Causes of The Great Depression Essay -- essays research papers

The Great Depression It is said that the cause of the catastrophic stock market crash known as the great depression was due mostly to uncontrolled political and industrial systems otherwise known as capitalism. However, the timeline leading up to the Great Depression proves that many other factors played a role in the stock market crash that occurred in the decade of the 1930's. So lets take a look at rather four, factors contributing to the great depression that we will further discuss in the following paragraphs. Four of the main causes that led up to the great depression were unequal distribution of wealth, uncontrolled political and industrial systems, high tariffs and war debts. Money was distributed mostly between the rich and the middle-class, in the United States, and between the U.S. and Europe. This imbalance of wealth created an unstable economy this type of the economy eventually lead up to large market crashes. These market crashes, caused the American economy to be overturned. The total income in the United States rose from $74.3 billion in 1923 to $89 billion in 1929 this rise in the economy was due to the Coolidge Prosperity(Business and Industry was flourishing and big business became bigger so the stock market went up greatly) even after this boost in the stock market the money wasn’t making its way around equally because most farmers were still poor. United States maintained high 1. tariffs on goods imported from other countries, at the same time that it was making foreign loans and trying to export products. This combination could not be sustained: If other nations could not sell their goods in the United States, they could not make enough money to buy American products or repay American loan... ... June 1939 7.2 10.4 + 7.9 17.2 1940 6.9 9.9 1941 7.7 12.1 1942 10.3 24.8 1943 13.7 44.8 1944 21.7 45.3 1945 21.3 43.7 As you can see, Roosevelt began to bring the people out of the depression and that resulted in some astonishing growth numbers. (Roosevelt's average growth of 5.2 percent during the Great Depression is even higher than Reagan's 3.7 percent growth during his Seven Fat Years ) When 1936 saw a phenomenal record of 14 percent growth, Roosevelt eased back on the deficit spending, overly worried about balancing the budget. Between 1940 and 1945, the Growth Deficit Product nearly doubled in size, from $832 billion to $1,559 billion in constant 87 dollars. And this occurred as deficit spending soared, to levels Keynes had earlier and unsuccessfully recommended to Roosevelt

Laertes in Shakespeares Hamlet Essay -- GCSE English Literature Cours

Laertes in Hamlet  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   In the Shakespearean tragedy, Hamlet, the reader or viewer meets a dashing young man who is key to the climax of the tragedy, and key to the fulfillment of the Ghost’s admonition to Hamlet. He is Laertes, whose character forms the subject of this essay.    Marvin Rosenberg describes Laertes in his essay, â€Å"Laertes: An Impulsive but Earnest Young Aristocrat†:    Laertes is a dashing, romantic figure who excites striking, spectacular moments in the play. Not much attention has been paid to him by scholar-critics and theatre observers; for all his activity in the later acts, he is not much cursed with inward struggle – while being surrounded by others fascinating for their infernos of inwardness. After Laertes’ brief, bright introduction in I,i and I,iii, he disappears from the play – and Denmark – until he returns at the head of a rebellion in IV,v. . . (87).    Laertes makes his appearance in the drama after Marcellus, Barnardo and Horatio have already seen the Ghost and have trifled with it in an effort to prompt it to communicate with them. Horatio and Marcellus exit the ramparts of Elsinore intending to enlist the aid of Hamlet, who is dejected by the â€Å"o’erhasty marriage† to Hamlet I’s wife less than two month’s after the funeral of Hamlet’s father (Gordon 128). After this scene, Laertes is one of many in attendance at a post-coronation social gathering of the court at Elsinore. Laertes, like Fortinbras a rival of Hamlet (Kermode 1138), comes with his father, Polonius, who manipulates both him and his sister (Boklund 122).G. Wilson Knight says, â€Å"Instinctively the creatures of earth—Laertes, Polonius, Ophelia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, league themselves with Claudius... ...on Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from The Masks of Hamlet. Newark, NJ: Univ. of Delaware P., 1992.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html    Ward & Trent, et al. The Cambridge History of English and American Literature. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1907–21; New York: Bartleby.com, 2000 http://www.bartleby.com/215/0816.html    West, Rebecca. â€Å"A Court and World Infected by the Disease of Corruption.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from The Court and the Castle. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1957.    Wilkie, Brian and James Hurt. â€Å"Shakespeare.† Literature of the Western World. Ed. Brian Wilkie and James Hurt. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1992.

