Subsistence Modes and Their Impact on the Amish Culture Research Paper

Subsistence Modes and Their Impact on the Amish Culture - Research Paper Example It does not require settlement, but it is also not reliable and makes it difficult to prepare for difficult times. Horticulture refers to the science of cultivating plants for human use which requires a great deal of knowledge regarding which plants are the most useful for which activities and how to make them grow. Pastoral lifestyles are characterized by herding large numbers of livestock around open land areas according to the seasons and availability of water. This type of lifestyle requires the availability of open land and the ability to move around. An agricultural form of subsistence can be thought of as farming, raising both animals and crops to support human life. This is different from an agrarian lifestyle only in that the agrarian lifestyle focuses on an entire community working together, all of them relying on agriculture as the base means of support but not all being engaged in farming as their personal means of support. An industrial society is recognizable to most of us simply because it is closest to the type of society we live in today in the modern world dominated by businesses, technology, mass production, and masses of people everywhere. However, there are still some societies that have managed to hold onto older forms of subsistence even in the face of widespread industrialization. By studying societies such as the Amish, it is possible to understand how a cultural group's form of subsistence helps to shape other elements of their culture such as their attitudes to religion, family life, and marriage. The Amish are a relatively isolated group of horticulturalists living in scattered pockets throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. According to Powell (2012), "The first sizeable group of Amish arrived in America around 1730 and settled near Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, as a result of William Penn's 'holy experiment' in religious tolerance" (p. 1). This group of people disagreed with the Anabaptists in Switzerland regarding some foundational religious concepts associated with their selected lifestyle, causing them to move to the Americas and begin their own religious sect. As a group, the Amish are dedicated to the horticultural way of life, which works to grow fruits, vegetables, and other plant materials necessary for survival within a self-contained, self-sustaining community of close-knit individuals. They believe in living as close to the land as they can, doing things naturally and depending on nature to meet their various needs. "Two key concepts for understanding Amish practices are their rejection of 'huchmut' (pride, arrogance) and the high value they place on 'demut' or humility and 'gelassenheit' (German, meaning: calmness, composure, placidity)" (Scully, 2007, p. 30). This natural approach to life was easy back when they first moved to America and the land was mostly wilderness, but as the land became more populated and particularly once it began to industrialize, it was their dedication to th eir traditional means of subsistence that led them to isolate themselves further and further from the rest of the world, as they found it necessary to create rules that would govern and protect their way of life. "All aspects of Amish life are dictated by a list of written or oral rules, known as Ordnung, which outlines the basics of the Amish faith and helps to define what it means

Texas Education Essay Example for Free

Texas Education Essay Texas law makers and citizens have been concerned about the education of our young people since before declaring our Independence from Mexico in 1836. Texas revolutionaries listed â€Å"failure to establish any public system of education, although possession of almost boundless resources,† among the reasons to become independent from Mexico. Since that time public education has seen countless policy changes, constitutional amendments and revisions, and laws changed to meet the needs of Texas students. (1) How has the Texas education system changed? How have these policies affected our young people, and what challenges lay ahead for students, educators, parents, and policy makers? At the birth of Texas public education there were many problems that policy makers had to overcome. How to educate students in such rural areas? How will public education be funded? These were a few of the challenges that lawmakers of that time faced but one challenge they didn’t not have land as one of them. The first public school law was written setting aside large amounts of land in each county for public school use. Later the amount was increased and additional land was set aside for the first State College. However what Texas lacked was funding. (2) In 1845 Texas received 10 million in five percent U. S. Indemnity bonds for settling a boundary claim against the United States. Of this 10 million, 2 million was set aside as a permanent school fund. The permanent school fund was later directed to be invested in bonds. Also, during 1845 the state constitution set aside one-tenth of the annual state tax set aside to support free public schools. (1) The founding fathers of Texas public education were working toward the goal of adequately funding the Texas education system. Today the permanent school fund accounts for approximately $765 million a year. (1) A continued effort has also been made through the life of Texas public education to develop a system of accountability. 