"How useful did you find the site, and the written sources, for answering this question?"

Essay on Question: "How useful did you find the site, and the written sources, for answering this question?" Duncan-Peter Chisholm During this essay I will be commenting on the usefulness of the sources which I have used to study the architectural structure of the city of Edinburgh's New Town, widely considered as the part of the city which is the reason for its billing as the, "Athens of the North." The sources were used, obviously in a historical context, to answer the questions of whether there was evidence to support the idea that the New Town was designed for, "genteel and civilised living," and, "grandeur." I used two maps, one showing only the First New Town, the other the Second New Town, to study, in particular, the structure of the streets -should there be any- and also to study the differences between the shapes of the streets of both the first and second areas. I found the maps especially useful to observe structure changes that went on during the building of the second area, such as the fact that the Second New Town contained more crescents. This was extremely useful also, when I decided to investigate the influence of the, "educated men," in Edinburgh at that time, to see, for example, if Lord Cockburn's rather uncomplimentary observation of the First New Town was a catalyst for change. The television documentaries, unfortunately, did not really stimulate or

  • Word count: 1031
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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"If there is no consensus, there is no history." Relate this statement to problems of knowledge.

Name: Jonathan Tam Class: 12A Theory of Knowledge "If there is no consensus, there is no history." Relate this statement to problems of knowledge. History can be defined as "a chronological record of significant events (as affecting a nation or institution) often including an explanation of their causes"1 If this is so, the explanation from different people will give a different interpretation of history, although all versions will be based on the same source. In order to have history agreed by the majority, it has to be proven with solid evidence. But history is something that has happened before, and what is left by time can only tell part of what has happened. It cannot fully tell what the whole story is. All historians are trying is to use the limited resources to explain the long history for humans. To convince people that it is true, historians have to first reach a consensus to come up with one general version. However as we discussed in "Problems of knowledge" a while ago, we concluded that knowledge itself is not very worth trusting. There are great limitations and errors within knowledge itself. This limitation often give rise to great uncertainties, even in events we always think is true. Take the atomic bomb dropped in Hiroshima in August 1945 as an example. Most people, including many historians, think that it has happened. However, they believed because

  • Word count: 720
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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In What Ways and for what reasons, did the relationship between the wartime allies deteriorate between 1945-49?

In What Ways and for what reasons, did the relationship between the wartime allies deteriorate between 1945-49? At the end of World War II, the victorious United States and Soviet Union stood as the most powerful economic and military powers on the globe. The rivalry that developed between these two countries was in part the product of the wars outcome. After the stunning defeat of Nazi forces at Stalingrad in February 1943, the Soviet Union began its push into Europe, setting the stage for map revisions that followed the war. The United States realized that once Nazi Germany had fallen, the Soviet Army would be the most powerful on the European continent, and moreover try to establish a firm grip, not only in Eastern Europe but also in Greece, Turkey, and Iran. The United States, however, played a neutral role initially and Cold War rivalry could hardly be foreseen. Nevertheless, it became reality by early 1946, and it is mainly the origins of the Cold War. A split between Washington and Moscow had started with the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, when the United States refused to recognize the New Soviet republic and even contributed troops to the anticommunist coalition that tried to reverse the Reds takeover in 1919. But this initial ideological standoff, which developed into a growing economic relationship even before President Franklin D Roosevelt opened diplomatic ties

  • Word count: 1426
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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Explain what has caused the main changes in castle design over time

Hayley Lawler Q3- Explain What Caused the Main Changes in Castle Design Castles were introduced to England in the 11th century after the Norman Conquest in 1066. Since then, castles have developed dramatically in design. There were many reasons that caused the designs to change throughout the centuries; weakness with design against attacking forces, advances in technology and warfare strategies, a change of power and new ideas from crusaders. It was William the Conqueror's victory that meant the introduction of a major castle building programme. When he invaded England, he needed something to show off his power and to mark out his territory, but he needed something that was quick and easy. His answer was the Motte and Bailey castles. The Motte and Bailey castles met the needs of William the Conqueror because they could be built in under a week, they were cheap and could be built on a man-made mound or a natural terrain. The common features of a Motte and Bailey was the motte; which was a mound usually no higher than five metres, the bailey; which was an enclosed fortified area that surrounded the base of the motte (sometimes a ditch, bank and palisade would defend the bailey) and lastly, the keep; which was made of wood and provided residence for lords and nobles. The watch tower also provided a defence function. Despite being made simply from timber and earth, they were

  • Word count: 1408
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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Why whitechapel murders attracted attention.

Why did the Whitechapel Murders attract so much attention in 1888? In 1888, Whitechapel became a crime scene of the Jack the Ripper murders. There were five violent murders, where five prostitutes aged from 25 to 47 were brutally slaughtered where the murderer named 'Jack the Ripper' got away with these murders. These murders attracted the attention of the public and the press. The reasons for why the ripper murders attracted so much attention are listed below. Whitechapel held more than 200 lodging houses, which could sleep almost 9000 people. Whitechapel was overcrowded and most of the people who lived there were poor. The Metropolitan Police Force estimated that there were 1200 prostitutes in Whitechapel and many more women who took clients from time to time to supplement their weekly earnings. Middle class men entered Whitechapel because of the high percentage of prostitution and were in search of prostitutes. Unemployment was high and there were a lot of pickpockets and riots. Most crimes that happened were all petty crimes therefore the police hadn't had to deal with such serious crimes until Jack the Ripper. Communication was so basic in those times but news of Jack the Ripper spread world-wide. Jack the Ripper became the first serial killer to be known about throughout the whole Britain, this is one reason it attracted so much attention. The police had no idea

  • Word count: 2809
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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Explain why did the Afrikaners set up and establish an Apartheid state, [in the period 1948-56]