Patriotism, Philosophy and Victory in the War for Independence Essay

America’s fight for independence would emerge quite naturally out of the needs of its people to establish a form of governance, of economy and of society reflective of the demands created by the path of development of the colonies. Its people would be assisted in their ascent to this revolt by no small degree of propaganda, which would help to represent the trespasses of kingship as a form of governance for the masses. Of the primary documents mentioned in American Firsthand, Thomas Paine’s 1776 pamphlet Common Sense, remains the most famous and representative of such literature. And indeed, the sentiment here delivered helps to explain how the patriots prevailed in conflict with the mighty British military. In a text designed to produce a sense of revolutionary outrage, Paine crafts a philosophical treatise on appropriate governance designed to counter that which had very organically emerged in the colonies with the increasingly archaic nature of monarchy such as that imposed upon the colonists by the British. In his pamphlet, Paine openly calls for and advocates armed resistance as a means to the defense of the economic and governmental systems developing separate from the British Crown. He characterizes the distinction between kingship and the evolving colonial democracy as being irreconcilable, contending that â€Å"men of all ranks have embarked in the controversy, from different motives, and with various designs; but all have been ineffectual, and the period of debate is closed. Arms, as the last resource, decide the contest. (82) Couched in Paine’s sense of righteous indignation, the text largely drives toward this point by making the concerted argument that the colonists can tolerate the imposition of kingship so far as they can tolerate the sacrifice of the freedoms which had become inherently associated to persistence in the nascent America. This would be the undercurrent that would sweep the colonists into vehement support for the cause of independence, drawing a core philosophical connection between the anticipated form of government and the emotional disposition of those which the means to achieve it. For the patriots, this mode of communication with the public would be essential to drawing steadfast support for an unlikely ambition. There would be so strong a wave of indignation that the type of language employed by figures like Paine would have a real, tangible and irreversible impact on the attitudes of the colonists. The indignation resonates in Paine’s advocacy of progressive thoughts on the rights of man. In his text, he writes with great rhetorical flourish of the natural tendency of individuals toward civil liberty. This endows his work with the sense of a divine endorsement of individual liberty and an explication of the rational movement toward democratic governance. Of Thomas Paine’s recommendation that the colonists awaken to the injustice being dealt them at the hands of the monarchy, there is a principle encouragement toward the acquiescence to democracy which would be used to define a moral divergence between the aspirant colonial leaders and members of the oppressing British Crown. Drawing a hypothetical discussion of a spontaneously occurring new civilization which clearly intimates the experience of the colonists, he remarks that there is an inherent drive amongst these pioneers to consent â€Å"to leave the legislative part to be managed by a select number chosen from the whole body, who are supposed to have the same concerns at stake which have who appointed them. (Paine, 67) This clear endorsement of the natural proclivity of the colonists toward democratic organization would find clear favor with a people enjoying the manifold benefits of existing in a society separate from the dominance of the crown. Particularly, there would be a resonance with colonists in the idea that each of them might be accorded equal and inviolable rights. As Paine notes, this is an idea hinted at by the British Law of Commons, but made immediately ridiculous by the inbuilt inequality of the monarchy as a form of government. The rationality at center would be reflected in the quickness with which the colonists would begin to take up arms against a much greater force. Yet still other documents noted by America Firsthand denote that Paine had seized on already prevalent sensations amongst statesmen and community leaders considering the failed rationality of British oversight. Quite certainly, America’s burgeoning into a representative democracy and a constitutional state of governance would be produced by years of political discord and intensive philosophical discourse. The literature of the period leading up to and inspiring the revolution would play a key part in proliferating the ideas of democracy, of the natural rights of man and of the various themes of social justice which would contribute to the theoretical founding of the Union. A sermon by Massachusetts statesman and preacher Nathaniel Niles, delivered in 1774, would prefigure some of the more recognized and influential works of revolutionary America, including Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence (1776) and An Act for Establishing Religious Freedom (1777); and Paine’s Common Sense. Indisputably, Niles would be inclined to note in these works—and further approve of the adaptation of his own ideas—of the natural tendency