1885 marked the first year a system of accreditation was used for Texas public schools. At that time selected tests were sent to the University of Texas. If the school was found to be satisfactory students gained automatic admission without examination. (1) Although the intent was Texas public education had many problems. One was the growing concern for the decline of Texas literacy. Legislatures tried to address this issue in 1984 when Texas passed House Bill 72. The 68th Legislature passed this bill in response to concerns over the adequacy of Texas public schools as reflected by standardized tests. (2) House Bill 72 brought down tougher requirements on students and began rating the schools in 1993. The students were now required to pass a state assessment test in order to meet the graduation requirements. This was system of testing was the most difficult students had been exposed to up until this point. Also the Bill created the no pass no play rule that requires students to pass every subject in order to participate in any extracurricular activity. (2) Another problem that the Legislature attempted to address was funneling funding to property poor districts. Edgewood ISD v Kirby was filed and claimed that the system for funding public schools was discriminatory against poor districts. Edgewood ISD was against House Bill 72 and wanted a fair system of school funding. The courts ruled in favor of Edgewood ISD but law makers continued to try and come up with a fair system. The federal government threatened to shut down federal aid for public schools because of non-compliance. In 1990 Legislature tried to pass the â€Å"Robin Hood† plan. This plan would redistribute wealth from wealthy districts to poor districts. This Bill failed to pass voters. In 1993 another plan was passed by the State. This gave multiple options to districts to distribute funds equally. (3) Edgewood ISD v Kirby was not the first lawsuit filed in an effort to improve Texas public schools. Del Rio ISD v Salvatierra tried to show how inferior education facilities were for Mexican-Americans and moved toward desegregation. In 1948 Delgado v Bastrop ISD, the judge ruled against segregation of Mexican-American children in public schools. Sweatt v Painter in 1950, challenged â€Å"separate but equal† and integration was ultimately addressed with a federal ruling in 1954with Brown v Board of Education and the integration of Mexican-Americans in 1970 with Cisneros v Corpus Christi. In that same year because of discriminatory practices in Texas schools, United States v Texas forced a federal judge to call for all schools to be integrated. (3) Texas is unique in many ways from other states. Texas is second among size and population and educates 9% of the total U. S. student population. A highly diverse student population creates additional problems. 16% of the student population in 2007 was Limited English Proficient. IN that same year 55. 5% of all students were recognized as economically disadvantaged. In 2007 those two categories ranked the lowest among percentage of students that passed all areas of the State assessment test. With 47% of Limited English Proficient passing all categories and 57% of economically disadvantaged passing all categories. Texas also ranks 15th in the nation with 8th grade students in mathematics, 31st in reading, and 35th in science. All this unique situation occurs while ranking 49th among funding per student as compared to other states. (4) These statistics put Texas in a unique situation. Texans are educating more people and more of those people are in greater need of a quality education. How can Texas children compete in the job market? What will the Texas workforce look like for these children? Concerns continue to grow over declining school performance and budget deficits. The budget shortfalls will mean education spending cuts. Texas is a conservative state. Its legislatures take great pride in balancing the state budget with responsible spending. Many times these cuts are made in the name of the children in an attempt to not pass down large amounts of debt. To continue to cut an education system that is at the bottom on spending per student will only push Texans further below the national average of graduation rates. Texas education continues to underperform. (5) Law makers continue to decrease funding in schools and will not increase taxes to attempt to meet the budget shortfalls. Texas boosts rapid business growth and population growth. They attribute much of this growth to a tax friendly environment for the top 60% income brackets and affordable living for all income brackets. This has made us a national leader among growth and is a source of pride among lawmakers and Texans. (6) Law makers attempted to help the education crisis in Texas during the 83rd legislative session. The passed over 100 laws affecting education. These rules ranged from bonds for charter schools, healthy eating statutes in schools, law enforcement on campuses, testing and ratings of districts, and school financing. Many laws were made mandating that schools have to perform at a higher level and also that schools have to help produce healthy students while also protecting them. All these programs take more money yet the Texas budget does not allow for additional funds. The state legislatures say that if these schools cannot perform they should be shut down. What options would that leave Texas students and their families? (6) More than 150,000 Texas students are choosing public charter schools over traditional public schools. Public charter schools receive bonds and funding from both the state and federal government similar to traditional public schools. They boost a higher learning environment while managing to do it on a smaller budget than traditional public schools. They are held to the same Texas accountability systems but have the freedom to develop their own curriculum; where as a traditional public school is held to the state curriculum. The Texas Board of Education approves the curriculum that public schools can use. They develop the curriculum and the district has the freedom to determine how they will teach this to their students. They can use many different programs from traditional text books to the unpopular c-scope curriculum. Charter schools on the other hand are allowed the freedom to teach how they want to teach and what they want to teach as long as they perform well on the same state assessment tests that public schools must