Social Media Analysis Essay Example

Social Media Analysis Essay Example Social Media Analysis Essay Social Media Analysis Essay Essay Topic: Social Media This case analysis is going to be examining ethical Issues associated with the popular social Medals In the last two decades, hitting tremendous growth, thanks to the Introduction of websites such as Faceable and Twitter, as well as the Increased adoption of internet capable cell phones. Millions of people rely on Social Media today for social interaction, as it provides a convenient means to share information, chat with friends, and maintain ever expanding networks and contacts, all in one package. Many people consider their online presence a crucial part of their identity, irking hard to build and maintain the information they choose to share on these Medias. However, Social Medals are often seen as a pervasive part of our lives, and for all the benefits they offer to an Increasingly global society, there will always be a dark side to examine. In particular, this analysis will discuss the effect Social Media has had on personal relationships and interaction between users, privacy issues, cyber-bullying etc. Social Media and Unfaithfulness Cheating is a very serious ethical issue. Whether the cheating refers to cheating on a posse or significant other or cheating on a paper or homework assignment, cheating Is wrong. Modern technologies have made cheating In any form much easier for people. There have been accounts of cheating in relationships far longer than social networking sites, like Faceable/Twitter, have been around, the launch of these sites has only made it easier for these people to cheat. These Medias connect people throughout the world together and allows them to chat with private messages, view pictures of other people, and even video chat with them, all without anybody seeing NY of what they are doing. They also make It easier to meet new people that you probably wouldnt have otherwise connected with. The news and media have helped open up peoples eyes to see how easy it is for somebody to cheat on a social networking site like Faceable/Teller. There have been photos put in the media that contain private messages of a husband or wife asking another person to have an affair with them or flirtatious messages and pictures sent back and forth. Another form of cheating that is only made easier by the use of Social Medias Is cheating on Issues such as homework, papers, and work. A recent study found that 85. % of students use a social networking site. They may find somebody who has previously taken the course who can give those copies of all of the old assignments and exams or they may find someone who is willing to do the work for them in a particular class. There are even groups and applications designed to help make finding these people easier. Effects on Teen Social interactions Soci al Medal has had a huge Impact on the way people interact with each other. Before the Internet and social networking sites, peoples mall forms of immunization were telephones, letters, and most commonly face-to-face interactions. Teens have had the largest impact on social interactions with the new age of technology. A study completed about social anxiety and technology shows that tens social interactions are greatly affected by the use of technology and sites. Seventy-four percent of high school students that participated in the study claim to use a social networking site. The study has suggested that using modern technology with others face-to-face. The study also show a lower level of stress when the teens ere interacting with people online (Pierce, 2009). Teens are in the stage of their lives where they are still developing socially and learning how to interact with others. The more a teen communicates with others using a form of technology, the less chances they have to communicate face-to-face and develop strong personable skills. The teens who are using networking sites and testing as their main sources of communication are feeling more anxious when interacting face-to-face because they have not yet developed all of the necessary skills to do so. Social Media and Privacy There are many privacy issues surrounding the Social Medias. Recently, these privacy issues have affected newly graduating college students. It has become a common trend for Jobs to invade applicants privacy by using their social accounts to pass judgments about them. This has caught many off guard, as the employers have been asking for their social network passwords during the interview process. Employers may take the perspective that they need to know not only their potential employees work-related skills and abilities but also the characteristics and traits that indicate he persons capability of being a good, reliable employee. Many employers claim that Social Network provides insight about those traits (Pike, 1). Sources are now suggesting advice to people searching for Jobs. Their advice is to limit what you are posting on social networks. Another privacy issue that has come about is the tagging feature the social network has. People on Social Networks have the ability to tag others to photos and other posts without their knowledge. These tagged photos and posts then appear on the tagged persons page. This can create issues of privacy. There have been plenty of times people have been out placing or doing certain actions they would not want to be posted. They are posted anyway without their knowledge. Cyber-Bullying Another popular issue with Social Media is cyber-bullying. Schools have recently been in a constant battle to try to avoid and prevent cyber-bullying from occurring. Bullying can be defined as a prolonged mistreatment by a person who harbors malicious intentions and who is perceived to be more powerful than the victim of abuse (Hindu Patching, 2007). Face-to-face (FT) bullying can be carried out hectically, verbally or relationally (Woods Wolfe, 2004) (Swan Koori, 1). This definition is from a