...Steven Spielberg wrote in Time Magazine that at the core of Zhang Yimou’s filmography “was the idea that the conflict of man foretells the desire for inner peace”. Spielberg’s statement precisely embodies the underlying meaning in both films “To Live” and “Hero” (Person of the Year). Both films reinforce the idea that humanity conquers all. Humility and benevolence are hard to come by, easily trotted upon, and often taken advantage of. However, it is only through personal strife that we often embody these qualities and begin to develop inner piece. Both films employ powerful and sad events to help expose political shortcomings and ailments that have a direct and real result on society. I believe that at the heart of Yimou’s cinematography is the idea that, after all is said and done, goodwill humanity will prevail. In “To Live”, a Chinese family experiences more misfortunes than blessings. Because of gambling, unfortunate circumstances, and political instability and change, we see Fugui and his family go through a traumatic transformation from riches to rags. But what’s captivating to watch is that as life becomes more difficult and situations worsen, Fugui begins to appreciate the finer things in life. He soul wakes up to morality and purpose when for so long it was bogged down by selfishness, power, and earthly desires. Through cultural symbolism, we are reminded of the important values perpetuated by this film. From the puppet shows to an eclectic mix of Chinese instrumentation...
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...drifting down among the domed mosques, the arches of the churches, the spires of the temples. People swarm through Sarajevo’s narrow streets, hemmed in by the rows of buildings. The river sweeps through the city, carrying boats under its many low bridges. The city seems to hold its breath in expectation for the day. A motorcade approaches the city from the north. Archduke Franz Ferdinand is visiting the city with his wife Sophie, on orders from his father, Emperor Franz Joseph Austria-Hungary. He has come to the city to check on the army’s summer maneuvers. His wife is with him against the Emperor’s wishes, and it is...
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...In document E, a Roman ambassador, Priscus, interviewed a Roman commoner on the state of Rome. The commoner stated that he did not like the taxes that Roman government held against them. Also, he said that the Roman empire didn’t have as much”spirit” (possibly meaning Rome got boring) as the earlier days did. As well as the information found from this document, document C shared tst Roman Emperor wouldn’t be a very good job to have as people assassinate the Emperor for the title and power very often. The political corruption and inward economic problems played a vital part in the fall of Rome. Leading on from the Emperors being assassinated, the weak political leadership was perhaps the prime reason Rome declined from the Pax Romana, or Roman Peace. The leaders of the government were soft-bellied and lazy, letting the military do what the military wanted. Also, the Emperors weren't very well to be relied on, as they were mostly corrupted assassins who would’ve led the demise of the previous Emperor. All of these issues that were stated before all started with the with the weak political...
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...Ancient Emperors: Ashoka Brittany Raymond Professor Michael Briere Strayer University HUM 111 Monday, December 15, 2014 Ancient Emperors: Ashoka http://static.newworldencyclopedia.org/7/7d/Ashoka2.jpg0 Ancient Emperors: Ashoka As I, Emperor Ashoka Maurya, lay here holding on to the last bit of my life I want to leave a part of me to share with the world of my life. I was born in 304 BC to my father the Mauryan Empire, Bindusara. When I was born my grandfather, Chandragupta, was ruler of the empire. My father later inherited leadership from him and ruled for the next 25 years. I was 18 years old in the year 286 B.C. when my father appointed me as his Viceroy of the province of Avanti. My father had chosen me because it was said I had shown my abilities and individuality well. I soon after married Vidisa Mahadevi Sakya Kumari in Ujjayini. Mahadevi was from the famous Sakya clan to which Buddha belonged. At age 20 I celebrated the birth of a son whom I gave the name Mahendra. Next my daughter, Sanghamitra, was born just two years later. This was the small start to what one day would be my large family. Early into my military career I became a strong leader. I was respected and spoke highly about. This did not sit easy with my eldest half-brother, Prince Susima. He then began to plan his demise to keep me from being the choice to take over my father’s place as ruler. I was sent by my father into Takshashila province when...
