'British failure at Gallipoli contributed to the collapse of Imperial Russia'.

'British failure at Gallipoli contributed to the collapse of Imperial Russia'. Gallipoli has previously been crudely blamed for the Russian Revolutions of 1917, like many critical events in history, there is always more than one event that triggers such action. This paper will examine the lead up to the battle of Gallipoli the main events that took place during this period, Britain's part in the Gallipoli operation, the impact and consequences of the decisions made by British military in charge. It will also look at its involvement and by the nature of its decisions whether Britain had a part to play in the aforementioned revolutions. Britain and France were fully aware the importance of staying neutral with Turkey, in the event of any hostilities. Both were greatly distressed when two days before the outbreak of the First World War, Turkey formed an alliance with Germany against Russia, although Turkey was not committed to any military action. Britain could predict the disastrous affects this would have on Britain as grain was transported from Russia through the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles, which was under the Turkish Ottoman Empire. It also hindered the export of military arms and supplies from Britain to Russia, the Ottoman Empire had a history of repressive rule under the Hamid family, when in1877 Sultan Mohammed V Hamid took over the rule from his brother he

  • Word count: 2322
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: History
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Why was fighting on the Western Front such a new and terrible experience for British Soldiers?

Why was fighting on the Western Front such a new and terrible experience for British Soldiers? World War One experienced two major frontiers that were being contested for- the Eastern and the Western. The Eastern was much longer than the latter, so lines were much easier to break there because soldiers were more dispersed and there were less of them in one area. The fighting was also more open and there were various forms of attack. Life in the Western Front was primarily harsher because of the constant risk of death and the foul conditions of the environment they were living in. The Western consisted of an ingenious system of trenches which stretched from the border of Switzerland to the coast of Belgium. They were well constructed and designed to give maximum protection and advantage. One clever factor used for both sides was digging them into a zigzag shape and not in a beeline direction to provide cover against the enemy if within sight of enemy guns. For the British and the French this was especially important because the Germans had built theirs on higher ground. All the trenches were interconnected and had specific duties. The Front line was the most dangerous because it was amid all the fighting and heavy fire. They were dug deep down to cancel out the enemy's better position for snipers and sentry turrets. There was a mass of barbed wire ahead which contributed

  • Word count: 2283
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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How effectively did Irish Catholic and nationalist leaders advance their cause in the years 1801-1921?

DAVID WHITEHEAD How effectively did Irish Catholic and nationalist leaders advance their cause in the years 1801-1921? The Act Of Union in 1800 meant there was no longer any Irish institution capable of advancing either an Irish nationalist or catholic cause. As a result the advancement of those causes depended on influencing the British Government directly. The catholic cause initially focused on securing emancipation for the catholic population and aimed to improve the lives and rights of Catholics throughout the period. The nationalist cause fought for greater Irish autonomy with full independence as its greater aim. In evaluating the effectiveness of the Irish leaders Daniel O'Connell, Charles Stuart Parnell and Eamon De Valera we need to focus on the achievement of their aims and their advancement of the respective causes. In this evaluation we will concentrate on their legislative changes, ability to mobilise the population and impact on Westminster. O'Connell's by-election victory at County Clare in 1828 re-ignited and concluded the debate within the British government over catholic emancipation. The Emancipation Act of 1829 was seen as a small concession when faced with the prospect of further, more violent catholic agitation. Though O'Connell deemed this a triumph its effect was as negative as it was positive depending on your financial wealth. The increase in

  • Word count: 2193
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Politics
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How much did Hitler's foreign policy owe to his predecessors?