take. (7) Charter schools are an alternative that many Texas parents and students are electing for. The freedom they are allowed are creating a learning friendly environment while providing teachers the freedom to teach. Students are able to learn and teachers are able to teach. All under the same budget constraints that traditional public schools have. Not having to teach to a particular curriculum is favorable for some parents that may not want a conservative influence on their students. For example the recent conservative wins over social studies curriculum. Conservatives won to modify social studies texts to look favorably on Republican political philosophies and stressing the superiority of American capitalism. The fight continues are could be won in the near future for the removal of the teachings of Darwinism and to move toward the inclusion of the Christian views that founded our nation. The charter schools will not be held to these same teachings and are free to teach the religious side, conservative side, liberal, and science. Many parents find this form of teaching more favorable and the freedom it provides help to responsibly teach Texas students under the budget constraints that the state mandates. (8) Not all academic changes are viewed as bad. Republicans pushed for information about the violent nature of the Black Panther party is taught in contrast to the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, and that the Republican votes are included in teaching to show how Republicans pushed forward on civil rights issues. Some strides were made in the inclusion of personal responsibility teaching to students, which includes life choices such as suicide, pregnancy, dating violence, eating disorders and drug disorders. Some people such as Mavis Knight, a democrat from Dallas that introduced an amendment for the teachings of the founding fathers on religious freedoms but it was turned down, said â€Å"the social conservatives have perverted accurate history to fulfill their own agendas. † (8) If you were a young adult or adult in the 90’s you was also part of legislative of an advertising campaign to pass the lottery in Texas. A large part of this campaign was that that the majority of the lottery proceeds would go toward Texas education. Many Texans often wonder how we can need to cut school funding when 21 billion dollars has been contributed through the Texas lottery system. This was true and false all at the same time. 21 billion has been contributed to Texas education. The majority of the proceeds from the Texas lottery are going into the Texas Education fund but the false is that for every dollar contributed by the lottery the general fund decreases its contribution. So funding remains the same just the contributing party changes. This was a rouse by legislatures at the time and continues to be. (9) Another large source of school funding is property tax. Law makers have continued to address the disparities between district funding in regards to property tax revenue. Property within districts can vary greatly. Some districts may be comprised of multi-million dollar homes while other modest middle class homes and even others that are made up of very poor communities. These differences in tax revenue base have created large differences in the quality of education provided for Texas students. Lawmakers have attempted to address this with bonds and funding per pupil but any Texas resident that has visited an inner-city school and visited a school in affluent Plano or wealthy areas of the valley know that there are great differences in the amenities provided to students in those districts. (10) Another challenge Texas faces is staffing its schools with quality educators. There is a shortage of educators in Texas. After the 2011 much publicized decrease in the teaching population and additional constraints on class size. The perception of an already stressful and underpaid profession was damaged. In 2012 the number of teaching certificates acquired was down 24 percent. Projections show that Texans will not meet the number of needed teachers by 2015 if the issue is not addressed. The Texas Workforce Commission predicts that the need for teachers will greatly increase and is the highest projected are of growth in Texas. The challenge comes in attempted to convince young adults to invest their education dollars in this field. (11) There are many challenges that face Texas educators. How can Texas educators teach to the diverse student population accurately with the other challenges that face the public education system? According to the Kids Count Data Center, Texas has a student population of 16. 2% that receive ESL teaching. These present additional challenges for teachers. Texas was an early pioneer for English as Second Language training. In 1968 lawmakers pioneered for English deficient students by allowing ESL programs in Texas Schools. Up until that time it was not allowed to have bilingual programs in the schools. Then in 1981 further strides were made when Mexicans Americans were allowed to enter those programs voluntarily to help eliminate discrimination of Mexican American students. Today Mexican American students account for 50. 2% of the student population and although this poses additional challenges Texas must be prepared to meet those challenges. (10) There are so many challenges facing Texas education. A diverse student population, proper funding, legislatures with personal agendas, increase academic standards, meeting demands of the workforce from laborer to laboratory, all these are achievable. These challenges can be met by Texas parents, legislatures and students. At an early age Texas students are taught how great and unique Texas is and its residents and how we are have risen to many challenges and defeated them. The challenge of education will be gladly met and I feel confident that Texans will see the importance of education and do everything necessary to ensure that Texas youth are able to compete in today’s job market.