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...Name: Gbadamosi Oluwaseyi Mat. No.: 11/sms11/017 Dept.: Intelligence and security studies Submitted to: Dr. Bodunde Question: America has no peace, it only manages peace. Evaluate this statement with particular reference to the international system. ABSTRACT The topic of terrorism is quite complex. It is complex because it combines so many different aspects of human experience, including subjects such as politics, psychology, philosophy, military strategy, and history, to name a few. Terrorism is also emotive both because experiences of terrorist acts arouse tremendous feelings, and because those who see terrorists as justified often have strong feelings concerning the rightness of the use of violence. Terrorism is not a new phenomenon in human experience. Violence has been used throughout human history by those who chose to oppose states, kings, and princes. This sort of violence can be differentiated from what is termed as terrorism. Violence in opposition to a government is often targeted against soldiers and those who govern. Terrorism, however, is characterized by the use of violence against civilians, with the expressed desire of causing terror or panic in the population. Terrorism is not unique to the 20th and 21st centuries. Terrorism existed in 18th century revolutionary France during the reign of terror, as well as among the Zealots of Palestine in opposition to Roman rule some 2000 years ago. Today, terrorist activity can be found in Israel, Indonesia, United...
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...born on April 29, 1901 in Tokyo’s Aoyama Palace. This was when his grandfather, Emperor Meiji, was still in power. When Meiji died in 1912, Hirohito’s father, Yoshihito took the throne. Hirohito then became the heir to the throne. He was also made a lieutenant in both the army and navy. In his young age he progressively made his way through the ranks in the military. Hirohito married Princess Nagako Kuni on January 26, 1924. They had five daughters and two sons. One daughter, Princess Hisa, sadly did not live to adulthood. She died when she was one for unknown reasons. Another child, Princess Taka, was the only one adopted. On December 25, 1926, Hirohito succeeded in taking the throne because of his father's death....
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...Royal Prince of Hungary and of Bohemia, as well as an Archduke of Austria-Este, Austro-Hungarian. Born on December 18, 1863, the eldest son of Archduke Karl-Ludwig von Habsburg and his wife, Princess Annunziata di Borbone, Franz Ferdinand was third in line to the thrown of the Austro-Hungarian Empire upon his birth. After his cousin Crown Prince Rudolf committed suicide in 1889 and his father died in 1896, Franz Ferdinand became the heir of his aging uncle Emperor Franz Josef. He eloped with Countess Sophie Chotek on July 1, 1900, but this marriage was considered unequal and they were forced to renounce rights of rank and succession for their three children. The Archduke had a distinguished military career, gaining promotions to captain, major, colonel and general. In 1913 he was named Inspector General of Austria-Hungary’s Army. An avid supporter of the Empire’s Navy, Franz Ferdinand has been described as energetic, reckless, proud, mistrusting and moody. Dispite his military status, Ferdinand’s relationship with Emperor Franz Josef was laden with friction. Often disagreeing with the Empire’s leaders, he was not very popular. Politically, Franz Ferdinand aligned himself with centralism and Catholic conservatism. Striving to give more freedom to ethnic groups in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, he supported the Czechs as well as the Croatians and Bosnians. The Archduke also promoted federalism that would make the empire into 16 states and saw Hungarian nationalism as a serious threat...
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...Julius Caesar was born on the thirteenth day of the month Quintilis in the year of 100 BC. His full name was Gaius Julius Caesar, the same as his father's. Gaius was his given name and Julius was his surname. He was a strong political and military leader who changed the history of the Roman world. Until he was assassinated he was said to be the most famous leader in history. When he was young, Caesar lived through one of the worst decades in the history of Rome. The city was assaulted and captured by Roman armies twice. First, in eighty-seven BC by the leaders of the populares. Cinna was killed the year that Caesar married Cornelia.Marius' enemy Sulla, leader of the optimates, carried out the attack. On each occasion the massacre of political opponents was followed by the confiscation of their property.. record that Caesar had recently returned from a long military campaign that sent him to the far reaches of the Roman Empire. the conspirators convinced the Senate to offer Caesar the crown. The conspirators then placed a crown on a statue of Caesar that was quickly torn down by Caesar’s friends. “Then, a few days later, as he was riding through the streets of Rome, a crowd of people who had been led on by the Aristocrats hailed him as KingThe final offer of the crown occurred before a large crowd of Romans, when a crown was placed on Caesar’s head he took it off and said Mark Antony was the one who offered the crown to Caesar. He did not do it to harm Caesar but out of respect...
