Wednesday, November 27, 2019
French Revolution, Origins of essays
French Revolution, Origins of essays The Origins of the French Revolution The origins of the French Revolution have been debated by historians for years, and poverty being the main issue of dispute. While there are numerous causes of the French Revolution, some argue that the poverty that the peasants experienced was the overwhelming cause, but others feel that it was a culmination of an unstable monarchy, influential philosophes, and poverty. Historians such as Alphonse Aulard contend that the Revolution came about due to the writings of various philosophes such as Montesqieu and Rousseau, and that poverty was merely a contributing cause. Jeffery Kaplow offers a more accurate and convincing account of the origins of the French Revolution saying that poverty was the primary cause. While the writings of philosophes, such as Montesqieu and Rousseau, undoubtedly had a significant influence on the Revolution, it was the inability of Louis XVIs monarchy to deal with Frances financial situation that led to the inevitable outbreak of Revolution. The article by Jeffrey Kaplow, Conditions of Life on the Eve of the Revolution, starts off by giving contradicting statistics of the percent of Frances population that belonged to the labouring poor. The first being as high as 90 per cent, while the other claiming 100,000 out of 500,00, but Kaplow concludes that it was actually 50 per cent. Kaplow effectively proves that the conditions that the peasants lived under were grounds for revolution. He mentions early in the article that it was not merely lack of bread that made the working class revolutionary, but it was a result of various factors that made living nearly unbearable for the poor. The infant mortality rate for peasants was not high and it was likely that any births would result in death within a year, and the possibility of improving their lifestyles financially and socially was non-existent. The peasants had to pay higher taxes then the up...
Saturday, November 23, 2019
The soft thumping of my dads heart provided a sm Essays
The soft thumping of my dad's heart provided a sm Essays "The soft thumping of my dad's heart provided a small degree of solace as I cried with my head on his chest. I was in fifth grade. He had just told me that my mom, having been attacked by her boyfriend, was in the hospital. I remember being surprised with myself, surprised that I would be sad after all she had done. This was the same person who, when I was eight, threw a drunken party at our house for teens younger than I am now. This was the same person who would disappear after spending nights at the bar, the person who went to jail for trying to strangle my dad in an inebriated stupor. She had not been a part of my life for over a year since my dad received sole custody; I thought I had closure, that I was ready to move on. Yet, hot tears still ran down my cheek as I imagined her swollen face and the bruises on her arms. "I had always been shy as a kid and the absence of my mom exacerbated this problem as I tried to unhealthily suppress my insecurities and fill her absence with others' approval. In sixth grade, I constantly sought the attention of a group of kids who, in turn, bullied me. Consequently, when I switched schools going into seventh grade, I was shy and timid, afraid to engage with new people. I pictured myself near the bottom of a rigid social hierarchy. The next year, I started to branch out more, but inside, I remained obsessed with how others perceived me. "Entering high school, I would spend hours at a time thinking about my insecurity and talking through memories of my mom with my dad. During this time, I would always remember how I had stared numbly into the ripples of my dad's shirt as a fifth grader. I could never forget that feeling of helplessness, but with repeated reflection, I began to understand this moment in a different way. Given her circumstances raised by an abusive, alcoholic father and a neglectful mother; involved in several dysfunctional relationships with controlling men; drinking to numb the injustices of life, but then realizing it was too late to stop I have no way of knowing if my life would be any different from hers. "For the first time, I began to understand an idea that has since granted me freedom: I cannot walk in my mom's shoes, and thus, no one else can truly walk in mine. The way others perceive me is inherently inaccurate, so I do not need to concern myself with what others think. This realization provided me the freedom to become untethered from the approval of others, finally at ease with myself. "I started to open up. Throughout high school, I began talking to others about ideas that fascinated me, like space travel and philosophy, rather than frantically searching for common ground. I quit football, realizing that I largely participated for the status it brought me, and joined cross country, because I genuinely enjoy running. I started holding the door open for my classmates almost every morning, greeting them as they arrived at school, hoping to brighten their day. I became engaged in my role on student council, which paid off when I was elected student body president. Even then, it wasn't the role itself that I found meaningful, but the way I could use it to help others. The basis of my friendships shifted from validation seeking to mutual, genuine respect. "As I listened to my dad's heartbeat that night, my mind filled with anger and sorrow. However, in hindsight, I am thankful for the lessons I learned from my mother; the pain I felt was a necessary step in the process of becoming the person I am today, someone who is unafraid to express himself." This Essay was used to get into 7 of 8 Ivy League Schools by Luke Kenworthy , 17 , 2017