time before bullying moved to the platform of social networks on the internet. Social Medias like Faceable, Youths have now become one of the most used platforms to bully others. Boys bully more than girls according to statistics. With the networks allowing users to upload videos to their websites and tag others to it, many fights have been recorded and posted on the Media. These videos of fights have begun to lead to legal consequences involving the police and the school. It is aid that through social networks, where people are not face-to-face, people that who usually would not get involved in bullying of other do. This is a problem that has been being addressed, but there needs to be more done to prevent this issue from happening as often as it does. Business Practices Social Medias business practices sometimes annoy people. Because most of its revenue comes from advertisements and people dont want to see it on their news feed. Some people dont care, some people do. So the businesses use one persons ethical it is to use somebody information for taking the business to them. From the businesss perspective, they have to earn money and theres no policy against it so far to stop using private information. According to The New York Times (2012), Ads that pop up on your screen might seem useful, or at worst, a nuisance. But they are much more than that. The bits and bytes about your life can easily be used against you. Whether you can obtain a Job, credit or insurance can be based on your digital doppelgnger ? and you may never know why youve been turned down. People can hide their information by using privacy settings. But the problem is these sites mutinously changing its appearance and themes. So it gets changed, all the previous settings get changed with it as well. For many people it is really hard to keep track when to change the settings. So if they change their setting once they think it is safe but they dont realize that when the new themes co me up they have to change it again. So their information remains unprotected. For example, when Faceable introduced timeline, its features were similar to the old Faceable. But now every time someone changes their profile picture it automatically sets it up as public and people onto know about it. So anybody has access to it and can use it however they want, which is very crucial because bad people can harm others through cyber bullying using their pictures and there is hardly any way to figure out who did this. Recommendation At this backdrop it is really questionable whether Social Medias need to be criticized or appreciated. It has spread like virus. But some courses of actions like arranging awareness seminar, webzines etc. Would help people to understand and set their privacy.

Friends and Amici

Friends and Amici Friends and Amici Friends and Amici By Maeve Maddox English boasts numerous words to convey aspects of friendship. Some are Germanic in origin and others, Latin. An early Old English word for friend was freond. The Beowulf poet tells us that Heorot (Hrothgar’s hall) was filled with friends: Heorot innan wà ¦s freondum afylled. The opposite of Old English freond was feond: â€Å"enemy.† In modern English, the word that initially referred to a human foe has developed into the word fiend: â€Å"an evil spirit.† In the most general sense, a friend is â€Å"a person with whom one has developed a close and informal relationship of mutual trust and intimacy.† In specific contexts, friend can refer to an ally in war, the supporter of a cause, or, with a capital, a Quaker (member of the religious Society of Friends). The adjective for friend is friendly: â€Å"characteristic of or befitting a friend or friends; that expresses or is indicative of friendship or a kind and helpful attitude.† Friendly is also used as a noun to mean â€Å"an ally.† In US colonial times, â€Å"a friendly† was an indigenous person who was on peaceful terms with the settlers. In modern military parlance, friendlies are troops on the side of one’s own forces or those of one’s allies. The abstract noun for the state of being a friend is friendship. The use of friend as a verb to describe the adding of a person to a list of social media contacts (dating from 2004) is still regarded as a barbarism by many English speakers, but friend was used as a verb as early as the 13th century. For several centuries, the verb befriend was in more common use, but the modern use of friend and unfriend as verbs is idiomatic. The use of friend in the context of social media does not negate the usefulness of befriend to refer to a genuine personal contact in which one person helps another. The Latin word for friend, amicus (plural, amici), has given English several additional words to convey cordial feelings: amiability noun: quality of being friendly amiable adjective: friendly amiably adverb: in a friendly manner amicability noun: friendliness amicable adjective: done in a friendly spirit amicably adverb: in a friendly manner amity noun: friendly relations, especially of a public character The legal term amicus curiae  (plural, amici curiae), literally â€Å"friend of the court,† refers to a person or group that is not a party to a lawsuit, but has a strong interest in the matter. An amicus curiae will petition the court for permission to submit a brief in the action with the intent of influencing the courts decision. A brief is a written statement that explains one sides legal and factual arguments. The brief submitted to the court by an amicus curiae is called â€Å"an amicus brief.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 Examples of Passive Voice (And How To Fix Them)Social vs. Societal20 Slang Terms for Law Enforcement Personnel

Social responsibilities of multinational corporations Essay - 1

