Stalins Purge The Greater Holocaust Essays - Old Bolsheviks

Stalin's Purge: The Greater Holocaust Joseph Stalin was ruler of the Soviet Union from 1929-1953. While he was in power the Great Depression devastated the world economy, the Nazis invaded the U.S.S.R., Berlin was cut off from the rest of the world, and the Cold War began. In many countries his philosophies were believed to be highly effective, but some of his actions are just being uncovered , and denounced, in ?Western? countries like the United States. One part of Soviet history, only now being recognized for what it really was, is the ?Great Purge? Stalin initiated to rid the Stalin(Groilers-Communism) country of all people who didn't support him as ?the supreme ruler of the Soviet Union?. Stalin was born on December 21, 1827 in Gori, Georgia, and given the name Joseph Vissarionovich Djugashvili. He adopted the name Joseph Stalin later in his lifetime. (World Book 825; Groilers-Stalin,Joseph) His father was an alcoholic, beat his wife, as well as, Stalin. Stalin's father died in a fight when his child was only eleven. His mother wanted Stalin to become a priest, so she sent him to seminary school when he was 14 years of age. (Groilers-Stalin,Joseph) At the school, Stalin learned about revolutionaries and became one himself. Eventually he quit school and became ?a full-time revolutionary? against the Czar and the Russian monarchy. He was arrested in 1904 and joined the Bolsheviks. Stalin was arrested and exiled four more times between 1906 and 1913. (World Book 825) When Stalin escaped from exile he met Lenin and joined the Bolsheviks. In 1912 he was appointed to the Bolshevik Central Committee. Arrested and exiled by the Czar in 1913, he returned in 1917 after the ?November Revolution?. (Groilers-Stalin, Joseph) Stalin was appointed secretary of the Central Committee in 1922 and became ?power hungry?. Before his death, in 1924, Lenin wrote a not saying that Stalin was reckless and needed to be removed from power. The leading Bolsheviks ignored the note and continued increasing the amount of power Stalin had. Between 1924 and 1928, Stalin used his position to remove his opposition from ?the Party?; he was the unchallenged leader of the Soviet Union by 1929. (Groilers-Stalin, Joseph) As leader of the Soviet Union he ordered the creation of the collective farms to aid in the rapid industrialization of the country. Poor management of the farms caused thousands of people to die in a famine; Stalin continued collectivization at an increased r! ate after the famine. (World Book 826) Stalin's purge began after the death of Sergei Kirov. It is believed that the ?murder was probably arranged by Stalin as a pretext for eliminating all opponents.? (Groilers-Great Purge) Stalin used Kirov's death as an excuse to charge Party members and Army generals with treason or conspiracy and sentence them to death. Almost all of the members of the Central Committee and the 17th Congress were killed or arrested; some were sent to labor camps known as Gulags. At first, the purge was secret; show trials in Moscow were evidence of the purge's existence, later on. The purge spread from high-ranking officials to people associated with Lenin and then to common workers and farmers. Anyone perceived as a threat to Stalin's power was killed. The ?officer-corps? were so Stalin would have total support in the lower ranks of the armed forces. (Groilers-Great Purge) Everyone was considered a suspect by the secret police. During this time Stalin began to produce his own personality ?cult?. Some people used this cult as a way to avoid being killed by the secret police. (Groilers-Stalin, Joseph) During the purge the secret police ordered spying on important industrialists. They also ordered neighbors to spy on each other, children to report on heir parents, children to watch their siblings, and adults to spy on their employers/employees. (World Book 826) With so may people being arrested or killed, or just disappearing, many began to lose faith in Stalin's leadership. Not many spoke openly spoke out against Stalin for fear of their lives and Western nations did not find out the true extent of the purge because it was not discussed in public. (Soviet Political System 28) One of the most adverse affects of the purge was that when World War

