... Although Alexander III enacted some social and economic reforms, most importantly those of industry, he did more to repress the people, strengthen autocracy, and remove the more liberal reforms of his father, so it would be fair to say that Alexander III was a reactionary. This was because fundamentally he was a believer in autocracy and nationality, and so only would only accept reforms that would strengthen these ideals, was necessary to keep up with other countries, or was neutral. So this hindered the social reform and progress, which was clearly wanted by some parts of the population, leading to him being defined as a reactionary. One way, in which it can be seen that Alexander II was a reactionary, was through his policy of Russification. This was a policy that was designed to unite the very diverse Russian empire into a uniform nation, in which everyone could define himself or herself as Russian and would therefore rally behind his ‘great Russian’ administration. This was however implemented forcefully. It involved harassing and repressing minorities such as Poles, Finns and Jews, forcing them to learn Russian by having all official paperwork printed in Russian and even expelling students who spoke their local language in school. This was reactionary behavior, because it stopped minorities creating their own national identities and trying to become politically independent, so here Alexander was clearly trying to hinder reform in order to try and maintain the size of...
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...some of the very basic structures of Russian politics and society. Russia’s backwardness in all key institutions compared to surrounding great powers was massive, and the loss of the war had a critical effect on the faith the people of Russia had in their Tsar. Because of this intolerable humiliation, Alexander II found his back pushed against a wall and was forced to make all sorts of reforms in order to ameliorate the poor conditions of his country. As one of Alexander’s first reform, in 1861 Alexander II declared “the edict to emancipation”, in other words, the abolishment of serfdom for fear that it would “reform from the below”. Even though Slavophiles stressed the importance of serfdom in the preservation of political and social stability, Westernizes emphasized its role as a brake upon Russia’s economic development in relation to other countries surrounding it. Alexander therefore decided to free the serfs from their landowners and give them land that they could now grow crops on without being governed by the landowners. However, right from the very first reform other major conflicts were brought up, as the emancipation of the serfs caused a huge problem to the nobles and the landowners, who now no longer had free labor. In addition, land could only be granted to the peasants at the expenses of their landowners, and such a step would come dangerously close to accepting the radical doctrine that the land should belong to those who worked it, and...
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...How far did World War One cause the collapse of the liberal state? The liberal state in Italy during the period in the build up to World War One was one of instability an speculation led by Giovanni Giolitti by the rules of trasformismo politics. While Giolitti is seen as successful in some senses, he failed to unite Italy in a way in which other continental countries were, and could not prevent resentment between different groups and classes causing chaotic riots and civil unrest in 1914, the same year that would see him come to pass on power to Antonio Salandra. Only a year later would Italy enter the First World War under Salandra against Giolitti’s will of neutrality. World War one itself perhaps exposed some of the weaknesses in the current political system of which liberal Italy was functioning on. The fact that there was division of opinion on whether Italy should enter the war highlights the unstable and indecisive nature of this system in Italy at this time. Italy’s influence and helpfulness to the allies in the fighting aspect of the war was very minimal, the army seemed relatively weak willed and lacked morale eventually leading to situations such as Caporetto in 1917 when an astonishing 300,000 Italian soldiers surrendered to become POW’s leaving Italy depleted in infantry, while also losing 150km of land. Overall in the war around 600,000 Italian troops were killed, a staggering amount considering Italy’s limited role in the war and perhaps pointed to a poor...