Eminent Domain: A Controversial Power of Government Essay -- the right

Eminent domain has long been a controversial power that both the federal and state governments possess. This power gives the right to the government bodies to expropriate private property or land, that it sees as being blighted, and put it to better use for the greater good of the public. For eminent domain to be exercised the seizing of the properties must meet the requirement that they will be for public purpose or public necessity. As long as this requirement is met the federal government cannot be stopped from acquiring private property. Because of this, the eminent domain power has come under tremendous scrutiny for being unfair and unconstitutional. Moreover, people that have fell victim to this law are protesting that they were not adequately compensated for the property that was taken. The law of eminent domain continues to be a point of debate as it has been continuously proven that this law has negative consequences on not only the residents directly affected by the ramif ications of the law, but also the communities that are made up of these residences. For the federal government to condemn property as blighted and then transfer it to private developers or corporations for the obvious purpose of increasing tax revenue is seen as being unfair and unconstitutional. The Constitution designates to Congress a list of specific enumerated powers. These powers can be found in Article I of the Constitution, which contains some important items. These powers range from things like declaring war, raising armies and collecting taxes. It also includes powers that are of secondary importance such as regulating the value of foreign coin and establishing post roads.(Baude, p1746) However, the power of taking private property is not c... ...ations of this are predominantly felt across lower income families that find themselves powerless because they are in the crosshairs of large corporations that seek to take their property through the use of eminent domain. Moreover, the unconstitutional aspect of this takings method has also created friction among the effected citizens and the federal government. Besides the social effects that eminent domain has had it is all too clear the negative outcomes that it’s caused on the fragile economies. By forcing people into poorer neighborhoods the government is condemning the lower class to a life of poverty. It is unmistakable that the power of eminent domain has caused the public to despise the government while increasing the gap between the lower and upper class and also further increasing the possibility of corruption between corporations and the government. Eminent Domain: A Controversial Power of Government Essay -- the right Eminent domain has long been a controversial power that both the federal and state governments possess. This power gives the right to the government bodies to expropriate private property or land, that it sees as being blighted, and put it to better use for the greater good of the public. For eminent domain to be exercised the seizing of the properties must meet the requirement that they will be for public purpose or public necessity. As long as this requirement is met the federal government cannot be stopped from acquiring private property. Because of this, the eminent domain power has come under tremendous scrutiny for being unfair and unconstitutional. Moreover, people that have fell victim to this law are protesting that they were not adequately compensated for the property that was taken. The law of eminent domain continues to be a point of debate as it has been continuously proven that this law has negative consequences on not only the residents directly affected by the ramif ications of the law, but also the communities that are made up of these residences. For the federal government to condemn property as blighted and then transfer it to private developers or corporations for the obvious purpose of increasing tax revenue is seen as being unfair and unconstitutional. The Constitution designates to Congress a list of specific enumerated powers. These powers can be found in Article I of the Constitution, which contains some important items. These powers range from things like declaring war, raising armies and collecting taxes. It also includes powers that are of secondary importance such as regulating the value of foreign coin and establishing post roads.(Baude, p1746) However, the power of taking private property is not c... ...ations of this are predominantly felt across lower income families that find themselves powerless because they are in the crosshairs of large corporations that seek to take their property through the use of eminent domain. Moreover, the unconstitutional aspect of this takings method has also created friction among the effected citizens and the federal government. Besides the social effects that eminent domain has had it is all too clear the negative outcomes that it’s caused on the fragile economies. By forcing people into poorer neighborhoods the government is condemning the lower class to a life of poverty. It is unmistakable that the power of eminent domain has caused the public to despise the government while increasing the gap between the lower and upper class and also further increasing the possibility of corruption between corporations and the government.

