Did the Suez Crisis hasten the end of the British Empire?
Did the Suez Crisis hasten the end of the British Empire? The Suez crisis did not hasten the end of the British Empire; it was more of an effect rather than cause of decline. Carlton argues that since Britain only had an average sized population and the corresponding economic strength her overseas territories had caused her to overstretch and over-commit herself from the end of the First World War. Hence one can argue that retreat from empire and fall from her position as a global superpower to that of a medium global power by the 1980s was inevitable and unavoidable. 'Suez, on this view, was a rather dramatic hiccup in a generally well managed transition.'1 This is the point of view that I would agree with when considering the affect of the Suez crisis. However, one must also acknowledge that for some Suez did hasten the end of the British Empire and it was a watershed marking a significant change in direction in Britain's imperial foreign policy. This viewpoint must also be discussed and evaluated. Moving away from just focusing on the effects of Suez one must also discuss the other factors and causes of decolonisation, including the established nationalist, international and metropolitan explanations and how they were represented in the Suez crisis. Firstly I will look at the arguments supporting the opinion that Suez did hasten the end of the British Empire to which
How much credence should we give to Procopius' portrayal of the empress Theodora?
How much credence should we give to Procopius' portrayal of the empress Theodora? If we omit the chroniclers, there are hardly any sources for Theodora that are written without parti pris. The most important, Procopius of Caesarea, who is our only source for the lurid details of Theodora's early life, presented a different Theodora in each of his three works, the History of the Wars of Justinian in seven books to which an eighth was added later, the Anekdota or Secret History, to give it its popular name, an essay purportedly written immediately after the first seven books of the Wars were published and containing data which were too defamatory to circulate openly1, and the De Aedificiis or Buildings which is a panegyric on Justinian's building program throughout the empire. All these works were written or at least completed after Theodora's death in 5482. In the Wars, Procopius credits the regime's success at suppressing the 'Nika' revolt of 532 to Theodora's courage and imagines a splendid scene which may have some basis in fact, where she declares that she, at least, will not flee the capital city3. The Anekdota is full of scurrilous details about Theodora's early life as an actress and courtesan, and her intrigues at court. In the De Aedificiis, however, the picture is uniformly flattering. The emperor and empress shared a common piety4, he claims, and her loveliness was
The Italian policies of Frederick Barbarossa
The Italian policies of Frederick Barbarossa, German king and Holy Roman Emperor had a huge impact on medieval Germany during the 12th century. The question of ecclesiastical versus secular power broke out during the emperor's reign at a time when Germany was considered to be the strongest monarchy, having authority in Italy and the rest of the Roman Empire. The time was right at Frederick Barbarossa's accession in 1152 to restore imperial authority in Italy which had been in demise since the Investiture contest. However this goal threw the Holy Roman emperor into a conflict with the papacy, an obstacle that would prove too hard to overcome in order to achieve all that which the emperor thought was denied to him. However the Papacy also paid a price for holding Frederick in opposition. The Italian policies were far too extent and were finished incomplete. The emperor's Italian policies at which he aimed to retrieve from the papacy what he thought he was entitled to, were controversial but innovative. Frederick aimed, with the help of Chancellor Rainald of Dassel to reconstruct the Holy Roman Empire to return it to the glory days of Rome and exercise the authority that the Ottonian emperors had done.1This battle for land was in essence a way to increase his revenues so he could keep what power he had in Germany over his most influential vassals, something his imperial court
The development of scientific logic.
The Development of Scientific Logic The origins of science lie in the earliest civilizations, those of Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, India and Arabia. However, the school of thought which would undisputedly have the greatest influence on the development of modern science was that of Ancient Greece. The Greeks eventually broke with the mystical beliefs of their early development and came to focus on logic as the means of seeking truth. The theories of such great thinkers as Plato, Aristotle and Archimedes were to have enormous impact on the development of modern science. The earliest scientific theories were founded in philosophical and not empirical thought. In fact Plato, one of the most influential Greeks, asserted that the senses were deceitful and not to be trusted, and that only through pure reason could truths be uncovered. The modern scientific method was not to make its appearance for many centuries to come. The vast sources of Greek knowledge were preserved by the Romans when Greece fell to their rapidly expanding empire. Roman education was focused primarily on oratory, and politics, and less on the understanding of the natural world. Although the Romans made little contribution themselves, they produced Latin compilations of many Greek works, which the formed the sole source of knowledge for the scientists of the early Medieval Christian West. During the
"Explain the varying incidence of witch hunts in time and place across Europebetween 1500 and 1700".
Dean Miller History 2nd MA Semester 1 3. "Explain the varying incidence of witch hunts in time and place across Europe between 1500 and 1700". Matriculation Number: 02 203015 5 Tutor: Martine van Ittersum "Explain the varying incidence of witch hunts in time and place across Europe between 1500 and 1700". It has been estimated that during the period of 1500 to 1700 around nine million 'witches' were burnt at the stake throughout the European continent. The aim of this essay is to compare and contrast different time periods and specific areas of Europe between 1500 and 1700, and critically asses how the so-called witch-craze unravelled. From the period of 1500 to 1700 witches came to symbolize superstitious aspects of popular religion. Catholic and Protestant churchmen identified and persecuted witches as part of the campaign to acculturate the masses with 'acceptable' beliefs. Witch hunts peaked during the first half of the Seventeenth Century. In the south-western states of the Holy Roman Empire alone, it is estimated that more than 300 separate witch trials resulted in the execution of 2,500 people between 1570 and 1630, almost all women - in itself not surprising as church authorities and priests were all male. Theologians and judges sought to demonstrate that accused witches embodied the kingdom of the Devil. To some extent the Catholic Reformation wanted
Thucididies and Heroditus
"The historian's most important quality is accuracy". Discuss this view, with reference to any two historians in the classical period and explain how they contributed to history and if their work is reliable. Herodotus and Thucydides are two of the first historians that contributed greatly to historiography yet their styles of conveying and writing history are vastly different. Herodotus changed the way in which history was presented but it is mainly suggested that he was a great story teller and told facts. Yet, Thucydides is regarded as the Father or history as he went further, Thucydides did not merely attempt to retell history but went as far as to analysis sources and ask existential questions and hence he presented truth in history. Herodotus' methodology was a combination of "disciplined enquiry, based on research, observation, scepticism about information," and a "richness of storytelling". Herodotus broke away from the traditional written form for history which was epic poetry. He instead wrote in prose, "in what was then a relatively new literary form". He did this because he believed that "prose is more flexible." He believed that unlike poetry, prose allows for the entertainment of "all sorts of possibilities" and the playing "of stories one against the others" and as such he believed that prose supplied "freedom to historical writing". Herodotus in this
"Assess the differences and similarities between the tombs belonging to kings and those of their subjects".