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... 1964-2005 Liberals had dominated American society for most of the 1900s. The 1960s was widely known for being the age of counterculture, social reforms, and liberals. The era witnessed many advancements like racial equality such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a strong advancement in political liberalism, and a significant increase in the power and influence of government-funded social programs as a result of Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society reforms. Beginning with the election of Nixon, however, followed a gradual return to conservatism whether religiously, politically, or economically. The resurgence of conservatism in American politics and government in the years 1964-2005, was caused in reaction to 1960s liberal political, economic, and social policies as well as the rise of religious political groups and the controversy over the Vietnam War. The government's political and economic policies contributed to the rise of conservatism. Most notable of the federal reforms were initiated by liberal Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson and his Great Society schemes. His "War on Poverty" speech, delivered on March 16, 1964, called for a war on poverty to give people a second chance by spending millions on education, job training, housing, and healthcare. Johnson's intention was in some ways a conservative one. He wanted to give people a hand-up, not a hand-out and make them dependent on the money earned from taxing the more fortunate (Document A). Reflecting the liberal mood of the 1960s...
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...concessions and an accumulation of economic factors like poor working conditions, high taxes and famine. There were numerous aspects which contributed to Tsar Nicholas II surviving the 1905 Revolution. Collectively these enabled the Tsar to survive, however the most significant of these was the loyalty of the Russian army during the period. Without the reliance he had upon the Army, the Tsar may not have been ultimately successful in surviving the revolution. The army remaining loyal to Tsar Nicholas was indeed crucial to him keeping his power, as they were able to majorly control the opposing threats; the disturbances throughout Russia were crushed by the army. For example December saw an armed uprising in Moscow, largely involving the Bolsheviks; this revolt resulted in over 1000 people being killed as Tsarist soldiers controlled the situation. Loyal units identified in the army were used to close down the St Petersburg Soviet that represented 96 factories, while mutinies within the army were met with brutal suppression. Through the use of the army, over the next year the Tsarist Government were able to overpower all revolutionary activity. Their actions included the killing and exportation of thousands of workers, beating up children, arrest of thousands of workers and peasants, raping women and girls and hanging of peasants without a trial. Tens of thousands of people were affected in some way by the radical actions of the army; from execution to deportation. The 1905 revolution...
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...as Mike Rapport stated, “in 1848 a violent storm of revolutions tore through Europe.”1. As with many revolutions, the main cause was economic that channeled into political, social, cultural, and national demands for reforms. Europe experienced rather significant economic recession in 1844 and its effects were felt for several years. The revolution can be summarized to three particular factors; the prevailing discontent in Europe at that time, the urge for liberalism in Europe, and lastly, the large sense of nationalism crates by foreign rule and hopes for unification. The poor quality of life mainly caused turmoil in the mid-19th century. Years prior to the 1848 revolution, bad harvest and economic depression infuriated the masses all throughout Europe, and food riots were recurrent. The economic crisis also increased the rate of unemployment. Large scale revolutions advertently followed these social issues, with even more discontent building up from each bad harvest. To cause further discontent was the poor governance. The laissez faire attitude of the French Government and monarchy displeased many people. They treated that the government as useless. And in France, not only poor governance but violence from the numerous rebellions and revolts against the government, after it took over control in a social revolution itself in 1830, accentuated this discontent of the masses. And discontent for all governments was common throughout the European continent. For instance, the first...
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...extent does Tsar Alexander II deserve to be viewed as the Tsar Liberator? Think BALANCE!! Alexander II 1855-81 ▪ Came to the throne during the Crimean War (1855) ▪ Initiated a wide range of reforms (social, economic, administrative and legal) ▪ Earned the title ‘Liberator’ for giving freedom to the peasants BUT did not wish to share political power ▪ Assassinated by the People’s Will in 1881 Answering the key question |Introduction |Use this chart to answer any question on Alex II | | |All questions (whether relating to ‘Liberator’ or not) will require BALANCE | | |Precision of knowledge – “Detail is King!” | | |Yes |No | |Emancipation |Emancipation Committees set up |Redemption Payments (49 years) | |1861 |Peasants were free, could own property, marry, trade and were |Betrayal? “We are yours, but the land is not ours” | | |given a quarter of old land free (no land given to ex-slaves |Peasants lost land, fell by a fifth ...
