| Papers [406-420] of 11524 :: [Page 28 of 769] | | Go to page : <— 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 —> | |
|
|
Revolutions In Europe, 2007.
An analysis of "Revolutions in Europe, 1848-1849: From Reform to Reaction" edited by R. J. W. Evans and Hartmut Pogge von Strandmann.
1,208 words (approx. 4.8 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 41.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
The paper discusses the book "Revolutions in Europe, 1848-1849: From Reform to Reaction", which examines the revolutionary events that shook Europe in the middle of the nineteenth century. The paper describes how ordinary people began to publicly express nationalist fervor and join in mass protests against the reactionary authorities who had held political and governmental power in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars. The paper expresses the opinion that the authors and editors of the book provide a systematic and comprehensive analysis of these revolutionary events.
From the Paper
"Beginning in that year the continent of Europe was rocked by revolt and rebellion, most especially in the German-speaking lands of central Europe, where ordinary people began to publicly express nationalist fervor and joined in mass popular protests against the reactionary authorities who had held political and governmental power in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars."
"The historical essays in this book explain that in 1848 and 1849, German peasants, workers, and artisans joined together to rebel against the Metternich system, inspired by ideals of nationalism and national self-determination. In analyzing their role, the authors note that they were all motivated by the same basic political and economic ideals, for they realized that their governments had little if any interest in their welfare and viewed them with contempt and condescension. Weary of oppression, millions of ordinary Europeans realized for the first time in their lives that they could effect political change through public resistance to authority. (Evans 25)"
| |
|
The Privatization of Capital Punishment, 2007.
A review of the historical content of Randall McGowen's "Civilizing Punishment:The End of the Public Execution in England."
1,029 words (approx. 4.1 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 36.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper examines Randall McGowen's "Civilizing Punishment:The End of the Public Execution in England," which examines the transformation in capital punishment that occurred in the United Kingdom during the early nineteenth century. It discusses, according to the book, how capital punishment was moved out of the public sphere and into the private one. The paper discusses the historical content of McGowen's work and the conclusions that he draws.
From the Paper
"McGowen concludes that the purpose of privatizing executions in England in the nineteenth century was partly to curtail expression of violence and promote more civilized morality (McGowen 280). More than that, however, moving executions into the private sphere was part of a changing cultural discourse and the development of a more refined middle class that did not want to be confronted with the realities of capital punishment. Finding the practice morally repugnant, as well as probably aesthetically unappealing, the reform movement was an expression of middle class distaste for executions and death. Attempts to outlaw the practice entirely were unsuccessful at that time, but did result in the removal of executions from public venues. Death and criminal punishment ceased forever in England to be a carnival-esque spectacle and became a more solemn, controlled, and presumably human practice."
| |
|
"Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America", 2007.
A review of Benjamin Franklin's essay, "Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America."
1,059 words (approx. 4.2 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 37.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper discusses Benjamin Franklin's "Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America," which is a piece of early American literature that highlights Franklin's criticism of the noble savage hypothesis. The paper examines Franklin's text in light of the noble savage premise and demonstrates the manner in which Franklin deftly avoided falling into the intellectual trap that that premise presented.
From the Paper
"Benjamin Franklin's "Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America" is an important early American essay on the social and cultural nature of the native people with which Franklin had experience. His commentary on the construction of their societies and their relationships with other people, including Europeans, represents an important document on the perception of native people by the early American settlers. More than that, however, Franklin's descriptions of native life are posed in such a way as to highlight some of the failings of his own Western society, so that his essay could function both as an informative piece and as sharp political and social satire."
| |
|
Historians and Computers, 2007.
A discussion of the article "Computers and the Subversion of British History" by R.J. Morris.
1,000 words (approx. 4.0 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 35.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
The paper discusses how R.J. Morris in his 1995 article "Computers and the Subversion of British History", attempted to qualify some of the challenges and opportunities that the computer revolution would have in store for historians. The paper explains Morris' thesis that with the advent of computing technology and the availability of vast stores of data such as the World Wide Web, the historian's abilities have changed. The paper posits that to some degree, his thesis was correct; there have been changes that have required shifts in the way that historians think about and process information.
From the Paper
"The still developing computer and technology revolution that began in earnest in the latter half of the Twentieth Century has had a decidedly impressive impact on academic disciplines well beyond the scope of computer science or engineering. In fact, disciplines in the humanities are being significantly affected by the incredible changes that computing technology has wrought. History, in particular, has undergone major--but also superficial--changes as a result of the computer revolution."
| |
|
China, Russia and Mongolia, 2007.
A review of David Christian's text, "A History of Russia, Central Asia and Mongolia".