Social responsibilities of multinational corporations - Essay Example In order to prove themselves right, and cover up their flaws in living up to their social responsibility, a few multinational companies have taken different steps that reflect adherence to their social responsibility. In this paper, I will argue that most multinational companies have disregarded their obligations to respect human rights of their host countries, and have continued to violate human rights indirectly, as they capitalize on the weaknesses in their host’s government systems, and lack of standard rights, while earning big profits in their host countries. Multinational corporations extend their production and marketing processes into different world regions. In the new business environment, these multinationals have a great political and economic influence on the host countries. These exploit the resources and labour in these countries with an aim of making more profits. It has been argued that the multinational corporations in the developing countries do more harm t han good and function there without a social conscience. Most multinationals have chosen to operate in more developing countries because the business standards and restrictions there are less tight as compared to those in the West (Arnold 156). Some scholars have argued that multinational corporations play an important role in the modernization and globalization processes. This argument bases on the fact that these introduce new technology and capital market in the host countries. If the host countries are developing nations, they benefit from all the western assets that the multinational corporations come with. Although the multinational corporations might appear capitalistic, these serve the needs of the society, while pursuing their own interests. These corporations make maximum use of efficiency and productivity, with global operations, and help in the distribution of goods around the world. Some analysts have therefore argued that since the multinational corporations have a gre at impact in the world, their activities, links to the governments, and their general influence on the international system needs to be known (Arnold 156). Trends in human rights continue to change today, and human rights issues have ceased to become matters of the state only. There are more multinational corporations today, and some of the concerns raised about human rights issues come from these corporations. Today, different multinational corporations have been involved in a number of cases concerning their violation of human rights in the host countries. This is not a new happening, as human rights violations by multinational corporations can be traced back to the eighteenth century. The non-governmental organizations today accuse multinational corporations of causing environmental degradation in the host countries, exploitation of offshore factory workers, and the denying employees their right to association and free speech. However, the multinationals argue that they have a ri ght to influence the public policy of their host country. However, these have a negative influence on the country’s public policy, therefore, failing to fulfil their social responsibility (Arnold 155). According to Donaldson, the rights people take for granted in the United States are greatly violated in some countries, and citizens are denied these rights. For instance, results of an interview conducted in Central America in 1987,

Social Problems Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Social Problems - Research Paper Example It is estimated that more than 70000 women die each year due to post abortion complications, deaths which can be controlled through effective monitoring (Heary, 2009). Abortion occurs under two major scenarios i.e. Therapeutic abortion, which is when it is necessitated by the need to save the mother from harm, usually prescribed by a qualified medical practitioner as well as elective abortion, which is when a pregnant woman decides on her own to request for the procedure (Baumgardner, 2008). This paper is a critical evaluation of abortion as a societal dilemma. Abortion Abortion is a process, which can be dated back to more than 1000 years ago, as it is believed that the first case was documented approximately 1550 BC (Baumgardner, 2008). During this time, the practice was viewed as a normal way of birth control and even the church had not at that time deemed it as totally ungodly as it is in the present. In fact, the only restriction the church and the authorities at that time had w as only if quickening could be felt then abortion was considered as unacceptable. Quickening is a term that refers to the movements of the fetus in the uterus and which can be felt by the pregnant woman. In this context, a woman was not permitted to abort a child if quickening had already taken place. In the early US history, it was considered a normal practice to advertise abortion, before quickening, services. It may be important to note that during this time, industrial revolution had not taken place and therefore, the field of medicine had not developed enough to facilitate surgical operations. As a result, abortion was achieved through primitive means such as administration of strong herbs, performing strenuous activities such as weight lifting as well as other vigorous activities, applying pressure on the abdomen for example by lying on a hot coconut shell among others (Baumgardner, 2008). It was not until late 19th century that the legality of abortion in various states began to receive opposition from medical practitioners, civil societies, and the church among other influential groups in the society. According to Baumgardner (2008), some of these groups were motivated by the assumption that the indigenous populations would be dominated by immigrants, whose rate of child bearing was becoming higher than that of the locals. To avoid this, laws were put in place to control and reduce birth control through abortion, in order to maintain and increase their numbers. Similarly, legal health professionals wanted to drive native doctors out of business so as to protect their own business interests. Consequently, they championed for a legislation to outlaw abortion with the exception of therapeutic abortion, which requires the intervention of a qualified health practitioner. Apparently, traditional doctors and midwives were not considered to be qualified and therefore had to close down or work from the underground. It is after these developments that the issue of abortion became contentious, with women rights activists demanding the withdrawal of these legislations while others demanded the opposite (Heary, 2009). Unlike abortion in the ancient times where there was a societal consensus on its legality, the modern society is divided along numerous issues for example its morality. Ancient societies may be forgiven for they may be considered to have been living in a primitive society, which had no basic structures strong