How much did Hitler's foreign policy owe to his predecessors? Hitler claimed that his foreign policy was original; most of it having been written down in the also 'original' Mein Kampf, which included a huge mix of ideological hatred, that had mainly been written before in some kind during the previous 50 years. So it was with foreign policy. Although some elements were new, they were mostly because Hitler's predecessors had not had a chance to deal with them; they were results of the outcome of the First World War. These included lebensraum and pan Germanism, along with the desire to smash Communism and the idea of a racial war, including the destruction of the Jewish race worldwide. However, the most important idea was to crush the treaty of Versailles, something which Bismarck could not have envisaged, as he was dead before the war even started. However, Stresemann was interested in totally revising Versailles, although not going so far as ripping it up. There are also several ambiguous points, which featured before in German policy, but to which Hitler added a little of his own personal flavour. For example, the desire to expand into Russia was clear before even the war, and shown with the humiliating treaty of Brest-Litovsk, but no-one envisaged that Hitler would then try to use the Russians after annexing them as a slave labour force. Hitler perhaps owes a debt to the

  • Word count: 1750
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: History
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Why did Stalin sign the Nazi-Soviet Pact?

Why did Stalin sign the Nazi-Soviet Pact? On August 28th, 1939, the foreign minister of Nazi Germany, Joachim von Ribbentrop, and of the Soviet Union, Vyacheslav Molotov, signed in Moscow a Nazi-Soviet pact of nonaggression and neutrality, as a result of Hitler's efforts to ensure safe grounds in Eastern Europe. The agreement really guaranteed the Soviets Finland, Latvia, Estonia and the lands East of the line of Vistula, which divided Poland in between the two powers; the Nazis could conquer west from these lines, and neither power would judge one another's actions in their 'spheres of interest'. What was the real interest, however, of the Soviet leader , behind the signing of this pact, which rather guaranteed the proximity of another world war considering the terms under which it was signed? Why did Stalin overlook the communist policy and forge an alliance-like treaty with his nation's worst enemy and clearly an ideological counterpart? This essay will attempt to answer these questions and unveil the real motivations of Stalin's actions, much as most of his dictatorship's own foreign (and internal) policy. Stalin's first objectives- Throughout the first years of the 1930's it became clearly perceivable for Stalin's empire that the rise of Hitler was to be the largest threat to his empire. The anti-communist attitudes portrayed in 'Mein Kampf', as much of his

  • Word count: 1382
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: History
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Examine Guterson's Presentation Of Character & Setting In Chapters 1-7 Of 'Snow Falling On Cedars.' What Themes Seem To Be Emerging?

Examine Guterson's Presentation Of Character & Setting In Chapters 1-7 Of 'Snow Falling On Cedars.' What Themes Seem To Be Emerging? The opening of a novel is extremely important and the author must carefully consider exactly how he wishes to present the setting and characters to the reader. After all, first impressions are virtually impossible to reverse and are everlasting. Guterson has obviously taken this into account when writing the opening of 'snow falling on cedars.' He reveals enough information about the characters and setting to make them credible, but is careful not to bombard the reader with an excess of information. The setting is important in any novel but it is of particular significance in 'snow falling on cedars.' It is due to the location of the island that the hostility towards the Japanese is so prominent. The fact that San Piedro is small and a relatively close-knit community also magnifies the character's personalities and their interactions can be very closely scrutinized. Guterson spends a considerable amount of time describing the island and the town of Amity Harbour. He describes the town as an: 'Eccentric, rainy, wind-beaten sea village, downtrodden and mildewed.' The word 'eccentric' immediately grabs the reader's attention and it gives the town added appeal. Rather than just appear a run of the mill fishing village it appears to have an

  • Word count: 1858
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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What were the overall aims and consequences of Indira Gandhi's foreign policy towards the United States of America from 1966-1984?

What were the overall aims and consequences of Indira Gandhi's foreign policy towards the United States of America from 1966-1984? Introduction: Exploring the aims and consequences of Indira Gandhi's foreign policy in respect to the United States is a valid topic as it helps unravel the foundation of India's foreign policy that it still abides by at present. In addition, it gives greater insight into the South Asian region and the results of India's influence on the region. India was the "power" in South Asia during the time of a bi polar world, which saw the United States and Soviet Union as the great powers of the world. Examining the power in South Asia with one of the major powers in the world is interesting as it allows the comparison of the agenda's of these nations - one which is a major player in the world and effects every nation with one which is a growing influence in a particular region. This topic also has personal value to me as it is an opportunity for me to understand the foreign policy of my country and it's foundations. The years leading up to Indira Gandhi's time as Prime Minister saw her father, Nehru, in that position during which many crucial policies were formed and later implemented and carried through by Indira Gandhi. Nehru was the first Prime Minister of India after she gained its independence from the British in 1947. At the time when Indira

  • Word count: 3563
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: History
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Por qu no cay Madrid como habananticipado los Nacionalistas?

