Marxist Political Thought.
Josh Golladay Essay #3 Marxist Political Thought Gramsci and Lenin both had conceptions of the domination that is inherent in pre-capitalism and capitalist societies, the prospects for socialist revolution, and the roles of intellectuals and unions in that revolution. They both foresaw the same ultimate goal, being the utopian "paradise of workers" that is a socialist or communist society. However, Gramsci and Lenin differed in many ways in their views regarding the path and means by which the proletariat would overthrow capitalist society. Gramsci's method was more peaceful and gradual, but Lenin called for an immediate, violent rebellion. They also held very different views on the role of intellectuals, unions, and parties in society. Antonio Gramsci, through his ideas of hegemony, explains the social and political domination that exists in pre-capitalist and capitalist societies. It explains the perseverance of the capitalist mode of production. It expands on the idea that social and political domination by the ruling class is obtained by controlling this mode of production. Gramsci believes that the ruling class must also have hegemony to preserve capitalism, and therefore, their dominance. This concept of hegemony is essentially the consent of the proletariat and lower classes to be dominated and ruled by those in the bourgeoisie. This consent is achieved by
The French Revolution
The French Revolution The French Revolution brought about great changes in the society and government of France. The revolution, which lasted from 1789 to 1799, also had far-reaching effects on the rest of Europe. It introduced democratic ideals to France but did not make the nation a democracy. However, it ended supreme rule by French kings and strengthened the middle class. After the revolution began, no European kings, nobles, or other privileged groups could ever again take their powers for granted or ignore the ideals of liberty and equality. The revolution began with a government financial crisis but quickly became a movement of reform and violent change. In one of the early events, a crowd in Paris captured the Bastille, a royal fortress and prison, which had become a symbol of oppression. A series of elected legislatures then took control of the government. King Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, were executed. Thousands of others met the same fate in a period called the Reign of Terror. The revolution ended when Napoleon Bonaparte, a French general, took over the government. Background. Various social, political, and economic conditions led to the revolution in France. These conditions included much dissatisfaction among the lower and middle classes, interest in new ideas about government, and financial problems caused by the costs of wars. Legal
the french revolution
To what extent could Louis XVI is blamed for the French revolution? Louis XVI (23 August 1754-21 January 1793) was King of France and Navarre from 1774 until 1791, and then King of the French from 1791 to 1792. Suspended and arrested during the Insurrection of the 10th of August 1792, he was tried by the National Convention, found guilty of treason, and executed on 21 January 1793. His execution signaled the end of the absolutist monarchy in France and would eventually bring about the rise of Napoleon. There are conflicting views about his conviction. Not only is it believed that he was guilty and deserved to be guillotined in front of a cheering crowd on 21 January 1793, but a divergent view is held, outlining how his intentions were good but the circumstances were. But to what extent was Louis XVI really to blame? One of his disadvantages was his age when he became king as he ascended the throne at the age of twenty; he was of average intelligence, but was not overly concerned with the running of the country. He was known for his love of reading English, a language he taught himself to be able to keep informed on the history, culture and politics of England. Though his mother especially disliked his hobby, it was common for him to understand the current affairs of England more than his foreign minister and because of his love for oceanography; he was also well informed on
The French Revolution.
The French Revolution The French Revolution was based mostly on the Third Estate's desire to obtain liberty and equality. France's social system was set up in such a way that it was only a matter of time before a revolution took place. The economic classes of France were set in three estates. The first estate was the church, or clergy, the second estate was the nobles, and the third estate consisted of peasants and the uneducated. France's economic system allowed for the highest taxation of the third estate while the clergy members were exempt from taxes, and the nobles paid little or no taxes at all. People who are starving and can barely afford to survive can only pay so much before they refuse to pay anymore. It is not suprising that the third estate was driven to immediate action with Louis XVI's demand for higher taxes. Ideas of liberty and equality sprang up with the onset of the American Revolution and paved a way for the third estate to change France's system of government. Philosophes such as Voltaire spread ideas of reform that excited the peasants to believe there was a chance for a better life. Along with the social causes of the revolution, economic and political events brought about the desire for change as well. Economic conditions such as poor harvests made the price of food rise to such high prices that half a worker's wages were spent on trying to feed the
Jessica Cullimore