How I Survived for Two Weeks without the Love and Care of My Teacher Essay

I was happy, happy to know that at least we have two weeks without the teachers. To me two weeks was a long time, especially without Miss Gibbs always yapping on about misbehaving, and that we are in year 10, we should know better. Anyway, I can’t believe it; I am going to work with children. WOW. Do they think I’m insane; working with children, dream on. Seeing my own brothers and sisters drives me mad, what was I meant to do when I see a whole room full of them? Ok, here’s the deal, if I get paid for the job, then, maybe I could have second thoughts. The days went like the speed of lightning, I was getting worried, and what if I accidentally smack a child in the face, like I do at home to my own brothers and sisters. To me it was the Day of Judgement coming to haunt me and God would give a tough punishment. By then I was getting worried, I didn’t want to leave school, even if it meant listening to Miss Gibb’s morning lectures in the assembly for the rest of my school years. The night before I began to work in the ‘real adult world,’ I sat on my hard comfortable bed; straight towards me was my large mirror and beside that was my window, half opened. I felt the gentle wind rubbing against my soft skin, as I gazed towards the mirror. Thinking and despite the fact that I was no longer a 15 years old school student, unaware of the strange adult world ahead of me, but was becoming to be an elegant and independent young lady capable of working in the unknown adult world as an adult from the next crack of dawn. Since I have five older brothers and sisters I already knew the fact that stepping into an adult world is a big step, as it involves a lot of pressurisation and talents. It doesn’t always mean having fun; it includes working like an animal to earn your living. This would certainly build up my self-esteem and broaden my confidentiality and also it would give me a taste of reality into the future. I couldn’t go to sleep, there were so many questions flying through my head ‘How the hell am I going to survive two whole weeks without gossiping about the latest news to my friends? What am I going to wear? Are they going to notice me? ‘ Etc, etc, etc. Oh, my God, its tomorrow, tomorrows my work experience, is this what I really want to become when I grow up? That morning I woke up, exhausted to go back to sleep. I couldn’t do that; they’ll sack me before I even give it a go. It’ll also give a bad reputation to my school, and I’ll be getting yelled at by Miss Gibbs, which is the last thing I want to happen. I wore blue jeans with my sister’s new top she bought from New Look. I was trying to look simple because the first impression to them should show that I am able to look casual and not overdressed. As I got out of the door, I looked up, prayed to God to help me build up my self-esteem and in return I got drops of water falling from the sky, it was as if the sky was crying. From then I knew it would be a bad start for me. As I got closer to the school I seemed to slow down my speed, the sky stopped crying and I began to get anxious, there in front of me was a small boxed-sized school, ‘Welcome to Odessa Infant School’ was the sign written in blue, with gold outline on the gate. I couldn’t believe it as soon as I was standing in front of the gate my heart started to beat like a drum. I started to go red, which symbolised the nervousness I felt inside. I could feel the hot steam on my face; I began to sweat as never before. This was the most embarrassing moment even before I had started my work experience. As soon as I went inside the tiny eccentric building, there was a woman coming towards my way. She was wearing a large sized grey blazer, with matching skirts. As she was coming towards me she was smiling, I felt horrified, because she wasn’t the sort of person I wanted to smile back at, she was obese and ugly. She had a red nose; I couldn’t wait no longer to find out who the woman was, as I found it hilarious. As soon as she came to me she said ‘So you must be the employee from Stratford School,’ politely. She sneezed right in front of me and then even blew her noise, which was gross, yet I did not say a word, because I wanted her to notice my positive side.