1,722 words (approx. 6.9 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 55.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper discuss a major scholarly work that examines the eventful history of Russia, Central Asia, and Mongolia. It analyzes David Christian's text, "A History of Russia, Central Asia and Mongolia" and focuses on how climactic realities of the European continental interior produced insulated "warrior" states that were alternately insecure and intrepid in their pursuit of glory and tribute. It describes the toughness of the climate and the curious geography of the continental interior.
From the Paper
"David Christian has done a marvelous job of capturing the manner in which topography, climate and a few well-placed mountain ranges can produce militarism, insularity, suspicion and, in the case of Russia, comparatively sparse populations. Courtesy this investigation, it becomes evident that many of the unflattering characteristics westerners ascribe to both the Russians and Chinese today are the products of hardscrabble existences in an environment that facilitated military struggle. Beyond that, the geography and topography of Inner Eurasia locked these peoples off from the outside world in such a way that they became insular and inward-looking - a sure prescription for the sort of paranoia and xenophobia that often drives military expansionism and preparedness. In the end, just as scholars once thought that biology determined destiny, so too may it be said that the history of Inner Eurasia has been remarkably shaped by geography."
| |
|
Immigration and Canadian Diversity, 2007.
This paper discusses the issue of immigration and diversity in Canada, while looking at accounts regarding Chinese immigrants in the 19th and 20th century.
2,182 words (approx. 8.7 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 68.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
In this article, the writer discusses two news accounts that presented similar backgrounds regarding the Chinese immigrants in the 19th century and the 20th century. The writer compares and contrasts events taken from these two time periods with academic sources detailing the same. The writer notes that economic strife and the hope of acquiring wealth, while apparently more pronounced in the 20th century, was the primary motivator for these people to take life-threatening risks as well as the risk of being turned back. The writer points out that the politico-social climate had perceptibly changed since 1860, particularly regarding the shift of perceptions of immigrants by native Canadians from a racial, white superiority perspective against the backdrop of colonialism to that of cultural paranoia fueled by biased media coverage and political secondary gain. The writer concludes that although steps have been taken to control immigration, cultural diversity remains elusive. This paper includes a detailed summary and notes regarding each of the sources.
Outline:
The 19th Century
20th Century
Conclusion
From the Paper
"This was one of the first accounts of local press during the 1860s regarding the arrival of Chinese migrants to British Columbia. Being of a foreign land, they initially shared the white man's dreams of finding fortune in the new province similar to the California gold rush. It was an equal proving ground where, literally, one could keep what he reaped from the mines. However, as the fervor of finding instant fortune soon died down in the south, so did the gold rush in British Columbia. This did not mean that other industries were in lack. Indeed, the lumbering and agricultural industries were also abundant, owing to the gold rush that had to be sustained by settlements and towns requiring building materials and a means with which to feed the inhabitants."
| |
|
The Life and Legacy of Robert Bryan, 2007.
A press release tribute to the life of Senator Robert Bryan.
747 words (approx. 3.0 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 26.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper presents, in the form of a press release, a tribute to the life of Senator Robert Bryan. It describes his hopes and dreams and what he aimed to achieve while in office. The press release describes the obstacles that Senator Bryan faced while in office and how he overcame them to best relieve poverty, hunger and despair in this world.
From the Paper
"But these obstacles never discouraged Bryan, they always motivated him to work even harder. His tireless determination and devotion to the tasks he undertook is his greatest legacy, and the millions of people around the world who mourn his passing are taking solace and comfort in the knowledge that if they summon the same determination and devotion, no obstacles will be impossible to overcome."
"As a physician, a distinguished United States senator, and as the Director of the United Nations Famine Relief Program, Robert Bryan was foremost in the ranks of the healers of this world. He wanted to make a difference, and he did. He wanted to be able some day to look back upon his life and know he had done his best to relieve poverty, hunger, and despair in this world. Today, as America and the world look back on his life and pay solemn tribute to a life devoted to others in need, he is being honored as a man who did indeed make a difference."
| |
|
Civil War in Tennessee, 2007.
An analysis of the behavior of people from the North and the South during the Civil War.
1,648 words (approx. 6.6 pages), 6 sources, MLA, $ 53.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper examines the human face of the American Civil War, focusing on the state of Tennessee. It describes the course of the war and the cause of the war and shows that both are historically contested. The paper refers to primary source evidence to show that the excesses of war led to actions on the part of both sides that could be construed as morally wrong and that there were ordinary, innocent people in the Southern state of Tennessee who suffered greatly for their beliefs.
