Was the Weimar constitution a model of democracy or was it providing a blue print for abuse?
Was the Weimar constitution a model of democracy or was it providing a blue print for abuse? In January 1919 Hugo Preuss, whom was a left wing liberal set out to make a constitution, which was drawn up and submitted to the national assembly in Weimar. Historian William Carr says, "Preuss set out to combine democracy and parliamentary government with a high degree of centralisation for the left wing" which meant he was trying to give power to the left. Following extensive debates the constitution was eventually declared on 11 August 1919. This constitution contained 181 articles which was divided up into different groups called ' Rights and Duties of the German people' and also 'Structures and Functions of the Reich. The German people over 20 years of age now had the power to vote for a president who would be elected for 7 years (Article 41), the president had all the power being able to appoint and dismiss all-important officials, civilians military and also the chancellor. He also had total command of the army and was able to dissolve the Reichstag and if there was an emergency he could issue laws by decree and override constitutional rights of the German people this was Article 48 of the constitution. Historian Stephen J Lee said that the constitution was regarded as the most advanced in its time. Also another historian called A. Nicholls, says, "The Weimar Republic was not
Consider the view that the arguments for having an electoral college to elect the President are no longer valid
Consider the view that the arguments for having an electoral college to elect the President are no longer valid The United States' constitution was created in 1787 and, whilst creating the document, the Founding Fathers' opted on a method to indirectly elect the President. The "electoral college" system was born. The Founding Fathers believed that the electorate may, in the future, be easily taken in by the showmanship of extremists and so determined that the popular votes cast would only "influence" electors and not directly elect the President. Each state would have as many electors as they have congressmen (so 2 for each Senator and then so many for however many Representatives) who would cast their ballots in early January (after the national election in November) for a candidate, having been "influenced" by the results of the election day polls. In effect, this system both undermines the integrity of the voters and is undemocratic, effectively allowing the power to fall to a small number of people. Unsurprisingly, especially in the wake of the 2000 election, there have been calls for reform with many citing the Electoral College as a "no longer valid" method of electing the leader of the country. As I have already mentioned, the original reason for introducing the Electoral College system was to prevent against dictatorship and extremism. In theory, this sounds great
Hollywood vs. History - The 1972 film 1776 is a cute whimsical musical.
Evan Feist AP American History Summer Assignment Choice I: Hollywood vs. History The 1972 film 1776 is a cute whimsical musical. Yet, although it is entertaining and fun, it is not a very good source of historical information. It has a lot of the events and people, but they are extremely exaggeration to be comical and are very vague and brief with events. It exists with the sole purpose of being a light amusing historical lesson. There were many of historical events that did occur during that time that were portrayed in the film. A lot of them were an exaggeration, but truth-based. The most obvious event was the actual writing and signing of the Declaration of Independence. It was depicted accurately in that it was written by Thomas Jefferson and redrafted by John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. Regarding the signing, it was not signed by the entire Congress on July 4th 1776; most of the delegates signed next August. Also, the decision to open debate about independence is represented quite humorously. I doubt that everyone in Congress thought John Adams to be obnoxious and annoying; but then again, I also doubt that they randomly broke out into song and dance either! But, it did take awhile for John Adams to persuade the American colonies to support a resolution on independence. The characters in the film were true to their individual personalities to an extent in
Political Socialization
Dayana Joseph U.S. Government Victoria Hammond 6-14-10 A population's views on political issues may change as different circumstances occur each day. "Political socialization is the learning process by which people acquire their political opinions, beliefs, and values" (Patterson 201). The environment around us has a powerful influence on the decisions we produce and the views we choose to hold as American citizens. After attending the current lecture about public opinion and political socialization in U.S. Government, I began to ponder on my political views and ideologies. Political socialization takes place in every society, but it is done in a variety of ways. The most prominent agents of political socialization are family, religion, and race. Family plays a very important role in politically socializing me, especially in learning how to conduct my social behavior on a routine day. From the time I was an infant, my family started politically socializing me. One of the first steps of this was, potty training. When I was being potty trained I was taught that I cannot urinate anywhere like I used to when wearing a diaper. I was taught that the restroom is the socially acceptable place. Family also provided me with practical lessons of fundamental principles to use in a society other than my own. For example, washing my hands before I eat is a simple task that is done in
To what extend are rights and liberties better protected in theory than in practice in the United States?
To what extend are rights and liberties better protected in theory than in practice in the United States? When the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution and the bill of Rights in the late 18th century, they wanted to devise a system in which government would be limited. Civil rights are positive acts of government designed to protect people against discriminatory treatment while civil liberties are those liberties that guarantee the protection of persons and property from the arbitrary of government officials. The US government has certainly adapted to the changes that have taken place in US society, to which racial and ethnic minorities can look to safeguard their rights and liberties. The civil rights movement that grew out of the 1950s had seen the passage of constitutional amendments guaranteeing rights for African-Americans which helped removed the worst elements of racial discrimination in the North. However, laws in many states especially in the Deep South meant that these rights were not a reality for most blacks. The Supreme Court had perpetuate the segregated South with its doctrine of 'separate but equal' in its decision in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896). This meant that whether in schools, housing, job recruitment, public transport or leisure facilities, blacks were still 'separate but equal', indicating that separation of the races was fine which implies that
Richard Daley and other Mayors of Chicago.
