To what extent was the alliance system responsible for the outbreak of World War One in 1914
To what extent was the alliance system responsible for the outbreak of World War One in 1914? In the Treaty of Versailles after World War One, the Triple Entente immediately placed blame on Germany's aggression and scheming tactics for the outbreak of war. However, over time, the causes behind the war began to become more obviously complex. One of the most commonly citied reasons is the alliance system. Prior to the war, the countries of Europe had formed complex alliances and, with their empirical statuses, this apparently created a chain that a single trigger (the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand) would set into inevitable motion. But how important was the pre-1914 alliance system in causing World War One? Firstly, we must come to understand exactly what the alliance system comprised of. Indeed, many of these 'alliances' were not really alliances at all, but mutual agreements in relation to trade or colonial territories. One of the most prominent and important alliances was that of Russia to Serbia. Russia had promised to protect the Serbian people and their rights. Austria-Hungary had control over areas where Balkan people were prominent, conflicting Russian policy and ultimately leading to war. Another vital alliance was that of Austria-Hungary and Germany. In July, 1914, Germany had given a Carte Blanche to Austria-Hungary, promising unconditional support in
Can the use of the First Past the Post electoral system be justified in a modern democracy?
Can the use of the First Past the Post electoral system be justified in a modern democracy? [50] The 'first past the post' electoral system is a simple majority system whereby the country is divided into single member constituencies and voters select a single candidate who only requires a simple plurality of votes to win the election. It is extremely difficult to define a modern democracy, but the core ideas would be that it allows the people to govern (in most cases through elected officials) and fair and equal representation for all. Thus, for the FPTP system to be justified it must meet this criteria, and whilst it does usually fulfil it's role of creating strong, single party government it unquestionably fails in encouraging participation and providing equal representation and therefore it is hard to justify. One of the main reasons why it can be seen as justified is the fact that it provides strong and single party government. The United Kingdom has always employed a first past the post system and for this reason there has only been six coalition governments in its history and only two since 1940. These consistently single party governments for many have been vital in allowing laws to be passed and that with a coalition government, very little would be able to passed. The theoretical argument is that single party government leads to strong government and this is what
The effect of drugs on the nervous system
The effect of drugs on the nervous system A drug is defined as a substance that, when absorbed into the body, alters a normal bodily function. Some are able to do this, as they are capable of producing an array of different effects on the nervous system. The reason why affecting the nervous system of an organism is potentially so significant is due to the nature of it. The fact the nervous system directs the functions of all the tissues of the body demonstrates its considerable role within the body. It can therefore be assumed that taking substances which affect how it works may lead to a distortion in the way your body is run, producing unsafe side effects. The term nervous system is actually used to describe two divisions. The central nervous system (CNS) is the part which contains the brain and spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system (PNS) however, consists of all the sensory neurones used to detect stimuli. The PNS receives thousands of sensory inputs and transmits them to the brain via the spinal cord. The brain will then process this information, discarding around 99% of it as unimportant. After this sensory information has been processed, areas of the nervous system generate nerve impulses to organs or tissue and form a suitable response. As influences from chemicals are able to affect how the nervous system functions, it can be assumed that chemicals such as
What Is Fibre Optics
WHAT IS FIBRE OPTICS? To put it simply, fibre optics is a technology whereby a signal like video, data or voice, is concentrated on a light beam and sent down a glass tube over large distances, with very little distortion and loss. The principles of fibre optics are simple and easy to understand. All of us have seen the "broken straw" effect in a glass of water. When light travels from air to a denser medium, like glass for example, the light slows down by a factor equal to the optical index of the material and this slow down in speed results in bending of the light. As shown in the example when we see an object from underwater, the object is not in the actual position as we think because light bends travelling from water to air. When this angle of entry is increased, there would come a stage when the light is reflected back into the same medium, as shown in ray 3. This angle is called the angle of Total Reflection. Fibre Optics uses this simple principle for transmission. The core of the fibre optics cable, which is made of glass, has a higher index of refraction than the index of the cladding, which covers this core. So when light is injected into the glass core at the correct angle, it will reflect back from the surface and continue doing this in its forward direction of travel. In other words the light cannot "escape" from the fibre. COMPONENTS OF A FIBRE OPTICS
Discuss research into stress-related illness and the immune system
Discuss research into stress-related illness and the immune system. The body's response to stress is said to have a relationship with the immune system, causing suppression. Riley conducted research to prove that stress had immunosuppressive effects on the body. He implanted cancer cells into mice, and divided them into two groups. The first group of mice were exposed to a high stress condition in which they were put on a rotating turntable for 10 minutes an hour for 3 days. The second group mice did not experience this high stress condition. Riley found that the cancer cells had developed into tumours in the 'stressed' mice and that their leucocyte levels were reduced, and that tumour growth had ceased in the 'non-stressed' group of mice. He concluded from the findings that stress was causing the immune system to function improperly and could therefore not control the tumour growth, and the reduced leucocyte levels also suggested a weakening of the immune system. In another study - Kiecolt-Glaser (1995) - further research and evidence was obtained to support the relationship between stress and suppressive effects on the immune system. They looked at chronic and naturally occurring stress in 13 female individuals, who had been caring for a relative with Alzheimer's disease for an average of 8 years. There was a control group for the experiment of 13 females matched to the