From the Paper
"Of course, it is necessary to consider the veracity of the source. Williamson was only 16, and she was not a first-hand witness to the event she describes. However, if we refer to secondary sources, we find ample evidence that she was probably correct. Paine was so well known for brutality and sadism, that he was removed from his command by the Union leadership, and placed in charge of bridges near Nashville. Even there, he managed to misbehave, and was investigated, found guilty by a congressional inquiry, and punished with a reprimand. This scarcely seems adequate for his murderous deeds. However, the point is that war is often horrific, and there are no sides that are "good." This is too simplistic a view, as attested to by Williamson's disturbing Diary. (Special Collections Library, Duke University.)"
| |
|
"The True Story of Ah Q", 2007.
This paper discusses the Chinese story "The True Story of Ah Q" by Lu Xun.
1,465 words (approx. 5.9 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 48.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
The paper examines "The True Story of Ah Q", which appeared in 1921 as a story attacking archaic ways of thinking in Chinese society. The paper describes how this book portrays the everyday sufferings of a typical Chinese vagrant and his daily battles to remain alive and to keep his self-respect. The paper explains that, when publishing the story, Lu Xun hoped that it would inspire people of conscience to want to do something towards alleviating poverty and promoting social reform.
Outline:
Introduction
The Story
Political Significance
From the Paper
"Lu Xun or Lu Hsun was a pen name used by Zhou Shuren (1881-1936) when publishing different short stories that usually offered criticism of Chinese society. Lu Xun wanted a radical change in China that he saw had to remove old and often repressive social customs. His early life allowed him to see a good deal of what life was like for ordinary Chinese as he was born to poor parents yet had an educated mother to encourage his studies. Lu Xun studied at the Jiangnan Naval Academy, the School of Railways and Mines in Nanjing and then became a medical student at Sendai in Japan. He also became familiar with social reform movements in China which he supported and at the turn of the 20th century saw the need for a literary movement to convince more people of what had to leave Chinese culture if the country was to be more humane, let alone to modernize."
| |
|
Labor Policy, 2007.
A review of Melvyn Dubofsky's book "The State and Labor in Modern America".
1,857 words (approx. 7.4 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 59.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper introduces, discusses and analyzes Melvyn Dubofsky's book, "The State and Labor in Modern America". The paper relates that, in the book, Dubofsky details the history of how the state in America has addressed issues involving employers and employees and how the state has shaped labor policy. The paper reviews the validity of Dubofsky's analyses and draws conclusions about the book's worth as a historical book.
From the Paper
"In the next few years, membership in the AFL declined. The steel strike of 1919 ended in failure, and business showed increasing hostility to labor through the "American Plan," essentially an antiunion, open-shop program that dominated the 1920s. The only substantial victory for labor during this period was the Railway Labor Act of 1926, but even this was only a qualified victory because it was a weak compromise of provisions that had been agreed to by rail labor and management."
"The role of labor would come to the fore once more with the New Deal, a series of regulations passed and agencies created to overcome the problems of the Great Depression. These acts brought the federal government more directly into many areas of American life, and especially into economic relations in an effort to restore confidence and solve some of the problems brought about by widespread unemployment, bank failures, and the like."
| |
|
Dependency Theory v. Modernization Theory, 2007.
A comparison of the modernization and dependency theories of under-development of third world countries.
1,824 words (approx. 7.3 pages), 5 sources, MLA, $ 58.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper compares and contrasts the modernization and dependency perspectives commonly raised when explaining third-world under-development. It assesses the strengths and weaknesses of each theoretical paradigm and aims to determine which of the two is more effective at illustrating why so much of the world continues to lag behind North America and Europe.
From the Paper
"As one might expect, this theory is highly controversial - with apparent weaknesses and strengths. After all, it has now been decades since the fall of "old-fashioned" colonialism and one would think that Global South nations would have finally developed institutional and economic innovations capable of sustaining them and capable also of pushing them forward. Moreover, the supposed technological transfer from developed to developing nations would surely seem like a phenomenon capable of rescuing developing countries from their relative poverty. Seen in that light, the dependency theory may seem like so much "excuse-making" for incompetent and/or corrupt national regimes."
| |
|
Hong Kong and World War II, 2007.
A comparative analysis of three different articles relating to the 1941 attack of the Japanese army on Hong Kong and Japanese occupation till the end of the War in 1945.
3,226 words (approx. 12.9 pages), 6 sources, MLA, $ 93.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper discusses, from different perspectives, the 1941 attack of the Japanese Imperial Army on Hong Kong and the brutal Japanese occupation there till the end of the War in 1945. It examines three scholarly articles that are seen to relate to the same broad topic of how events during World War II in Asia continue to shape thinking on Japan, more than 50 years later, in matters of power and strategy involving China, Japan, the U.S. and other influences. June Teufel Dreyer is introduced as an American follower of East Asian affairs and the author of an article on Japan and China that seems more American in scope than Asian. Richard J. Aldrich's study of British secret intelligence in Asia during World War II is then discussed in relation to Hong Kong. The third paper is by Kent Fedorowich on a British diplomat's view of Hong Kong before the colony fell to the Japanese.