Genetic Screening :: Science Genes Biology Papers

Genetic Screening What is genetic screening? Health care is becoming more and more of a concern today as the profession is constantly creating new procedures and what we hope are better ways to administer care. How would things be, though, if patients could be told beforehand what diseases they are likely to contract in the future? This is where genetic screening comes into play. Genetic screening is the ability to examine the genetic code for possible defects and the consequences thereof. What is a genetic disease? Professor Kare Berg of the University of Oslo describes genetic diseases as "†¦(including) diseases caused by a mutant gene at a single locus (Mendelian diseases), disorders caused by numerical or structural chromosomal anomalies, and diseases or malformations caused by the action of several genes or by interaction between genes and environmental factors" (1996). How can we test for these defects? Most often, a simple blood test can supply enough DNA to perform a thorough examination. Researchers are also developing new ways to test the genes of the unborn. For example, a new test in Korea extracts eggs from the mother and brings them to maturity. The eggs are then fertilized with the husband’s sperm and allowed to divide once or twice. A cell is then removed from each group and tested for known genetic diseases. University of California at San Francisco professor Yuet Wai Kan has developed a way to test an unborn baby’s blood without the use of amniocentesis. A blood sample is taken from the mother and immature red blood cells from the fetus are separated. Kan’s team can then run tests on these immature red blood cells. The procedure is said to be tedious but does not require expensive equipment or the costly time of an obstetrician, not to mention the pain that can accompany amniocentesis. Social, Economic, and Moral Issues Science is constantly seeking new uses for what we learn from genetics. Not everyone, however, is in favor of such findings. There are many things to consider as we put what we learn about genetics out for the world to see. How and when are these tests to be performed? Should they be performed? Who has the right to see the results of these tests? Who has the right to suggest such testing? Genetic tests and their results can have serious consequences on the lives of people tested and those who surround them. For instance, if employers know of an applicant who is susceptible to a deadly disease, they could most likely refrain from hiring the individual and save themselves trouble down the road. Genetic Screening :: Science Genes Biology Papers Genetic Screening What is genetic screening? Health care is becoming more and more of a concern today as the profession is constantly creating new procedures and what we hope are better ways to administer care. How would things be, though, if patients could be told beforehand what diseases they are likely to contract in the future? This is where genetic screening comes into play. Genetic screening is the ability to examine the genetic code for possible defects and the consequences thereof. What is a genetic disease? Professor Kare Berg of the University of Oslo describes genetic diseases as "†¦(including) diseases caused by a mutant gene at a single locus (Mendelian diseases), disorders caused by numerical or structural chromosomal anomalies, and diseases or malformations caused by the action of several genes or by interaction between genes and environmental factors" (1996). How can we test for these defects? Most often, a simple blood test can supply enough DNA to perform a thorough examination. Researchers are also developing new ways to test the genes of the unborn. For example, a new test in Korea extracts eggs from the mother and brings them to maturity. The eggs are then fertilized with the husband’s sperm and allowed to divide once or twice. A cell is then removed from each group and tested for known genetic diseases. University of California at San Francisco professor Yuet Wai Kan has developed a way to test an unborn baby’s blood without the use of amniocentesis. A blood sample is taken from the mother and immature red blood cells from the fetus are separated. Kan’s team can then run tests on these immature red blood cells. The procedure is said to be tedious but does not require expensive equipment or the costly time of an obstetrician, not to mention the pain that can accompany amniocentesis. Social, Economic, and Moral Issues Science is constantly seeking new uses for what we learn from genetics. Not everyone, however, is in favor of such findings. There are many things to consider as we put what we learn about genetics out for the world to see. How and when are these tests to be performed? Should they be performed? Who has the right to see the results of these tests? Who has the right to suggest such testing? Genetic tests and their results can have serious consequences on the lives of people tested and those who surround them. For instance, if employers know of an applicant who is susceptible to a deadly disease, they could most likely refrain from hiring the individual and save themselves trouble down the road.