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... * Constantine Germans, army, borders * German influence lead to the end of the empire * Battle of Adrianople Germans beat romans * Start taking parts of Rome * Bad emperors in west * Bad economy lets Germans in Short essay The splitting of the empire * Why do they split * Why does the west fall * How are they different in culture, language * West has bad emperors * East pays people no to invade Emergence of absolute autocracy * Augustus * Power of the emperor Who is the most important person in second triumvirate * Augustus * Sets of empire * What world did he create with reforms * Makes it seem like he is going back to old time values Dates Edict of toleration 313 AD Founding of Constantinople 330 AD Fall of western Rome (fall of the roman empire) 476 AD Start of the empire 27 BCE When Germans sacked Rome 410 CE?? Study 11-5 to present Christianity Chronology 64 First persecution of Christians under Emperor Nero 274 Birthdat of Constantine 303 Great Persecution begins and Diocletion issues edict that bans the practice of christianity 312 Constantine embraces christianity after vision 313 Edict of Milan tolerates christians 324 Constantine is sole emperor of Rome 326 Edicts of Constantine against Christian heretics 330 Constantinople "New Rome" 341 Imperial decree against the offering of pagan sacrifice s 360 Julian issues edict of toleration...
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...In 27 B.C., Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianany historians see the beginning of the Roman Empire as the golden age of Roman literature and arts, however this period would also become known for its great extravagance and imperial notoriety. It's worth taking a look at the eras leading up to the Julio-Claudian dynasty and how each period's contributions would influence the Julio-Claudian emperors. The first era in Roman history, beginning in 753 BC and ending in 509 BC, came to be known as the Roman Kingdom. The Roman Kingdom is generally accepted as the founding of Rome itself. Little is certain about the history of the Roman Kingdom, as nearly no written records from that time have survived, and the historical records that were subsequently written are largely based on legends. It is thought to have begun with the settlements around the Palatine Hill in Central Italy. It is generally thought to have ended with the overthrow of the kings and the establishment of the Republic in approximately 509 BC. The period immediately following the Roman Kingdom came to be known as the Roman Republic, which began in 509 BC and continued through 27 BC. It was during this period that...
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...Roman civilization. Octavius won power over the people by fighting in many wars and gaining in rank, especially in the Battle of Actium, which with victory solidified his role as a leader. He had only to gain the affection and trust of the people, so he maintained Roman traditions and befriended the Senate. Because of this tact, Octavian gained more influence over the government and people. Octavian strongly advocated for expansionism and, with the support of the senate and his army, conquered most of the countries around the mediterranean sea. Not only was Octavian a warrior, but an excellent diplomat as well. Though, as a result of his great influence over the people, Octavian was renamed as Augustus Caesar and became the first emperor in Rome. Octavian had developed a new means of government that satisfied himself and the people of Rome, and with this new empire, Octavian paved the way for later rulers to build up the might of Rome. Early Life: Gaius Octavius, who would later be known as Caesar Augustus, came...
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...'veni, vidi, vici' (I came, I saw, I conquered) Could Julius Caesar have made a statement like it in the 21st century? Julius Caesar was one of the greatest in history, many say. Even though he was not the first emperor of Rome, becoming the emperor he showed all victories achieving it. He conquered many city-states and give the peoples much better lives. He started in Spain with great lessons he learned personally and for his career. But how would Caesar have lived in the 21st Century and are their any leaders alike nowadays? From early age, Caesar understood that Rome was corrupted in the 80’s BC and that he needed a network in the higher sits to prosper and become a leader. To achieve higher position he got in high debt by organizing events and bribed officials to make political friends. By the time he was 40 in 60 BC he had achieved the title of praetor (in Ancient Rome this was the positions as commander of one army) of the troops in Spain that was struggling until Caesar arrived. With a lot of hard work and learning experience of discovering his new talents, Caesar acknowledged to himself that war and victory is the path to money, power, and emperorship. In Plutarch, “I’d rather be first here than second in Rome” and “Don’t you think it’s sad that while Alexander was already ruling over a vast empire at such young age, I haven’t yet achieved anything remarkable (p.310-311)?” These statements show his drive to power and leadership with one goal of being number one. Thus...