Outline:
Introduction
On Sino-Japanese Rivalry
Allied Intelligence in World War II - Hong Kong
Hong Kong on the Eve of its Occupation
Concluding Remarks
From the Paper
" When Hong Kong fell to the Japanese, civilians were interned and thousands of Indian, British and Canadian soldiers that had tried to defend the colony became prisoners of war, many of them dying of disease, starvation and general abuse. (CBC 1972) Consulting Greenhous's summary of the 2,000 Canadians defeated at Hong Kong's struggle against the Japanese showed the takeover as something that people in Hong Kong would remember for many years. (1997) The soldiers fought from December 8 to 18, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Army often killing the wounded just as they viciously attacked civilians. When the Japanese took control of the colony the people lived on tiny rations, the actual takeover as brutal as anywhere in Asia the Japanese conquered. The people of Hong Kong till the lapse of 1997 were used to seeing Communist China as a place of oppression and perhaps unwanted designs on the future of Hong Kong, but Japan stayed in mind as the greater enemy, and a potential new threat. "
| |
|
Christianity and Western Philosophy, 2007.
An analysis of the impact of Christianity on western philosophy from the time of the Roman Empire.
1,085 words (approx. 4.3 pages), 5 sources, APA, $ 37.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper reviews the rise of Christianity during the time of the Roman Empire, its contributions to western philosophical thought over the last fifteen hundred years, and some significant philosophical issues of the present day that have been "Christianized" and/or deeply influenced by Christianity. In particular, the paper contends that a case can be made that the works of Thomas Aquinas and Saint Augustine helped popularize Aristotelian and Platonic philosophy and laid the groundwork for the "man-centered" philosophical leanings of the early modern, Renaissance period.
From the Paper
"Similarly, the philosophical rise of Christianity in the first centuries after the death of Christ was helped immeasurably by the fact that its early adherents went to considerable lengths to defend the "logic" of Christianity and to link it to Neo-Platonism. One Christian theologian and philosopher of the late-second and early-third centuries AD, Origen, became especially influential by showing how Christianity had its philosophical antecedents in not only Neo-Platonism but in Greek and Roman Stoicism, as well. In the end, Christianity came into intellectual acceptance in part because its focus upon the existence of a "unified and perfect being" residing at the center of the transcendent world was comprehensible to educated Romans reared on the dictates of Neo-Platonism (McGill 2005). "
| |
|
History of Furniture Design, 2007.
This paper explores how the growth of domesticity in the Middle Ages affected furniture design.
2,618 words (approx. 10.5 pages), 10 sources, MLA, $ 78.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
The paper argues that the evolution of the concept of domesticity - and its associated impact upon furniture design - was closely associated with the rise of the bourgeois or middle class and the gradual preeminence of urban living as the defining lifestyle of the Middle Ages. The paper shows how the merchant classes of medieval European cities were the primary agents of historical and social change and innovations in furniture design.
Outline:
Introduction
The Rise of the Middle Class
The Early Medieval Home and Furniture
The Evolution of the Language of Domesticity
The Signification of Furniture
From the Paper
"It must be acknowledged that in making the argument that it was the early European middle classes in their small city dwellings, and not the medieval nobility in their huge, picturesque castles, who were primarily significant in terms of the evolution of domesticity and furniture design one is challenging a popular image of medieval history. However, while the nobility were undeniably the ruling class in medieval Europe, the history of the Middle Ages can also be read as a history of the decline of aristocratic power and the rise of the middle class."
| |
|
American Revolution, 2007.
This paper looks at the various causes of the American Revolution.
1,040 words (approx. 4.2 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 36.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
In this article, the writer notes that the American Revolution has traditionally been taught as if it was one single, unified movement. The writer points out that, according to this view, all Americans rose heroically as one to challenge tyranny, motivated by their love of freedom and desire for self-governance. However, the writer maintains that more recent interpretations have challenged this simplistic interpretation. It is argued in this paper that it is more correct to see the American Revolution as "many revolutions," in that there were many contributing ideas and factors, rather than one simple movement.
From the Paper
"Now, while many Americans clearly agreed with this idea, the point is that the frameworks within which they agreed with it were highly diverse. For example, Calvinists in New England were searching through the Bible for indications of the will of God, while at the other extreme, rationalists in Virginia were studying nature to discern divine mechanics. The only thing that united these diverse approaches and ideas about the nature of reality was a shared belief that every event was meant to be, and was given meaning by God ... "
|
|
|