Database Coursework on a Vehicle Rental System: Analysis
Introduction I am a student starting my second year of A levels at a College of Further and Higher Education and one of these A levels is ICT. The A2 part of the ICT A level consists of three modules, one of which is coursework and it is worth 40% of my overall A2 grade. The coursework requires me to identify and conduct research into an open-ended problem that exists for a real end-user. From results of this preliminary research, I must design an appropriate ICT-based solution for the problem using the skills and knowledge that I have acquired throughout the duration of my course. After designing such a solution, I will develop the actual software to be used to address the problem along with the technical documentation. This software will then undergo extensive testing so that I may identify and correct any bugs that may be present within the system. Plans on how the system will be implemented will then be made, including any training the staff will need and how existing data will be transferred into the new system. Finally, the User Documentation will be produced and I will evaluate the system on a number of various criteria to see if it meets the requirements outlined at the analysis stage. Throughout the whole process, I will be using the skills and experience that I've acquired in the first year of the course (and what I will be learning this year) to incorporate a wide
Magistrates - Explain the role that magistrates play in the criminal justice system
Magistrates (a) Explain the role that magistrates play in the criminal justice system Magistrates are involved with many aspects of the criminal justice system and have lots of jobs to do. Criminal cases where the offence in summary or triable either way are heard by magistrates. Summary would be cases with minor offences such as speeding and drink driving, whilst triable either way are potentially more serious cases such as theft, burglary or ABH. Magistrates will listen to the case presented by the defence and prosecution, decide on the verdict and pass sentence. 3 magistrates will sit on every case. A magistrate has sentencing restrictions and can give a maximum of 6 months prison, £5000 fine or 240 hours community punishment order per offence. A clerk will sit in court with the magistrates and provide legal information for the lay magistrates. A clerk is a paid professional and must have 5 years experience of being a barrister or solicitor to get appointed. A clerk can give legal advice but can't be seen to influence the decision of the magistrates. In the case of R v Eccles a clerk was thought to have influenced the magistrates decision and a successful appeal was launched. All summary cases are heard by magistrates. A triable either way case can be heard in a magistrate's court or in the crown court if the offence is deemed too serious. A magistrate will conduct
What is DNA?
DNA DNA, otherwise known as deoxyribonucleic acid has changed our lives, including our perception of life, by both scientists and the average person. Science has developed dramatically due to the discovery of DNA. DNA was first discovered by the Swiss physician Friedrich Miescher and Gregor Mendel who, in 1869, discovered a microscopic substance in the pus of discarded surgical bandages. As it resided in the nuclei of cells, he called it "nuclein". In 1919 this discovery was followed by Phoebus Levene's identification of the base, sugar and phosphate nucleotide unit. Levene suggested that DNA consisted of a string of nucleotide units linked together through the phosphate groups. However, Levene thought the chain was short and the bases repeated in a fixed order. In 1937 William Astbury produced the first X-ray diffraction patterns that showed that DNA had a regular structure. In 1943, Oswald Theodore Avery discovered that traits of the "smooth" form of the Pneumococcus could be transferred to the "rough" form of the same bacteria by mixing killed "smooth" bacteria with the live "rough" form. Avery, along with coworkers Colin MacLeod and Maclyn McCarty, identified DNA as this transforming principle.DNA's role in heredity was confirmed in 1953, when Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase in the Hershey-Chase experiment showed that DNA is the genetic material of the T2 phage. In
To what extent was the Treaty of Versailles fair to Germany?
To what extent was the Treaty of Versailles fair to Germany? The Treaty of Versailles was created to cripple Germany so that they could not start another war. One side of the argument is that the Treaty was extremely unfair to Germany, as it took away some of her most valuable assets and fuelled nationalism. However, the other side of the argument is that as Germany caused a lot of damage, she deserved to be punished and prevented from stirring up more trouble. The military clause was the harshest and most damaging clause, and was greatly disapproved of by Germany. The size and power of the German army was one of her greatest assets. By restricting her to an army of only 100,000 volunteers, the Treaty left her defenceless and vulnerable. For such a large country, an army of 100,000 men was just big enough to keep order within Germany, but was not large enough to defend Germany from other invading powers. The army was a symbol of German pride and an important political source of nationalism. Having almost half of it taken away ruined Germany's Great Power status, and made her an easy target for other countries. In addition, the Rhineland became a demilitarised zone, meaning that Germany was open to attack by France. On the other hand, some groups believe that the military clause was fair, as it punished Germany as well as giving the smaller countries of Europe a chance to
To what extent is the oil crisis of 1973 a turning point in postwar economic development?
Chin Ying Lin Olivia (2) 6L 07/02/2010 To what extent can the oil crisis of 1973-4 be regarded as a turning point in the development of the international economy? The 1973 oil crisis was an event when the members of Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) proclaimed an oil embargo in response to the U.S. decision to re-supply the Israeli military during the Yom Kippur war and lasted until March 1974. In this essay, a "turning point" is defined to be a landmark- an event marking a unique or important historical change of course or one on which important developments depend. While acknowledging that the oil crisis certainly had dramatic and lasting impact on the development of the international economy: in terms of signifying the start of a worldwide shift in power away from the U.S for the first time, bringing about catastrophic repercussions on the international economy and also leading to the formation of the G-7 ; to regard it as a " turning point" would be an overstatement, due to the temporary nature of the crisis, as well as preceding events such as the collapse of the Bretton Woods System, and the continuity of dominance of the US in the global economy, albeit with lesser power than before the oil crisis. All these suggest otherwise: either that other events qualify more as a "turning point" than the oil crisis, or that there remained continuity of