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Prison Overcrowding Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Prison Overcrowding - Essay Example The penalties for certain types of offenses are now harsher. The lawmakers have also added new offenses to the penal code. This has also led to the rise of prison overcrowding. There are several ways to reduce overcrowding in prisons. A prison expansion model should be put in place by the United States criminal justice department. They should plan to increase the number of beds whenever the population of inmates surpasses the existing capacity. A community corrections model can also help to reduce overcrowding in prisons. The communityââ¬â¢s main objective is to reduce crime and recidivism. The community can carry out court-ordered sanctions. It can assist the court in assessing offenders for placement in the community. The community can take part in the rehabilitation of the offenders and ensure the safety of the public. The people in the community could also pull their resources to fund the jails and prisons in order to facilitate rehabilitation of inmates. Also, a system of graduated penalties imposed by courts can provide supervision of the offenders, rehabilitation, restitution of victims and public safety. There are several factors that impact the crime rate and prison population. These include poverty, alcohol and drug abuse, lack of employment opportunities, lack of education among many others. It is the responsibility of other state services to address these issues. However, due to lack of sufficient funds, these other state devices transfer this responsibility to the criminal justice system. The criminal justice system has rolled out a 20-year ââ¬Å"war on drugsâ⬠to help reduce the crime rate and the eventuality of prison overcrowding. The aggressive ââ¬Å"tough on crimeâ⬠approach is a significant driving force in reducing prison overcrowding.Ã
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Analyzing Direct Costs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Analyzing Direct Costs - Essay Example And lastly, Quality Control and Testing has a labor rate of $10.00. When multiplied by the projected 500 labor hours this give you a total of $5,000. Adding the totals of these five jobs together we have $3,625 + $16,400 + $11,250 + $6,750 + $5,000, which is an estimated total labor cost of 43,025. I then divided this total by the total projected labor hours of 5000 to come up with the weighted average cost of $8.61 (rounded up). The direct manufacturing labor cost objective (Question 2) would be this weighted average time projected hours which is a cost objective of $43,015. To estimate the material cost for the Far-Out Products task (Question 1), I took the proposed labor hours figure of 1800 and multiplied by the $41 simple average, which comes from the total material dollars expended divided by the total labor hours for the last five projects, for a total of $73,800. Using the regression analysis (Question 2), I put the 1800 labor hours into the equation, which was determined as $24,117 + $25.74 multiplied by the labor hours. and the estimate I came up with was $70,449. To answer Question 3, the first estimate appears more accurate in relation to the data from past projects. This could be due to the fact that the r2 of .988 is not necessarily a perfect fit for the regression model, since the r2 does not equal 1, though it is very close to 1. I would use the first estimate because it is based on the average of the last five projects. In the Material Sampling case, since the item is overpriced by $20,000 (Question 1), I reduced the estimate of $620,000 for the 20 high-cost items down to $600,000. And because the sample of the other 480 items is overpriced by 6 percent (Question 2), I took the total of $180,200 and added a 106% increase, giving a total of $191,012. So the estimate for total material cost (Question 3) would be $600,000 plus $191,012; which is a total material cost estimate of $791,012. Even with the 106% increase for the 480 smaller items, this estimate is still less than the original estimate $800,200. This is because the one high-cost item was overpriced by $20,000. For the DeLoan Corporation, the 6-month moving average estimated scrap rate (Question 1) equals scrap for the month divided by material for the month. Dividing these for each month gives you 5.5% for February + 6.09% for March + 6.19% for April + 6.52% for May + 6.02% for June + 5.72% for July. We donââ¬â¢t have to factor in the January scrap rate since that was 7 months ago and we are only concerned with the last six months. So dividing these percentages by 6, we come up with a 6-month moving average scrap rate of 6.0133%. Using this scrap rate to figure out how much total product is needed if the finished product is $90,000 (Question 2), I took 106.0133%, which is 100% plus the rate calculated from question 1, and multiplied it by that $90,000, coming up with a total material estimate of $95,412 (rounded up). To answer Question 3, yes this is a reasonab le estimate since it is based on the average scrap metal rate of the previous six months and one could expect that the actual number will be close to this estimate. FIFO stands for First-In, First-Out, meaning that inventory is calculated as first-come, first-serve. The product that is produced first goes out first using this method. For the Mason Inventory data, the FIFO inventory value charged (Question 1) would be the first value listed, which is $10. I took this rate and multiplied it