Consitution, Declaration of Independence, & Bill of Rights essays

Consitution, Declaration of Independence, & Bill of Rights essays Although many people today get them mixed up, the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights each had a specific purpose and use. The Declaration of Independence, for example, was written in 1776 and was the Americans way of telling Britain that they had put up with enough of her unfair policies and actions, and they wished to depart from the British Empire. Instead of just saying the American Colonies wanted out, plain and simple, the document was written in such a way where it pointed out exactly what the British (more specifically, the king) had done to bring the situation to such a breaking point, justifying their need for separation. After the war was over, the new country was still divided into independent states, which in turn kept the immediate success of America on hold. There were those in this country that saw the need for the states to band together and have a strong national government. Each state selected representatives that were sent to Philadelphia to work out a plan to help the country succeed. Through all of the debate and arguments, the Constitution was formed, taking place of the Articles of Confederation. The main idea that came from the Constitution was the power of the national government was divided into three branches. By doing so, the fear of having a leader-turned-tyrant would be eliminated. It also fixed the loopholes of the Articles of Confederation, which did not give the government the right to regulate trade or collect taxes. This new document was very specific and set out a guideline to work with. After the Constitution was written, it had to be ratified by nine out of thir teen state conventions. Seven were gathered without much of a problem, but the remaining six held off. After much persuasion, eventually nine states were gathered (all but New York, North Carolina, Virginia, and Rhode Island). Washington, Madison, and Jefferson, who all went into t...

A nuture theory of human behavior

A nuture theory of human behavior The nature versus nurture debate is one of the most convoluted in the field of psychology. In the 17th century, a French philosopher, Renà © Descartes posited that â€Å"we all, as individual human beings, have certain innate ideas that enduringly underpin our approach to the world† (Crawford, 1989 p 64). The use of the terms â€Å"nature† and â€Å"nurture† henceforth has referred to the roles of heredity and environment respectively in human development. Some scientists believe that human beings behave as they do in response to genetic predisposition. This is known as the nature theory of human behavior and is the view espoused by naturalists (Scott, 1995). Other scientists think otherwise; that people think and behave in certain ways because they are taught to do so. This is known as nurture theory of human behavior and is the view of empiricists. Presented in the paper are the theories of nature vs. nurture, elucidation of perception, intelligence and perso nality within the debate. In addition, the paper discusses eevidences in favor of nurture and the influence of environment on behavior and morality. In exploring the nature versus the nurture debate, the writer presumes that nature endows human beings with inborn abilities and traits while nurture takes these genetic tendencies and molds them as humans learn and mature. Theories of Nature vs. Nurture According to naturalists, personality is natural. This group believes that personality is a result of evolutionary process. Human beings, it believes, inherit behaviors due to a complex interaction of genes. As such, genes control their behaviors. They believe that form and characteristics measured with personality tests remain stable throughout human life. They further believe that human beings may sharpen their types or personality but can never change them altogether. Darwin’s Theory of Evolution led naturalists such as George Williams, William Hamilton, and many others to the idea of personality evolution. They proposed that physical organs and personality is a result of natural selection (Herschkowitz, 2002). Human beings do as their genes dictate. In support, Steven Pinker (2004) includes conservativeness, religiousness and liberalism as gene related traits. William Paley, in agreement, believes cognitive capabilities, temperaments, and cheating behaviors are inheritable. There are however various assumptions about nature. Evolutionary psychologists believe that behaviour is a result of natural selection in the environment of evolutionary adaptation (EEA). Interpersonal attraction therefore can be explained as a consequence of sexual selection – men and women select partners who enhance their reproductive success (Crawford, 1989). Arguments for the supremacy of nurture posit that personality is nurtured. This group argues that one does not get personality from inheritance. They argue that the mind is a blank slate at birth. The definition of nu rture has extended to influence of development that emanates from prenatal, parental, peer influence and extending to the role of media, marketing and socio-economic status (Scott, 1995). They dispute that types and characteristics measured with personality tests change incessantly throughout one’s life. Harvard psychologist B. F. Skinner’s, experiments, produced birds that could dance and play tennis. Today, known as the father of behavioral science, Skinner ultimately went on to prove that human behavior could be conditioned in much the same way as animals. If environment did not play a part in determining an individual’s traits and behaviors, then identical twins should be the same in all respects, even if reared apart. However, a number of studies show that they are never exactly alike, even though they are remarkably similar in most respects (Michaels, 2001).

