The Collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe :: essays papers

The Collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe Communism is like Prohibition - it's a good idea but it won't work" (Will Rogers, 1927) (1) This essay will give a brief introduction to communism. It will then discuss the various factors which combined to bring about the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe. It will examine each of these factors and evaluate the effect of each. Finally it will attempt to assertain whether Rogers' opinion (see above quotation) on Communism is true, that is, whether communism was truly doomed to fail from the start, or whether its collapse was a result of external influences. Communism is based on the ideas and teachings of Karl Marx as modified by Lenin. At its most basic, the ideal of communism is a system in which everyone is seen as equal and wealth is distributed equally among the people. There is no private ownership. The state owns and controls all enterprises and property. The state is run by one leading elite. The Soviet model of communism was based on these ideals. All opposition parties were banned although parties who were sympathetic to communism and who shared the communist ideals were allowed. All power was concentrated into the hands of the Communist party. Free press and civil liberties were suppressed. Censorship and propaganda were widely used. There was state ownership of the economy. No private enterprise was allowed. There was a collectivisation of agriculture. The Communist Party invaded and controlled every aspect of political, social, cultural and economic life. It was a totalitarian state with complete Communist control over all facets of life. In the early years, and up until Gorbachev's "new regime", the use of force and terror as a means of maintaining control was widespread. The first factor which contributed to the failure and eventual collapse of communism was the fact that the Communist party's domination was illegitimate from the beginning. Lenin came to power after a bloody Civil War between those who supported Lenin and those who opposed the Soviet regime. To Lenin, defeat was unthinkable and he was prepared to make any and every sacrifice to win the war and save "the revolution". The forcible requisitioning of food and supplies was approved by Lenin. This could only be achieved by enforcing strict and absolute discipline at every level of society. Terror was to become the chief instrument of power and Lenin was to assume the role of dictator. This was a phenomenon which was to become a symbol of communist regimes throughout their lifetime. This trend was followed when Stalin came to power as leader of the The Collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe :: essays papers The Collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe Communism is like Prohibition - it's a good idea but it won't work" (Will Rogers, 1927) (1) This essay will give a brief introduction to communism. It will then discuss the various factors which combined to bring about the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe. It will examine each of these factors and evaluate the effect of each. Finally it will attempt to assertain whether Rogers' opinion (see above quotation) on Communism is true, that is, whether communism was truly doomed to fail from the start, or whether its collapse was a result of external influences. Communism is based on the ideas and teachings of Karl Marx as modified by Lenin. At its most basic, the ideal of communism is a system in which everyone is seen as equal and wealth is distributed equally among the people. There is no private ownership. The state owns and controls all enterprises and property. The state is run by one leading elite. The Soviet model of communism was based on these ideals. All opposition parties were banned although parties who were sympathetic to communism and who shared the communist ideals were allowed. All power was concentrated into the hands of the Communist party. Free press and civil liberties were suppressed. Censorship and propaganda were widely used. There was state ownership of the economy. No private enterprise was allowed. There was a collectivisation of agriculture. The Communist Party invaded and controlled every aspect of political, social, cultural and economic life. It was a totalitarian state with complete Communist control over all facets of life. In the early years, and up until Gorbachev's "new regime", the use of force and terror as a means of maintaining control was widespread. The first factor which contributed to the failure and eventual collapse of communism was the fact that the Communist party's domination was illegitimate from the beginning. Lenin came to power after a bloody Civil War between those who supported Lenin and those who opposed the Soviet regime. To Lenin, defeat was unthinkable and he was prepared to make any and every sacrifice to win the war and save "the revolution". The forcible requisitioning of food and supplies was approved by Lenin. This could only be achieved by enforcing strict and absolute discipline at every level of society. Terror was to become the chief instrument of power and Lenin was to assume the role of dictator. This was a phenomenon which was to become a symbol of communist regimes throughout their lifetime. This trend was followed when Stalin came to power as leader of the