of individuals toward civil liberty, the sense of a divine endorsement of individual liberty and an explication of the logical movement toward democratic governance. On the primary topic, Niles would provide an explicit definition. â€Å"Civil liberty consists,† according to Niles, â€Å"not in any inclinations of the members of a community, but in the being and due administration of such a system of laws, as effectually tends to the greatest felicity of a state. (Niles, 260) In the absence of any such constitutional administration for the colonies, British rule would be regarded in this text as a pointedly counter-intuitive form of governance to the growing proclivity for civil liberties. Such is a perspective at the very heart of Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence. A document to the Enlightenment philosophy according men equal rights and proceeding from a conception of a natural liberty foundational to the subsequent authorship of the U. S.  Constitution, it would bespeak the inevitability of Niles’ conception, that the attainment of civil liberty was primary among men, and that â€Å"to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. † (Jefferson, 8) Here, we begin to recognize a persistent pattern amongst the patriots who would lead American to self-determination. Essentially, figures of deep ideological conviction, they would succeed in stimulating revolutionary fervor by reinforcing the primacy of their beliefs. Herein, they would uncover a social pattern underscoring this belief. Such would coalesce into an outright fervor for victory from what had come to be seen as occupation. In addition to the social inclination toward civil liberties, Niles also speaks to the divinity of such a consideration, arguing with a recurrent parallel that God himself considers personal and civil liberty to be gifts of the highest order. Remarking on multiple occasions of the Jews’ struggle to gain freedom from their Egyptian oppressors, the author expresses a sentiment which compares the injustice of this slavery to the injustice of British tyranny in the colonies. To make the case that God would specifically endorse the colonialist cause, he asserts that of the Jews that God â€Å"promised them freedom from the oppression of their enemies as a testimony of his favour in case of their obedience; and as chastisement for their disobedience, he threatened them with servitude. † (Niles, 266) Niles’ purpose here is to remark upon the divinity in the quest for political liberty, using his pulpit as a forum through which to espouse a spiritualized sense of resistance to the monarchy. This parallels the proposition found in Jefferson’s Act, which impels the reader to observe the improprieties of a theoretical—though clearly Britain-inspired—force which â€Å"hath established and maintained false religions over the greatest part of the world, and through all time. † (Jefferson, 14) Here, Jefferson equates the British imposition of authority throughout the colonized world with a misrepresentation of God’s will. His content speaks of an oppressive religious system but bears the mark of allegation against the British abuse of Christianity. By seizing on a subject of deep emotional importance to those subjected, there becomes a core association between patriotism and godliness, further endowing colonists with an unshakeable conviction. Just as Jefferson’s discussion would be a practical application of Niles’ religious perspective, so too would Thomas Paine’s work speak to the political ideas in Niles’ work. This clear endorsement of the natural proclivity of the colonists toward democratic organization would find clear favor with Nathaniel Niles, himself an active supporter of this strategy. In fact, perhaps most important of the foundations to the Niles discussion is his testament to the superiority of democratic governance as a means to best representing the good of a civilization, arguing that â€Å"when a majority unite in any measures, it is to be supposed, they are such measures as are best calculated to secure the particular interests of the members of that majority; and , consequently, the general interests of the body are more effectually provided for. (Niles, 266) This, the author argues, is an indication that the desire to improve a governance of a society must be founded on aspirations to move policy and rule more closely into proximity of majority interests. In Niles’ 1774 text, the loud beckoning for a populist ascendancy to independence can be detected. The combined texts of Niles, Paine and Jefferson form a nuanced case against the policies and practices of the British. And certainly, the point at which they seem most to form a concurrent school of philosophy is in their shared sense of this independence movement as not simply concerning the liberty of the American colonists but as serving the more universal ‘natural rights’ of man. Each of these texts refers as its ideological underpinning to an intercession between administrative practicality, social morality and divine providence in arguing that the desire of the colonists for independence could be viewed as a larger resistance to the European practices of monarchical colonialism which had shaped the globe for centuries prior. This natural tendency toward self-determination stands as a testament to the will of the fledgling republic’s leaders and remarks tellingly of their ascendance to victory over the British.