Ashir Mirza 6/3/2012 Final Task Richard M Daley Richard M. Daley was elected to the mayor's office in 1989, before becoming mayor of Chicago, RMD was a state senator and county prosecutor. RMD was reelected in 1991, 1995, 1999 and 2003 with huge popularity. RMD was the fourth of seven children and the eldest son of the former Mayor Richard J. Daley. Being the son of one of the most famous and powerful mayors, his tenure as Chicago's mayor has not been so easy as some might imagine. His issues with the CHA break down and increasing issues with the black and Latino communities in Chicago have hurt his reputation in some ways but have also helped him gain momentum during his time as mayor. Mayor RMD had kept the ball rolling where his father left off before he passed away. RJD focused mostly on important national issues like civil rights after WWII and local issues like reviving the city. RMD had the same kind of focus but had higher increased focus on civic improvements of the city, like McCormick place and the overhaul of the school system in Chicago. RMD may not have the same type of national power to control presidential elections like his father, but his reign over Chicago was just as strong and demanding than his fathers. The democratic political machine that is Chicago is still in effect in different ways, RJD left the frame work for RMD to come into and make big
Fareed Zakarias Restoring the American Dream examines where America stands to today in the world, and how the country slipped from its number one ranking in all things
Fareed Zakaria's Restoring the American Fareed Zakaria's Restoring the American Dream examines where America stands to today in the world, and how the country slipped from its number one ranking in all things, and how it can be fixed and restored to the number one spot. America is considered indisputably number one by some key measures. America has the world's largest economy, military, scientific establishment, and the biggest technology companies. At the same time America is just as indisputably falling behind in many other key areas, America is falling behind other countries. In recent rankings. The United States is the fourth most competitive country in the world economically, and the fifth best country in which to run a business. Fareed also brings up the factor that America's enrollment rate for elementary school, ranks 79th in the world, and how only 12% of Americans graduates graduate college. America's 15-year-olds are ranked 19th in science and 24th in math; and how U.S. infrastructure ranks 23rd, and 41st in the world on infant mortality, 49th on life expectancy. The United States come in behind countries Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany, France, and Canada. In the U.S. over the last 25 years, the growth rate per person has not been the strongest. Although there are still places where the America is still number one. America is still number one in the number of
The American Revolution saw the birth of a nation dedicated to equality in opportunity, government by popular consent and individual rights. How true is this?
The presence or lack thereof, of proper rights of the individual, equal opportunity and government by popular consent following the American Revolution are heavily debated amongst historians. Undoubtedly, it is clear that not all were present in the new society, but it is impossible to deny the persistent strive to establish a fair and equal republic. Jefferson believed that equality was a gift of God through nature; it was a self-evident, natural right that society could neither give nor take away. Thus, it guaranteed all men perfect equality of human privilege (life), political and religious prerogatives (liberty), and personal opportunity (pursuit of happiness).The commonly coined phrase from the Declaration of Independence that “All men are created equal with certain unalienable rights, among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” was hardly true of America’s new society. Benjamin Franklin himself pointed out the hypocrisy in this passage on countless occasions, claiming the Declaration and the consequent system extended to only part of the human race. This was particularly evident in the Southern states of America, for example South Carolina, in which without the flourishing slave trade the economies would collapse and the states would inevitably fail. This, as one of many reasons is evidence for the lack of protected or provided rights of the
Do the strengths of the Constitution outweigh the weaknesses?
Do the strengths of the Constitution outweigh the weaknesses? The American Constitution was originally created by the founding fathers to protect the values of personal liberty and equality of opportunity, but just how effective is it as a codified set of rules that serve to balance the interests and powers of government against those of the people? Do any of its weaknesses compromise its role as higher law? One of the most commonly argued weaknesses of the constitution criticises the hindrance it has on government and quick, decisive action. The nature of the document's entrenchment is both its greatest strength and weakness, as any action taken by the government cannot be in conflict with the laws of the constitution, even if it acts in the interests of wider society. The slow process of amendment, and the substantial majority required in order to propose and ratify it, means that it fundamentally weakens the position of government and authority. It is a measured contrast to the UK political system for example, where no such codified or entrenched law exists, and therefore the system can act both unhindered and without great swathes of bureaucracy. But is this truly a weakness? The founding fathers purposefully created this document to prevent the power of government surpassing the liberty of the people; expediency may simply be the small price to pay for that. The
To what extent can Reagan's electoral victory in 1980 be put down to the rise of the new right?
To what extent can Reagan's electoral victory in 1980 be put down to the rise of the new right? 1980's America saw a boom in a new group of hard-line Christians; known as the 'new right', a powerful group of republican evangelicals set on restoring the American morals of old (with somewhat a very archaic mindset for example no equality for homosexuals etc.) This group took a very strong liking to Reagan and his strong Christian moral conservatism and thus earned him millions of votes in the election of 1980. Was Reagan's victory largely down to the rise of the new right? Or were there other more prominent factors, which lead to Reagan's victory? In 1980s America TV could be used as a powerful political tool, 67% of American's received 100% of all there news from the television, this clearly showing if televised speeches, debate and propaganda were used correctly it could be a direct, simple and powerful method to connect with the people- winning over the votes of millions of American's. Reagan executed all his televised appearances like a professional (he was an ex-Hollywood 'star' which definitely helped immensely,) 'he could read an autocue like a professional'. Also his personal traits were key - portraying himself as a 'physically attractive and charming man who was gracious and polite' this again helped him as all those were key and made Reagan a much more likeable