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...National Health Care: Conservative vs. Liberal Views Health Care in the United States has been a hot topic of debate between conservatives and liberals over the years of President Obama’s presidency because in 2010 Obama implemented the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA consists of two pieces of legislation with the goal of expanding health care to all Americans while providing equal care to all regardless of age, social status, and preexisting conditions. These goals are aligned with a liberal viewpoint, which most Democrats are in favor of. The ACA was met with heavy opposition from the Republican side which skews toward a conservative view for health care. Conservatives believe in a more privatized health care system with less government intervention to lower costs and increase the overall quality of health care thru competition. Obama Care has had its issues with implementation and administration rather than its liberal ideology and its goals, but I believe the solution to a successful healthcare policy lies with the conservative viewpoint leading to a more efficient system. Liberals main concern with health care in a conservative system is that it unfairly gives advantages to the middle and upper class. “Elements of the liberal health care perspective include a belief that health care is an equal right of all people, the implementation of that right through a social insurance system that provides universal health coverage, equitable financing of health care, and a...
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...series of reforms, which were intended to liberalize Russian society. They included the abolition of serfdom, the modernization of the government, the opening of universities to people of all socioeconomic classes, the granting of semi-autonomy to the Russian territory of Poland, and the relaxation of some laws that were punitive to various religious groups (Burleigh 27). While these reforms had good intentions they failed to have the intended effects. The educational reforms did allow more people to be admitted to universities, but they did little to change life conditions for these new people. For example, women left universities with no new societal roles in which they could utilize their education. In addition, educated people of lower classes had few employment opportunities available for them upon graduation (Alexander and His Times). The tough situation for the newly accepted students caused students to rise up and take control of their professors (Burleigh 28). The emancipation of the serfs was also not entirely successful. This is because it left awkward agreements between former serfs and landlords that forced serfs to reimburse their former masters for the financial loss of losing them as unpaid workers. These agreements caused tension and some unrest in rural areas. Even in Poland, the limited self-rule that was granted to them failed because it caused many Polish people to demand full independence (Alexander and His Times). Since the reforms were not working...
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...How successful were the Liberal Reforms of 1906-1914 in meeting the needs of the British people? Before the turn of the twentieth century, the government and people of Britain commonly believed in the policy of laissez-faire – the policy of non-intervention in relation to social problems. Due to this, the majority of those in poverty received no help whatsoever. However as time passed, people’s attitudes were changed by the publishing of various findings and the government seeked to help not only the poor but also other groups. The young were helped by aiding their nourishment and inspecting their health. The elderly were helped by supporting them with pensions. The sick were helped by creating insurance which would come to their help during times of sickness. The unemployed were assisted by funding which supported them at times during which they looked for work. Finally, the employed were helped by making their wages fairer and shortening working hours. In 1906 the School Meals Act was passed. This Act addressed the problem of children being undernourished in school as this made them incapable of learning as much as they were expected to. A year later the Medical Inspections Act was passed which made it mandatory that a child goes through at least 3 medical inspections throughout their school career. Finally, in 1908 the Children’s Charter was passed. The Charter protected children in all aspects of life, making sure they were protected from abuse and neglect by making these...
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...have not been able to attain and sustain growth. Many developing countries have gained competitive advantages and growth by implementing open market and trade liberalization. Only through liberalism can economic potential be unleashed. Trace back to origin of liberalism, the Italian merchants wanted more freedom and rights and encouraged free trade in order to move towards a more liberal, innovative system. We will show you that free trade and innovation are the only viable and compatible models for development. We will also show that inevitably the world is moving towards embracing the liberal model. South Korea and Chile are two countries that transformed their economies from the poorest to the one of the best performers. They were both politically ruled under authoritarian regime but later on they all adopted liberal economy. In South Korea, post economic reform, their economy went to another level. GDP hits $1 trillion in 2007. South Korea is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, a huge contrast to its northern neighbor. In Chile poverty was reduced to half post the reform. It’s the first nation in South America to win membership in the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, an organization restricted to the world's richest and best-run countries What exactly have they done? They certainly have done few things right. They transformed to a free market economy, simplified business...