Justice, Ethics and Law - critical evaluation of one of the three Essay

Justice, Ethics and Law - critical evaluation of one of the three topics below - Essay Example They insist that the idea of all people possessing certain rights by virtue of their humanity, even in the absence of legislation, is baseless and only loose talk.2 The ambiguity regarding the credibility of human rights dates back to the 18th century shortly after US Declaration of Independence in 1776, and thirteen years ahead, the French declaration of ‘the rights of man’. The US Declaration stated that every man is ‘endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights’ while the French Declaration asserted ‘men are born and remain free and equal in rights’. Not long afterwards, Jeremy Bentham, in his writings between 1791 and 1792,3 differed with the concept of human rights and called for its dismissal. Bentham claimed that the idea of human rights was borrowed from the Americans and was not practical. Even today, there is still widespread disagreement on issues relating to human rights. Most critics maintain that human rights lack coherence, cogency and legitimacy while some still point out grey areas such as social and economic rights.4 Amartya Sen5 proposes several guidelines for the elements of a human rights theory that adequately address the issue of legitimacy of human rights. I will consider these six guidelines as conclusions to arguments which he bases on one or more premises explained under each subheading. The paper will analyse each of these conclusions and their supporting premises and critically assess their legitimacy and any alternative suggestions. Sen claims that human rights are primarily ethical demands rather than legal commands.6 He makes this conclusion based on two premises. First, even though human rights have often resulted in legislation, it is considered a further fact, as opposed to a characteristic of human rights. Second, Sen states that human rights are agreements on certain ethical affirmations and the

Ethical concern related to low-wage workers Essay

Ethical concern related to low-wage workers - Essay Example First of all, in order to create a background for my essay, I would like to start with a definition of the term 'ethics'. This term is taken from the Greek, and the Greek word 'ethos' means 'character'. Nowadays, ethics can be defined as the set of rules for interpersonal communication, which takes place either on daily basis or at the level of big business. "Making ethical decisions in business is often difficult because business ethics is not simply an extension of an individual's personal ethics or a society's standards of right and wrong" (answers.com, 2005). Just being a righteous person, who fits ethical criteria, might not be enough to handle the problems, which occur in the workplace, such as the treatment of low-wage employees and their career development. It is important to note that many professions have already responded to the demanding business problems - in particular, with the creation of "codes of ethics, statements of corporate goals, sponsor training and educational programs in ethics" (ibid) , the installation of internal jurists who deal with various ethical improprieties, and with creation of special telephone hot lines, which allow employees report anonymously possible ethical violations. A code of ethics contains certain standards of behavior, which are obligatory for the representatives of a certain profession. Moreover, a code of ethics generally provides professionals with information about the obligations towards one another, their customers, employees and the whole society. "A code of ethics is generally developed by a professional society within a particular profession. The higher the degree of professionalism required of society members, the stronger and therefore more enforceable the code" (ibid). The main function of a code of ethics is to guide employees and employers in the most complicated ethical questions, in particular those which are especially unclear. Decisions in such cases can be made more effectively and easily if the code informs about what actions should or should not be taken and about the penalties for morally wrong behavior. Many companies have their own codes of practice, or codes of ethics, which correspond to the mission of the organization and the organizational culture. There are several ethical concerns associated with low-wage workers. The most widespread ethical dilemma, which arises in many organizations is 'utility vs. morality' (Bernstein, 1997). The ideas of utilitarianism, which penetrated the business, have been developed into the utilitarian approach to ethical concerns, which concentrates on "taking the action that will result in the greatest good for the greatest number of people" (poznaklav.com, 2005). For instance, employing low-wage workers, entrepreneur, who follows utilitarian principles, would attempt to determine whether using low-wage employees would bring prosperity to the company. For instance, those business owners, who use low-wage foreign employees in response to price competition, will probably benefit from such decision. On the other hand, using low-wage workers is likely to decrease the wages of the other employees, decreasing at the same time their standards of living and thus, reducing their ability to purchase the good s the company produces. Those company owners, who support the ideas of morality (Blank, 1997) would probably pay living wages to all employees regardless

