Effective leader Essay

People should try to resolve any issue that comes up. For example, in the area of the workplace, situations arise in which there is conflict between one or more of the parties. In that situation, serving the interest of one party is a detriment to the others. Unethical conduct of business is a catch-all phrase or umbrella term for anything contrary to business ethics. As such, unethical conduct of business encompass those prohibited by law expressly such as fraud, those prohibited by law impliedly such as unfair and deceptive practices, and those that are not included in the definition of fraud or unfair and deceptive practice but which otherwise considered contrary to good or public morals or fairness. As defined, ethical business conduct is doing something that is not required by law, contract, or other obligation and which is a positive contribution to society. Therefore, a contrary conduct is unethical and can spell confusion. This means doing something which is prohibited by law, contract, or other obligation or which has a negative contribution to society, thus robbing one of tranquility. Through interactions with various kinds of people one gets to know particular complexities of people and use this to a good advantage. An effective leader is a pathfinder, a team builder, and a gardener. As pathfinders, they have to recognize needs and accommodate the legitimate needs and wants of all stakeholders by clarifying Vision, Context, Direction, Location, Goals, Strategy, Purpose and Pace. As team builders, they will help others achieve together as they create healthy, safe conditions for risk taking; help others become leaders; provide resources and be a resource themselves; help some move from dependence to independence; help others get things done; get out of the way. Then, as gardeners, they work hard, often behind the scenes, to create a culture and mores that embody core principles and values; help determine how people work together; help them agree on worthwhile purposes; create enthusiasm and understanding in a critical mass of followers; identify and remove obstacles; provide support systems; provide recognitions and rewards; organize and supply raw materials; prune, when necessary; and plan for the harvest. Pajares’ essay is useful in gathering material to strengthen the core beliefs about personal tranquility as these teachers remain in the forefront as role models to children. Thus, if we want our parents to have the peace of mind, they need to be reassured that their children are educated well, and that there is a need for teachers who are well-trained, highly-respected professionals. They need to be able to instill in children that what they actually need in order to lead productive, successful, happy and moral lives is the ability to delay gratification and tolerate frustration. Once they master these abilities, they will have the foundation for values instilled by family and faith. Pajares again looks into the beliefs of people as weighing more in a learning process, instead of what is objectively true. These beliefs are reinforced because of the mastery of one’s core abilities. (Pajares). Suddenly, for Hinojosa, she states that â€Å"I wanted what everyone else had. I wanted to be a full, well-rounded, accomplished woman. I could not get away from the Mexican yardstick for measuring womanhood—becoming a mother. † Thus, her memoir reflects her love for life and how she envisions her life as a mother. This paper explores the social learning theory and how this relates to her life. † Maria had only the best loving relationships of people around her at the early age of six. She explains, â€Å" It’s all I saw around me. Parejas. Couples. Moms and Das who looked as if they had been together forever and who would stay forever as well. † (p. 4). Hinojosa is a successful host of NPR’s Latino USA. She also works as an urban affairs correspondent for CNN, accomplishing things she never ever imagined then since she was born in Mexico. Thus, in order to become a better person with a healthy view of life and peace of mind, one must be able to identify one’s core competencies. Skills are to be developed according to the actual needs of the organization and not merely based on generalities and perceptions. Work-based learning will address this concern by integrating actual experiences and practices in developing new knowledge about the organization. Practice and theories are merged together in such a setting. People can overcome barriers to effective communication. They must first be aware that barriers exist and can cause serious organizational problems. Then they must be willing to invest the effort and time necessary to overcome the barriers. (Hinojosa). Indeed, learning is a lifelong process. In order to get maturity, different kinds of leadership are required at different times. But at all times it is a combination of character and competence that is needed. Inspiring leadership must be coupled with the organizational skill born of seasoned technical expertise. This integrated blend of character and competence is often evident by its absence more than its presence. It is rare, and like most rare things, it is extremely valuable. One needs to develop this strength of character in all my dealings and share that with others. Basic to peace and tranquility is the fact that we are able to make decisions and freely choose from among alternatives. It is only man who can consciously do that and Hoagland, as observant as he is looks at animals as stylized characters with no freedom to exercise and play out their parts in life. It is like saying, â€Å"If I do this, then we will be better off than if I do that. This is in some way called evaluation. It is considering the effects of a process. Is the process helpful or harmful? To whom? In what ways? Under what circumstances? What are the consequences of dong this? Some people use the word â€Å"criticism† or â€Å"judgment† for this appraisal. One attains tranquility when one’s likes and dislikes are reconciled. One’s likes and dislikes are partly the wisdom of one’s organism, partly the result of helpful learning that protects one and keeps one out of trouble, and partly the result of harmful learning. Harmful learning includes certain kinds of accidental learning brought about by chance circumstances, as well as conditioned responses that were once appropriate but are no longer so.

Stand By Me

In the film the four main characters are, Chris, who is the tough one, Teddy, who is the daring one, Gordie, Who's the sensitive one and Vern, whos just stupid because he asks stupid questions. They hear that a kid has been killed by a train and they've gone to lookfor him. The story is about them growing up and becoming more mature, Friendship, Bullying and an adventure(themes). The Night scene takes place towards the end of the film. They are all smoking around the campfire talking about daft things such as what is Goofy?(the Disney character). This scene is important because it shows their friendship and how they are all close friends, asking Gordie to tell them a story because they all believe he is a really good story teller/writer. The night scene opens with a shot of the moon and then calmly moves down and into the woods to were they are all smoking around the campfire. There is no music at the start of the scene, but there is music towards the end of the scene (once they have finished talking some music comes on, the music is 50's because it makes you feel as if the film is set in the fifties. There are sounds of birds and crickets (wildlife) at the start which makes you feel as if its real life. The Gang ask Gordie to tell them a story, so he tells them a story about a boy called Lardass, who enters a pie eating competition, he doesn't want to win the competition he just wants revenge. Lardass is a overweight kid who is very unpopular, his brother and sister even call him Lardass (Lardass is his nickname). Before the competition he drinks a bottle of castor oil and one raw egg, this is all to do with his revenge. Halfway through the competition his plan had started to work, he was sick all over the champion of last year, then the champion was sick all over another person. Not until the smell reached the crowd did his plan really work, when the smell hit the crowd every body was being sick over everybody. Verns reaction to the story was that of stupidity, when he asks Gordie if Lardass had to pay to get in the competition. Teddy didn't like the ending probably because it didn't have anything to do with fighting or killing. He says the ending should be that Lardass goes home, shoots his dad then joins the Texas Rangers. Teddy thinks like that because deep down inside he hates his dad and that's what he would do to his dad. Chris thought the ending was brilliant, as he was being very supportive and also saying it was brilliant. The story relates to the gang, as they are all outcasts like Lardass. You can also tell the story related to them because it was set in a very similar town to theirs. You could see the story as if it was on the television, physically seeing the story made you feel as if it was going into Gordies imagination. Once they had finished talking about the ending of the story, Chris turned on the radio which was playing fifties music, the music was fifties to remind you what year the film was set in, it also set the scene, gradually fading away as they start to talk. They show their friendship by talking to one another about daft things, such as what is Goofy. The camera fades from one person to another, it doesn't let you hear the whole conversation, it just keeps changing subject. It also shows the friendship with camera shots around the campfire, looking cosy and warm. The mood of the scene changes when they hear the noises of the wildlife, at first only Vern showed that he was scared. Teddy was scaring Vern even more by saying it was the ghost of the dead boy. Teddy was saying that he wanted to look for the kids ghost and then all of a sudden a big howl echoed in the woods, at this point everybody was scared. Vern showed that he was the wimp of the gang by whispering â€Å"I think we should stand guard†. They gang approve of his comment and Teddy is first to stand guard, he was acting as if he was in a War of some sort. When Vern was guarding he was really scared, pointing the gun at every noise he heard. Gordie and Chris were talking because Gordie had a nightmare about his brothers funeral. His nightmare was that his dad whispered into his ear â€Å"It should have been you†.

Enders Game Essay

I selected this book because I was thinking that it would keep me entertained and make it so that I will not fall asleep. This was one of those books that it did not matter about what happened before it you can just start reading it from the start, so before the book began I have now idea what happened I just started to read the book and I liked it. When the book begins it starts out with ender and his brother and sister and his brother is mean and is always threatening his younger brother ender and his younger sister. In this story it is the narrator that is telling it. The setting was important because it was at Enders house at first and his older brother, bulling hem, which made ender stronger and made it so that he would look out for himself. In the beginning the author held my interest because the government shipped ender off to military school at age three. Journal Entry #2 Ender go’s to military school and he gets bullied from the start and makes a name for himself right at the beginning by braking some kids arm, so after that every one starts to put together gangs and start having gang wars in the battle rooms and in the cafeteria. There where lots of twist in this story like ender would always when the war games and he was the commander of army’s and he was just smarter than the older boys. It was pretty easy to fallow the plot if I didn’t zone out but if I did zone out than it was pretty easy to know what was happening because the story would repeat its self. The language in the book was really easy to understand there was a lot of a made up words but it was all right. The mane thing emerges in the book when it comes to the battle games and ender is better then everyone else. Journal entry #3 The climax of the story was when ender meet bean, ender was hard on bean just like how the government was hard on ender and that made bean a lot stronger. But ender and bean come together and they start to when all of these battles together. There are lots of lessons I learned about this book, I learned that life isn’t always easy and the hard things in life make you stronger. If someone talked to me about this book I would tell him or her it was a good book and I would recommend it to them because there was a lot of action in it. But the book did not meet my expectations because I do not like it when three year olds are talking like they are 25 years old I think that was a little over bored and when the three year olds are going to military school that was dome I think that he should have made them 18 because that is more realistic.