Sunday, November 17, 2019
The Principle of Double Effect Essay Example for Free
The Principle of Double Effect Essay The Principle of Double Effect (PDE) states that it is ââ¬Å"morally permissible to perform an action that has two effects, one good and the other badâ⬠(Harris, 71) if certain stipulations are met. A person would need to make use of the Principle of Double Effect in any situation in which there is what would also be called a moral quandary. A situation in which an action must be performed to achieve a good, but as a result of achieving that good, a bad is also achieved, would be cause to make use of the PDE. The PDE is basically a morality barometerââ¬âyes, this effect is bad, but how bad is it really when taking this good into consideration. The PDE strives to determine whether an action full of gray moral area is ultimately morally permissible, and it does so by judging the action through a number of set criteria. These criteria are, in brief, as follows: (1) The act in itself is morally permissible; (2) The good effect from the act cannot be achieved without the bad effect occurring as well; (3) The bad effect is merely a side effect, and not the means through which the good effect is achieved; (4) The good and bad effects are both equally balanced in importance (Harris, 71). In order for the action to be considered morally permissible, all four criteria must be fully met. Take, for example, the story of Mary and her ectopic pregnancy. Mary and her husband are practicing Catholics, and as such they have very strong beliefs against abortion and do not want to do anything that would go against the Church. However, regardless of the course of treatment chosen, Maryââ¬â¢s baby is lost, so this element should automatically be discounted as a determining factor. This in itself is a gray area. The four choices of treatment that Mary is given all have their own set of risksââ¬âsome have higher risks to her, the mother; others have risks to the future of Maryââ¬â¢s and her husbandââ¬â¢s efforts to have another child; all ultimately mean the termination of her pregnancy. Maryââ¬â¢s options include waiting for the egg to pass naturally, which poses a high risk to her the more time passes; taking a drug to thin the egg and force it to pass on its own; one surgery with a risk of making conceiving difficult in the future as well as the common surgical risks to Mary, and another surgery with less risk of complications in the future but also with the common risks of surgery. Because the pregnancy is lost regardless, I would advise Mary on deciding on a course of treatment as quickly as possible, because it is morally right to save oneself. She has already agreed to get treatment, given that the treatment doesnââ¬â¢t violate the Churchââ¬â¢s teachings and that she can still bear children in the future. Because of the different levels of risks involved with each procedure, I would recommend the drug therapy. Both surgeries are risky due to the fact that they are surgeries, and the one is even riskier because it can lead to complications in Mary getting pregnant later. The option to let it pass naturally is probably more in line with the Churchââ¬â¢s teachings, but it puts Mary at too great a risk and the pregnancy canââ¬â¢t be saved anyway. I would be loathe to think that any Church would encourage waiting it out so as not to be actually physically performing an abortion, when it is a given that the embryo will die regardless. Unfortunately, taking the drug treatment does not fully satisfy the criteria of the PDE: first, the act itself of a woman taking a drug to save her life is morally permissible. However, it is not necessary that she receive this treatment (or any other, for that matter) in order to survive. She can still survive without treatment; itââ¬â¢s just that the risks of her not surviving (or causing damage to her fallopian tube) is greaterââ¬ânote, NOT imminent. Second, there is no way for the good effect (saving Maryââ¬â¢s life) can be achieved without the bad effect (the embryo being killed)ââ¬âespecially when considering that the embryo is dead regardless. This bad effect is unavoidable because if she waits to pass the embryo on her own, she could die too. Third, and this is where the treatment fails to satisfy the PDF criteria, the bad effect is the means of achieving the good effect. The ââ¬Å"abortion,â⬠for what itââ¬â¢s worth, is the only way to guarantee Maryââ¬â¢s life will be savedââ¬âand that goes for the drug treatment as well as both surgical options. The fourth criteria is, however, satisfied because the death of the embryoââ¬âagain, especially considering it will die regardlessââ¬âbalances saving Maryââ¬â¢s life. Based on the third criteria of the PDE, the only morally permissible way to ââ¬Å"treatâ⬠this problem is to wait for the embryo to pass through the fallopian tube naturally, putting Mary at the greatest risk. All other options, despite how ridiculous it might be to even be referring to this as an ââ¬Å"abortion,â⬠especially considering the embryo will die regardless, require that the abortion, for what it is, must be performed in order to reduce the risk to Maryââ¬â¢s life. Therefore, no treatment is morally permissible and Mary has to take her chances.