Product Quality Essay Example for Free

Product Quality Essay List some important physical properties of the fabric. The properties of textile fabrics are important for the control of quality, as well as for end use determination. There are several physical properties of fabric which affecting the performance and aesthetic of fabric. The first one is fabric count, it influences thickness of the fabric. It is the number of ends or picks per inch for woven fabrics, or the number of wales or courses per inch for knit fabrics. Variation occurs because of the weaving or knitting process and from finishing processes. Usually the higher the fabric count, the better the quality and the higher the cost. The second is fabric unit weight. It is the mass per unit area. It is expressed in one three ways; ounces per square yard, ounces per linear yard, and linear yards per pound. It is significant in determining both end use and quality. Moreover, it is fabric width. It means the distance from one edge to the other. Measurement is made perpendicular to the fabric edge, usually including the selvage area. The width is expressed in inches and is usually an average number of measurements taken at evenly spaced interval along the fabric pieces. Next one is fabric shrinkage. It is the process in which a fabric becomes smaller than its original size, usually through the process of laundry. It is undesirable property to the apparels. So the material has to be either shrink resistant or shrink recoverable, such as anti-shrink finish is to keep the fabric smooth and free from undesirable shrinkage. The last one is fabric thickness. It is the distance between the upper and lower surfaces of the material. It is measure under a specific pressure. Warmth and bulk properties depend on the fabric thickness- to-weight ratio. It can also be used as a performance indication of abrasion resistance or shrinkage tests. Generally speaking, the thicker the fabric is, the more comfortable in wearing. 6. What is the commonly used fabric inspection system? Mainly, two industry methods used are the Ten point and Four point systems. The most commonly used is four-point system. A minimum of 10% inspection of fabrics is required. The four-point system derives its name from the basic grading rules that a maximum of four penalty points can be assessed for any single defect. Normally, we inspect 10% of the rolls we receive and evaluate them based on this system. This way, we can avoid fabric related quality problems before it is put into production The following table shows the point system. Size of Defect| Penalty Points| Length of defects in fabric (either length or width)| Defects up to 3 inches| 1| Defects gt; 3 inches lt; 6 inches| 2| Defects gt; 6 inches lt; 9 inches| 3| Defects gt; 9 inches| 4| Holes and openings(largest dimension)| 1 inch or less| 2| Over 1 inch| 4| After inspection, the inspector will add up the defects points and then use the following formula to determine the rate of points per 100 yards. There are some common fabric faults, such as bow, skew, hole, mispick etc. Fabric checker should know common defects found in fabrics and he must recognize defects on the fabric at the time of fabric inspection. For the acceptance criteria and calculation, 40 points per 100 yards is the acceptable defect rate. The ten point system for piece goods evaluation was approved by the Textile distributors institute and the National Federation of Textile, in 1955. It is designed to identify defects and to assign each defect a value based on severity of defect. The system assigns penalty points to each defect depending on its length and whether it is in the warp (ends) or weft (fill) direction. The following table shows the point system.

Double Standards between Men and Women Essay -- divorce laws, gender di

Some double standards that i’ve witnessed would be between men and women. Men are perceived to be stronger than women mentally and physically. Women are usually seen as victims and men are seen as the bad guy. A lot of women love to play the victim and point the finger at the men. A lot of women will run and try to defend women to help them play the victim role even further. Women are not victims and should be held accountable for their actions. In a relationship, a woman can go out to get a cup of coffee with a male friend, but if a male was caught doing that exact thing he would be accused of cheating. This is all caused by stereotypes. A stereotype is a classification of a group of people. It is not always accurate. At a young age men are taught that boys don’t cry and not to talk about their feelings causing them to bottle up, while women are free to do the opposite. Many women are sensitive, but not all of them. There are some very tough women in this world who aren’t afraid to speak their mind and don’t take every little thing to heart. Another thing men are...