History Shows There Is No Such Thing as Absolute Power Essay

‘The undiminished ability to act in a particular way, or direct or influence the behaviour of others or the course of events’. Immediately one thinks of mighty Alexander, seizing every territory he set his eyes upon, or Joseph Stalin suppressing the entire population of the huge Soviet bloc with an iron fist. There are certainly individuals in history that would be regarded as absolutely powerful. Absolute power covers both being able to suppress and control opposition and support, and being able to achieve one’s aims, as both are interdependent. However, history as a study and analysis of the past through examining evidence, has shown that cultural relativism renders absolute power a much sought-after but unattainable possession; no person or organisation has been perfectly in control of their people since knowledge of other cultures has emerged, although some have attempted to claim to command it; even in the 21st Century, as seen by the North Korean rhetoric about the state’s absolute devotion to the Kim dynasty; for example, informing the population they should be willing to ‘become human bulwarks and human shields’ to defend their new leader Kim Jong-un. Since the Greeks first explored beyond their frontiers and came across cultures and religions which differed from their own, and since King Herodotus tried to pay the Greeks and Callatians to swap their respective burial practises (the Greeks burned their dead- the Callatians ate the corpse of their father) and was refused for any money, cultural relativism has existed as an obstacle to obtaining absolute power. Without cultural relativism, there are potential examples of absolute power being flouted. One that springs to mind is the ancient community who built Stonehenge. A supposedly ‘primitive’ people felt compelled to cut bluestones and transport them from south-west Wales either carrying them across hundreds of miles of mountainous and rugged terrain without technology, or by shipping them gradually over in handmade boats, before assembling them into the neat arrangement we can still see today. One prominent theory as to why this project was undertaken is that the stones are religious monuments designed to be worshipped or designed to intimidate worshippers into fearing their god. Either way, this points to a religious leader who had absolute power over his people, meaning he was able to persuade them to carry out this enormous logistical challenge. However, this essay will argue that cultural relativism has meant that apart from isolated communities such as that which built Stonehenge, no individual or organisation has possessed absolute power. On the other hand, some ancient historians would argue that the great Emperors of ancient times had absolute, autocratic power: the mighty King Darius and his vast Persian Empire, in which every provincial leader answered to him. Alexander the Great conquered almost the entire known world. Julius Caesar and his famous ‘veni, vidi, vici’ quotation, a demonstration of the ease with which he overpowered enemies. King Darius may have theoretically held absolute traditional authority over his Empire, being entitled by tradition to rule over every citizen, but it is clear that he didn’t hold absolute power. The wealthy Greek merchants in their colonies threw out Darius’s Persian provincial governors, and when Darius attempted to punish them by attacking their homeland, he was defeated. Even the fact that he had to resort to military force shows that he didn’t hold absolute power over the Greeks who were meant to answer to him as they were living in his Empire, but furthermore his military failed to preserve his power. This shows that he did not hold absolute power, and the Greek merchants rejected his leadership because they disliked it relative to the culture they were used to. Moreover, although Julius Caesar is and deserves to be recognised as an immensely powerful figure in world history, after emerging as the most successful of the Roman generals and doing the most to promote Roman interests in the further provinces, it is clear that he still didn’t hold absolute power. Absolute means universally valid and without dependence on anything else; Julius Caesar did not have the power to win over everyone, which would have prevented his murder. Evidently his power was dependent on the support of his Senate, which he failed to retain. There were over sixty conspirators involved in his murder, and he did not have the power to stop them- demonstrating that he didn’t hold absolute power over his people, as they found his leadership unacceptable relative to others. An anecdote which supports the claim that Alexander the Great did not hold absolute power is the story of his encounter with Diogenes. Alexander came across the philosopher sunbathing, and asked him if there was any favour which, as leader of the biggest Empire in the world, Alexander could fulfil for Diogenes. The philosopher simply requested that he stop obstructing the sun. After this experience, Alexander is said to have claimed that ‘if I were not Alexander, I should like to be Diogenes’, as he found the philosopher’s complete indifference to the offer of a favour from the world’s most powerful man to be such an incredible phenomenon. This shows that Alexander’s