Of mice and men-Discuss the importance of the American dream Essay

Dictionary: the American dream An American ideal of a happy and successful life to which all may aspire: â€Å"In the deepening gloom of the Depression, the American Dream represented a reaffirmation of traditional American hopes†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ Dictionary: dream a cherished desire The American Dream is a dream of success, fame and wealth achieved in the United States of America. It’s thought to be achievable by â€Å"hard work, courage, and determination†, or by â€Å"getting rich quick†. The concept often involves moving upward in the social classes, and may involve icons such as car, house, partner and pet. This definition of the American dream is universal, but it can have a different meaning for different classes of people. People have dreams The novel of mice and men, written by John Steinbeck, is set in 1930’s California during the Great Depression. The two main characters called George and Lennie are migrant workers travelling from ranch to ranch just to get by and make a little money so that one day they can live their own American dream. Throughout the book, Lennie always asks George to tell him and re-tell him their dream of someday owning their own land. ‘Someday we’re gonna get our jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs.’ The use of the word someday shows a sense of longing and uncertainty; he doesn’t know if it will happen soon or even at all. Because of the time the book is set or George and Lennie’s lifestyle, their dream is not the exact definition of the ‘American dream’. It is more to do with freedom and the amount of land owned which equals a higher status in society the more land you owned. George and Lennie’s dream is motivated by the fact that they have no stability in where they live or work. Being migrant workers, they have a very unsettled lifestyle because they don’t know how long they will be needed to work there. After they aren’t needed or if they get fired, it could take a long time to find another job. Their dream of owning a rural house on their own in the Salinas valley is a comforting thought of stability and not having to worry about nowhere to live. The Salinas valley is not a typical rural setting of America, but as George and Lennie have not traveled far, it is their idea of perfect. There are no comfortable houses, but vast orchards, vineyards, and ranched thoroughly tended. In the book, the Californian countryside is described in vast detail at the beginning and end of every chapter. Steinbeck uses description of the surroundings as he, like Lennie developed a close bond with nature. In my opinion, this is Steinnbeck’s dream Other characters living on the ranch also have similar dreams. The migrant worker candy for example is afraid of being alone and dreams of living out the rest of his life with company. When he hears about George and Lennie’s dream asks them if he can join them so he wont be lonely. ‘S’pose I went in with you guys. How’d that be? When they can me I wont have no place else to go an’ I can’t get no more jobs.’ He is desperate so he pleads with them even though he hasn’t known them very long. Another person on the ranch with a dream is Curley’s wife. Her dream is of fame and fortune †Nother time I met a guy-he was in the pitchers. He said he’d put me in the movies. Said I was a natural. Soon’s he got back to Hollywood he was gonna write to me about it. I never got that letter. I always thought my ol’ lady stole it.’ She has this dream as an escape from her husband who is very sexist and discriminatory against women. At the time the book is set, women were treated poorly and only thought of as housewives for bringing up children and were used commonly for sex purposes. Curley treats ‘Curley’s wife’ poorly so she dreams about being rich and famous being a movie star. Ironically, this is the dream of many American people nowadays; to be rich and famous as they aspire to be the everyday celebrities we see today. Another dream of hers is also not to be lonely. She explains to Lennie ‘ I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely.’ This shows that she is lonely because she confides in him about her problem and she doesn’t know him at all. Crooks is the Negro stable buck. He has a separate room away from the white people living and working on the ranch. This also shows the amount of racism at the time the story is set. It seems his dream is to not be treated differently because of his skin colour. He says ‘ I ain’t wanted ’cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black. They say I stink.’ It is obvious that he doesn’t agree with these comments by the way he speaks. He ‘speaks sharply’ showing he is angry about these comments. He talks about everyone else except for him playing cards implying that he would like to play cards too, along with everyone else. In conclusion, I think that the American dream is important to different characters in different ways and different interpretations.

The Effects of Biblical Violence on Readers' Behaviors Essay

The Effects of Biblical Violence on Readers' Behaviors - Essay Example Although studies from the American Academy of Pediatrics give a low rate on the effects of music on listeners’ behaviors, that lyrics are generally not given much attention or in the case of children, are not fully understood because of their limited understanding and experience, researchers are open to the idea that somehow songs suggest certain undesirable actions. In a world where violence abounds, it is not a wise action for a person to isolate himself or for parents to isolate their children only to avoid the evils of this world. It is then important for every individual to educate one’s self and others about the consequences of a certain thought or action. For instance, the last lines of the aforementioned psalm speak about revenge to those who have done the Jews harm. However if one examines the verse closely, it is not the Jews who want to avenge themselves but that there would be another who would stand up against their enemies. This reveals their belief in the golden rule, that those who have wronged them will get their just punishments somehow. Such understanding could lead people to avoid doing evil towards others. II Yes, the Liturgy of the Hours should include the end of Psalm 137 however; it should be with the explanation or interpretation like that of St. Augustine’s, Origen’s, St. Ambrose’s and the like. The Bible could be interpreted literally and figuratively so it could not be treated similarly to lyrics of modern music where promiscuity and violence are explicitly expressed. As it is always advised by professionals in the case of children, parents should guide their children in the choice of songs they listen to and clearly explain to hem what is good and what is not. Indeed, words have psychological effects on people so that even adults should choose their songs or meditate on the good implications of the songs rather than its evil suggestions. The Bible is actually full of stories of violence and promisc uity and surely, God did not like such stories to be exposed just for the sake of telling a story about a person rather have been narrated along with the consequences experienced by the people involved. They seem to be words from a parent saying, â€Å"Look, this is what happens to you if you do this and that.† This world is full of so many evils and that is just the way the God of the Bible wants people to look at it so that they would know how to prepare for the dangers they face each day. Therefore, preachers should do likewise, presenting all the truths and not just the things people want to hear from them. They have to send the people from the church to the world, armed with the necessary attitude and words of guidance that will keep them strong to avoid being involved in violent acts. III A group of students associated with campus ministry at CUA wants to have a liturgical service which includes a reading of Psalm 137, which they understand through the lens of St. Augus tine’s interpretation: Jerusalem represents the kingdom of God and Babylon represents the corruption of this world. Some students think the language at the end of Psalm 137 is too violent to be read or prayed, and point out that the Catholic Church has removed these verses from the Liturgy of the Hours.  

