Mao's Hundred Flowers Essay
History Was the 'Hundreds Flowers' campaign a genuine attempt to allow more freedom or a clever ruse to trap critics of Mao? In 1956 Mao Zedong started a campaign to allow more freedom within his communist regime in China. However in a year the campaign had been cancelled, and replaced by a 'anti-rightist campaign'. Was this just a clever trap to allow Mao to see his critics? Or was it a genuine attempt to allow the Chinese people more freedom? Many historians have argued either way. In 1956 Mao thought it was time to allow more freedom, and allow great expression of thoughts. He intended to allow people to constructively criticises how well communist China was advancing. He made a speech saying how he was extremely pleased with China's current state, and hinted he would be allowing intellectuals more freedom. This was very unusual behaviour from Mao, as he was normally against intellectuals. However did he do this for a certain reason? Mao had been so pleased with China's state he had sent all the Russian advisers home, as the contract was costing China heavily in resources. However by losing the Russian advisers he needed to allow the Chinese intellectuals to have some more freedom to inspire them to continue the work the Russians were doing beforehand. Stalin died in 1953, and when Nikita Khrushchev came to power he slammed Stalin, and when Mao saw this he could see
Was the Great War Responsible for the Downfall of the Romanovs?
Was it the Great War which was essentially responsible for the downfall of the Romanovs in 1917? The first world war was known as the Great War during the time period it was fought as at this time it was not known that there would ever be another war of the same scale. Nicholas the 2nd the former, and last Tsar of Russia was of the Romanov family, a royal family who had presided over Russia. There were many reasons for the downfall of the Romanov family, some of these were as follows; the first world war known at that time as the Great War, strikes such as that of International Women's Day and the refusal of the tsar to compromise or cooperate with the duma. However, I believe the most important factor for the downfall of the Romanovs was Nicholas himself as his character and personality traits were exactly the opposite of what Russia needed most during the time of his reign, a time of great instability and economical and social upheaval. Also, his stubbornness and refusal to listen to reason. One of the most influential reasons for the downfall of the Romanov dynasty is undeniably the Great War. The war caused problems both locally, and on the outskirts of Russia where the war was being fought. Russia's economy suffered greatly, the rouble was taken off of the gold standard and inflation caused the prices for commodities such as food and engine fuel to rise rapidly, a
To what extent was the first crusade a success
To what extent was the First Crusade a success? It is difficult to examine weather the First crusade was truly successful, and scholars have been debating over it for centuries. One of the key problems in this question is seeking out what the main objectives of the crusade, this is particularly difficult due to the numerous accounts of the Sermon at Clermont, which obviously contains the incentives and objectives that sparked thousands of people to take up the cross and journey to the east. The second key problem of the crusade is its complexity, there were three waves of attack, and numerous branches broke of these attacks, some successful others defiantly were not. In order to discover then whether the First crusade really was a success, we must first look at its intentions. The primary spark which gave the inspiration to Urban II to call the crusade was the request for support from the Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comnenus, who requested help from his fellow Christians to fight of the Turks in Asia Minor, particularly after his defeat at Manzikert in 1071. This is obvious as well in the accounts of Urban's sermon: 'For you must hasten to carry aid for your brethren dwelling in the East....they have seized more and more lands from the Christians.' The Crusade certainly did support the Christians in the East and helped the Byzantine Empire to recapture major cities
Was the nobility the most important factor in destabilising France in the years leading to the outbreak of civil war in France in 1562?
Was the nobility the most important factor in destabilising France in the years leading to the outbreak of civil war in 1562? The outbreak of civil war among the French in 1562 may be perceived simply as an unexpected occurrence with regard to the change of rule three years earlier, when Henry II died from injuries after a jousting competition on 30th June to celebrate the two marriages permitted by the Treaty of Cateau-Cambresis. Largely known as the period of Renaissance Monarchy, the rules of Francis I and Henry II are often associated with moderate successes in terms of religion and foreign policy, and the authority of the crown was never diminished. The rule of Francis II was clearly preceded by monarchs of greater competence; during his reign, disturbances among the noble families had a prominent role in destabilising France, but they were not the only such factor. Economic issues, religion and the system of clientage had a similar effect, alongside the predominant role of the King's regent and mother, Catherine de Medici. Francis' feeble rule created a power vacuum between the rival noble families. During the reign of Henry, court influence was shared between the Montmorency and Guise families, and when Francis was crowned, the Guises quickly secured their position of influence, having an immediate advantage because the King was married to their niece, Mary Stuart.