Axis Bank

Due to the radical changes brought up in the new era of Banking, General Public is becoming more and more conscious of the services and facilities the different banks are providing. Banks have also started tieing up with insurance companies and other allied services companies to fulfil the needs of their customers. The delivery channels have also been shifted from branches to net banking etc. Sales promotion have also been used to position the product correctly in the eyes of the customers and for product awareness to the customers.Several tools are being used like day-to-day promotional activities like discounts, offers, loans, trade promotion, other promotional activities and so on. The project in so designed as to find out the potential customers and also bring to the knowledge about the various products and services provided by the bank. In the successive chapters we will be talking about organization. . We will also be discussing about the various products and services providedS ection 7 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 makes it essential for every company carrying on the business of banking in India to use as part of its name at least one of the word- bank, banker, banking or banking company. Ancient Hindu scriptures provide enough evidence of the existence of money lending business in India. Mahajans, Shroff, Sahukars, etc. were enjoyed in banking business. In the beginning of the 18th century, the East India Company set up a few commercial banks on moderns lines. In 1770, first Indian bank known as the Bank of Hindustan was started and was closed down twenty years later.Later, the East India Company started three Presidency banks with Government participation. These were: the Bank of Calcutta (1806), the Bank of Bombay (1840) and the Bank of Madras (1843). These banks had the financial participation by the Government also. During the 18th century, some other banks were also opened by Agency Houses in Madras and Calcutta. All these banks failed. Since all the banks emerged due to Agency Houses failed, the need of banking regulation in India was seriously felt. As a result, Companies Act, 1833 was brought into force.The impact of the Agency Houses got slowly reduced. Allahabad Bank came into existence in 1865 and Alliance Bank of Simla in 1875. The first purely Indian joint stock bank known as the Oudh Commercial Bank was set up in 1880 and the Punjab National Bank was launched in 1894. The Swadeshi movement in the country in 1906 encouraged the Indian entrepreneurs to start many new banks. There were as many as 648 commercial banks in India by the end of 1947. As many as 161 banks failed in quick succession during 1913-1914 and the people’s faith in the baking system was shaken.

Entertainment History Essay

Within this essay it describes the popular and most common entertainment in Britain, from radio to the movies, in the beginning of the 1930’s. It reveals key feature of entertainment in the early 1930’s, for instance how it started, what were their intentions and what they involved. The radio plays a huge amount in our lives that’s why when it first began it was a phenomenon for the public and became a big success for the nation. It was formed on 18th October 1922, by a group of leading wireless manufactures. Its founder, John Reith, believed that the BBC should educate, inform and entertain the public, he states this when he says ‘Broadcasting should bring †¦ all that is best in every department of human knowledge, endeavour and achievement’. Reith enforced many regulations for instance; rude jokes were not allowed; he banned light entertainment on Sundays; and presenters had to speak properly so accents or dialects were not allowed. He felt that the BBC should provide popular programmes, however he also wanted BBC to be educational and enlightening experience. Which the BBC accomplished, it broadcast all over the U. K and was able to entertain and inform those in their own home, which brought families together. Though the radio had its rivals such as newspapers, and magazines it managed to overcome this by reaching out to all types of the public for example male, female, all classes, the educated and the illiterate. It became even more popular when the new wireless sets were invented; this was a great delight to all homes in Britain, it was very accessible in letting families enjoy listening to the radio. As well as putting across the news around the world the BBC also aired other kinds of interest such as dance music and comedy. This was a great improvement for singers and band leaders because it made them a vast amount of recognitions by the public because it caused their sales of their records to increase hugely. Band leaders such as Jack Payne and Henry Hall were very popular also common programs for example ‘Bandwagon’ went unmissed. As a result, radio was a family orientated source of entertainment and became a way of spending the night in, whilst enjoying yourself, rather than spending your night out. Another big source of entertainment was the cinema. Just as the radio allowed families coming together the so did the cinema, though it was more a family outing. The film industry grew rapidly, however at first the British film industry couldn’t compete with the American film industry. It wasn’t as technically advanced as the American films and the British public preferred to watch more films from America which didn’t created a bigger obstacle for the British film industry. Consequently in 1927 the government passed an act ensuring that at least 5% of the total number of films should be shown in cinemas had to be British. And during that year sound movies was introduced this was a set back for the British film industry economically the silent movies were no match to the ‘talkies’. Such film like ‘The Jazz Singer’ starring Al Jolson was the first sound movie to be shown though the first ten minutes of the film really had sound. Sound became a sensation; people were able to engage in the films for low prices. This was a way of bringing many forms of relationships together such as, couples, friends and families. It was seen as a safe, comfortable and relaxing environment for everyone to enjoy an evening and because one ticket could be used for the whole day, people could spend the entire day in the cinema. Also Tennis became very popular, tennis clubs emerged increasingly and tennis courts were built in public parks by the local council. Though tennis was very popular it was quite expensive therefore it mainly attracted the middle and the upper class. Also because of its uniform it generally appeals to women, there dresses were shorter and movable as a result women could play much more comfortably. Cricket was a further type of entertainment that attracted the middle and upper class. This was an extremely popular sport, it grabbed a lot of attention especially the men. Matches were filled with people mostly the men. And the success of Don Bradman, who was the one who sailed through nearly every match, initiated cricket hitting headlines. Football was a tremendously popular sport that was also male dominated, however it generally drew the attention of the working class. Because this was a new sport, and the prices were very cheap crowds of 50,000 to 60,000 attended the first division matches. It was so crowded people were literally on the field, although during the early 1930’s, since this was a fresh new sport the men weren’t as rowdy and uncontrollable as the men are today. Even football pools were produced, this suggests the popularity of football and how the people of the 1930’s were influenced by this sport. In contrast to these sports greyhound racing was very popular as well though it weren’t as positive as the others. It attracted the working class and made them spend money to get money, although it didn’t work like that for the majority of people; it increased gambling; dept and led to addiction. The unemployed gambled as much as the working class but just spent less money, all of this reflected the fact of entertainment rising in the early 1930’s. Music halls were an additional strong type of entertainment in the early 1930’s, however as grey hound racing was a negative type of sport so was music halls. It was where a selection of entertainment was staged in a large hall with tables at which drinks were served. It presented a variety of entertainment involving a mixture of popular songs, performing animals, acrobats, male/female impersonators, and comedians. It also assists in many acts becoming popular such as Flanagan and Allen, Gracie Fields, Max Miller, and George Formby. The halls mostly attracted the working class because of its cheap prices; it was a place to socialize; and the availability of alcohol was one of the music hall’s attractions. People really came to music halls to unwind and have a lively time. Therefore, because the hall encouraged heavy drinking among both men and women, it didn’t appeal to families seeing as it wasn’t a place for children. Music halls went into a gradual decline after the introduction of talking films, Jazz, Swing, Big Band dance music and cinema. It’s restriction on the range of audience, which limited their customers, was another reason of their failure. Musicals were similar to the music halls as they were both centered on music and performances; however because of the two different audiences it was incredibly different as well. Because of it sophistication musicals mainly attracted the middle and upper classes, the result of this meant that there was no competition. Therefore they carried on being successful. To conclude entertainment was a break through in allowing people to overcome to effects of the depression. Therefore it gave a rise to the upcoming of entertainment and how it affects our lives today.