Papermaking Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Papermaking - Research Paper Example However, prior to the discovery of the paper making technology, writing and reading was a very cumbersome process that involved scribbling on wooden tablets, woven papyrus reeds, and other expensive materials1. As such, writing was only left for a few individuals in the community who could afford accessing the expensive writing materials as well as getting adequate space to store the written materials. The invention of papermaking technology is one of the four major inventions that can be traced back to China, alongside gunpowder, compass, and the printing technique. According to Ancient records, the invention of the papermaking technology is accredited to Cai Lun (also Tsa’i Lun), an official working in the Imperial Court during the Han Dynasty2.Reportedly, Cai Lun came up with this invention in the year 105 AD. However, recent archaeological studies have unearthed sufficient evidence pointing to the fact that paper was already being used in China several years before Cai Lun’s reported invention. Nevertheless, the role of Cai Lun in the history of paper making is still relevant in the paper industry. This is because he was the first to popularize the technology by putting together a recipe for the whole process and reporting it to the Emperor3. Cai Lun’s technology quickly became popular in China because it was cheap, reliable, used readily available resourc es, and was easier to make4. The main raw materials for Cai Lun’s paper technology included fishnets, fibres, old rags, mulberry, and hemp waste. The main focus of this paper is to explore the history behind paper making and how it extended from China to the rest of the globe, and how this invention has influenced the world today. Essentially, Cai Lun’s paper making discovery helped to lay the foundation of the technology used in huge paper factories in Europe, America, and other parts of the world today. Cai Lun is

Dickens hard times resonates with the work of his contemporaries Essay

Dickens hard times resonates with the work of his contemporaries particulary in relation to the effects on the enroaching effe - Essay Example Charles Dickens’s Hard Times presents a unique picture of industrialization and urbanization in 19th century England. The sullen atmosphere of Coketown symbolizes suppressed anger of the factory workers and failure to improve their lives and wellbeing. Surprisingly or not, Dickens’s work resonates with and echoes in the works of his predecessors and contemporaries, who discuss the tragic man-city dichotomy and depict the disruption of human integrity by cities. It would be fair to say that Charles Dickens’s Hard Times presents a unique and profoundly philosophic allegory of urbanization and industrialization, which causes encroaching effects on the lives of English class workers and reinforces the sense of human alienation from everything rational and urban. Charles Dickens’s Hard Times is rightly considered as one of the best representations of industrialization and its disintegrative effects on the lives and wellbeing of English class workers. ... Nevertheless, it is due to Dickens’s repulsion toward dry statistics, rationality, and facts that Hard Times turned out to be an excellent source of truth about the disruptive effects of industrialization on workers. In Dickens’s book, urbanization and industrialization are associated with the lack of creativity and everything humane. The family of Gradgrinds exemplifies the utmost saneness and extraordinary rationality with no tint of feeling or romance: â€Å"No little Gradgrind had ever seen a face in the moon; it was up in the moon before it could speak distinctly. No little Gradgrind had ever learnt the silly jingle [†¦] no little Gradgrind had ever associated a cow in a field [†¦] with that yet more famous cow who swallowed Tom Thumb† (Dickens 1854). Needless to say, those are the products of industrialization, which suppress romanticism and create a sullen atmosphere on Coketown. The name of the city itself symbolizes sullenness and intoxication with rationality. This sullenness, however, is nothing but the sign of repressed anger, which finds no outlet but goes unabated (Colon 2006). The implications of industrial sullenness in Coketown are two-fold: on the one hand, it creates and fosters a claustrophobic atmosphere; on the other hand, it indicates and reflects the growing social dissent in the English work class. Excessive rationality leaves workers beyond the boundaries of improved wellbeing and, at the same time, emphasizes an irresolvable man-city dichotomy. The themes of sullenness and workers’ alienation from the processes of industrialization and urbanization resonate with T.S. Eliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. Green and Fernald (2003) are correct in that both works create a set of metaphors which