To what extent was Custer to blame for the defeat at the battle of Little Bighorn and to what extent was it due to circumstances outside of his control?

To what extent was Custer to blame for the defeat at the battle of Little Bighorn and to what extent was it due to circumstances outside of his control? In this essay I shall be writing and explaining about the defeat at the battle of Little Bighorn. I will be writing about why the battle began in the first place. How it could have been prevented. And who was to blame for the defeat. I will also be examining why Custer decided to attempt to conquer the Sioux nation by himself, his attitude and ambitions and his personality. His background, his confidence, the battle itself and the reasons why he failed are also factors I will be exploring. As well I will be writing about why 'mistakes were made'. General George Armstrong Custer was born and bred in the small town of Munroe in Michigan. His father was a blacksmith, but he himself wanted to become a lawyer. However, because he came from a modesty family that could support his law school tuition he decided to attend West Point Military Academy as the other poor boys did. Custer did not desire for a military career, but he thought that after this he would have the education to become a lawyer. At West Point, Custer graduated thirty-fourth out of a class of thirty four. This definitely showed that Custer's heart was not in Military-at the time. But this did not justify what his career would be. He was poor academically but

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Why was Hitler able to become chancellor of Germany in 1933?

Why was Hitler able to become chancellor of Germany in 1933? On 30th January 1933, Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany and Von Papen descended himself to a vice-chancellor position. There was political scheming between the leaders which allowed Hitler to become chancellor. There were factors that helped the Nazis and Hitler to gain recognition and come to power. Some factors were long-term reasons such as the Treaty of Versailles which indirectly helped Hitler to become chancellor because the Weimar Government could not cope with the reparations payments. The weaknesses of the Weimar Republic is another long term reason playing a huge part giving the Nazis opportunities to take action and persuading people to vote for them. Some were short term factors such as the Wall Street Crash which led to a depression. This essay will look at how Hitler achieved his chancellor ship. Germany was never governed by a strong leader who kept serious issues under control. The three main leaders Ebert, Hindenburg, and Stresemann all had problems. Ebert could not deliver his promises because he had to form coalitions and had to agree with the people who joined. Hindenburg was not a good politician; he was 84 years old and was controlled by army leaders and business men. The best leader was Stresemann who was respected within and outside Germany. He died, however, before having a

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Was Nicholas II responsible for his own downfall?

Was Nicholas II responsible for his own downfall? Nicholas II acted as an autocratic monarch rather than a constitutional leader, and this was a factor in his eventual downfall and abdication. Other factors included, him leaving Russia in the incapable hand of his wife, Alexandra, who herself was greatly influenced by Rasputin. The 'Holy Man' Rasputin was becoming more and more popular with Alexandra for helping their only son, Alexis's with his haemophilia, and his strange but powerful brand of spirituality certainly affected both Alexandra and Nicholas. It could be argued that Nicholas was himself responsible for allowing the power of Rasputin to extend so far and to influence his political decisions. Historians are in agreement that Nicholas lacked the necessary skills and qualities to rule a rapidly changing country. There were however factors outside of Nicholas' control, including his son's illness, that he could not be held directly responsible for. Indeed Russia was a huge country which was very hard to govern even for the most competent Tsar. One of the first factors which Nicholas was responsible for was his weak character and the fact that he allowed Alexandra to be so dominant. She encouraged him to hold on to his absolute power when a change in his style of leadership may have been a more politically useful tactic. A very significant contributing

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Why Were The British Troops Sent Into Northern Ireland In 1969?

Why Were The British Troops Sent Into Northern Ireland In 1969? The violent events of 1969 started mainly because of the Civil Rights marches (which started in 1968), that often ended up in violence, one particular event was at Burntollet Bridge on a march from Belfast to Londonderry. The Catholics were fed up of being treated badly by the Protestants and having unfair rights. Due to the violent events the Republic's Prime Minister, Jack Lynch, threatened to send troops into Northern Ireland to stop the violence. But the British saw this as an invasion of part of their country, so they decided to send in their own troops to control the violence. This measure can be linked back to some long-term courses, as well as some more recent causes. A combination of these causes led to the violent events of 1969 and then to the British troops being sent into Northern Ireland. In 1916 the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) took over the General Post Office (GPO) in Dublin. This event was led be Padraig Pearce, and James Connolly, they decided that they no longer wanted to be ruled by the British and wanted Ireland to become its own nation. British troops quickly suppressed the rebels and gained control again. This event became known as the Easter Rising. It was a major turning point in Irish history, even though it failed, as it gathered more support for Home Rule, partly because of how

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Describe the way of life of the Lakota (Sioux) and Cheyenne Indians before the arrival of the whites.

The Indian's way of Life Describe the way of life of the Lakota (Sioux) and Cheyenne Indians before the arrival of the whites. In historic times the Indians lived the broad expanse of Americas heartland between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains, and from the Saskatchewan River Basin in Canada to Central Texas. Both their culture and history lent themselves to the works of writers and dramatists who romantised the hard riding buffalo hunters and warriors that is the image many of us have of the American Indians today. There were two main sub cultures existing in different parts of the area. The first was the agricultural tribes that lived along the Eastern Plains. The were known as farmers due to the area being covered in grass making it ideal land to grow their own food. The second sub culture being the Western Plains Indians. They were nomadic and they relied entirely on the products of the buffalo. There were many different tribes of Indians, each having their own language, customs and their own individual grounds. Some of the best known tribes being Sioux, Cheyenne, Arapahos, Nez Perces, Comanche's and Apaches. When invaded by the whites fighting broke out, as they wanted to claim the land the Indians were living on. Obviously they resisted, The Sioux and Cheyenne were the first who fought the fiercest to keep the land. The Sioux Indians were the most

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Was Hitler a Totalitarian Dictator?