military and material wealth and power didn’t stop him from wishing he could instead be this anti-materialist philosopher. Diogenes had the power to make Alexander feel that he would prefer to be someone else, so that, even momentarily, he scored an emotional victory over him; if Alexander had had absolute power over his Empire, nobody should have been able to defeat him in any way. Throughout the Dark Ages, and the Middle Ages, it could be argued that the church had absolute power in parts of Europe, as the typical image of the ordinary European peasant is one of devout, God-fearing Christianity. However, an interesting and relevant point that Carr made in his book, What is History?, is that, with religious leaders and monks being the only literate people throughout this era, records of this time are written solely from their perspective, and therefore give the impression of a very devoutly religious period in Europe. However, this could be a falsified impression, as the enlightenment and other events such as the atheistic Communist revolution later on in Russia in 1917 demonstrate that the peasants and ordinary working classes of these countries were perhaps not as influenced and submitted to control by the church as first thought. Constantly through these times there were bitter disputes between the Pope and bishops, and the nobility and royalty that ruled over Europe, the most famous of which ended in Henry VIII abandoning the Vatican and establishing the Church of England. These power struggles display that neither the religious authorities nor the monarchies had anything that could be described as absolute power. Perhaps the monarchy were against the idea of Papal consultation, relative to the image they had of rulers before the Common Era who weren’t constrained by religious authorities- but obviously this would have been rejected by their religious subjects. This is another case of cultural relativism undermining absolute power. After the Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution, with the decline of religious authority and an autocratic hereditary hierarchy in Europe, the power balance alters. Although some areas are still governed by monarchy, for example Russia with the Tsars, other areas see the introduction of parliamentary systems and constitutional monarchy. One key theme of the enlightenment, debatably, was to eliminate even the idea of ‘absolute power’ and absolutist, arbitrary rule by promoting democracy and fair government. For example, in France, with the execution of Louis XVI, a Republic was established. However, the result was far from a fair society in which the government was held to account. Power in France moved between different dictatorial regimes until it was seized by Napoleon Bonaparte and the Consulate. Some would argue that Napoleon held absolute power; he conquered as he willed, and ruled over a large empire autocratically despite the fact that many in Europe now supported the idea of deliberative government. He even had the audacity to declare that he wouldn’t ‘give a fig for a million lives’ in the face of conquering new territories, something that surely only someone with absolute, unassailable power would be able to say without being removed from a position of responsibility. However, on the other hand, it is evident that he failed to retain absolute power. During his rule, there was unrest throughout his territory: from 1808, for example, the Spanish people began an ongoing and constant campaign of resistance against Napoleon’s men, which could not be suppressed despite his best efforts. Then, eventually, he was defeated, and then defeated again, and ended up alone in exile on the Island of St Helen. It is possible that if the people had not had knowledge from foreign sources of more benevolent and successful rulers, they would not have overthrown Napoleon; their ability to relate their experience to other cultures caused them to oppose Napoleon. This Napoleonic style, of attempting to seize absolute, autocratic power and ruling without the security of populism has been demonstrated in dozens of scenarios since Napoleon’s fall, with a myriad of totalitarian dictatorships in Europe and beyond which attempted to suppress and rule with absolute authority. However, each example can be knocked down. Hitler, it could be argued, took power on the merit of his charismatic personality and the appeal of his vision of a strong German people- whether by attracting enough popularity or simply making his thuggish SS a large and strong-willed enough organisation to secure his high position. From then on he suppressed opposition both at home and in German-occupied territory. The way in which he achieved this largely as an individual and then ruled so strongly whilst often ignoring suggestions from his advisors, could be described as holding absolute power over Germany and the territories conquered. Furthermore, some optimists might argue that the instigation of the Holocaust against the Jews and other ‘undesirables’ implies that he had absolute power over people, as ordinary human nature would produce repulsion at the very idea, and yet it was carried out. On the other hand, there is much evidence of resistance within Germany against Hitler’s regime- ranging from political opposition by Catholics and across general German society