The word Apartheid means apartness. An Apartheid state was established in South Africa in 1948 by Prime Minister Malan who wanted a 'white South Africa'. The Apartheid state was established due to racial, religious, economical and political reasons. Such as, the Boer War, the World Wars and the National lands act of 1913. In 1652 South Africa's first white settlers came from Holland, France and Germany; they fled Europe because of religious persecution. They settled in Cape Town. By the early 1800's the British had made permanent base in the Cape, this created a need for the Boers to separate themselves from the British as they had different views on government. In 1834 the British abolished slavery, this conflicted with the Boers ideals, therefore the Boers left the cape to go inland on what is known as the Great Trek, on the Great Trek The Battle of Blood River occurred in 1838 between the Boers and the Zulus (an African tribe) 464 to 10,000 respectively, because the Boers wanted Zulu occupied land. The Boers won with no deaths or serious injuries and believed they owed their victory to their covenant (agreement) with God. The Boer leader Pretorius had a dream were god promised victory. The event was a religious reason for the establishment of Apartheid, because the Boers believed that white predominance over Blacks was Gods own will. This was a long standing argument for

  • Word count: 964
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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Compare and contrast the influence, outside countries, of Mao and Hitler

Compare and contrast the influence, outside countries, of Mao and Hitler Until the death of German Fuhrer Hitler and Chinese dictator Mao in 1944 and 1976 respectively, due to their interests, the two countries not only had an influence towards the countries around them, but the world. And the state of foreign policy, which it was mainly influenced by its distinctive ideology, had a huge impact too. Here the common factor about two single parties nation was that they were both involved in the wars. In particular, Germany took main role in World War 2, which it totally changed the history of countries that are even located in Far East Asia. Whilst the scale of the wars in which Mao's Communist China was involved in was smaller compared to Germany, but it utterly changed the whole ideology and destiny of a country. Here, the nation that I am talking about is like North Korea. However, at the same time we must remember that the nature of involvement of wars were different; Hitler was more interest in his ideology and behalf, whereas Mao had a purpose of aid, in which rescuing other countries from what they see as an evil ideology, capitalism. Therefore, there is no doubt that the two totalitarian nations had a significant influence outside their countries. And most considerable influence outside their country was the consequence of their involvement in the wars. Thus, it is very

  • Word count: 1116
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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The Royal Pavilion

"The Royal Pavilion, Brighton, reflects fashionable tastes in architecture, design, attitudes and way of life." - Do you agree with this hypothesis? The Royal Pavilion, Brighton, has been an important part of the city that tourists regularly come to see. It was built in several different stages by a few different architects between the years of 1787 and 1823. It was built for the Prince Regent, who became King George IV on the 19th July 1821 at the age of fifty nine. The Royal Pavilion has become the most famous landmark in Brighton and many come to see this extraordinary building. It can tell us a great deal about what sort of a person the Prince Regent was, from just looking at it, we can understand that the Prince was a rather whacky and eccentric man. Also, the Royal pavilion highlights some of the fashionable movements of the time and also about peoples' knowledge of technology in the nineteenth century. At the time that it was built, the Royal Pavilion wasn't considered fashionable, but rather strange and unusual. Although the Pavilion in previous stages reflected fashionable tastes and movements, it is more of a building that was constructed and designed to suit the Prince Regent and his exuberant ways. It does not reflect ways of life - certainly not for the poor - but more of fashionable movements which toyed with lifestyles, such as Romanticism. Many people

  • Word count: 3255
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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The Combining of Past and Present

Sam Greenblatt 9/29/02 The Combining of Past and Present History, according to Webster's Dictionary, can be defined as, "A chronological record of events, as of the life or development of a people or institution, often including an explanation of or commentary on those events." We must remember, however, that even though history is in the past, it is not inert. It is not dead. The past does, and continues to, have an effect on the present. Through the different articles we read, Slouka's Hitler's Couch, Millhauser's The Barnum Museum, and James E. Young's At Memory's Edge: After Images of the Holocaust in Contemporary Art and Architecture, one can see the relationship that the past has with our present day life and visa versa. Slouka's Hitler's Couch, tells of Hitler's final days. With the American and Russian armies moving swiftly towards Berlin, the fate of the Third Reich was in serious jeopardy. As Russian artillery shells fell upon Berlin, Goebbels, Hitler's Propaganda Minister, would read to Hitler the History of Frederick the Great. Within this reading Hitler found hope for Germany, "Sensing a promise, an omen of redemption in Carlye's description of Frederick's deliverance...just as Prussia had been saved...by the death of the Czarina so the Third Reich would survive her harshest trails....A few days later Goebbels had his miracle, his Czarina... Franklin

  • Word count: 854
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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Collapse of the Qing Dynasty

One major reason for the French Revolution is the incapability of the French ruler in management of finance. In the 18th century, the French government spent more than it had collected in taxes as the ruler could not manage the country's funds well. Most of the money was spent on two wars with Britain, mainly the Seven Years War and the American Revolution instead of helping to improve the living conditions of the commoners although there were food shortages. Moreover, a large sum of money was also spent on palaces, entertainment and gifts by the kings of France. The large amount of money spent hence put forth a high taxation system in which the nobles, clergy and the Church did not need to pay any tax and it was the commoners who suffered from the heavy taxation. Although the ruler, Louis XVI tried to reform the taxation system, he failed as the nobility and the clergy refused to accept the new reforms. He did not try to introduce new reforms after that and thus, had to borrow the differences in expenditure and revenue, leading to a constant loan cycle. The national debts accumulated and France went bankrupt. This incited anger in the commoners as they thought their ruler could not manage the country's finance well and did not care about their welfare. They would rather spend money on wars than use the money to help them solve their problem of food shortages and improve their

  • Word count: 654
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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