"A Medieval Society Existing in a 19th Century World"- How Accurate is This Statement With Reference to Russia by 1855?
"A Medieval Society Existing in a 19th Century World"- How Accurate is This Statement With Reference to Russia by 1855? During the 19th Century, Russia was often viewed as being 'behind' other European countries in the world of technology and through it's rather harsh Capitalist government ruled by the Tsar, a tradition which had lasted for centuries. At this time there were many areas of Russian society which were old fashioned in comparison to other countries, for instance serfdom, popular during the dark ages, was long since abolished in most other European countries, yet it was ongoing in Russia. However it is wrong to say that Russia was not developing, as it was, just at a much slower pace than the rest of Europe. Economically, Russia was definitely developing, but much slower than the rest of Europe. In the early 19th Century there was significant progress in Russia's cotton industry which developed rapidly due to the use of modern technology imported from England. The Napoleonic Wars managed to help protect the Russian cotton industry from English competition and further high tariffs were put up in 1822. After 1815 cheap spinning machines and yarn were available from England which helped boost the Russian cotton industry further. The cotton industry was also relatively new which meant it suffered less from the usual restrictions, and by 1850 Russia had the 5th
To what extent did a new concept of
To what extent did a new concept of Europe emerge during the Renaissance? The Renaissance, French for "rebirth," describes the intellectual and economic changes that occurred in Europe from the fourteenth through the sixteenth centuries. During the Renaissance era, Europe emerged from the economic instability of the Middle Ages and experienced a time of financial growth. Jacob Burckhardt has described in his book, 'The Civilization of the Renaissance', the age of Renaissance as 'man becoming a spiritual individual'. This to some extent is true as, the Renaissance was an age in which artistic, social, scientific, and political thought turned in new directions and man did evolve as an individual. The Renaissance era was drastically different from the Middle Ages. During the Middle Ages the church held most of the power and its economy was agriculturally based. Exploration and learning was almost put to a stop. One reason for the relative decline in the church's centrality was the rapid growth in lay literacy. The clergy no longer enjoyed a monopoly of learning. While the vast majority of the European population remained illiterate, the upper classes and many of the bourgeoisie could now read. And they had much more to read, because Gutenberg's invention of movable type had begun the world's first communication revolution. Perhaps of greatest importance was that
describe the cultural landscapes created by neolithic farming communities in ireland with reference to Aalens model of cultural landscape formation
The purpose of this essay is to describe the cultural landscapes created by Neolithic farming communities in Ireland with reference to Aalen's model of cultural landscape formation. In order to do so it is important to understand the following terms, Neolithic and landscape. The word Neolithic generally refers to a period in time around 4000-2000BC, also known as the New Stone Age with 'neo' meaning new and 'lithic' meaning stone. During this period the Irish landscape was altered greatly with the onset of agriculture and the domestication of animals. The Neolithic period brought with it the first major human intervention into the then densely wooded landscape. Migrant men and women became Ireland's very first farmers who cultivated the soil and constructed mighty burial tombs. The Neolithic era is a period were the Irish landscape saw the introduction of agriculture but also the continuing of hunting and gathering as a means of obtaining food.1 The landscape can be simply defined as an extensive area of rural scenery that can be looked upon from one single viewpoint. According to Cooney the concept of landscape "is a useful way to look at the linkages between the different aspects of material culture and changes that occur through time and space".2 The landscape can be looked upon as a place that is altered by both animals and humans and includes physical elements such as
The Black Death
The Black Death in the Middle Ages killed millions. Its symptoms were painful, unpleasant swelling under the arm. Sometimes blood oozed out of the neck, armpits and groins. Also the sufferer may develop a high fever and would probably die in the next forty-eight hours or so. Medieval medicine or charms etc normally did not work. Some Priests led wiping processions as they believed?that the plague was caused by god as a way of punishing them. They believed that by punishing them the plague might bypass them; obviously this was all nonsense. More practical methods were herb scented vinegar which having said medieval cures were useless this one did have some affect as it contained powerful antiseptic. The Black Death was probably a mixture of the bubonic plague and bacteria infection- that's what the scientists say anyway. This however in the Middle Ages was a completely different case. Some people thought the plague was a natural disaster. Fear of death was almost everywhere including the more powerful ones i.e. kings and queens. Other people thought the plague was a punishment from god so gave plenty of money to bulid statues, crosses and new church buildings. The plague arrived in Europe in 1347 and spread westwards. Its was caused when a flee bit an infected rat, it sucked its blood which was infected and then bit a human- therefore transferring the inflected blood onto the
Were late Medieval and early Modern Europeans obsessed with death?
Were late Medieval and early Modern Europeans obsessed with death? Between the 14th Century and the 17th Century, Europeans were surrounded by factors that resulted in high mortality rates. These included such factors as the environment and pandemics. Due to the daily eventfulness of death in these times complex ideologies were created and evolved to give explanation to an otherwise awful natural process. Such explanations included the wrath of God or the supernatural malicious force of witchcraft, which were not only widespread, but long lasting. These ideas were greatly affected by the church's influence. We can see how influential the church was at this time by the evolution of the cult of Purgatory and how by controlling the people's thoughts of the afterlife the church had control over the whole cross-section of society. As well as being controlled by the fear of what lay ahead for the soul, we shall look at the just as feared aspect of physical death. This essay will take these different aspects into account, and we shall see if the people of Europe were obsessed with death, or rather that it seems so from our modern day perspective. The environment had a major impact on the population in the 14th Century, as the people of Europe saw a severe downturn in the climate manifested in a long run of short wet summers and long cold winters. This was caused by freak sunspot
You Have Been Transported Back To 1666. How would you use your biological knowledge?