4 cases analysis about strategic managmnent Essay

4 cases analysis about strategic managmnent - Essay Example h at this point, it is more correct to say he started assembling his own PCs) and soon targeted large corporate accounts with his low-cost computers. He also started to be more aggressive in his marketing campaigns, putting out ads in computer trade publications in time with the first-ever sales and product catalog of his company. About a decade later, sales reached nearly US$3.5 billion annually and by 2001, reached the top rank in global market share in computer sales (also number one in the U.S.). However, this rapid growth soon reached a plateau due to a disorganized corporate structure from having a very rapid growth. It abandoned its retail outlet distribution system and went back to direct distribution which was its original business model responsible for its success. Its business model is anchored on an efficient supply-chain management and logistics system that delivers made-to-order PCs direct to consumers. It also deliberately waits for few months for any new computer technology (whether hardware or software) to become standardized for it to be able to leverage its core competence in fast assembly of PCs. This minimizes its risks to technological obsolescence in an industry that is characterized by very rapid changes. Main Strategic Issues – Dell, Inc. is faced with a changed business and economic environment in which its competitors were able to catch up or match its low-cost pricing. This put pressure on the companys finances as profit margins were squeezed. The reductions of its overhead expenses plus manufacturing efficiencies gave it virtual monopoly of low-cost PCs but not anymore. Further, its leverage in terms of purchasing power from its supplies had been somewhat dented with the slowdown in PC sales worldwide to just 5% annually compared to torrid growth rates in prior years. Lastly, the biggest challenge facing the company is the vast change in consumer behaviors. The trend is now for a potential buyer to go to a retail store to

Final Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Final Exam - Essay Example Peoplehood is the consciousness of the fundamental unity that makes a person a part of a society. Peoplehood matrix constitutes four basic principles, a consecrated history, a well-defined terrain, and the environment, a distinct language and a characteristic ceremonial cycle. This paper will look into these principles. Peoplehood features were attributed to socio-cultural, political, economic, and environmental behaviours of Cherokee inhabitants. They included the Cherokee Indians, Delaware, Natchez people and the Shawnee. Membership of Cherokee community entailed certain obligations that had to be met for one to participate in the continuation of a good life in Cherokee nation. For example, young men and women graduated to the elderly and diplomatic stature only after serving as warriors (Mooney 56). Cherokee nation had ceremonies that honoured and cared for the sacred fire analogous to the sun and a symbol of purity. Annually Cherokee people gathered to dance in a bright flame and dark shadows of everlasting fire and ask for help of the fire and the spirits. They believed that as long as the fire burned, Cherokee people were destined to survive (Mails 23). Several Cherokee ceremonies were performed, ceremonial lighting of sacred fire, sacrifice of tobacco or meat, purification of individuals ceremony, all night dances. Concisely, all the ceremonies were linked to the fire. There was danger of neglecting the ceremonies; they believed the spirit could affect the health and well-being of the individual who disobeyed the ceremonies (Kelley 23). Cherokee nation had towns each under the headship of chiefs and war leaders. There were two kinds of chiefs; white chiefs and war chiefs. The white chiefs were elderly and had a mandate to preserve peace. They were resourceful, experienced, and respected people. They also conducted the spiritual ceremonies and helped in conflict resolution (Wilkins 34). The war chiefs or group of warriors had specialized

Bibliography Annotated Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Annotated Bibliography Example In justifying this, the author expounds on how he jumped from profession to profession before settling on teaching as a profession at the end of the day. Additionally, the article asserts that education divides students according to performance. This is justified by the authors claim that teachers divide students through grading and ranking. The author also associates schools with laboratories of experimentation. According to him, schools teach children to behave as well as becoming servants. The author justifies this by expressing his belief that most teachers educate students instead of schooling them (689). The article also claims that education plays a very significant role in producing mediocre students. This is justified by the authors belief that education system in the U.S. denies children a chance of developing leadership skills. The points and arguments expressed in the article are defendable, most people in the world work in the fields that they do not like or enjoy. Howev er, the author of the article also made a great mistake in associating provision of education with production of mediocre students. The author, an average student from one of the schools in the U.S., uses the academic performance of children in the U.S. to criticize the U.S. academic system. He believes that the education system in the U.S. contribute significantly in the production of mediocre citizens. He expounds this by providing detailed information about the challenges he underwent together with his schoolmates while schooling. The author also details on how most teachers teach what they did not know. He justifies this by giving an example of a teacher who ensured they have read multiple books in order to complete the semester. He further claims that apart from many parents not following up the performance of their children at school, very few teachers worked hard with an aim of

Natural Hazards in my Community (Abbotsford) Essay

Natural Hazards in my Community (Abbotsford) - Essay Example The natural hazards that may impact Abbotsford community include earthquakes, flooding, volcanic hazards such as landslides, ash falls volcanic mudflows. Abbotsford enjoys a mild climate, and the natural hazards are possible risks that do not occur often. There is the risk of the natural hazards occurring in Abbotsford, and, therefore, the community should be informed of their possible occurrence. Being informed is important as it results in appropriate disaster management and mitigation efforts. Abbotsford community may experience flooding due to Fraser River breaking its banks. Exceedingly warmer weather in the interior of British Columbia can cause melting of huge quantities of snow formed during winter. As snow melts, it flows into the Fraser River resulting in water levels that are higher than normal. Abbotsford is likely to experience snowmelt floods because it is located in the heart of Fraser River Basin. An increase in temperatures caused by global warming will lead to melti ng of snow formed on the mountains in British Columbia, which trickle down the basin as floodwater. In 2007, residents of Abbotsford were warned by emergency planners of possible flooding owing to the melting of winter’s massive snowpack. In 1999, water levels in Fraser River reached flood stage and impacted communities and homes. The most recent catastrophic flood in the Lower Fraser River Basin occurred in 1948 leading to damage of thousands of homes, evacuation of thousands of people and additional economic damages.

Teenage pregnancy in ireland Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Teenage pregnancy in ireland - Thesis Example The teenage pregnancy is a contentious issue in Ireland, and the problem is especially pronounced in County Louth which is one of smallest counties in Ireland with the highest rate of teenage pregnancies (Crisis Pregnancy Agency, 2007). Many society members view most cases of teenage pregnancy as a burden and a barrier to the achievement of the necessary education status and employment standards. However, there is also a growing acceptance of non-standard family models. This research will aim to explore the attitudes of the society toward teenage pregnancy. The literature review will comprehensively discuss the problem of teenage pregnancy, teenage birth rates in Ireland, risk factors and health risks of teenage pregnancies to provide the theoretical aspects of the research on teenage pregnancy as well as the society attitudes toward young mothers. According to Keller (2002), the rate of teenage pregnancies in both County Louth and Dublin is the same i.e. 6.8pc. However, the statisti cs from the 2002 research could be currently different due to the fact that the difference in the sizes of the two cities leads to a difference in the social norms. Being larger than County Lough, the teenage birth rates could be higher in Dublin because the sexual activities will be more rampant, the catholic culture will have less impact, and the multicultural impact is high. The 2010 statistics from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) indicates that teenage pregnancy in Ireland has been reduced in significant levels and it led to birth of 2, 043 babies for the mothers under the age of 20 (CSO, 2010). This was a decline from the 2006 statistics, when 2352 cases represented 0.4% of the total births among women that year (Crisis Pregnancy Agency, 2007). Majority of the teenage births are noted among girl between eighteen to nineteen years old. For example,

European Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

European Studies - Essay Example However, this is not the only reason as to why Europe is further divided into different areas such as the eastern and western Europe. One of the primary elements that make this particular situation worse is the political divide in the country. As noted earlier, besides geographical divisions, there are certain measures of political factors that make the unity among European countries effectively possible. Understandably, it is through this particular factor that the European people are now living in different status of opinions about their governments and the status of life that they are living in. With the history that covers the European territories, it could not be denied that the entire civilization of the European generations have come into different essential understanding as to what has happened to their country to the years. Each individual is sure to gave a different point of view with regards the must's and the must-not's of the past leaders and rulership in the continent as applied in the present situation of the political status of the entire continent. Throughout its history, Europe has had a great influence on world politics. It was the ancient Greeks who first created a democracy, in about 450 B.C. This system, where the people choose the government, is widespread today. During the Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church held great political influence across Europe. By the 1700's power had shifted away from the church into the hands if a few nations such as Spain and Great Britain. They grew rich from exploring Asia, Africa and the Americas. Many of these colonies did not gain their independence until the present century. Both WWI and WWII began in Europe. After the Second World War, the continent split into Communist countries in the east and Non-Communist countries in the west. Since then, Europe became the center of power struggle, known in history as the Cold War that existed between the Communist and the Non-Communist countries within the European continent. In the 1980's, reforms in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe led to the collapse of communism there. New states emerged when the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia broke up. The Cold War ended but the conflict between ethnic groups and economic problems caused new tensions in Eastern Europe. In An Aim of Reuniting Every Country in Europe FOLLOWING World War II the countries of western Europe faced a tremendous job of economic reconstruction. Their industries were in ruins and their people were poor. The establishment of freer international trade and closer cooperation was a logical response to the situation. During the 1950's an added incentive for these countries to unite was the fear of many Europeans that the threat of Soviet aggression was growing. What steps were taken to achieve this unity of western European countries Have the organizations established for this purpose proved successful What prospects are there now for greater unity in the future After long preparation, the Council of Europe was established in May of 1949. The goal of this organization is to promote closer unity among its some eighteen-member nations so that economic and social progress might be achieved. (Drake, 2005, 87)The

Why is education important to enlisted service members Essay

Why is education important to enlisted service members - Essay Example A service member’s removal from society during their term of service can be an incredible challenge to them, and free education can help diminish this problem. Like prison inmates, enlisted service people spend a great deal of their time sequestered from â€Å"normal† society – while on deployment they live by different rules and codes than they would back home. This can make re-transitioning into society extremely difficult, but education, which provides both paths to suitable employment on return and can provide perspective for a life in the military can help smooth these transitions between â€Å"normal† and â€Å"military† society. Another important reason to provide a free education to service members is the different skill qualities and career length they get from working in the armed services. The average military career is not a life-long one – most people choose to retire from this grueling career path relatively early in life (compared to other professions) some get out as soon as their first term of service is done, while some make it into their thirties and forties. When they retire, they often have a long and productive life ahead of them – but not necessarily that many skills that can translate directly to a new job placement. Yes, some gain technical skills in communications or maintenance, and of course they learn things like trust, team work and so on from working in the military but this may be of only limited utility. Education, either in the form of courses, certificates or anything else, can help enlisted people get a happy and productive second career in civilian life. Education may not be the silver bullet to all of humanities woes, but it can help smooth transitions between military and civilian life, leading to important long term benefits for the people who serve our country. Providing one hundred percent tuition assistance can help armed services members with their return to civilian and post