The Life of Gaius Julius Caesar essays

The Life of Gaius Julius Caesar essays Gaius Julius Caesar was born in a working class quarter of the great city of Rome on July 13, 100 BC. In Rome a newborn child is laid on the ground by his/her mother then their father has the option to pick up and accept responsibility for the child or to leave the child. If the baby is left it could be killed, raised by another member of the family, or rescued by a slave trader/owner. Luckily for Gaius, when he was laid on the floor his father welcomed him into his family. On the ninth day of his life little baby Gaius got his name. Caesars full name is composed of three names. All three names have a symbolic meaning to his family. His first and last name was that of his father gens (clan), and on his mothers side he belongs to the Aurelian gens. Each clan has a past all in itself. His fathers clan, Julian, claims to be descended from Venus. And on his mothers side a rich plebian family is the staple of the clan. His uncle (by marriage to his Aunt Julia) was the famous general Gaius Marius. He was the leader of the Populares and held the position of consul (highest political office) for seven consecutive terms, while Caesars dad wasnt even a praetor (2nd in rank to consul). His uncle saw to it that young Caesar was appointed flamen dialis. This was one of an archaic priesthood with no power. This accompanied by Julius marriage to Cornelia in 84BC identified him with his Uncles extremist politics. Cornelia was the daughter of Cinna, one of Mariuss associates who was also a radical. In 82 BC when Lucaius Cornelius Sulla was made dictator he ordered a list of enemies to be killed. Caesar, because of his relation to Marius, was ordered to divorce Cornelia. He refused to do so & found it necessary to leave Rome. When Caesar ...