Every Learner Matters Essay

Its main aims are for every child, whatever their background or circumstances, to have the support they need to: Be healthy Stay safe Enjoy and achieve Make a positive contribution Achieve economic well-being Race Relations Act 1976 & 2000- Places a statutory duty on schools/colleges to promote race equality. Disability Discrimination Act 1995 & 2005 – Protects the rights of all those with disabilities. Eliminate barriers to ensure that individuals can gain access to equal services. Children’s Act 1989 ; 2004 – The Children Act 1989 aimed to ensure that the elfare of the child was paramount, working in partnership with parents to protect the child from harm. Child care Act 2006 – The Act improving the Every Child Matters outcomes for pre- school children, childcare for working parents ; parental information services SEN Code of Practice 2001- The code is designed to help these bodies to make effective decisions regarding children with SEN. It does not (and could not) tell them what to do in each individual case. Human Rights Act 1998 – Sets out the rights of all individuals and allows them to take action against authorities when their rights have been affected. UNCRC 1989 – The Convention says that every child has: The right to a childhood (including protection from harm) The right to be educated (including all girls and boys completing primary school) The right to be healthy (including having clean water, nutritious food and medical care) The right to be treated fairly (including changing laws and practices that are unfair on children) The right to be heard (including considering children’s views) Equality Act 2006/10- To protect the rights of individuals and advance equality of opportunity for all. Gender Recognition Act 2004 – This allows transsexual people to change their egal gender. Race Relations Act 1 000/3 – Outlines the duty ot organisations to promote good relationships between people from different races. Employment Equality Regs 2003 -Which prohibited employers unreasonably discriminating against employees on grounds of sexual orientation, religion or belief and age. Anti-Harassment Act 1997 – This act was to make provision for protecting persons from harassment and similar conduct. Data Protection Act 1998 – If you handle personal information about individuals, you have a number of legal obligations to protect that information. Special Educational Needs & Disability Act 2001 – Makes it unlawful for educational providers to discriminate against pupils with a special educational need or a disability. ? Human Rights Act 1998 – The United Nations for set this standard on Human Rights in 1948, it was accepted by many countries high lightening that all humans have the same rights. Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and 1986 – Makes it unlawful to discriminate against an individual on the grounds of gender and marriage, and promotes sexual equality within employment, education, advertising, and provision of housing, goods, services and facilities.

Battles and wars

Battles and wars Battles and wars are an inseparable part of the human nature and one of the most deadly ones was WWI. After the War, the seeming picture was that countries had democratic governments but this was only a topical view. There were many factors that were internal and unique to each country involved. One reason for the collapse of democracies was that the historical period was the beginning of a new era, technology was developing and countries and their governments wanted to dominate more land. A nation that wants to take over other people cannot be guided by democratic standards, as it is tyrannical in nature. After World War I, several European nations were competing for power in the region and were focused only on own interests. The major parties in the war were Germany, England and Russia, and there was much political conflict that was unresolved. A democratic solution was meant to offer everyone a fair chance and the decision that was targeted by the governments would be lost.Adverti sing We will write a custom essay sample on Battles and wars specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A democratic vote would divide and reinstate lands and colonies according to the highest moral principles, giving them back to the original owners, but the for dominance and wealth was much more powerful than democracy, it was greed. There was much spying and counter actions by several nations, even a race for the dominance of outer space. Satellites were placed into orbit to spy on enemy bases. German u-boats were common place in neutral and off shore waters of several nations, adding to the provocations. For some time, large and small European countries have been trying to work out a deal in a peaceful way but that brought no results. Democracy became outdated and could not bring a solution. As democracy is based on the ruling of masses- majority of nation’s population, it would not represent the selfish urges of a few members of th e government. In a democratic nation, the leader is appointed by the people through a fair vote, the public is considered to be the center of the government and the common goals and interests are based