Investigating the Inverse Square Law Essay Example for Free

Investigating the Inverse Square Law Essay The inverse square law can also be applied to gravity, electric fields, light and sound. In relation to electric fields, the electric force in Coulombs law follows the inverse square law: If gamma rays are a form of electromagnetic radiation and undergo negligible absorption in air, then the intensity, I, should vary inversely as the square of the distance between the source and the detector.2 Air acts as an almost transparent medium to ?-rays, and the intensity (rate of energy arrival per unit area) of ?-rays emanating from a point source varies inversely as the square of the distance from the source. 3 ?-rays fall into many distinct monoenergetic groups because of their variable energies which emanate from any particular emitter. The least energetic radiation will only pass through very thin foils, whereas the most energetic can penetrate up to several centimetres of lead.4 As ?-rays tend to produce 10-4 times as many ion-pairs per unit length as ?-particles do, measurements are usually carried out using a Geiger-Mller (G-M) tube.5 G-M tubes are widely used for detecting radiation and ionising particles. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geiger-M%C3%BCller_tube The anode is a central thin wire which is insulated from the surrounding cathode cylinder, which is metal or graphite coated. The anode is kept at a positive potential and the cathode is earthed. The tube may also have a thin mica end window.6 When radiation enters the tube, a few electrons and ions are produced in the gas. If the voltage is above the breakdown potential (The minimum reverse voltage to make the diode conduct in reverse)7 of the gas, the number of electrons and ions are greatly multiplied. The electrons are attracted to the anode, and the positive ions move towards the cathode. The current flowing in the high resistance resistor (R) produces a pd which is amplified and passed to a counter which registers the passage of an ionising particle or radiation through the tube.8 The tube cannot be filled with air as the discharge persists for a short time after the radiation is registered. This is due to electrons being emitted from the cathode by the positive ions which arrive there. Instead, the tube is filled with argon mixed with a halogen vapour which quenches, reduces the intensity, the discharge quickly, ensuring that the registered radiation does not affect the recording of other ionising particles. When the G-M tube is detecting one particle, if another enters the tube it will not be detected. This is known as dead time; the average maximum being approximately 90 microseconds.9 Because this number is so small, it can justifiably be ignored for this experiment. Background radiation must be taken into account when taking readings from the source. Background radiation primarily comes from cosmic radiation and terrestrial sources.10 This radiation will affect the count and must be corrected. The level of this radiation varies with location and must be measured before conducting the experiment. Since I ? C: C ? 1 (d + d0)2 Therefore: d + d0 ? 1 Vc I ? 1 r2 Where: * d = distance * d0 = distance to be added to the measured distance, d, because of the reference point on the holder not coinciding with the source, and the effective counting space inside the GM tube may not be close to the window, then r = d + d0. * I = intensity * C = corrected count rate the measured count rate minus the reading for background radiation11 Corrected count rate against 1/(d + d0)2 should produce a straight-line graph, passing through the origin, if the inverse square law is followed. Source: A Laboratory Manual of Physics -F. Tyler, Page 269 The gradient of the line obtained is a measure of the strength of the source used in the experiment.12 The strength of the source is the activity, A=?N. The decay constant, ?, can be calculated using ? = ln2/t1/2 where the value for the half-life of Co-60 is 5.2714 years13. Therefore: ? = ln2/t1/2 = 0.693/1.664 x 108 = 4.175 x 10-9 The gradient of the straight line graph will equal ?N0e-?t so ? = gradient/ N0e-?t Safety Precautions: To ensure the utmost safety before, during and after this experiment, some guidelines should be followed: * Food and drink should not be consumed whilst in the same room as the source * Food items should not be stored in the same room as the source * The source should only be handled with long handled source handling tongs, and as little as possible * Hands should be washed thoroughly after contact with the source * If in contact with the source for an extended period, it is recommended that a monitoring badge is worn * As the source will radiate in only one direction, it should not be pointed at anyone * The source should be locked away in a lead lined box when not in use * Open wounds should be covered securely * Protective gloves should be warn when handling potentially contaminated items Errors: To reduce the possible errors within the experiment, an optical bench will be used to ensure that the G-M tube and the source are properly aligned throughout, as the source radiates in one direction, the alignment must remain standard. Also, for small distances, specifically the distance d0 which is the distance the source is from the opening of the holder plus the distance of detection from the window in the G-M tube, vernier callipers will be used to hold as much accuracy as possible. Vernier callipers read to fractions of a millimetre, making them much more accurate than other measuring devices. Other distances, such as distance d, can be measured with a metre rule as the distances are larger which decreases the possible error in measuring. There will also be the error of human reaction times from observing the final count and pressing the stopclock. To ensure accuracy, practise using the stop-clock and count switch until reasonably consistent results can be obtained. Preliminary Work: To decide on an appropriate voltage to use, the G-M tube and source set-up should be tested. Place the source approximately 10 cm from the window of the G-M tube and increase the voltage slowly, until the count rate stops changing dramatically. Plot a graph of the count-rate, C, against EHT voltage, V. Record the voltages V1 and V2 between which the rate of counting does not vary too much. If the rate of counting begins to rise after remaining much the same for a range of voltage do not raise the voltage any higher or the tube may suffer damage.14 The optimum operating voltage will be halfway between the voltage where the plateau begins and the voltage where it ends. To decide on the range of distances used, the source was moved close to the window of the G-M tube and was moved back slowly until the scaler could count adequately (5 cm). This is the smallest distance that will be used. To find the other extreme, the source was moved back until the count rate fell to a low value, but could still provide adequate results (35 cm). d (cm) N t1 (s) t2 (s) t3 (s) Ave. t 5.00 10,000 212 209 209 210.00 10.00 10,000 773 779 790 780.67 15.00 1000 180 220 205 201.67 20.00 1000 317 355 345 339.00 25.00 1000 457 469 437 454.33 30.00 1000 543 510 542 531.67 35.00 1000 749 720 735 734.67 From these preliminary results I have decided to time for 10,000 counts at 5 cm from the source, 5000 counts for 10cm from the source, and 1000 for 15 30cm. This is because any higher values will take considerably longer to measure. I will take three readings from each, as radioactive decay is a random process and it would be unlikely for more than three readings to be similar. An average will be calculated from the three values and the reading for the background radiation will be subtracted to find the corrected count rate. Equipment: * Geiger-Mller tube of , ? sensitive type * Decade scaler with variable EHT supply * Sealed cobalt-60 source sealed to prevent contact with the source and to prevent isotropic radiation * Long handled source handling tongs to prevent contact with the source * Optical bench with source holder to ensure constant alignment * Stop-clock, readable to at least two decimal places * Vernier callipers to measure the distance d0 to a higher level of accuracy * Metre rule to measure the distance d Diagram: Where: * B is the optical bench with source holder, H * G is the Geiger-Mller tube * S is the decade scaler with variable EHT supply * R is the sealed radioactive source, cobalt-60 Cobalt-60 will be used as the gamma source as it is easily produced, by exposing natural cobalt to neutrons in a reactor, and therefore easy to acquire.15 It also produces ?-rays with energies of 1.17 MeV and 1.33 MeV. Method: 1. Clamp the G-M tube to one end of the optical bench and attach it to the input socket of the scaler 2. Set the variable EHT voltage on the scaler at a minimum and turn it on, allowing a few minutes for the scaler to warm up 3. Change the variable EHT voltage on the scaler to the value found through preliminary work and set it to count pulses from the G-M tube 4. Start the stopclock and measure the background radiation for an adequate length of time, e.g. 25 minutes, as background radiation is variable 5. Place the holder containing the ?-source at 5.0 cm from the window of the G-M tube 6. Start the stopclock and stop after 10,000 counts are registered. Record this value and repeat twice 7. Move the ?-source to 10.0 cm from the window of the G-M tube and repeat procedure 5, instead only counting 5000 counts 8. Move the ?-source to 15.0 cm from the window of the G-M tube and repeat procedure 5, instead counting only 1000 counts 9. Repeat procedure 7 for sets of 5.0 cm until a distance of 30.0 cm is reached 10. Tabulate these results and find the average count rate for each distance 11. Evaluate 1/(d + do)2 12. Using the recorded value for background radiation, evaluate the corrected count rate for each distance 13. Plot the graph of corrected count rate against 1/(d + do)2 References: 1 http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/Hbase/forces/isq.html 2 Essential Pre-University Physics Whelan Hodgson, page 953 3 Essential Principles of Physics Whelan Hodgson, page 472 4 Essential Principles of Physics Whelan Hodgson, page 472 5 Essential Principles of Physics Whelan Hodgson, page 472 6 http://www.imagesco.com/articles/geiger/03.html 7 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakdown_voltage 8 Essential Pre-University Physics Whelan Hodgson, page 406 9 http://www.imagesco.com/articles/geiger/03.html 10 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Background_radiation 11 Advanced Level Practical Physics M Nelkon JM Ogborn, page 218 12 A Laboratory Manual of Physics F. Tyler, page 269 13 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobalt * 14 Advanced Level Practical Physics M Nelkon JM Ogborn, page 212 15 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobalt

Personality Disorders Essay Example for Free

Personality Disorders Essay In this paper I will be discussing how a particular Axis I disorder may relate to a coexisting Axis II disorder. I will explain how an Axis I disorder, can be easily confused with an Axis II disorders. I will compare and contrast, Personality Disorder, Schizophrenia, and Paranoid Type, and explain how I would differentiate the two conditions. I will also compare Obsessive Personality Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and explain the difference between both conditions. Personality Disorders Since the DSM III, the DSM classification has been used to describe the different parts of personality disorder. Every person is different in the way they think, feel and how they relate to others. Some people will have maladaptive personality traits, it becomes a personality disorder when the maladaptive behaviors become a problem and prevent them from leading a normal life. In the DSM –IV personality disorders and mental retardation are diagnosed on Axis II. A personality disorder can predispose a person to suffer with an Axis I disorder. (Widiger, 2003) According to the authors of the multiaxial system they wanted to draw attention to personality disorder because of the â€Å"accumulating evidence that the quality and quantity of preexisting personality disturbance may†¦influence the predisposition, manifestation, course, and response to treatment of various Axis I conditions†. Paranoid Personality Disorder and Schizophrenia Paranoid Personality Disorder is defined in the DSM-V –TR as a pervasive distrust and suspiciousness of others such that their motives are interpreted as malevolent. (DSM-IV-TR 2005) Schizophrenia, Paranoid Type is defined as a type of schizophrenia in which the following criteria are met: A. Preoccupation with one or more delusion or frequent auditory hallucinations. The two disorders have many similarities but one thing that makes them different is that people that suffer with Paranoid Personality disorder do not have hallucinations. Obsessive -Compulsive Personality Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder is a pervasive pattern of preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and mental and interpersonal  control. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is defined as a person having either obsessions or compulsions. (DSM-V-TR 2005) People that suffer from OCD suffer from disturbing thoughts, or images and they have obsessions that interfere with their daily life. Some of these behaviors are irrational, ritualistic and repetitive. People that suffer from OCPD are worried about being perfect, and being in control mentally and interpersonally. People who suffer with OCPD are very problematic, unhappy, and experience issues with family, friends, and at work. The main difference in these two disorders is that people with OCD have actual obsessions and compulsions. People with OCDP don’t have obsessions and compulsions. References (2005). DSM-IV-TR. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association. Widiger, T. (2003, Oct). Personality disorder diagnosis. World Psychiatry, 2(2), 13