Proper Use of The Semicolon

Proper Use of The Semicolon Proper Use of The Semicolon Proper Use of The Semicolon By Mark Nichol Pity the poor semicolon so often misunderstood, so seldom asked to dance because he is seen as stiff, formal, and pretentious. But he’s such a practical, useful fellow whose talents should be appreciated that I would like to reintroduce him to you. A semicolon has two primary functions, exemplified in two labels attached to it: It is said to be the equivalent of a weak period and a strong comma. Think of the two as distinct dance steps. In its weak-period mode, the semicolon stands in for a period when an independent clause could appear as a separate sentence but is so closely related to the previous independent clause that the semicolon is inserted to signal that relationship: â€Å"An investigator files and locates court documents; librarians file claims for missing serials and locate requested information.† As a stand-in for a strong comma, it separates items in a list when one or more items in that list are themselves lists: â€Å"The apple figures prominently in Christian and Islamic belief; Greek, Nordic, and Celtic legends; and folklore throughout the Western world.† It serves that function, too, when one or more list items otherwise include a comma: â€Å"Astrology’s origins can also be traced to several other locations and cultures, including Egypt, which developed sophisticated timekeeping and calendar science; Greece, where Ptolemy authored influential astrological and astronomical texts; and Rome, where many of the most learned men including two emperors were astrologers who wrote laws and counseled citizens based on the stars.† That said, though semicolons are underutilized in the first role, they are overused in the second they’re underappreciated for their facility with one dance step and are too often called on to demonstrate the other dance step when the dance is not appropriate. Here are some solutions for balancing out the semicolon’s dance card: 1. â€Å"More than 900 million people still lacked access to clean drinking water in 2010; and 2.6 billion did not have adequate sanitation.† An independent clause following a weak-period semicolon should not begin with a conjunction; they are redundant to each other. Often, the conjunction is preferable: â€Å"More than 900 million people still lacked access to clean drinking water in 2010, and 2.6 billion did not have adequate sanitation.† (This usage, common in the past, is frequently seen in classic literature, but it’s fallen out of favor.) 2. â€Å"Part of the company’s responsibility is to show others their responsibility; to help other water users see that small changes can save a lot of water.† If a thought does not constitute an independent clause, use a comma (or, for greater emphasis, perhaps an em dash), not a weak-period semicolon: â€Å"Part of the company’s responsibility is to show others their responsibility, to help other water users see that small changes can save a lot of water.† (Again, easily found in older works, but no longer considered proper usage.) 3. â€Å"That is true, however, the increasing conflicts over water for energy involve the vast amounts power generation makes unavailable for people and aquatic ecosystems.† Here is a weak-period construction complicated by the presence of the conjunctive adverb however, which requires a comma after it. The one before it should be a weak-period semicolon: â€Å"That is true; however, the increasing conflicts over water for energy involve the vast amounts power generation makes unavailable for people and aquatic ecosystems.† 4. â€Å"Residents had to slash their water use by a third, farmers by nearly half.† Here’s a similar problem. The phrase â€Å"farmers by nearly half† is an incorrectly punctuated abridgement of the potential independent clause â€Å"farmers had to slash their water use by nearly half.† The elided repetition of the phrase â€Å"had to slash their water use† is signaled by a comma in its place, and the two independent clauses are stitched together by a weak-period semicolon: â€Å"Residents had to slash their water use by a third; farmers, by nearly half.† 5. â€Å"He also uses a Geiger counter, which measures radiation; motion detectors; barometric pressure monitors; and thermometers.† This sentence is grammatically correct as is, but so many semicolons in a short sentence make it look cluttered. Reconstruct the sentence to eliminate the need for the strong-comma semicolons: â€Å"He also uses a Geiger counter, which measures radiation, plus motion detectors, barometric pressure monitors, and thermometers.† 6. â€Å"Our services can identify sites that infringe on brand name, content, or trademarks; misuse a brand name or image; or disparage a brand.† Here’s another solution for the correct-but-excessive strong-comma semicolon when only one item in a list is itself a list, if it’s logical to do so, move that item to the end of the sentence: â€Å"Our services can identify sites that disparage a brand, misuse a brand name or image, or infringe on brand name, content, or trademarks.† 7. â€Å"Follow-up studies are needed to improve our understanding of whether influences on decision making carry through to patterns of actual disclosure; whether involvement in counseling affects outcomes; and whether access to professional assistance at the time of planned disclosure is helpful.† Semicolons are not required to separate items in a list just because one or more items is lengthy, especially in this sentence, in which the repetition of whether clearly signals the beginning of each list item. Replace the strong-comma semicolons with authentic commas: â€Å"Follow-up studies are needed to improve our understanding of whether influences on decision making carry through to patterns of actual disclosure, whether involvement in counseling affects outcomes, and whether access to professional assistance at the time of planned disclosure is helpful.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 Classes and Types of PhrasesHow to Punctuate with â€Å"However†Grammar Review #1: Particles and Phrasal Verbs