on the greater good. The rights of a person, equality and freedom cannot go together with a world domination, war and overpowering of other nations. Historically, Germany is cited as the â€Å"most evil† country that started the war and was the only one to blame. In reality, the surrounding countries did not mind the war and felt it was needed for the division of European lands. If democracy was the regime in place, the majority of people would decide against the minority and the change of government would have to peaceful. Democracy looked good on paper but it could not be practically applied because of people’s greedy nature. It is clear that the basis of democracy lie in morality and absence of division. In all instances, European countries failed to reach a unified d ecision and democracy between the nations failed. Each country wanted more than fairness would allow, thus the only choice to resolve the matter was an open conflict. From the very start, democracy had little chance to change the future and prevent another violent outbreak, as is evident from the regimes that took over and another World War.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The victims of the Great Terror were people of several countries and nations who were politically repressed by the government. This sort of occurrence took place in many countries, but it was particularly horrific for the people of USSR, from 1937 to 1938. The company of mass terror was organized by Joseph Stalin who was the ruler and absolute leader. Even though people were brainwashed to believe that he was a proper tyrant, what went on beneath the surface was terrible. At the time of Stalin’s death , the nation was in mourning and people were unaware of what was really taking place. This proves how secret and cruel the actions of the government really were. One of the reasons for the Great Terror was Stalin’s paranoia, which led him to believe that he was being followed and someone wanted to kill him. It is possible that it was true, but he gave a preposterous order to catch a specific amount of â€Å"public enemies† within a specific amount of time. There was a â€Å"quota† of people who had to be killed in the name of public and national safety. The constitutional rights of people were never taken into consideration and there was never a proper investigation. It is known that any form of evidence was taken to be true, even if it was as small as an anonymous letter scribbled on a piece of paper with child’s handwriting. People were arrested, tortured and killed. There is much evidence that consists of documents written by Stalin himself, stating th at more and more people must be murdered. In some cases, numbers of people to be executed without a reason, at a single time, were in hundreds and even thousands. There were lists that were given to Stalin and he was using only his own judgment to decide people’s fate. Some people he would choose to torture for longer periods of time, others were ordered to be executed by the firing squad. Another sad fact is that people who were instrumental in catching innocent public were later killed themselves, so their trials or any form of justice became impossible. This sort of treatment of the nation had a major effect on the well being of the USSR. By some counts, more than one million people were killed within a year. There were also numerous concentration camps where people spent years working and dying in the process. Even the families of those politically repressed were considered â€Å"public enemies†, without exception of women or little children. Such families had no c hoice but to move from place to place, without any legal work, education or a place to live. The organization that was carrying out Stalin’s orders was called NKVD which was an underground uniform system not unlike KGB. It had a full authority over the lives of people and connections in all institutions. Stalin was so possessed with his idea to kill off as many intelligent and â€Å"dangerous† to his own shortcomings people as he could, that even those within NKVD were victims of the regime.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Battles and wars specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A large part of the world is unaware that Stalin was much worse than Hitler and other tyrants, as he was killing people in his own nation, in great numbers and for the most immoral reasons. Later, after the regime changed and Stalin was gone, there were many archives that were still kept secret. KGB came into being and some form of si milar activity was still taking place. National Socialism is a form of a public system or regime which united socialism with significant amount of nationalism and racism. It is built on an ideology that it is the only true order and should be supported at all cost. One of the examples of National Socialism is the Third Reich where it was the major and official ideology. Internally, there were several divisions, such as socialism, nationalism, racism, Fascism and anti-Semitism. The major goal of National Socialism was to create and ensure that a large territory of a nation was cleaned out of all people who were not of Arian race. National Socialism is often thought