Party System in the US Analysis

Party System in the US Analysis NATURE OF THE PARTY SYSTEM This paper examines the nature of the party system in United States. This paper further identifies the reasons for the weaknesses of the American parties. The nature of the American party system is the two-party system. This is a party system whereby there are two dominant political parties that dominate the politics of a given state. Under the two party systems, one of the parties would hold a majority seat in the legislature. This party is referred to as the majority party (Wilkins Stark, 2011). On the other hand, the party that has fewer members in the legislature is normally referred to as the minority party. This concept of the two party systems has different meaning, depending on the type of the political system that a state has. For instance, under the presidential system of governance, it describes a situation whereby all elected officials belong to either one of the two dominant parties within the state. Third or more parties exist, but they rarely win an election (Hug, 2001). Because of these types of arrangements, a two party system normally leads to election rules such as a winner take all concepts. In a two party system, the chances of a candidate to win an elective post, for a major position are always difficult. However, these smaller parties have the capability of influencing the dominant parties that exists within the state. In contrast to a parliamentary system such as that of the United Kingdom, the two party system is an arrangement whereby two parties dominate an election, but there are the existence of other parties that win an election in their legislatures (Herrnson Green, 2002). The American politics is dominated by the Republicans, and the Democrats. Despite the dominance of these two parties, there is a third party referred to as the Tea Party. It is important to explain that the tea party does not dominate the American political system, and this is because its candidates have never won any American major political seat, such as the Presidency, or even a Governors position (Janiskee Masugi, 2007). The dominance of the Republicans and the Democrats in the American political system has existed for more than 100 years, where the Presidents are either elected from the Republican party, or from the Democrat Party. Currently, the American President is Barrack Obama, and he emanates from the Democrat Party. His predecessor was George Bush, who was elected from the Republican Party (Strangio Dyrenfurth, 2009). In as much as the Tea Party is not dominant, this party has the capability of influencing government policies, and the activities of the other two leading parties. On a specific note, the Tea Party has a considerable influence on the Republican Party. For instance, in 2013, the members of the Tea Party were able to collaborate with the Republicans for purposes of shutting down the government of President Obama. This is in their bid to oppose the health care policies that were being advocated by President Obama. Based on these facts therefore, we can denote that the nature of the American party system is the two party systems. The domination of the Republican Party and the Democrat Party, and the influence of a smaller party, the Tea Party, satisfies the definition of a two party system in a presidential system. A two party system has a number of advantages and disadvantages. One of the advantages of the American two party systems is the fact that they provide information that is easily understandable to the American voters. Through these actions, the two parties are able to create order in the political system, and this is through a representation of a wide political ideologies or philosophy of the party. For instance, in the 2012 elections, campaigns between Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, and the Democrat nominee, President Obama, the two candidates were able to present the ideologies and philosophies of their parties. The second advantage of the American party system, is that it gives a stable balance through the accommodation of various interests and opinions. The Republicans and the Democrats have different organs and interests groups within them, and therefore, these parties normally accommodate then interests of these groups. This is for purposes of receiving a wide support from them. Finally, the two party systems enable citizens of America to participate in the political process of the nation (Disch, 2002). This enables its citizens to take part in the process of governance, through the political system. This is unlike in China, where it is only the communist party that can take part in the governance process, and people cannot express their own opinion, rather than that of the party (Paulson, 2006). In a critique of the American two party systems, Baumgartner Jones (2009) explains that it plays a role in downplaying the emergence of alternative views, and it create the political competition to be less competitive. Furthermore, the American two party system manages to create a sense of voter apathy, and this is mainly because only two views are presented at the ballot box (Lye Hofmeister, 2011). This creates a perception that choices are limited, and hence it does not contribute to an extensive political debate within the country. Furthermore, the concepts of the winner takes it all, normally discourages other independent candidates from engaging in the political process. This is because if they lose elections, there is no way they would benefit. Bibby Maisel (2003) explains that because of the disadvantages of the two party system, there has been a weakening of the American political parties in the recent times. This is because power and money shifts from political organizations, to informal interest groups, and ad hoc committees. Furthermore, the emergence of grass root movements, and the decentralization of the structures of the party plays an influential role in the weakening of the parties (Lasser, 2012). Furthermore, the large amounts of money that are collected by candidates normally do not pass through the official structures of the party. This means that candidates are independent of the influences of the party, and this is because they are able to control their own campaign funds, instead of depending on the party for finances (Mckay, 2013). Furthermore, the American political system is populist, and this is because candidates are more concerned with their reputation with voters, as opposed to their reputation with the leadership of the party. Based on these facts, senators and congressmen normally vote against the interest of their parties, on most occasions. This is because most politicians normally seek to respond to the strong emotional feelings, of the public, in regard to particular or certain issues. Furthermore, American voters do not vote in blocks, and this means that they are likely to belong to the two dominant parties in the United States (Sartori Mair, 2005). Therefore, these voters are not easily influenced by powerful and influential political figures. However, candidates who have a strong grassroots support, and who have the capability of buying advertisement time, can play a significant role in influencing voters. Furthermore, money also plays a role in the weakening of the American political system. This is because candidates who have a lot of money can gain instant reputation, and make a name for them. Furthermore, a movement that has the capability of energizing the public, would manage to endorse its own for a political office. An example is the 2008 primaries between Barrack Obama and Hillary Clinton, where Obama triumphed over the party establishment that were supporting Hillary Clinton (Valelly, 2013). Another example is the tea party victories in the senatorial primaries held by the Republican. This is an indication of the weakening of the Republican Party. Furthermore, the lack of a strong party structure is a factor that strongly contributes to the weakening of the American political parties (Welch, 2010). This is because parties have to look for donors to finance their campaigns, and this includes lobby groups, who can have a role in influencing the candidates to develop a policy that is advantageous to them. In conclusion, the nature of the American party system is the two party system. The political system is dominated by the Republicans and the Democrats. However, the current century has seen the weakening of the American parties. This is mainly because of the populist nature of the American political system, and a weak party structure that requires candidates to raise their own campaign money. This makes these candidates to be vulnerable to their donors, and mostly because they would be advocating for their interests. Furthermore, because of the populist nature of the American political system, candidates are not loyal to the party, but to the voters. This means that on most occasions, candidates would vote against the interests of their parties. This is because they want to gain a positive image that is attractive to their voters. The dominance of the Republicans and the Democrats parties has existed for more than 100 years, and this means that Presidents normally come from any of th e two parties identified. Bibliography: Top of Form BAUMGARTNER, F. R., JONES, B. D. (2009). Agendas and instability in American politics. Bottom of Form Top of Form BIBBY, J. F., MAISEL, L. S. (2003). Two parties-or more?: the American party system. Boulder, Colo, Westview Press. Top of Form DISCH, L. J. (2002). The tyranny of the two-party system. New York, Columbia University Press. Top of Form JANISKEE, B. P., MASUGI, K. (2007). Democracy in California: politics and government in the Golden State. Lanham, Md, Rowman Littlefield. Bottom of Form Top of Form HERRNSON, P. S., GREEN, J. C. (2002). Multiparty politics in America: prospects and performance. Lanham, MD, Rowman Littlefield. Top of Form HUG, S. (2001). Altering party systems: strategic behavior and the emergence of new political parties in Western democracies. Ann Arbor, Univ. of Michigan Press. Top of Form LASSER, W. (2012). Perspectives on American politics. Boston, Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Bottom of Form Top of Form LYE, L. F., HOFMEISTER, W. (2011). Political parties, party systems, and democratization in East Asia. Singapore, World Scientific. Top of Form MCKAY, D. H. (2013). American politics and society. American Politics and Society. Oxford, Wiley-Blackwell. Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form PAULSON, A. C. (2006). Electoral realignment and the outlook for American democracy. Hanover [u.a.], Univ. Press of New England. Top of Form SARTORI, G., MAIR, P. (2005). Parties and party systems: a framework for analysis. Colchester, ECPR. Bottom of Form Top of Form STRANGIO, P., DYRENFURTH, N. (2009). Confusion the making of the Australian two- party system. Carlton, Vic, Melbourne University Publishing. Top of Form VALELLY, R. M. (2013). American politics: a very short introduction. Oxford, Oxford University Press. Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form WELCH, S. (2010). Understanding American government. Boston, MA, Wadsworth/Cengage Learning. Top of Form WILKINS, D. E., STARK, H. K. (2011). American Indian politics and the American political system. Lanham, Md, Rowman Littlefield. Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form