"Assess the differences and similarities between the tombs belonging to kings and those of their subjects" To first assess the differences and similarities between the tombs of the pharaohs and those of their subjects, it is perhaps fitting to discuss why tombs were such a focal point of ancient Egyptian life. It was not uncommon to spend a good proportion of one's life preparing the place where you would be buried; the ancient Egyptians had relatively short life spans, and especially amongst women fatality rates were high. Thus it made sense to prepare one's tomb early on to avoid being caught out by death. The tomb was seen by all, king or peasant, as a home for eternity; life did not end with death. This is a very contrasting view to the one many of us hold today, which is why it is at first perhaps hard to grasp, but it was believed wholeheartedly that one passed into the afterlife after dying, where you would continue to live for evermore. A person was considered a split entity, comprising of at least three parts; the body, the soul and what was known as the ka, or the double. The ka was of grave importance, being considered as a spiritual being that was present at all times with a person. It was thought that a person's activities were actually those of one's ka, thus it was important to do that which would please the ka. This spiritual ghost remained in the tomb
"Debased Roman, yet Roman still": compare the roles of 'Romanitas' in two barbarian kingdoms - Ostrogoths in Italy and Merovingians in Gaul.
"Debased Roman, yet Roman still": compare the roles of 'Romanitas' in two barbarian kingdoms - Ostrogoths in Italy and Merovingians in Gaul Before the barbarian states established themselves as replacements to the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century, Germanic soldiers had served in the imperial army, rising in rank and even all the way to the Senate; thus they had a similar material culture to Romans, and apart from their names, one could argue, they were indistinguishable. This dates back as far as the mid fourth century, where the Frank, Bonitus, served under Constantine I. Such prominent soldiers were normally more than illiterate boors. Some were self-made, for instance Arbitio, who became Master of Cavalry under Constantius II, having begun his career as a mere soldier. Other barbarians transferred their military power into Rome. These examples indicate an ostensible absorption of barbarians into Roman society. The disappearance of 'us' and 'them' probably did occur before 476, especially in the army. Resultantly, many Germanic leaders became highly Romanised, and this was reflected in their respective societies after the fall of the Western Empire. The Germanic people never destroyed nor restored the Roman world- they just found a home for themselves within it. One emperor in the East however, was enough for them. Romanitas is a concept of wider emporium,
"Europeans were less interested by the New World than their Classical Heritage"
"Europeans were less interested by the New World than their Classical Heritage" The discovery of the Americas in 1492 was a massive challenge to the accepted notions of the world; a world which was still viewed by many in Ptolemaic terms, and laid claims against the accepted wisdom concerning geography, theology, history and the very nature of man. However, despite the momentous implications of a new land and, more importantly, its heathen peoples, there was an apparent slowness to take any real notice of the New World from within the Old World. This lag cannot be explained either by slow dissemination of the news, nor by a lack of understanding of the importance of the discovery. Peter Martyr wrote to the Count of Tendilla and the Archbishop of Grenada in September 1493 to spread the news, opening with the words "Raise your spirits... Hear about the new discovery!" He talked of the gold Columbus found as well as the important news of the men they found, who were naked yet fought with bows and staves; men who had kings competing for power and yet worshipped celestial bodies. The excitement of the initial news was tremendous, and this was reflected in the demand for literature concerning the new discovery. Columbus's first letter concerning his discovery was reprinted 9 times by the end of 1493 and at least 20 times by 1500. Montalboddo's voyages went into print 15 times by
THE RISE AND FALL OF PAGANISM
To what extent did Julian's paganism resemble pre-Constantinian pagan religious practice and how did it differ? What problems did pagans have with Julian's religious approach? THE RISE AND FALL OF PAGANISM A vital aspect of any civilization is their religion. Not only does it serve as a guide for communities on how to act and to live together, but it is also a central governing body of the community, often working side by side with the local government. In today's society Christianity is the most common and popular religion. It has also given rise to other religious groups such as Protestantism and Anglicanism. In ancient times, however, paganism was the standard of religion. According to the definition found in the Catholic encyclopaedia, Paganism, in the broadest sense includes all religions other than the true one revealed by God, and, in a narrower sense, all except Christianity, Judaism, and Mohammedanism. The term is also used as the equivalent of Polytheism (q.v.). It is derived from the Latin pagus, whence pagani (i.e. those who live in the country), a name given to the country folk who remained heathen after the cities had become Christian.1 Paganism can also be described as a religious practice that was formed from the merging of fragments of beliefs, rituals, superstitions and traditions of the ancient civilization. There is no one doctrine or central writing