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...decade without Ndebele raids into Shona territory. This essay will also show that how ever much significant raiding was, the Ndebele also relied on other activities including, tribute, agriculture and trade. It will be made clear that although highly significant, raiding alone does not fully explain the Ndebele economic way of life. Both Mzilikazi and Lobengula pursued a consistent policy of raiding against one or the other Shona communities from the time of their arrival from present day South Africa. Apart from attacking the declining Rozvi, D.N.Beach cites Ndebele raiding activities which greatly affected the Chirimuhanzu dynasty in the 1850's. This would be repeated during the 1860's when the Kalanga and Tswana communities to the west were raided during the 1860 - 1 drought. That same decade (1868) the north-western Ngezi dynasty of Rimuka was also raided resulting in the flight of the Mashayamombe and Chivero rulers further north-east. The pattern continued during the 1870's when the Ndebele raided the Shona communities across a 70km radius from the western Duma on the confluence of the Mutirikwi and the Popoteke rivers to the upper Popoteke. Finally the Ndebele raided from the Chivi to Gutu in1892 and from Mupfure to Chishawasha in 1893. Thus the example cited above paints a picture of a consistent policy of raiding and therefore suggesting its central significance to the Ndebele way of life. Although...
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...Mackenzie, Calvin and Weisbrot, Robert. The Liberal Hour: Washington and the Politics of Change in the 1960’s. New York: Penguin Press, 2008. 432 pp In The Liberal Hour, Calvin Mackenzie and Robert Weisbrot portray the 1960s as a decade of Liberal change. In the first part of Liberal Hour, Mackenzie and Weisbrot provide an analysis of the changes which took place within the political and social constructs of the United States. Firstly, Mackenzie and Weisbrot stray from the popular view that this transformation was conducted entirely on the shoulders of Presidents John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson. They argue that in addition to presidential support by both men, the reform movements of the 1960s were bolstered by a shift in congressional structure....
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...Parting at the Crossroads: The Development of Health Insurance in Canada and the United States, 1940-1965 Author(s): Antonia Maioni Source: Comparative Politics, Vol. 29, No. 4 (Jul., 1997), pp. 411-431 Published by: Ph.D. Program in Political Science of the City University of New York Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/422012 . Accessed: 12/10/2013 14:05 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. . Ph.D. Program in Political Science of the City University of New York is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Comparative Politics. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 130.63.180.147 on Sat, 12 Oct 2013 14:05:01 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Parting at the Crossroads The Development of Health Insurance in Canada and the United States, 1940-1965 AntoniaMaioni Frequentlyraised in recent discussions abouthealth care reformin the United States has been the model of the Canadianhealth insurancesystem.' While debates about health insurance often...
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...starts with the assumption that knowledge in the social sciences must proceed by way of the search for comparisons, or what has been called "suggestive contrasts." Scholars of comparative politics compare in order to discover similarities and explain differences. As infrequent and highly complex events, revolutions have attracted a great deal of attention from comparativists. In this article, we will address the following topics: • The Concept of Revolution • Why Revolutions Happen? • Can Revolutions be Predicted? • What Do Revolutions Accomplish? • What Are some of the Failures of Revolutions? • Comparing Characteristics and Outcomes of Some Revolutions • Questions The Concept of Revolution: According to the American philosopher Richard Rorty "revolution," like such other words as "reason," "democracy," and "socialism" is a "thick word" which can be contrasted with such "thin words" as truth, dialogue, and justice. How do we define a "revolution?" How are revolutions distinct from other forms of political change such as Coup d'état, rebellion, mutiny, insurrection, or uprising? All of the above nouns may denote acts of violence aimed at changing or overthrowing an existing order or authority. However, there are important legal and political differences among them as well. Coups d'état is a sudden seizure of state power by a small faction that does not necessarily change the social system. It can be regarded as a "palace revolution...
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