Greed in The Pearl and The Red Pony :: Pearl Essays

Greed in The Pearl and The Red Pony The novels "The Pearl ," and "The Red Pony ," both portray a message about life. In The Pearl , Steinbeck tells about a great pearl that is found and lost by a Mexican villager. The value of the pearl is great, and with the value comes much greed from others and troubles for the villager. This is a tale that depicts human nature and the way of humanity. The Red Pony, is a story of a young boy and his great dreams. This book tells the reader about the dreams of a farm boy, the land and about the fulfillment of life. These two novels are both similar to each other, telling of humans strength, and the greed in life. In The Pearl , the Mexican fisherman, Kino is very poor, but relatively happy. Kino is very close with his wife Juana, his baby son Coyotito and with the other fishermen. While diving for pearls one day, Kino discovers an extremely old and large oyster. Inside the oyster Kino finds the great pearl. The pearl is worth much and with it comes the promise of a better life for Kino and his family. The life of Kino and his family are changed forever by the greed of other people who begin to want the pearl for themselves. After much hardship, Kino realizes that the pearl could only bring more trouble, and casts the pearl out to sea. The Red Pony tells of a young boy, Jody, and his life on a small ranch. Several big events in Jody's life are depicted in this novel, including a red pony colt, the last wishes of an old Mexican man, dreams of the great mountains, and his grandfathers reflections of the past. In both of the novels the characters are down to earth, real humans. They also have fortitude and are not weak minded. In The Pearl , Kino is pushed and badgered by people trying to steal his pearl and finally he stops running and kill before being killed himself. In the struggle, however Kino's' baby is killed, bringing much sorrow to the family. The boy Jody faces much temptation in The Red Pony . A person could deduce, after reading theses books that greed and selfishness can dramatically change people and their behavior. Some of the villagers with better morals ". Greed in The Pearl and The Red Pony :: Pearl Essays Greed in The Pearl and The Red Pony The novels "The Pearl ," and "The Red Pony ," both portray a message about life. In The Pearl , Steinbeck tells about a great pearl that is found and lost by a Mexican villager. The value of the pearl is great, and with the value comes much greed from others and troubles for the villager. This is a tale that depicts human nature and the way of humanity. The Red Pony, is a story of a young boy and his great dreams. This book tells the reader about the dreams of a farm boy, the land and about the fulfillment of life. These two novels are both similar to each other, telling of humans strength, and the greed in life. In The Pearl , the Mexican fisherman, Kino is very poor, but relatively happy. Kino is very close with his wife Juana, his baby son Coyotito and with the other fishermen. While diving for pearls one day, Kino discovers an extremely old and large oyster. Inside the oyster Kino finds the great pearl. The pearl is worth much and with it comes the promise of a better life for Kino and his family. The life of Kino and his family are changed forever by the greed of other people who begin to want the pearl for themselves. After much hardship, Kino realizes that the pearl could only bring more trouble, and casts the pearl out to sea. The Red Pony tells of a young boy, Jody, and his life on a small ranch. Several big events in Jody's life are depicted in this novel, including a red pony colt, the last wishes of an old Mexican man, dreams of the great mountains, and his grandfathers reflections of the past. In both of the novels the characters are down to earth, real humans. They also have fortitude and are not weak minded. In The Pearl , Kino is pushed and badgered by people trying to steal his pearl and finally he stops running and kill before being killed himself. In the struggle, however Kino's' baby is killed, bringing much sorrow to the family. The boy Jody faces much temptation in The Red Pony . A person could deduce, after reading theses books that greed and selfishness can dramatically change people and their behavior. Some of the villagers with better morals ".

Communication as the Key to Good Writing Essay -- Language Education W

Communication as the Key to Good Writing Writing as it exists in this world can be interpreted an infinite amount of ways. Some believe it to be communication, some self expression. Some believe that it is a tool to explain one self, others think it complicates things. Ultimately, writing is used for remembering things so that you can eventually communicate with yourself and others about what you thought at a previous time. If you can talk without confusing, then you can write without confusing. It is as simple as that. In order for someone to become a good writer, all that person has got to do is make sense of their feelings by writing them down in a fashion that is understood by those who one wishes to communicate with. That is, tell the people what you have got to say and explain it so that they can understand. If you do not, you fail as a writer because no one can understand you or what you are saying. If you want to be a good writer, you must make it so that the public can understand it. In order for a piece of writing to be taken by the public as good, a writer must make the literature seem real. If people do not believe it or believe that it could happen, then it is lost. Reality, though, does not mean if does exist or not. Instead it should seem as if it could exist or not. There has not been a sufficient amount of evidence to prove the existence of U.F.O.'s, werewolves, or unicorns but that does not mean that good literature cannot be written about it. It has. Of course, the subject covered in a piece of literature will not appeal to everyone, but you never really are talking to everyone anyway. To make the writing seem real, you should make it seem like you are talking directly to the reader in a believable fashio... ... relate to all the people of the time and for those who could not read, a public theatre was created to visually show the story. And what makes a good writer today? Well today's world is much different than Shakspeares day. Now their are thousands of excellent writers that no one hears about because there are so many different things to read. Every individual can find a piece of literature that can directly relate to them. There are books and magazines about each and every subject imaginable. And the reason for this success is because all of these writers know exactly what they want to write about and only those who wish to associate with the same subject will read it. This diversity can make anyone great in the same subject area as those who read it. These writers know what they are saying and can say it in a way that is believable, interesting, and realistic.

In the Post-modern World, Truth is Only an Opinion :: essays research papers fc

To explain the impacts of postmodernism, we have to understand the very composite nature of postmodernism, which is a relatively new all encompassing philosophy and one that reputedly lacks a historiography. The nature of the title question is very philosophical to which an equally philosophical answer could be given – why? However I am not so bold as to give that as the answer. I will therefore endeavour to simplify and qualify, what I consider are, related factors and, where applicable, their origins. Similarly, as the title requests, I will also tackle their relationship with the ‘what is history?’ debate (having first explained exactly what it is) to offer a conclusion as to the profundity of their impact. The debate that continues through modern day historians on exactly ‘what is history?’ was instigated by the writings of Collingwood, Elton and Carr, during the 20th century. It appears a very multifaceted issue and seldom does a historian writing about the ongoing debate fully agree with any of his cohorts in any of the intellectual disciplines. In the words of Oscar Wilde, ‘To write history we have to rewrite history’. Obviously, this always involves revision, which encompasses ‘our understanding of the past and our sense of the persistence of the past into the present.’ (1) Once again, it is a complex issue to address as each individual may offer a different perspective, on their view of past histories due to personal circumstance and ideology, which subsequently ‘emphasises the connections between different fields of human endeavour.’(2) There is commonly a distinction between history and sociology in as much as history commonly refers to study of past events and human affairs, while sociology may be defined as ‘the study of human society, with an emphasis on generalisations about its structure and development.’(3) Rather than to get engaged in the parochial debate between how history and sociology differ, it is much easier to accept that they compliment each other. In fact there are a number of intellectual disciplines (including social anthropology, geography, politics and economics, to name but a few), which are all complimentary to the writing of history. Clearly the more recent the event, the more likely we will have more evidence as contemporary sources whether they be oral accounts, manuscripts, diaries and so forth have had less time to withstand the destructive processes, experienced by many other similar sources, throughout the passage of time. However, this is not to dismiss findings from archaeological digs, as with the help from modern technology it is believed we can interpret quite accurately dates, scenes and lifestyles of societies from long past epochs.

Housework Division Essay

1. Regardless of whether the family is a dual-income family or not marriage is about compromise. With compromise comes accommodation. One couple might have a partner who works longer hours or has a more strenuous job. To accommodate the partner, the other spouse might have to do more of the house work. One partner might have more responsibilities than another but in the end it should be equally shared. 2. Many years ago, when families would survive off of the land, both men and women were cooperative and worked along each others side. They both assumed laborious duties and shared tasks. Most would be divided by gender but the couple would actively participate both at home and work. Today, due to the dramatic increase in industrialization, a lot of the household tasks that mainly women did are no longer known as a â€Å"job†. With the female labor force increasing from 25% in 1940 to 61% in 2003, the term â€Å"housewife† and homemaker continue to be seldom used as a means of work. As female labor continues to rise each year, I believe that history will be repeating itself and therefore not only would sharing household responsibilities be the most viable option but a must. The text (Ch. 12 Pg.259) describes the â€Å"superwomen† as the dual-career wife who has unrealistic aspirations as she tries to manage being a wife, homemaker, and mother and balance her career on top of it all. She ends up feeling depressed and in the end is overwhelmed and reaches the point of exhaustion. Had she shared the responsibilities with her partner she might not have reach this point and this is why equity is important to marital satisfaction and the well being of the family. 3. Traditionally, in the past labor has always been divided by gender roles. The wives would cook, clean, wash dishes and the men would do most of the outside chores and repairs around the house. Today this continues to be how tasks are divided among most couples and will probably continue to be for the next few years. Mostly, because the inequality of task dividing is not defined as unfair by the wife and most of a labor they might enjoy doing or perhaps the husband might have a higher income and therefore feel as if they obligated to do more around the house. Whatever the reason being why inequality still persists in today’s society in regards to household work, one thing is for sure, there has been an enormous progress from earlier years in the sharing of household responsibilities which causes for greater potential in one day being closer to the ideal 50-50 in tasks sharing.