Was Hitler a Totalitarian Dictator? A Totalitarian is a dictator which controls all the aspects of their citizens lives. In practice the term is often is used to describe a political situation where a small group of people, or one organization, has total authority over a nation. In Hitler's Germany there were many characteristics of a Totalitarian state and a Totalitarian Dictatorship. The Government ran and censored the media. All forms of communication were liable to interference from above and could, and were, heavily censored. This removes freedom of speech, therefore enabling the government to influence popular opinion via propaganda and false news messages. The Age of Anxiety, the age of the lost generation, was also an age in which modern Fascism and Totalitarianism made their appearance on the historical stage. Before examining if Hitler established a totalitarian dictatorship, it is necessary to look at how Hitler, once in power, established a dictatorship. In my essay I will be examining three different methods of control, one how Hitler manipulated the law, two how Hitler used terror and three how Hitler used propaganda and persuasion. Hitler used the law to his own advantage throughout his quest to become the Fuhrer and when he eventually became the Fuhrer. Hitler removed his opposition through the Enabling Act. The Enabling Act gave Hitler the power to

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The NAACP was the organisation that achieved most for African Americans during the 20th century. Do you agree?

THE NAACP WAS THE ORGANISATION THAT ACHIEVED MOST FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS DURING THE 20TH CENTURY. DO YOU AGREE? DANIEL BIMPSON 13-8 To assess this statement; it is useful to look at achievements for African Americans in terms of separate factors. Perhaps the most obvious example of African-American disenfranchisement was economic inequality. As well as there being virtually no blacks in the highest paid jobs, black unemployment was high, and those with jobs usually found themselves being paid less money than whites for the same work. In this area, the NAACP, however, could actually claim to have achieved very little; its greatest achievement here probably being the "Freedom Schools" that were established as part of the "Freedom Summer" campaign. Along with a curriculum that included things such as black history and the philosophy of civil rights, it gave young African Americans job training, improving their employability and hence, it was hoped, their economic position. However, the NAACP can only take partial credit for the program as it was a joint venture with the SNCC & CORE, and was only based in Mississippi. However, this was arguably the greatest economic achievement of CORE & the SNCC also. Those groups who did make advancements had a variety of serious limitations: for example, the UNIA, under the leadership of Marcus Garvey, founded a number of black enterprises-

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To what extend do you agree with Rhodes view that the British Empire was beneficial to both Britain and the colonies?

This term in history we have been learning about the British Empire and what impacts the British Empire had on the countries they conquered and on the world itself. The British Empire was the largest Empire in history and for a period of time it was the world's globally strongest countries. By 1921 the British Empire was in command of a population of about 458 million people roughly one quarter of the world's population. The land that Britain had conquered covered about a quarter of the earth's surface area (14.2 million squares miles. The legacy that is the British Empire is well known throughout the world; at the peak of its power, people often said" The sun never sets on the British Empire, "As the sun will always be shining on one of Britain's colonies all over the world." However people had many different interpretations on the empire some say they were positive some say negative. There is evidence to support Cecil's Rhodes view the empire was beneficial for both sides. However there is more persuasive evidence that the empire had negative effects. Furthermore if considering why each gave the interpretations that they did , it is obvious that Cecil's Rhodes interpretation is particularly unreliable .In this essay I will be examine different interpretations on the British Empire to answer the following question "To what extend do you agree with Rhode's view that the

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Ireland and World War 1

Ireland and World War 1 By 1912 different Irish groups were still fighting over the matter of Home Rule. Unionists, lead by Edward Carson and James Craig, wanted to stay loyal to Britain and remain under British rule, they said that if Home Rule did come about, that Ulster should be treated separately. John Redmond, leader of the Irish Nationalists, wanted some power given to Ireland but they said that they would still remain loyal to Britain and the monarchy. Padraig Pearse and the IRB (Irish Republican Brotherhood), who were Irish Republicans, wanted more than Home Rule, they wanted total separation from Britain and they wanted a free Ireland. In Westminster, Conservatives (supported by Unionists) and Liberals (supported by Nationalists) were fighting over the Third Home Rule Bill in 1912, Herbert Asquith (leader of the Liberals) who was Prime Minister at the time, was in favour of Home Rule because he needed the support of Redmond and the Home Rule Party or the IPP (Irish Parliamentary Party). But the Home Rule Bill was never passed because Conservatives took power (with Bonar Law) and they were opposed to Home Rule. With both, Unionists and Nationalists, having militant organisations (the UVF & Irish Volunteers), the race for arming was frantic in Larne and Howth. Ireland was heading towards a civil war between Ulster Unionists and Irish Nationalists/Republicans BUT

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Describe the problems of living in a newly set up town in the West.

Describe the problems of living in a newly set up town in the West. There were many problems from living in newly set up towns in the American West. As these towns nearly 'sprang up' over night many problems were caused, as there was no time for the normal systems to be developed. Each type of town - the mining and cow towns had different problems. These problems were caused, partly, because of the speed, which these towns grew up. This caused disruption of systems, which had developed in the east. Systems needed to be speedily set up to prevent law and order problems. As did systems for water supply, sewage and sanitation. An example of disease spreading is when in Virginia City (Montana), 1864 during fall and early winter there was typhoid fever. Some people fell ill but there were no deaths. Shelter needed to be put into place of a reasonable standard because of the climate. Houses had to be put up quickly -they were mainly wooden. However building houses from wood caused problems of fire. In Virginia City (Nevada) November 1875 no rain had fallen for 6 months "loose horses from the stables were dashing madly to and fro seeking to escape, with hair burned from their backs." It was necessary to appoint town marshals to help keep the law and order. These town marshals often caused as many problems as they solved because they were often renowned gun-fighters.

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