Jessica Cullimore Week 1, Hilary 2005 How Greek and how Roman is Terence's Adelphoe? Terence, like one of the other main dramatists of the Roman era Plautus, could be considered by many in the modern world as merely being a translator, who took great liberties with the works which he chose to translate; however, his usage of original Greek theatre is far deeper than merely translation. Terence's additional creativity towards the works of the ancient Greeks, which he set out to re-write and often creatively manipulate, was very much frowned upon by his critics, who that he both spoiled the original works and plagiarised them. In this essay, I will look at the reasons why Terence chose to imitate the works of the Greeks, and especially Menander, in the original way he did, and will examine just how founded the criticism of his contemporaries truly was. Firstly, let us take the influence of the Greek dramatist Menander on Terence's writing of the Adelphoe. Many consider Terence's play to have been based solely on Menander's 'A????? but direct evidence of this "is confined to about a dozen fragments"1 of Menander's work. The opening scenes of both Terence's play and Menander's are very similar, with the introduction of Micio as being an individual character, as Martin points out, rather than a stock comedic stereotype; the openings also reveal a little about the
Life after Death
Life after Death . When you're dead, you're dead! This is the view held by atheists and materialists. It mans that when you die, there is no spirit than continues - the whole of the human consciousness is in the brain and when that dies all aspects of the being die too. This is probably the most scientifically viable view, but then there is no real scientific way of proving it. This could be bad view because it gives no meaning to life, and would mean that you are living for nothing. It would probably make people live life to their own ulterior motives because there is no punishment after life. There is no spiritual dimension to life and everything is taken at face value. As I have no religious beliefs this statement is close to my view on life after death. 2. The body dies but the spirit continues. This is where the spiritual part of the body with no form continues to live after the body has died. This would be the part of the being that is contacted during seances and by mediums. The weakness would be that, when you die, if your spirit remains, what does it do? Does it just float around a bit and scare people? Wouldn't eternal existence get a bit boring after a while? However this is probably what people come into contact with when they see ghosts or have spiritual encounters. Another strength is that when people have temporarily died and have an out of body experience,
The Black Death.
History of Europe 1000-1500 Final Paper 2/10/2003 The Black Death The Black Death was a pivotal event in human history. The plague originated in Asia, and came to Europe via trade ships in the middle of the 14th century. As it spread through Europe, it left no one unaffected by its horrors. Everyone who survived knew someone, usually many people, who had not been so lucky. The Black Death changed the whole face of Europe. The massive population loss caused by the Black Death acted as a catalyst for vast economic, political, and social change. The plague bacteria is thought to have spread from the arid plains of central Asia. Increased commercialization in Europe opened up silk routes through the steppes, and the trading posts acted as good locations for infected fleas to break out of the area. The disease probably spread from Europe to India, and then on to Italian seaports and the rest of Europe. The Black Death first appeared in Europe in Italy in 1347. It arrived on trading ships that probably came from the Black Sea, past Constantinople and through the Mediterranean. People soon learned of the horror of the disease, and fled the city, thus spreading the disease to other destinations in Europe. It reached Europe's ports first, including Messina, Genoa, Venice, Barcelona, Marseilles, and Valencia. By June of 1348, almost half of Europe was afflicted
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
The Cold War
In April 1950, the Secretaries of State and Defense published a document that was known by the name "NSC 68." NSC 68 was a report on the objectives and programs the US should pursue in its dealings with communism. It outlined the weaknesses and strengths of both the United States and the Soviet Union, the two nations it identified as world super powers. With warring ideologies and high tensions, these two countries were the primary combatants in the conflict known as "the Cold War." However, the conflict between these two countries spread to other nations, and created other situations. The Cold War became a world war, affecting regions and nations far removed from either the United States or the USSR. In judging NSC 68, it becomes necessary to examine incidents in which the document's objectives and programs could be applied. Such a task is relatively simple, as there are a multitude of incidents of conflict between communism and capitalism during the period of 1950 to 1975 (when NSC 68 was released to the public). In this report, evidence will be shown that, during the period of 1954-1961, government officials were sporadic in their applications of NSC 68. Using the Guatemalan Coup of 1954, the Suez Crisis of 1956, and the Bay of Pigs incident of 1961, this paper will show that the United States government of this time applied the principles expressed in NSC 68 in
Stalin's rise to power
Following the death of Lenin, there was a sense of confusion as to who would lead Russia. The idea was Russia would be led by a 'Collective Leadership', consisting of Kamenev, Stalin, Trotsky and Zinoviev, as there was no layout for the election of a new leader. Stalin used this idea as a base to gain power within the Communist Party and the government. At the time, Russia was governed through the politburo. The politburo was a small assembly of key party officials that ran the Communist Party. The death of Lenin ignited a leadership contest especially between Stalin and Trotsky. The personalities of both men were crucial to the leadership contest. Stalin was more central to the Communist party whereas Trotsky represented the Left Wing of the party. Trotsky was an easy target for his rivals as he was a former Menshevik and was brought up in a Jewish family. Whereas Stalin was less known and stayed away from awkward debates. Stalin was considered by many as a 'grey blur'1 as he was someone who was a good administrator but lacked personality. As there was no leader of the Communist Party, and as Lenin was renowned as a main figure of the party. Stalin decided to use Lenin as way of getting the Russian people on his side. Stalin, did many things to associate himself with Lenin such as embalm Lenin's body so people could worship him but this did not go down to well with