Patriotism, Philosophy and Victory in the War for Independence Essay

America’s fight for independence would emerge quite naturally out of the needs of its people to establish a form of governance, of economy and of society reflective of the demands created by the path of development of the colonies. Its people would be assisted in their ascent to this revolt by no small degree of propaganda, which would help to represent the trespasses of kingship as a form of governance for the masses. Of the primary documents mentioned in American Firsthand, Thomas Paine’s 1776 pamphlet Common Sense, remains the most famous and representative of such literature. And indeed, the sentiment here delivered helps to explain how the patriots prevailed in conflict with the mighty British military. In a text designed to produce a sense of revolutionary outrage, Paine crafts a philosophical treatise on appropriate governance designed to counter that which had very organically emerged in the colonies with the increasingly archaic nature of monarchy such as that imposed upon the colonists by the British. In his pamphlet, Paine openly calls for and advocates armed resistance as a means to the defense of the economic and governmental systems developing separate from the British Crown. He characterizes the distinction between kingship and the evolving colonial democracy as being irreconcilable, contending that â€Å"men of all ranks have embarked in the controversy, from different motives, and with various designs; but all have been ineffectual, and the period of debate is closed. Arms, as the last resource, decide the contest. (82) Couched in Paine’s sense of righteous indignation, the text largely drives toward this point by making the concerted argument that the colonists can tolerate the imposition of kingship so far as they can tolerate the sacrifice of the freedoms which had become inherently associated to persistence in the nascent America. This would be the undercurrent that would sweep the colonists into vehement support for the cause of independence, drawing a core philosophical connection between the anticipated form of government and the emotional disposition of those which the means to achieve it. For the patriots, this mode of communication with the public would be essential to drawing steadfast support for an unlikely ambition. There would be so strong a wave of indignation that the type of language employed by figures like Paine would have a real, tangible and irreversible impact on the attitudes of the colonists. The indignation resonates in Paine’s advocacy of progressive thoughts on the rights of man. In his text, he writes with great rhetorical flourish of the natural tendency of individuals toward civil liberty. This endows his work with the sense of a divine endorsement of individual liberty and an explication of the rational movement toward democratic governance. Of Thomas Paine’s recommendation that the colonists awaken to the injustice being dealt them at the hands of the monarchy, there is a principle encouragement toward the acquiescence to democracy which would be used to define a moral divergence between the aspirant colonial leaders and members of the oppressing British Crown. Drawing a hypothetical discussion of a spontaneously occurring new civilization which clearly intimates the experience of the colonists, he remarks that there is an inherent drive amongst these pioneers to consent â€Å"to leave the legislative part to be managed by a select number chosen from the whole body, who are supposed to have the same concerns at stake which have who appointed them. (Paine, 67) This clear endorsement of the natural proclivity of the colonists toward democratic organization would find clear favor with a people enjoying the manifold benefits of existing in a society separate from the dominance of the crown. Particularly, there would be a resonance with colonists in the idea that each of them might be accorded equal and inviolable rights. As Paine notes, this is an idea hinted at by the British Law of Commons, but made immediately ridiculous by the inbuilt inequality of the monarchy as a form of government. The rationality at center would be reflected in the quickness with which the colonists would begin to take up arms against a much greater force. Yet still other documents noted by America Firsthand denote that Paine had seized on already prevalent sensations amongst statesmen and community leaders considering the failed rationality of British oversight. Quite certainly, America’s burgeoning into a representative democracy and a constitutional state of governance would be produced by years of political discord and intensive philosophical discourse. The literature of the period leading up to and inspiring the revolution would play a key part in proliferating the ideas of democracy, of the natural rights of man and of the various themes of social justice which would contribute to the theoretical founding of the Union. A sermon by Massachusetts statesman and preacher Nathaniel Niles, delivered in 1774, would prefigure some of the more recognized and influential works of revolutionary America, including Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence (1776) and An Act for Establishing Religious Freedom (1777); and Paine’s Common Sense. Indisputably, Niles would be inclined to note in these works—and further approve of the adaptation of his own ideas—of the natural tendency of individuals toward civil liberty, the sense of a divine endorsement of individual liberty and an explication of the logical movement toward democratic governance. On the primary topic, Niles would provide an explicit definition. â€Å"Civil liberty consists,† according to Niles, â€Å"not in any inclinations of the members of a community, but in the being and due administration of such a system of laws, as effectually tends to the greatest felicity of a state. (Niles, 260) In the absence of any such constitutional administration for the colonies, British rule would be regarded in this text as a pointedly counter-intuitive form of governance to the growing proclivity for civil liberties. Such is a perspective at the very heart of Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence. A document to the Enlightenment philosophy according men equal rights and proceeding from a conception of a natural liberty foundational to the subsequent authorship of the U. S.  Constitution, it would bespeak the inevitability of Niles’ conception, that the attainment of civil liberty was primary among men, and that â€Å"to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. † (Jefferson, 8) Here, we begin to recognize a persistent pattern amongst the patriots who would lead American to self-determination. Essentially, figures of deep ideological conviction, they would succeed in stimulating revolutionary fervor by reinforcing the primacy of their beliefs. Herein, they would uncover a social pattern underscoring this belief. Such would coalesce into an outright fervor for victory from what had come to be seen as occupation. In addition to the social inclination toward civil liberties, Niles also speaks to the divinity of such a consideration, arguing with a recurrent parallel that God himself considers personal and civil liberty to be gifts of the highest order. Remarking on multiple occasions of the Jews’ struggle to gain freedom from their Egyptian oppressors, the author expresses a sentiment which compares the injustice of this slavery to the injustice of British tyranny in the colonies. To make the case that God would specifically endorse the colonialist cause, he asserts that of the Jews that God â€Å"promised them freedom from the oppression of their enemies as a testimony of his favour in case of their obedience; and as chastisement for their disobedience, he threatened them with servitude. † (Niles, 266) Niles’ purpose here is to remark upon the divinity in the quest for political liberty, using his pulpit as a forum through which to espouse a spiritualized sense of resistance to the monarchy. This parallels the proposition found in Jefferson’s Act, which impels the reader to observe the improprieties of a theoretical—though clearly Britain-inspired—force which â€Å"hath established and maintained false religions over the greatest part of the world, and through all time. † (Jefferson, 14) Here, Jefferson equates the British imposition of authority throughout the colonized world with a misrepresentation of God’s will. His content speaks of an oppressive religious system but bears the mark of allegation against the British abuse of Christianity. By seizing on a subject of deep emotional importance to those subjected, there becomes a core association between patriotism and godliness, further endowing colonists with an unshakeable conviction. Just as Jefferson’s discussion would be a practical application of Niles’ religious perspective, so too would Thomas Paine’s work speak to the political ideas in Niles’ work. This clear endorsement of the natural proclivity of the colonists toward democratic organization would find clear favor with Nathaniel Niles, himself an active supporter of this strategy. In fact, perhaps most important of the foundations to the Niles discussion is his testament to the superiority of democratic governance as a means to best representing the good of a civilization, arguing that â€Å"when a majority unite in any measures, it is to be supposed, they are such measures as are best calculated to secure the particular interests of the members of that majority; and , consequently, the general interests of the body are more effectually provided for. (Niles, 266) This, the author argues, is an indication that the desire to improve a governance of a society must be founded on aspirations to move policy and rule more closely into proximity of majority interests. In Niles’ 1774 text, the loud beckoning for a populist ascendancy to independence can be detected. The combined texts of Niles, Paine and Jefferson form a nuanced case against the policies and practices of the British. And certainly, the point at which they seem most to form a concurrent school of philosophy is in their shared sense of this independence movement as not simply concerning the liberty of the American colonists but as serving the more universal ‘natural rights’ of man. Each of these texts refers as its ideological underpinning to an intercession between administrative practicality, social morality and divine providence in arguing that the desire of the colonists for independence could be viewed as a larger resistance to the European practices of monarchical colonialism which had shaped the globe for centuries prior. This natural tendency toward self-determination stands as a testament to the will of the fledgling republic’s leaders and remarks tellingly of their ascendance to victory over the British.