against the T4 programme (‘euthanasia’ mass murder of disabled people), to the ‘Red Orchestra’ Communists distributing propaganda leaflets, and of course the numerous assassination plots and attempts by Hitler’s own men. The ‘Red Orchestra’ example is very useful to my argument; they had not lived under a Communist system, but had read the teachings of Karl Marx and other Communist writers and therefore felt that relative to the Nazi system, Communism would be the best for Germany. While it is true that none of these were successful as such (except, to some extent, the opposition to T4), they certainly weren’t what Hitler desired and he had not the power to prevent them. Another major dictator of the 20th Century was Josef Stalin; although the Communist state was already in existence, he still needed his skill and slyness to seize power by using his role as party secretary to eliminate potential opponents, and especially by propelling himself ahead of Trotsky in terms of popularity through behaviour such as deceiving him into travelling to an eastern province so that he wasn’t present at Lenin’s funeral. He then purged Russia, the Communist Party and the army in order to ensure absolute control, and this made internal opposition to his regime virtually inexistent in terms of visible or united resistance. His Stalinist ideology also catapulted the USSR very quickly from a backward nation to a major world power, enabling them to withstand the German Operation Barbarossa (consequently, another failure of Hitler’s) and then even to push on until they formed a stand-off with the USA and Britain in Germany. With no opposition to him within his country (and so no possibility of assassination or being toppled), and these incredible achievements, some would infer that he must have had absolute power. Be that as it may, when we explore Stalin’s aims we can see that he was largely unsuccessful. His five-year-plans demanded unattainably high increases in output- such as 200% more iron produced and 335% more electricity. However, there is much evidence that factory owners and officials ‘cooked the books’ and exaggerated production when reporting back to the Party, in order to prevent being punished for failing to keep up. This would mean that Stalin could not achieve all that he wanted. Furthermore, one of his stated aims was to reverse Russia’s backwardness in order to avoid being ‘crushed’ by the developed capitalist powers. While he did generate huge industrialisation which propelled the USSR forwards so that in 1945 it emerged as one of two world superpowers, it was at the expense of over twenty million Russians dead in around two decades, due to famines caused by economic reforms or in the gulags and the purges; this huge cost is a death rate that resembles a backward nation far more than a developed one, and so some would argue that it shows that Stalin also failed in this aim. Finally, his struggle with the Western powers, for example through annexing eastern European countries into the Soviet bloc, although continued to some extent by his successors, was lost in the end. By 1990, the USSR had begun to unravel significantly as former members became independent countries and satellite states such as Ukraine and Estonia, and turned to democracy and the free market, after first breaking the propaganda limitations in order to learn of the other way of life, until Russia formally ended Communism in the year 1991. Stalin’s legacy failed to prevent cultural relativism from reaching into the population of the USSR. On the other hand, it could be argued that although he failed to prevent the future further expansion of the USSR his huge legacy in turning Russia around into the developed nation it is today shows his absolute power. Stalin and his ideology are still popular in modern Russia, as he is seen as a hero by many for seeing off the Nazi German invasion. This legacy, coupled with the extent to which he did manage to prevent notable opposition within his territory and beyond (for example, the assassination of Trotsky in Mexico), make him an individual who was close to achieving the coveted status of having absolute power in his ‘empire’, but still his failure to achieve what he wanted demonstrates that it would be untrue to describe him as such. And now approaching the present in terms of era, an example which was mentioned much earlier on in this essay, the Kim dynasty in North Korea; they make use of the personality cult, controls on education and media, and the secret police which were used to implement Stalin’s leadership in the USSR; however like him, they have been unable to carry out their aims. Kim Jong-Il aimed to make North Koreans the ‘most prosperous people on Earth’, but under his new economic reforms, millions died in a famine and all were affected by a famine which resulted in the army downgrading the height requirements for soldiers to sign up. They have also failed to prevent the black market from flourishing in North Korea and more importantly, they haven’t been able to stop Chinese smugglers from bringing in evidence of the prosperity experienced in South Korea and other countries. Therefore despite not being in particular danger of being overthrown by the people, due to their repressive regime, the Kim dynasty have not had the power to fulfil their plans. The