certainly a testament to the very strong characters of both of them."
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