Liberalism Notes Essay

* Mainstream western philosophy. Other philosophies define themselves in relation to liberalism. * Evolution over time, though constant stress on individual freedom. Intellectual antecedents are 16th century religious reformations, 17th century scientific revolution and 18th century Enlightenment. !8th/19th century industrialisation created new class interests with commitment to reform programme – so term ‘liberalism’ dates from early 19th century. * Liberalism a reaction to 19th century absolutist regimes – hence inextricably bound up with national self-determination. Movements for national freedom/unity associated with demands for civil/political rights and for constitutional checks on government. Contrast with Britain, where parliamentary sovereignty established in 17th century – hence liberal domestic programme focused on other objectives such as parliamentary reform, religious toleration and free trade. * 19th century continental liberalism primarily a political creed – and even in Britain the centrality of free markets to liberalism has been exaggerated. Victorian liberalism stood for political reform at home and support for constitutional/national movements abroad. Inspired more by religion (radical nonconformism) than by economics. Indeed from 19th century British liberalism repudiated laisser-faire and accepted need for state intervention (‘New Liberalism’) – especially in social welfare. * Decline of Liberal Party in 20th century, but ascendancy of liberal ideas. Dominant orthodoxy until late 1970s was derived from New Liberalism – Keynes and Beveridge marked culmination of New Liberal thinking. Challenge to consensus came principally from an older free market version of liberalism – i.e. neo-liberalism. Battle of ideas post 1945 less between left and right than between old and new liberalism. * Today ‘liberal’ has different meanings in different places – UK Liberals/Liberal Democrats long seen as centre/left of centre; in EU liberalism normally associated with the right; in USA a term of abuse for radical-progressive (crypto-socialist) ideas; label also associated with free market advocates (Hayek, Friedman, New Right). And almost all mainstream ideologies can be regarded as variants of liberalism. * Liberal values/ideas of vital historical importance – central to development of British political tradition UNDERLYING ASSUMPTIONS AND VALUES OF LIBERALISM * Hall (1986) describes liberals as ‘open-minded, tolerant, rational, freedom-loving people, sceptical of the claims of tradition and established authority, but strongly committed to the values of liberty, competition and individual freedom’. 19th century liberalism ‘stood for individualism in politics, civil and political rights, parliamentary government, moderate reform, limited state intervention, and a private enterprise economy’. Widespread agreement over key liberal ideas/values – though not over their later development and interpretation. * Key assumption is individualism. Individuals (rather than nations/races/classes) are the starting point. Society an aggregate of individuals; social behaviour explained in terms of some basic assumptions about human psychology. Some liberal thinkers saw society as an artificial creation – prior state of nature where neither society nor government existed. Implication that society and government were purposefully created by individuals in pursuit of their own self-interest. So no social interests beyond the interests of individuals who make up society. * Individuals pursue their own self-interest rationally. No-one else (especially rulers) can determine the individual’s own interest. Optimistic assumption that the general pursuit of rational self-interest will produce not only individual satisfaction but also social progress and the happiness of the greatest number. * Freedom the key value – individuals must be free to pursue their own self-interest (Mill). Originally this had a negative interpretation – i.e. importance of freedom from external constraint. In early history of liberalism this entailed firm limits on power of government to interfere with individual liberty. An important application was principle of toleration – applied especially to religious belief – championed by Locke (1689) – Mill (1859) went on to demand full freedom of thought and expression. Later some liberals stressed freedom to enjoy certain benefits (positive liberty) thus entailing extensive state intervention to enlarge freedom (Green (1881) and Hobhouse (1911) and Berlin (1975)). Conflict between positive and negative views of freedom (and divergent implications) a major theme in the development of liberalism in 20th century. * Influence of egalitarian assumptions. So stress on equality before the law, and equal civil and political rights (though little agreement on what these should be in practice). Some liberals thus justify state provision of education et al – to create greater equality of opportunity. But this commitment generally accompanied by acceptance of considerable inequality of income and wealth – so in practice equality sacrificed to liberty? * Freedom entails the freedom to be unequal? But liberals deny that individual liberty is inconsistent with social justice. Self-seeking individualism, yes – but equation of might and right, no. Squaring of circle – attempt to make justice consistent with pursuit of rational self-interest (Rawls, 1971). Implies optimistic view of human nature – and thus scope for reconciling individual and collective goals. Hence liberalism differs here from traditional conservatism (more pessimistic about human nature) and socialism (deny reconciliation can be readily achieved) SUMMARY OF THE HISTORICAL WHIG-LIBERAL TRADITION * 17th century – Puritanism and Parliamentarism * Late 17th/18th century – The Whig Tradition: ‘Glorious Revolution’ (Locke), constitutional monarchy, government by consent, division of powers, religious toleration (Charles James Fox), oligarchy, mercantilism. * Late 18th/early 19th century – Radicalism: revolution (Paine), rationalism, rights of man. * Classical liberalism (Smith) – Individualism (Malthus), free markets (Ricardo), utilitarianism (Bentham), representative democracy ( James Mill). * Mid 19th/later 19th century – Victorian Liberalism: Manchester liberalism (Cobden), nonconformism (Bright), free trade (Gladstone), nationalism (Mill), municipal gospel (Joseph Chamberlain). * Late 19th century/early 20th century – New Liberalism (T.H.Green): social reform (Hobhouse), state intervention (Hobson), liberal imperialism (Edward Grey), national efficiency (Asquith), constitutional reform (Lloyd George). * 1920s to 1970s – Decline of Liberal Party but progressive liberal consensus (Keynes, Beveridge). * Late 20th century/early 21st century – Liberal revival? (Steel): European Union (Ashdown), devolution (Kennedy). THE WHIG TRADITION * Whig party in 17th century – opposed royal absolutism and championed religious dissent; support for rights of parliament and for limits on royal power. Influence of Locke (1632-1704) – belief in natural rights to life, liberty and property; government should rest on consent of governed, whose rebellion was justified if their rights were infringed. Need for constitutional limits on government, and division between legislative and executive powers – ideas enshrined (imperfectly) in British Constitution post 1688 Glorious Revolution, and later helped to inspire French and American Revolutions. * Contradictions in Whiggism. Defence of material interests – aristocrats and merchant/banking allies sought to preserve own power, property, privileges from threat of crown. No concern for massive 18th century wealth/income inequalities. And no wish to spread power beyond the propertied, so constitution they developed/defended was oligarchic/conservative. Fortunes made out of war, slave trade, India. Enclosure of land at expense of rural poor; ruthless enforcement of game laws. * Radical interpretation of Whiggism also – no taxation without representation (slogan of parl. opposition to the Stuarts) also became cry of American colonies. 1776 Declaration of Independence based on Whig principles; French revolution welcomed by most Whigs – Whig leader Charles James Fox defended its principles/championed civil liberties in England (until death in 1806). * Out of office, 1783-1830, so able to proclaim continued attachment to ‘peace, retrenchment and reform’ – unsuccessful parl. Reform bills, 1797 and 1810. Some credit claimed for abolition of slave trade, while traditional Whig demand for religious toleration reaffirmed in support for Catholic emancipation. * Defection of ‘Old Whigs’ and accommodation within Foxite remnant of party of new radical generation, committed to reform, helped to preserve/reestablish a politically progressive Whig tradition that ultimately merged into liberalism. 1832 Reform Act the culmination of the Whig tradition – yet underlines its essentially conservative nature – very modest franchise extension (some of the propertied middle classes). Yet new urban centres gained at the expense of the shires; manufacturing/commerce at the expense of land. Whig aristocrats ultimately lost influence to urban-based business and professional middle classes (the muscle behind Victorian liberalism), though Whigs remained an important, if diminishing, element within the Liberal coalition until the late 19th century. (An antidote to those who view liberalism almost exclusively in terms of free markets – neglects the Whig foundations). * The Whig-Liberal tradition is essentially a political tradition, concerned with constitutional issues/civil liberties/parl. sovereignty/ government by consent/freedom of conscience and religious observance/no taxation without representation. Whiggism served economic interests but never really an economic doctrine – not about free trade/markets. Foreign trade policy in 17th/18th centuries mercantilist – aimed to secure (through colonisation, Navigation Acts and war) the largest possible British share of world trade. RADICALS * Radical reformers – at different times, interwoven with or opposed to Whig tradition – influence on both liberalism and socialism. Radicalism a broad term, with different connotations for different periods, yet huge influence on British liberalism and 19th century Liberal party. * Paine (1737-1809) never absorbed into the Whig (later Liberal) establishment – argued that once sovereignty had been transferred from the monarch to the people, there was no logical case for restricting the franchise – his ideas the logical outcome of Whig slogans. Paine a liberal? (uncompromising individualism, sympathies with manfacturers, hostility to government). Or a socialist? (Blueprint for the Welfare State, support for graduated income tax, inspiration for Chartists). More impact in USA/France than in Britain – seen as dangerous due to uncompromising republicanism, total opposition to hereditary principle, rejection of Christianity. * ‘Philosopher radicals’ (or utilitarians) such as Bentham were in touch with progressive Whigs; Whitbread and Brougham constituted the progressive wing of the parl. party. Cobbett’s radical populism harked back to pre-industrial age; Bright (Quaker manufacturer) belonged to new generation of post 1832 MPs – himself displaced by new breed of radicals who took over the Liberal party in latter part of 19th century. * Radical pressure reinforced Whig commitment to parliamentary reform in 1832, and later. Association with religious dissent in 2nd half of 19th century imbued it with strong moral character – fuelled demands for non-denominational state education and C of E disestablishment. Also strongly associated with the ‘municipal gospel’ in local government. Fusion of Whigs and radicals with former Peelites created Liberal Party, 1859. Whigs continued to dominate Liberal Cabinets, but radicals dominated increasingly important grass roots level, especially after 1859 formation of the National Liberal Federation. * ‘Yet it was a relatively restrained, religiously inspired, and peculiarly British strand of radicalism which eventually prevailed rather than the fiercely rationalist, republican radicalism of Paine.’ CLASSICAL ECONOMICS AND UTILITARIANISM * Intellectual (rather than moral) influence on Victorian liberalism of classical economists and utilitarians. Smith (1732-90), Malthus (1766-1834) and Ricardo (1772-1823) established importance of markets in the allocation/distribution of resources. And Bentham’s (1748-1832) utility principle was applied to a wide range of institutions/practices – fiercely rationalist analysis (‘What use is it?’). ‘The greatest happiness of the greatest number’ was ‘the only right and proper end of government’. * Both stemmed from the 18th century Enlightenment; both shared the individualist/rationalist assumptions underpinning liberalism; each tended to share the implications of the other’s approach. Mill had a foot in both camps. * But modern neo-liberals argue it is only Smith and Hume (18th century Scottish Enlightenment) who represent the true spirit of liberalism. Bentham et al are blamed for ideas which ‘provided a warrant for much later illiberal interventionist policy’ (Gray, 1986). The ‘greatest happiness’ principle is seen as a breach of free market economics, since the principle of representative democracy (advocated by Mill who converted Bentham) might involve electoral pressures for interference with free market forces; moreover, neo-liberals are opposed to Bentham’s advocacy of bureaucracy, and thus the appointment of qualified, salaried public officials. The contradictory implications of Benthamite thinking are seen in the utilitarian-influenced Poor Law Amendment Act (1834) – the able-bodied poor must enter a workhouse where their condition would be ‘less eligible’ than that of the lowest independent labourer (free market incentives); at the same time theAct required a comprehensive network of administrative areas and officials, and a large degree of central control and inspection (bureaucracy). * Hence modern neo-liberals are critical of Bentham’s ‘constructivist rationalism’ (Hayek, 1975); Gray (1986) claims that it ‘had an inherent tendency to spawn policies of interventionist social engineering’. Their refusal to recognise Bentham as a liberal involves an artificial conception of liberalism which has little in common with the Whig/Liberal tradition. * The major classical economists contributed significantly to Victorian liberalism, but their ideas were extensively vulgarised. Even Smith allowed for significant exceptions to his ‘invisible hand’. Popularisers such as Harriet Martineau, Edward Baines and Samuel Smiles reduced the principles of classical economics to laissez-faire (for governments) and self-help (for individuals). Public policy, moreover, was never consistently governed by laissez-faire – look at the various Factory Acts, Public Health Acts and Acts to regulate the railways and banks passed in the early Victorian period. VICTORIAN LIBERALISM * Although the term ‘liberal’ was applied from the early 19th century, the Liberal Party emerged only in the 1850s from a party realignment of Whigs, radicals and Peelite Conservatives. Gladstone (1809-98), originally a Con. follower of Peel, the embodiment of Victorian liberalism. Domination of Liberal party, and shaped in his own image; he became more radical and populist with age. Also inspired by Christian moral fervour – struck chord among nonconformists. So Gladstonian liberalism a moral crusade (Vincent, 1966). * Several strands. Parliamentary reform – derived from Whig tradition; advocacy of Bright, then Gladstone turned it into a populist cause. Proposals for modest franchise extension developed into radical demands for full manhood suffrage. Nonconformist