'YOU HAVE BEEN TRANSPORTED BACK TO 1666.' HOW WOULD YOU PUT YOUR BIOLOGICAL KNOWLEGDE TO USE? In 1666, the Great fire of London occurred, causing the plaque that killed 100,000 people to end which was therefore seen as a 'blessing in disguise.' Ancients had no inkling to the true cause of their misery. So what were their abilities enabling them to look after themselves in such difficult times without the support of modern facilities and services? Also, Robert Hooke opened up a hitherto invisible universe to the public as well playing a major role in raising London from the ashes of 1666. In hindsight from the modern day, is there any remedial action that would have been more effective than that taken in 1666? Would it have been possible to come up with a better solution within the time frame? These are the questions that are to be addressed in this essay with regard to the information that is known today. Plague is caused by Pasteurella pestis (now known as Yersinia pestis) and is primarily a zoonotic disease however; humans can be infected if the flea (Xenopsylla cheopis) that has, previously, feasted on infected animals bits them. There are three human types of the disease: bubonic, whereby the flea deposits the bacilli into the lymphatic system and 'buboes' form (enlarged, inflamed and painful swellings in the lymph glands of the groin armpits or neck);
How did the martyr's body become an emblem of triumph for early Christian communities
How and why did the martyr's body become an emblem of triumph for early Christian communities? The act of martyrdom represented a complete rejection of the physical body and absolute faith in Jesus Christ and survival after death. After the horrendous physical pain the body endured, leaving it torn apart, indistinguishable and even digested by wild animals the body left a representation of the possibility of resurrection, symbolising the dualistic belief in the separation of body and spirit. In particular the seemingly suicidal gesture of martyrdom pointed to the existence of a greater reality beyond the physical realm of the body and the bravery and courage of the martyr in giving up ones life strengthened the absolute faith that escape from the shackle of the body was something desirable. The rejection of components of the physical world including ones family and children as well as the confidence in facing the humiliation, terror and agony of death in the public arena instilled a sense of confidence in followers in belief in a perfect physical existence which was reward for faith in God after death. A great deal of early Christian belief involved aspects of asceticism for which the act of martyrdom was the ultimate statement, giving a sense of victory over the temptations which anchored the body in the physical world away from the truth of God. The body of the martyr was
The Information Revolution
The Information Revolution The truly revolutionary impact of the Information Revolution is just beginning to be felt. But it is not "information" that fuels this impact. It is not "artificial intelligence." It is not the effect of computers and data processing on decision-making, policymaking, or strategy. It is something that practically no one foresaw or even talked about ten or fifteen years ago, e-commerce - that is, the explosive emergence of the Internet as a major, perhaps eventually the major, world wide distribution tool for goods, for services, and for professional jobs. This is profoundly changing economies, markets, and industry; products and services and their flow; consumer segmentation, consumer values, and consumer behaviour; jobs and labour markets. But the impact may be even greater on societies and politics and, above all, on the way we see the world and ourselves in it. At the same time, new and unexpected industries will no doubt emerge, One is already here, biotechnology. It is likely that other new technologies will appear suddenly, leading to major new industries, it is impossible even to guess what kind. But it is highly probable, indeed, nearly certain that they will emerge, and fairly soon. And it is also nearly certain that few of them, and few industries based on them, will come out of computers and information technology. Like biotechnology,
Role of the Scholar-Gentry and Eunuchs in Imperial China
History 141: Traditional China and Japan Student: Christie Blake Student Number: 220027199 Coordinator: Dr Paul Healy Title: 'Role of the Scholar-Gentry and Eunuchs in Imperial China' (Assignment 1) Word Count: 1901 words Pages: 7 Christie Blake Page 1 Imperial China was a civilization of cycles that repeated throughout its historical course. The theme of unity, disunity, and unity was felt through each successive dynasty and played a major part in the changeover of dynastic families. Two groups in society were at the core of the dissent that almost always accompanied the downfall of each successive dynasty- the scholar-gentry and thee eunuchs. Their inability to see eye to eye defined many periods in Chinese history, two such eras being the Han dynasty and the Ming dynasty. What then were the roles of the two societal groups that had such control over Imperial Chinese civilization? The scholar-gentry had its beginnings in the gentry class, families with great wealth. As the Chinese became gradually more focused on scholarship, openings for men with education became apparent. Civil service exams were established and the men who passed these rigorous tests became members of the new scholar-gentry class. Most of the class originated from wealthy landowners who could afford to allow
What can historians learn from Charles VII's letter to bishops in France after the fall of Cherbourg?
A200 Exploring HistoryTMA 1 Kris Ross-Osborne A9372959 PART 1 Read Anthology Document 1.7, ‘CharlesVII institutes a commemoration of the fall of Cherbourg and recovery of Normandy’ What can historians learn from this document about the reconquest of Normandy by Charles VII and his supporters? The Anthology Document ‘Charles VII institutes a commemoration of the fall of Cherbourg and recovery of Normandy’ was written by or on behalf of Charles VII to the Bishops of all the major cities in France. The letter was to announce Charles VII intentions to celebrate the successes of his army at Cherbourg and the subsequent recovery of the duchy of Normandy from the English. In his letter Charles VII is thanking God for his armies successes and in order to do this he is requesting or announcing that a celebration take place in October of the same year and then annually on 12th August in order to commemorate the return of the French lands of Normandy. Furthermore Charles VII asks that the church solemnise the date of 12th August in their records so God would be pleased and “so that this event will not be forgotten in the future” (Anthology, 2007, page 23). It is important to note the date of this letter as it is dated 30th August 1450, just mere weeks after the fall of Cherbourg and Normandy from English control. This adds context to the letter and historians can
