FAQ About Singapores Location and History

Herodotus And Sima Qi The First Great Historians Essay

Herodotus and Sima Qian: The First Great Historians of Greece and China is a book that provides historical context on both ancient Greece and ancient China written by Thomas R. Martin; Additionally the book provides primary source documents written by ancient historians Herodotus and Sima Qian, who tell the history of their nations through numerous anecdotes. Although the two historians have different motives behind their works since Sima Qian writes the history of ancient China for personal gain and Herodotus writes to preserve the history and doings of ancient Greece, they both share topics such as honor in war and women in leadership positions that represent the morals and ideals of the two ancient civilizations. The contrast in the motivation behind the creation of these two works is created through the attitudes and theories in play during the time in which the author’s lived in. Looking into Sima Qian’s motives which he attributes to the desire to â€Å"†¦have paid the debt of my shame, I will have no regret if I am killed ten thousand more times!† (Sima Qian, 93). The debt being the humility he has brought his family name after being castrated for speaking out of line to the emperor. The punishment and the reaction to this punishment reflect the two major schools of thought present during Sima Qian’s time. These two schools of thought were the ideas of Confucius and Legalism. The ideas of Confucius supported tradition and the respect for ancestry (McKay, 103) while

To What Extent Did Lenin Adhere to Communist Ideology in His Consolidation of Power free essay sample

To What Extent Did Lenin Adhere To Communist Ideology In His Consolidation Of Power? In this essay I will first explore how the Bolshevik party developed communism in Russia after their success in the Russian Revolution. I shall then revise if Lenin remained faithful to communist ideals, and if not, why. To answer a question on communist ideology, it is crucial to define communism in its root forms. Marxism, the political belief from which communism is derived, is the political theory by Karl Marx in the mid-to-late 19th century, which calls for a classless society. It declares that capitalism in all its forms is destructive for a society, and that each individual should work for the government, therefore for the common good of all the society. Vladimir Lenin took Marx’s theory and applied it to post-revolution Russia. After the October Revolution of 1917, Lenin introduced three political policies, that each imposed communist ideals on the country. We will write a custom essay sample on To What Extent Did Lenin Adhere to Communist Ideology in His Consolidation of Power? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The Council of People’s Commissars (or Sovnarkom), created in November 1917, was the first step towards the political construction of the Soviet Union. The members were all Bolsheviks, and each one was part of Lenin’s elitist Vanguard party. Lenin was chairman, Alexei Rykov Commissar of the Interior and Leon Trotsky was appointed Commissar of Foreign Affairs. With this union, the Sovnarkom governed the territories the Bolsheviks controlled, and therefore applied communism as the political state. It was a year later, in February 1918, when Lenin again enforced communist ideals on Russia. He secularized the country, banning religious teachings in the classroom. Between April and June, the state took ownership of banks, mineral resources, foreign trade and national industries, and outlawed the inheritance of property. A new constitution was formed on the 10th of July, 1918, and the state was re-named the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic (RSFSR). Based upon the ‘He who does not work, neither shall he eat’ communist philosophy, the RSFSR declared itself as a classless society, with no privatization of property and religious freedom. Anyone could vote, apart from previous members of the Tsarist government. The All-Russian Congress of Soviets was declared the new electoral system. The third major implementation of communist Leninism was what is now known as War Communism. This economic policy was introduced during the desperate years of the Russian civil war, lasting from June 1918 to 1921. All forms of economic production and distribution were strictly controlled by the government, and all forms of private trade were made illegal. In an attempt to fairly distribute food around the impoverished country, and also to supply the army, a mass requisitioning of grain was ordered to be carried out throughout the country. The food was rationed to each proletariat population, according to its contribution to Russia’s economy. Non-working classes were forced into labor, and a strict discipline was imposed on many industrial workers. If the workers showed any sign of resistance, they could be shot. To sustain the industrial and social workings, the printing of vast amounts of money was ordered. Even though Lenin imposed these political reforms so that Russia could make it through the civil war in one-piece, the harsh nature of these policies had disastrous effects. Inflation destroyed the rouble, and dire famine struck many parts of Russia. All in all, during the years of 1917 to 1921, it is estimated that the amount of deaths because of disease and famine is about nine million. Parts of the peasant populous, which had been deeply affected both by the civil war and by the scarceness of food, gathered together and conducted uprisings throughout Russia in protest. During the escalation of the Russian revolution, Lenin had relentlessly stuck to and promoted his communist beliefs and ideals. But when it came to the actual implication of them on Russian society, the issue proved to be more complicated. As noted by historian D. Mitchell, â€Å"The Bolsheviks had not captured a Ship of State, they had boarded a derelict†. This statement refers to the strenuous socioeconomic situation that reigned over Russia after the October revolution. The people were exhausted after overthrowing the oppressing Tsarist regime, and the country was in political disarray. To properly control Russia, and to bring it back to a steady Soviet state, Lenin commenced several policies that seemed to go against his communist philosophies. The first of these communist-contradictions occurred in March 1918, known as the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. Fulfilling their promises concerning Russian withdrawal from World War I, the Bolsheviks released the ‘Decree on Peace’, which ordered all fighting forces to form peace treaties in their according regions. As a result, Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland were taken under German occupation. This trade to Germany in exchange for peace meant that Russia lost 32% of its agricultural land, 26% of its population and 75% of its coal and iron resources. This condition frustrated many pure-communists. It was a political move that was seen as severely un-patriotic, and Lenin was castigated as a traitor by many. Lenin denounced these accusations, noting on his ‘two steps back, one step forward’ philosophy. The biggest political decision made by Lenin, that contradicted the basic principles of communism, is considered to be the New Economic Policy (NEP). On March 7th, 1921, until the 17th of that month, there was an insurgence of revolts that occurred from the naval base at Kronstadt. The sailors that occupied the military base, who had previously greatly supported the Bolshevik movement, now produced a list of demands that included freedom of press, elections by secret ballot and the release of political prisoners. The uprising was of course bloodily suppressed, much like that of the peasants, but it nevertheless prompted Lenin to introduce new political measures that would benefit the economy of the country, and therefore satisfy the frustrated population. The act of requisition of grain was lifted, and the peasants were to pay a low tax that would take the form of food. In addition to this, although the land still belonged to the government, peasants were allowed to sell their surplus grain, as well as hire labor and machinery. The heavy industry, transport and foreign trade still remained in the control of the state, but freedom of enterprise was re-introduced to small businesses and factories. Furthermore, in October 1922, the rouble was introduced again and reconstituted. Although these socioeconomic changes had the potential to help Russia’s economic success and stability, the capitalistic nature of the NEP created uproar amongst the Bolshevik party. Like in the instance of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, Lenin was seen as going against the greater-good of his country. Fortunately for Lenin, he had established the rule against factionalism in 1921, right after the uprisings at Kronstadt. This rule ‘On Party Unity’, made the forming of factions within the party illegal, and also condemned anyone who disagreed with the higher rank of the group. Due to the creation of this rule, no one could openly disagree with Lenin, and therefore display animosity against his implication of the NEP.