same could be said of the solid Communist Party in China: although they are relatively secure in their position, with legal sovereignty guaranteed over the United Front as stated by the constitution, they have had to open up to imports and exports and allow free market economics, as their Communist planned economy failed. In modern times, nobody has succeeded in fully repressing their people, as defection and resistance has always been possible if not completely successful. Absolute power cannot be attributed to any modern day regimes, because knowledge of outside cultures always finds a way in, and the people learn of their relatively poor situation and rebel. One of the important phenomena to observe over the next few years is that of South Korean DVDs being smuggled into North Korea and allowing the people exposure to other cultures; this could potentially lead to an inability to further repress the people, to combine with the failure to achieve the Kim families’ aims. It is important to consider religion when looking at this question, as we have already conceded that religious authorities in some isolated communities could have held absolute power over their followers. One could argue that especially in the case of the Abrahamic religions, which are characterised by their belief in one single, omnipotent and omniscient God, absolute power is demonstrated by the infallibility of those who represent this one God- for example, the Pope, or the Iranian Ayatollah. In the most devout of communities and times, any religious disagreement could end in death- for example, the burning of Protestants or Catholics at the stake during the European battle between these two ideologies. This can be seen as religious authorities suppressing any opposition to the rule of God. Then, there are many examples of God’s representatives influencing people to act how he would will; for example, the Crusades saw hundreds of rich knights, under the influence of the Pope, leaving the luxury and relative safety of their castles and estates to recover Jerusalem, a city they had never visited. This can be seen as religion and its leaders having the absolute power to control the actions of others. However, for one thing the misuse of the aforementioned tradition of burning religious enemies, by which people would accuse those they disliked or coveted of belonging to the undesirable faith, shows that often people weren’t following the leadership of God but using this phenomenon to their selfish advantage. Another point against religious figures having absolute power is the decline in religious participation and the growth of atheism- this ongoing decline in terms of support of god as a leader demonstrates a decline in power. In times of strife, such as the suffering of the Russians under the Tsar, people lose their faith in religious hierarchies- and in this particular example the atheistic Soviet system was spawned. In addition to this decrease in willingness to submit to religious commands, there is a clear increase in actual opposition to religion- the growth of Humanism and the growing popularity of figures such as Richard Dawkins, who preaches anti-religion and anti-theism, show that God is being undermined as a leader and so can’t have absolute power over humanity as some religious leaders would intend. From exploring all these example of hugely powerful individuals and organisations, ranging from the autocratic emperors of Ancient civilisation, to the absolute monarchies of the middle ages, the Church and the modern totalitarian dictatorships and regimes such as Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany, or even the Communist Party in the People’s Republic of China, we can see that although their achievements are often incredible, and required huge amounts of power and ability, none of them have been able to perfectly fit both criteria- full suppression of opposition and the full ability to achieve what they wished. Inability to fulfil their political aims can often be put down to a failure to crush opposition, and the failure to crush opposition was caused by knowledge of other cultures which the people enjoyed the idea of more than they enjoyed their own; cultural relativism. When people get the idea into their heads that there are other systems which would benefit them and make their lives better, it is impossible to fully and permanently extinguish this and continue reigning on without reforming policy (failing to do what you want) or falling from power (failing to protect against the opposition). Therefore, the only time when history can show us absolute power is in isolated communities in which the people had no understanding or conception of an alternative way of life, such as the Ancient Britons who built Stonehenge. Bibliography A Little History of the World- E.H. Gombrich What Is History? – E.H. Carr Nazi Aggression- Planned or Improvised? (The Historian)- Hendrik K. Hogrefe Webography Who Built Stonehenge? Stuart Carter (First Science) http://www.livius.org/caa-can/caesar/caesar_t09.html http://www.e-classics.com/ALEXANDER.htm http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/archives/reps.html (Stalin) http://www.chinacyber.com/china_glance/politics.htm Polak

We re A Republic, By William P. Meyers - 1311 Words

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