Housing and Benefits for Asylum Seekers in UK Essay

Housing and Benefits for Asylum Seekers in UK - Essay Example Housing is at the very cornerstone of reception and resettlement (BRC 1987, 96-99; Carey-Wood etal. 1995, 66-72; Majke 1991, 267- 283; Refugee Council 1997; Robinson 1993, 170-186) and controlling access to housing has become an increasingly important part of the government's asylum and immigration strategy. Without adequate shelter, few other opportunities exist for those unfortunate enough to be destitute. With no permanent address, there is little chance of establishing the minimum rights of citizenship, which offer inclusion into the host society. Social exclusion has been a reality for many thousands of asylum seekers over a prolonged period of time. This was true even before the more draconian measures introduced in the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. The prevailing environment of competition, performance review and value for money has had the effect of increasingly marginalising the most vulnerable groups in British society. In all but a few notable exceptions, the needs of asylum seekers have been inadequately addressed by either public or private sectors (Zetter and Pearl 1999a, 24-27). This has been due to a combination of institutional inertia and political sensitivity - both cock-up and conspiracy. The most recent legislative measures have further exacerbated the process of exclusion, generating additional hardship for an already overburdened group by extending uncertainty and increasing dependency. In reality, the rights and entitlements of refugees are little changed by the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. They remain eligible to receive support and assistance in terms of both benefits and housing from the public sector. This is an important distinction from asylum seekers. Refugees are individuals or households whose status under the 1951 Geneva Convention has been approved by the UK government: that is, their 'well founded fear of persecution' has been accepted. They are likely to have either permanent or long-term status of residence in the UK and generally share in the usual rights of citizenship. (Duke, 1995, 12-18) Those with refugee status are eligible for assistance under the homelessness legislation and qualify for the housing register. To a large extent, such households have fewer institutional barriers to overcome than asylum seekers. Asylum seekers have no such clarity of outcome, for which they depend on the result of their pending application. While in this state of limbo, they are disqualified from access to employment, benefits or permanent housing, and are thus placed at the very margins of society. Indeed, at certain times within the mid-1990s, large numbers of single asylum seekers were actually destitute. (Joly, 1996, 121-128) The political reality behind the asylum legislation appears, therefore, to indicate a reliance on two cardinal principles above all other considerations: 1. the control and limitation of public expenditure, particularly personal benefits 2. the maintenance of an image of political toughness. (Robinson, 1985, 305- 330) It seems likely that excessive zeal in investigating applications and a

Research proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Research proposal - Essay Example rticularly in the contemporary age, when the financial and emotional implications of unsuccessful marriage are numerous, many people tend to cohabit rather than marrying to avoid commitment and its implications. Marriage is a very sacred institution. Many problems in our society like negative birth rate and teenage pregnancy result from a decline in the trend of marriage. I am personally approaching the age of marriage in near future, and would like to have a detailed study of the pros and cons, conveniences and complexities of marriage. This imparts the need to carry out an in-depth analysis of both types of marriage i.e. love marriage and arranged marriage, so that the one that has conventionally been more successful and has yielded more favorable results for people can be identified. Determinants of successful marriage, be that a love marriage or arranged marriage vary across cultures. For example, a marriage is declared good in Japan in which the man is the bread earner whereas the wife does not work whereas the ability of a husband to financially support his wife is not the measure of a good marriage in the USA (Lee and Ono). â€Å"Education has a strong and consistent association with marital quality, indicating that the greater the education the greater the marital quality† (Allendorf and Ghimire 18). To find out the answers of the above questions, a detailed literature review would be conducted for the secondary data. People who have done either love marriage or arranged marriage will be interviewed. Since this topic relates to the field of sociology, the qualitative research would be more suitable for the data collection and analysis than the quantitative research. Responses of the research participants will be analyzed and conclusions would be drawn. Marriage is of two basic types; love marriage and arranged marriage. There are certain drivers of successful marriage that differ between the two. The two also differ in their level of success in the past.