Explain the successes of Calvin in Geneva
Explain the successes of Calvin in Geneva Calvin's successes in Geneva were due to several key reasons, the first being the unique, coherent belief system he develops, allowing Calvinism to succeed not just in Geneva, but all over Europe. Secondly, Calvin establishes a heavily structured hierarchy in of individuals with different responsibilities in Geneva, resulting in the education of the people of Geneva (with an emphasis on Calvinism) but also their strict discipline, which both play an important role in Calvin's doctrine. There are also other external factors that contribute to Calvin's successes, particularly the support he receives from the Genevan, giving him the ability to eliminate his opposition, as he did with Servetus, and the Libertines. Above all, one of the main reasons of Calvin's success is that his own strong belief in his duty towards Genevans, and Protestants generally - he returns to Geneva, despite knowing he would have no official authority, and despite having been treated terribly the first time, with many opposing his attempts at discipline. Calvin's coherent belief system plays an important role in not only his success in Geneva and this is mainly due to his 'Institutes of Christian Religion' which turns out to be a huge best seller. The significance of his 'Institutes' is that it had been the first time any one had ever systemically explained the
Is Utilitarian field of thought still present in todays policing
This essay will address the influence of Utilitarian thought in the introduction of policing during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. As a preface to the main essay, the circumstances that had been causing concern up to that point will be addressed, with the argument for whether Utilitarian thought is still present in today's policing and prison system concluding it. In Britain, a large population meant more poverty which brought with it desperation, which meant more crime. There was a rise of the new middle class who saw themselves as the new rich, and were adamant no one was going to take their newly gained money, and the power that they had gained resulted in them being willing to do anything to not return to being poor. The middle classes began to coax the police presence on the streets to be of a more similar standing to that already in place within the City of London and other urban areas. There were not enough trained police at this time, so punishments were determined by the individuals ability to pay. From the poor there was widespread anger at the lack of a voice, and they were concerned greatly with the unfairness the legal system in place at that time was giving them. (Briggs J, Harrison C, McInnes A and Vincent D 1996) The arrival of a new type of policing force would simply bestow more power upon the rich, and would control their already
To what extent did a strong succession mean a strong reign in the years 1066-1189?
To what extent did a strong succession mean a strong reign in the years 1066-1189? An analysis of the five king's in question and there ability to cope with rebellions would help elucidate the extent to which a King's reign would be effective. Rebellions had to be dealt with swiftly and effectively in order to safeguard the kings reign. The support of the people of London became paramount especially between the years 1130 and 1135 when this was a vital factor in deciding who would obtain the monarchy. Additionally, the new king would have to seize the treasury and therefore control the kingdoms finances. The concept of iconography was still in existence and was perhaps the most noteworthy method of identifying the new king. This included being crowned publically by a religious figure of high status. The latter is the systematic establishment of these factors within the kings' reign as well as a solid construction of governmental infrastructure. Although a strong succession may have assisted the maintenance of strong reign, perhaps it was the individual qualities of the king himself that determined the way he governed his kingdom that demonstrated a strong reign. Firstly, the suppression of the rebellions, and the complete annihilation of opposition was paramount if a King was to secure and maintain a successful reign. Perhaps the king that encountered the most rebellions
HISTORY: MEDIEVAL WOMEN
HISTORY: MEDIEVAL WOMEN What is known of women and their roles in society throughout the Middle Ages is vague and self-contradictory. Women then were looked upon as being very much controlled by men. However in more recent times historians have argued that medieval women seemed to have much more freedom in their lives than what was previously believed. Women were largely ignored in many aspects of the records kept of that time and, until more recently, were overlooked in the majority of history books. The reasons for this are most likely the fact that during medieval times it was the men who would keep the records and, until fairly recently, write the history books - which has more often than not paid attention to the upper ranks of society, who were also usually male. Another feature of medieval times was that society of that time was largely controlled by the Church. This produced a rather misogynistic view in general as according to Christianity, women were immoral and sinful due to Eve causing Adam to sin. Further investigation into the roles of women and the part they played in the society of the Middle Ages has tended to give a more balanced idea of how they lived compared to the traditional view of life for women in medieval times. This essay will be discussing and comparing the two sides of the picture regarding the views of medieval women and their circumstances
Cities were the main driving force of the Reformation in Germany(TM) " explain whether you agree or disagree (15 marks)
'Cities were the main driving force of the Reformation in Germany' - explain whether you agree or disagree (15 marks) There were many factors contributing to why Lutheranism spread in Germany. One of the main reasons is that Luther's message was flexible and therefore had a broad appeal. Other features that acted as a driving force of the Reformation in Germany are the use of the vernacular, Martin Luther's message itself and Charles V. However, the towns and cities can be seen as the main driving force as vast amounts of people heard of the Reformation and Luther's ideas in a short period of time. The cities were the main driving force most notably from 1521 to 1525. 51 out of 65 imperial cities became Lutheran however, the main driving force was taken over by the Princes after 1547 e.g. the Battle of Muhlberg. The cities played a major role in the spreading of the Reformation as a large and disproportionately high number of literate people could be found in them, among whom the method could be spread. The urban population was more likely to understand the more advanced points of Luther's theology. The cities were also the Humanist centres of learning, as this is who originally Luther had wanted his teachings to be aimed at ( e.g. as the 95 thesis were first originally written in Latin). Although not all were able to understand the minutiae of 'the Priesthood of all
Research Paper; The Important Scientific Discoveries of the Renaissance: Medicine
Important Scientific Discoveries of The Renaissance: Medicine Research Paper Kyra Connelly Honors History 9 F Block October 31, 2011 Mr. Deeb Life without medicine does not even seem possible, but the medical knowledge society has today must come from somewhere. It must have begun at a time when ideas were being put to good use, and everyone believed them. The time period ranging from 1350-1550 marked the span of the Renaissance ("re-birth"). It was during this time in Europe that cities that had just recovered from the Black Plague were starting to re-build and gain strength in their country again. In addition to this, there was a major progress of medical knowledge and renewed interest in the ancient ideas of the Europeans before them. This was made possible by technological advances, accidental discoveries, and continued learning. The entirety of medical development didn't make a drastic change in Europe right away, but the effects that could be felt later started with a few basic conceptions in the beginning; from the time before the Renaissance to the processes scientists discovered that had a big impact on the advancements we have today. Medicine's distinctive ideas and most important written sources of authoritative teaching did not originate in western Europe but were drawn from Greek antiquity and the world of Islam. The understanding of ancient medical