¿Por qué no cayó Madrid como habían anticipado los Nacionalistas? La guerra civil en España comenzó en julio de 1936 y terminó en abril de 1939. Hay quien dice que fue una lucha entre "fascismo y libertad" (los nacionalistas y los republicanos). La elección del gobierno del Frente Popular causa una rebelión de muchos civiles. Los rebeldes esperaron ganar control inmediato de Madrid y todas las otras ciudades importantes de España. Sin embargo fracasaron en Barcelona y Madrid así que la guerra civil continuó. El primero bombardeo en Madrid comenzó el 28 de agosto de 1936 y Madrid resistió para tres años. Creo que en algunos casos debe a suerte, sin embargo, hay señales de debilidades de los nacionalistas y fuerzas de los republicanos. Al comienzo de la guerra, la fuerza militar de los nacionalistas les daba la sartén por el mango. Por el fin de 1936, el servicio militar controló cincuenta por ciento de España. Madrid no puede que prepara tan bien para el ataque si los nacionalistas no lo demoraron. En Septiembre los nacionalistas acercaran Madrid y estaban una amenaza grave; Madrid no habría podido resistir a este ejército grande. Los nacionalistas tuvieron que relevar su guarnición de cárcel. Así que, la ciudad tuvo la oportunidad para preparar y las brigadas internacionales entraron en Madrid. Cuando el ejército de los nacionalistas habían vuelto

  • Word count: 1434
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Modern Foreign Languages
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"Poetry can bring to life experiences and ideas which are otherwise difficult for us to understand what is your response to this view?"

Q. "Poetry can bring to life experiences and ideas which are otherwise difficult for us to understand what is your response to this view?" My personal response of poetry being the "subject and formulae", for individuals helping them to understand complicated life matters, which are difficult for us to understand is shown by comparing the two poems 'London' by William Blake and 'Prayer before birth' by Louis MacNeice. We can begin to comprehend the authors individual thoughts and feelings by analysing them through our own interpretation of language, form and structure of the poem. "Prayer before birth" is written in 1944 which is at the end of the second world war. This poem reflects the innocence of a child in the mothers womb being brought into a world of experience and temptation. It is quite ironic to have a an unborn baby "knowing" of the outside world and experiences as of yet not being born. But MacNeice uses clever imagery "...Let not the bloodsucking bat or the rat or the stoat or the club - footed ghoul come near me." This gives us more of an image of how both innocence and experience differ from one another. This poem is a prayer which is to protect the innocence of the unborn child - to nurture them constructively against the pressures they might experience in the twentieth century. The way that MacNeice has constructed the poem is by conologically going

  • Word count: 1120
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Why were the civil rights protests across the USA effective in the years 1945-1968 and less effective thereafter?

Why were the Civil Rights protests across the USA effective in the years 1945-1968 and less effective thereafter? There were many examples of how the protests were successful such as the Brown vs. Board of Education case and the events at Birmingham. There were also many factors that lead to making these events successful. However they did become less so, as Watts Riots and the happening in Chicago prove. Martin Luther King Jr was one of the key factors to the success the Civil Rights movement achieved. He was a great leader and had an ideology of non violence and confrontation that worked. He was lucky enough to come from a wealthy middle class family, whose name was well established in Atlanta, and to have had a good education. He was a smart student, who skipped two grads before entering an Ivy League college at the age of 15. He was class valedictorian with an A average. His home environment was full of love and dreams, where they had strong values which showed a sense of self worth. Through the upbringing that he had, he adopted an ideology of how black and white people would live together as equals. He wanted to gain self respect, high moral standards, hard work and leadership among the people. He also believed in going through the legislative process to make changes and although he knew it would take time, he was looking to the future, and at the long-term effects of

  • Word count: 1885
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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