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...Napoleon Bonaparte was a military general who became the first emperor of France. His drive for empire changed the world. Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769, in Ajaccio. By the time around Napoleon's birth, Corsica's occupation by the French had caused local resistance. His father Carlo Bonaparte had at first supported the nationalists siding with their leader, Pasquale Paoli. But after Paoli was forced to flee the island, Carlo switched his allegiance to the French. After doing so he was appointed assessor of the judicial district of Ajaccio in 1771, a plush job that eventually enabled him to enroll his two sons, Joseph and Napoleon, in France's College d'Autun. Eventually, Napoleon ended up at the military college of Brienne, where he studied for five years, before moving on to the military academy in Paris. He graduated five years early from military school, he become second lieutenant of artillery, and returned to Corsica in 1786. Back home Napoleon got behind the Corsican resistance to the French occupation, siding with his father's former ally, Pasquale Paoli. But the two soon had a falling-out, and when civil war in Corsica began in April 1793, Napoleon, now an enemy of Paoli, and his family moved to France. After Napoleon moved back to France, he return to service with the French military. Upon rejoining his regiment at Nice in June 1793, the young leader quickly showed his support for the Jacobins, a political movement and the most well-known and popular...
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...Cleopatra, Octavian declared war on Anthony. This is because, his children with Cleopatra were non-Roman citizens. The Roman Navy under Agrippa defeated the combined fleets of Antony and Cleopatra, and within a year, both had committed suicide. This battled was called the battle of Actium. https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/gAkpU4UmLut4Di5t-pI0QwJyfQPqzr2ZzPQ4kUJXG_mtgP8oQAUyLK1J9aXgDE_Oug21-ZroDJxuKa5eazldunLqpTtClGUEhG-A_DHhnSTWTlkdKLmkKiOoQfnyaWQvahRi77whttps://lh5.googleusercontent.com/9PF6r_pN5by3EYi4hmWAKdtCeNyEQjB-o5-olali8Xpg1fGMjk9GOngaV1X4eSNHSeuFgu3XJymGHUot3uE9SYqXoGzY-Ir7Epe3kjN8Rfgyg3Np9M2UaTaNyKWXkEKpEGfNlno In 42 BC, Octavian and Anthony matched towards the East to revenge Caesar’s death. After Caesar died, his two assassins, Gaius Cassius Longinus and Marcus Junius Brutus fled to the East. They had a great army and a legion. The second...
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...When Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb. Austria Hungary saw the assassination as an act of terrorism and would have attacked Serbia directly if it weren’t for the fear that attacking Serbia would start a war with Russia. Kaiser Wilhelm, the German emperor. France became allied with Russia. Europe was a “powder keg”. Otto Von Bismarck, chancellor of Germany, was responsible for creating this alliance system. His ultimate goal was to “try to be one of three [world powers] as long as the world is governed by an unstable equilibrium of five powers.”1 The assassination of Ferdinand is what lead Leopold Bechtold, the Austro Hungarian Foreign Minister to finally take action against Serbia. While it is debatable any of the seven assassins were members of the Black Hand, it was enough to start the July crisis. Germany urged Austria Hungary to attack Serbia, giving them a blank cheque. They promised unconditional support to Austria Hungary. As a result, all the countries involved in the alliance system were drawn into war. If not for the alliance system, the conflict would have remained between Serbia and Austria Hungry and never become a world war. This alliance system, while crucial to the start of World War I, was not the sole...
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