to be one of the versions of totalitarianism which would exist for long periods of time. Adolf Hitler was the one who started the movement of National Socialism which later evolved into Nazism. The reason why Hitler was able to gain support from so many people was because he offered unity and strength to the nation. He mad e the public feel as if Germany was being mistreated by the rest of the world and the population must rise against such unfair treatment. When National Socialism appeared, it was closely connected to communism. In the end, the two regimes were both part of a two-poled system of the development of human society. It was a capitalist world where the collective common good of society was trying to reach a similar end- to build a utopian world. Communism was promising to make all people on the planet equal and destroy all differences between classes and the powerful, whereas National Socialism would only create utopia for the selected ones, according to the race and at the price of the lives of others. Fascism is a unified term that entails most right wing political movements and ideologies. It is characterized by a dictator-like type of ruling where nationalism, militarism and totalitarianism are its major directions. It originated in Italy with Mussolini who wanted to unite the nation using violence.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Fascism does not accept any form of thinking or morality different from that, reflected in its own ideologies. Fascism was Hitler’s way of ruling and became the moving force in the Second World War and the Holocaust. His idea was not to reinforce and better the nation but to create it all over again from scratch. One of the reasons for Fascism is the economical crisis, which is used by the person in power to unite the masses with a seemingly noble cause. The military and orderly nature of Fascism gave it even more strength, as well as a sense of belonging. This led much of the young population of Germany to want to be a part of a large movement, united by the â€Å"honorable† cause. The difference between National Socialism and Fascism is that Fascism uses extremely militant and violent ways, and it does not accept any socialism or capitalism, basing everything on one ideology. The similarity is based on the dominance of one race and the totality of the regime. Unfortu nately, National Socialism leads to Nazism which eventually, leads to Fascism, so the connection is obvious. In all instances, people’s and nation’s critical state is used to unify public masses against all other nations and even the whole world.

The Longevity of the Persian Empire

The Longevity of the Persian Empire The original Persian (or Achaemenid) empire, as established by Cyrus the Great in the 6th century B.C., only lasted approximately 200 years until the death of Darius III in 330 B.C., following his defeat by Alexander the Great. The core territories of the empire were then ruled by Macedonian dynasties, primarily the Seleucids, until the late 2nd century BC. During the early 2nd century B.C., however, the Parthians (who were not Persians but rather descended from a branch of the Scythians) set up a new kingdom in eastern Iran, originally in a breakaway province of the Seleucid empire. Over the next half-century, they gradually took over much of the rest of what had once been Persian-controlled territory, adding Media, Persia, and Babylonia to their holdings. Roman writers of the early imperial period sometimes refer to this or that emperor going to war with Persia, but this is really a poetic or archaic way of referring to the Parthian kingdom. Sassanid Dynasty The Parthians (also referred to as the Arsacid dynasty) remained in control until the early 3rd century A.D., but by that time their state was seriously weakened by in-fighting and they were overthrown by the native Persian Sassanid dynasty, who were militant Zoroastrians. According to Herodian, the Sassanids laid claim to all the territory once ruled by the Achaemenids (much of which was now in Roman hands) and, at least for propaganda purposes, decided to pretend that the 550 years since the death of Darius III had never happened! They continued to whittle away at Roman territory for the next 400 years, eventually coming to control most of the provinces once ruled by Cyrus et al. This all fell apart, however, when the Roman emperor Heraclius launched a successful counter-invasion in A.D. 623-628, which threw the Persian state into total chaos from which it never recovered. Shortly afterward, the Muslim hordes invaded and Persia lost its independence until the 16th century when the Safavid dynasty came to power. Facade of Continuity The Shahs of Iran maintained the pretense of an unbroken continuity from the days of Cyrus, and the last one holding a huge pageant in 1971 to celebrate the 2500th anniversary of the Persian empire, but he wasnt fooling anyone familiar with the history of the region. While the Persian Empire seems to have eclipsed all others, Persia was a great power in 400 B.C. and controlled much of the Ionian coast. We also hear of Persia much later at the time of Hadrian and, by all accounts, Rome avoided prolonged conflict with this rival power.