strand – while the 1860s parliamentary party was still overwhelmingly Anglican, the Liberals were becoming ‘the party of the nonconformist conscience’ (Vincent, 1966).Nonconformist pressures spawned the National Education League (to campaign for a national, free and secular system of education), which provided the model for the National Liberal Federation (1877) which established a national organisation for he Liberal party, and tipped it decisively towards radical nonconformism. By the 1880s the PLP (and the party in the country) was predominantly nonconformist. * Support for liberal and nationalist movements in Europe, especially Italian unification, helped create Palmerston’s 1859 government and kept it intact; Gladstone campaigned against the Bulgarian atrocities, bringing him out of premature retirement and into close collaboration with the nonconformists. The religious fervour behind his mission to pacify Ireland both split the party and strengthened the moral element in liberalism. * ‘Manchester liberalism’ also quite influential in the party after 1859. Free trade was established as a liberal principle. Gladstone, as Chancellor, built on earlier work of Cobden and Bright (Anti Corn Law League, 1846 – repeal of Corn Laws reflected transfer of power from landed to manufacturing interests) by abolishing a range of duties; Cobden negotiated Anglo-French trade treaty of 1860. But free trade did not entail laissez-faire in domestic policy – Cobden’s opposition to Factory Acts increasingly out of tune with the times. * Increased state intervention entailed by liberal practice – major reforms in education, the army, the law and civil service, 1868-74. Third Reform Act, 1884 – triumph of radical demands over Whig caution. Chamberlain’s ‘Unauthorised Programme’ (1885) and the ‘Newcastle Programme’ (1891) marked decisive shift towards radicalism. * Pace of change too fast for some – Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) combined laissez-faire economics with evolutionary survival of the fittest; opposition to most forms of state intervention being introduced by Liberals at national and local level; but out of step. By contrast, Mill (1806-73) key transitional figure in evolution of liberalism. ‘The sole end for which mankind are warranted, individually or collectively, in interfering with the liberty of any of their number is self-protection’ (1859) – effectively a plea for minimal state intervention (Mill denounced censorship and argued for full liberty of thought and expression). Yet his commitment to individuality (and advocacy of democracy) caused him to fear the ‘tyranny of the majority’ and ‘the despotism of custom’, seen as a greater threat to individuality than deliberate actions by governments. So a ‘watershed thinker’ in the development of liberalism from indivi dualism to collectivism (Gray, 1986). LIBERALISM, CAPITALISM AND DEMOCRACY * Liberalism closely associated with rise of industrial capitalism – preeminently the creed of the owners of industrial/financial capital. Its political objectives focused on the enfranchisement of the new middle classes and the transfer of political power to the major manufacturing urban centres. No coincidence that Liberal party finally emerged in the 1850s when Britain’s industrial and commercial dominance was unchallenged, and the working classes were ununionised and unenfranchised. Even further back, protestant dissent (and especially puritanism) embodied ideas favourable to the spirit of capitalist accumulation. * But British liberalism cannot be simply derived from capitalism. The leading Whig MPs, who were still prominent in 19th century Liberal governments, were large landowners; many rank and file Liberals were not manufacturers but small shopkeepers and tradesmen; many of the working class were attached to the Liberal cause (even before the vote). In practice liberalism a coalition of class interests. Many of its causes – temperance, religious disestablishment, home rule – were scarcely connected with the interests of capitalism. Leading liberal thinkers – Mill, Hobhouse, Keynes, Beveridge – gave capitalism only qualified support. * Establishment of capitalist economy accompanied by the gradual establishment of a liberal democratic system – no coincidence. Indeed, Marxist view is that rep. democracy offers best shell for capitalism – so hardly surprising that party of the bourgeoisie was at forefront of parliamentary reform movement, though stopping short of support for full rep. democracy. Gray (1986, and a neo-liberal) accounts for this by arguing that unlimited democracy ‘cannot be liberal government since it respects no domain of independence or liberty as being immune to invasion by governmental authority’. * But representative democracy in early 19th century was largely untried, so not surprising liberals were apprehensive about what was a radical minority cause. Yet Paine advocated full manhood suffrage, and Mill argued for extension to women of full political rights. Once the logic of reform was accepted and liberals became committed to the theory and practice of rep. democracy their conversion was wholehearted, and seen by many (such as Chamberlain) as a justification for abandoning earlier limitations to government intervention. Herbert Samuel (1902) argued a reformed state could be entrusted with social reform – ‘Now democracy has been substituted for aristocracy as the root principle of the constitution †¦.the State today is held worthy to be the instrument of the community in many affairs for which the State of yesterday was clearly incompetent.’. Acceptance of democracy a critical step towards New Liberalism. Inexorable logic by which liberals progressed from parliamentary reform to representative democracy, to state intervention – and the apparent abandonment of some of the principles associated with earlier liberalism. THE NEW LIBERALISM * Flourished in late 19th/early 20th centuries – involved state economic/social reform which repudiated laissez-faire liberalism. Controversial development – natural extension and refinement of the old principles OR culmination of ‘anti-liberal elements’ present in the liberal tradition from the 1840s in the work of Mill. (Socialist critics dismiss NL as a forlorn attempt to revive an outmoded ideology –Arblaster, 1984). * Origins of NL? Influence of Hegelian idealism? Party project to win working class support and head off rising Labour challenge? Need to modernise British economy/society and thus to compete more effectively? Or simply a rationalisation of the substantial growth in government intervention that had already occurred? * Key NL thinkers were Green, Hobson and Hobhouse. Green (1836-82) an Oxford philosopher and Hegelian; Hobson an economist who believed under-consumption to be the cause of unemployment; Hobhouse (1864-1929) a philosopher/sociologist. Common aim to redefine old liberal values in line with new political practice. So freedom, according to Green, meant a positive power or capacity – and must be enjoyed by all. Hobson referred to ‘the provision of equal opportunities for self-development’ – so state intervention might be needed to remove obstacles. (But ‘each enlargement of the authority and functions of the State must justify itself as an enlargement of personal liberty, interfering with individuals only in order to set free new and larger opportunities’). Hobhouse justified interference with the market to secure ‘the right to work’ and ‘the right to a living wage’, given the powerlessness of individual workers to secure such rights. * Liberal politicians were more cautious than the NL ideologues, though were increasingly interventionist, both at national and at local level. Locally, enthusiasm for civic improvements amounted to a ‘municipal gospel’ – city government seen as a test-bed for policies which could be applied nationally. Chamberlain (1836-1914) a radical Liberal mayor of Birmingham before moving to national politics (later split with Gladstone and allied with the Conservatives) – campaign for the ‘Unauthorised Programme’ (1895) based on LG experience – hospitals, schools, museums, libraries, galleries, baths, parks, etc. Explicit rejection of laissez-faire, which was equivalent to acceptance of ‘selfish wealth’ alongside poverty; accepted charge that proposed reforms were in practice socialism. Radical, reforming approach of 1895 UA echoed in 1891 Newcastle programme. At national level, little opportunity to implement the NL programme before the Liberal landslide victory of 1906. * 1906-14 Liberal Government – key figures were Asquith and Lloyd George. Welfare reforms included provision of school meals and OAPs, and LG’s introduction of national health and unemployment insurance (1911). LG’s 1909 budget involved some modest income/wealth redistribution through the land tax and progressive income tax. And Churchill’s labour exchanges showed willingness to intervene in the labour market. * Key stimulus was rising challenge of labour; historians disagree over electoral appeal of state welfare – advocated by leaders of organised working class, but not necessarily popular with working class voters, and frightened many middle class voters. Rosebery (briefly PM post Gladstone) thought Newcastle programme cost the party votes, though his Liberal Imperialism appealed to a chauvinistic working class, while his more modest economic/social reform programme promoted ‘National Efficiency’ and appealed to progressive businessmen set on competing successfully with the rising economies of Germany, USA and Japan. DECLINE OF THE LIBERAL PARTY – AND TRIUMPH OF LIBERALISM? * NL failed to prevent decline of Liberal party. WW1 undermined Liberal internationalism. Pressures towards collectivism/coercion associated with modern warfare created huge strains for Liberal individualism – especially on symbolic issue of conscription. And after WW1 many Liberal causes (religious nonconformism, temperance, free trade) seemed less relevant. * Yet ‘the disintegration of the Liberal party signifies the triumph of liberalism .. if liberalism is now partly invisible, this is because so many of its assumptions and ideals have infiltrated political practice and current awareness.’ (Eccleshall, 1986). Culmination of liberal thought seen in Beveridge’s social welfare proposals and in Keynesian economic theory – provided basis of the post WW2 ideological consensus. 1942 Beveridge Report based on insurance principle, and was in keeping with spirit of LG’s 1911 insurance scheme – though much more comprehensive. Keynes’ economic theory provided for macro government intervention but allowed markets to operate freely at the micro level. Both B and K favoured private ownership of the means of production. ‘It was precisely this kind of state intervention to promote employment and welfare provision which was favoured by earlier NLs like Green and Hobhouse. * Other liberal ideas long absorbed into British culture. 1960s changes in the law – on divorce, homosexuality and abortion; some relaxation of censorship – all compatible with Mill’s 1859 proclamation of principles of individual liberty. Later laws on equal pay, equal opportunities, and race and sex discrimination in 1970s fully consistent with liberal ideology. Thus a ‘progressive liberal orthodoxy’ was established, with support from all parties. * Apparent triumph of economic/social ideas of NL complicated by revival (from 1970s onwards) of the older free market liberalism associated with classical economics. Hence modern use of term ‘liberal’ requires a qualifying prefix. Hence progressive (or social) liberals advocate penal reform, civil liberties, protection of rights of minorities, freedom of expression, and open government – unashamed economic interventionists. Neo-liberals (Hayek, Friedman) favour free market ideas – on the right of the political spectrum, with key influence on the New Right and on Thatcherite conservatism. THE IDEAS OF MODERN LIBERALS AND LIBERAL DEMOCRATS * Modest revival in Liberal party fortunes began in 1960s; accelerated in mid 1970s; given impetus by alliance with SDP in 1983 and 1987; merger to form LDs. Now involved in coalition in Scotland and Wales, have large role in English LG, and 52 MPs after 2001 General Election. Accompanied by revival in associated political ideas. * Policies of Liberals/LDs involve continuation of NL tradition – welfare capitalism, with strong stress upon individual rights. Distinctive Liberal policies included early advocacy of UK membership of EU, devolution, incomes policies, partnership in industry, electoral and other constitutional reform, and a focus on the community (linked with Liberal successes in LG). * Postwar Liberal party did little to extend/develop liberalism – no startling new ideas or major thinkers. Neither electoral successes nor failures owed much to liberal ideology. Key decisions for leadership have been tactical, not ideological – whether to accept Heath’s coalition offer in 1974, whether to support the Labour government after 1977, how to handle the SDP breakaway from Labour in 1981, and how soon to promote a merger with the SDP. In fact, more intellectual ferment among the SDP, and their post -merger remnants. Dividing line between NL and Fabian socialism has always been thin? Hobhouse talked of ‘liberal socialism’ in 1911; Hobson joined Labour after WW1. Thinner still following revisionist tendencies on the Labour Right in the 1950s, and the SDP breakaway in 1981. Hence the Liberal/SDP Alliance (and later merger) can be seen as the practical expression of an ideological convergence that was already well under way (Behrens, 1989). B ut ultimately it was the Liberals that swallowed the SDP, and not the other way round – so the modern LDs are the clear lineal descendants of the old Liberal party. * Paradoxically, as fortunes of the Liberals/LDs have risen, LD ideas have become less distinctive. For most of post WW2 period Liberals adopted an intermediate position between Con and Lab. Briefly, in early 1980s, Liberals (and allies) seemed to offer a distinctive middle way between Thatcherism and left wing socialism. Since then Lab has reoccupied the centre ground previously vacated, leaving the LDs with little ideological space and few distinctive ideas or policies – on the management of the economy, constitutional reform, Europe, defence and foreign policy the differences between the LDs and Lab are ARGUABLY more of degree than kind. * Under Ashdown’s leadership, coalition with Labour seemed logical, even likely, given Blair’s keenness to heal the divisions on the centre-left which had left the Cons dominant for most of the 20th century. Coalitions in LG and in the devolved bodies provide continuing impetus – but sheer scale of Lab’s victories in 1997 and 2001 (and resistance within both parties) have weakened the project. LDs have pursued a more independent and critical line under Kennedy, without yet returning to earlier policy of equidistance between Lab and Con. * Attempts made to articulate a distinctive LD philosophy in these unpromising political circumstances – by Wallace (1997), Russell (1999) and Ballard (2000). Yet terminology employed – cooperation, working with others, partnership politics, community – shared by New Labour and progressive Conservatives. Higher profile of LDs has drawn attention to considerable diversity of views in the party – ‘free market liberals, social liberals, conservatives with a social conscience and dissatisfied ex-Labour voters, greens, anarchists †¦.’ (Ballard, 2000). Shows tolerance and inclusiveness? But not ideological coherence. The real problem is that there is now little distinctive ideological ground for the LDs to occupy, but this underlines the widespread acceptance of liberal ideas across mainstream British political parties.