Friday, November 15, 2019
Effects Valium has on Seizures :: Biology Essays Research Papers
Effects Valium has on Seizures My sister is a victim of a disease called Rett Syndrome which causes her to have intense seizures. She is seventeen now and has had seizures her whole life. Having faced these for many years now, my parents have been through lots of different types of medications to help treat and control her seizures. The newest type of medication is Valium and so I though that I would take this opportunity to learn more about it and its effect on seizures. First off, it is important to understand what a seizure is. A seizure is caused by abnormal discharge of electric stimulation in the brain. They may also be caused by salt imbalances in the blood, gastrointestinal disease, poisoning, head injury, brain disease such as a tumor, a malformed blood vessel, or anything that causes sudden lack of oxygen to the brain.((1).) Seizures are also grouped into different categories depending on how severe they are and also depending on which part of the brain is effected. For example, if the entire brain is involved it is a generalized seizure as opposed to if only a portion of the brain is effected and in that case the seizure is a partial seizure. ((2).) There are two types of partial seizures, simple partial and complex partial. There are also two types of generalized seizures, generalized absence (petit mal) and tonic-clonic (grand mal). The seizures that my sister has are tonic-clonic or grand mal, which are considered the most severe type of seizure to have. With a tonic-clonic seizure, there are two phases. In the tonic phase, the person loses consciousness and falls, as the body grows rigid. In the clonic phase, body extremities jerk and twitch. After the seizure, consciousness returns slowly. ((2).) Over the years, my sister has been through various different medications whose intent was to control her seizure activity. A new type of treatment that her neurologist suggested trying is Valium (Diazepam). Valium is a drug that effects the limbic, thalamic and hypothalamic regions of the central nervous system. ((3).) Valium slows the central nervous system and is used to treat anxiety related disorders and conditions that cause severe muscle spasms and convulsions. ((4).) Valium is administered rectally. Liquid Valium is absorbed fast from the rectum. The effect should take place 5-15 minutes after the injection.((3).) Valium should not be used on a daily basis because it can cause withdraw and it also has many other side effects.
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Harry S. Trumanââ¬â¢s Early Political Career & Its effects Essay
Preface This Research paper is meant for the academicians, students and those concerned with the international politics.à The complicated international politics is well understood by the prevailing American politics which has great bearings.à This report gives a brief insight of the Truman presidency and its impact. An Abstract à à à à This report delves into the early political career of 33rd President of the USA.à His presidency is analyzed briefly concerning New Deal, World War and the Cold War.à A brief conclusion is appended at the end. Rationale of the Study The motivation of this study is to draw a fair conclusion about Trumanââ¬â¢s early political career and the effect that his policies had on the America people up to the end of World War II. Truman, Harry S. (1884-1972): His Early Political Career With the demise of President Franklin D. Roosevelt on April 12, 1945, Vice President Harry S. Truman took over the Oval Office. à He knew he faced a difficult set of challenges. à However Trumanââ¬â¢s most frightening task perhaps was following his predecessor, Roosevelt, who had restructured American governance, the Democratic Party, and the office of the presidency during his twelve years in office. Trumanââ¬â¢s appointees were mostly undistinguished and contributed little to his presidency. à à He inherited Rooseveltââ¬â¢s staff of presidential advisers. à By the mid-1940s, the Presidentââ¬â¢s staff included administrative assistants, appointments and press secretaries, and counsels to the President. à It also included the Bureau of the Budget, formerly a part of the Treasury Department but, owing to the Executive Reorganization Act of 1939, now housed in the Executive Office of the President. à The New Deal and the war years focused the increasingly important and powerful role that a Presidentââ¬â¢s staff played in policy-making. During the Truman years, the Presidentââ¬â¢s staff continued to grow in size. à On the domestic side, the most important addition was the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA). The Employment Act of 1946 created the CEA to help the President make economic policy; liberal Democrats in Congress particularly wanted the CEA to be a preserve for progressives and liberal New Dealers. à Truman instead staffed the CEA with a mix of conservatives and liberals, à Truman treated the CEA as a set of presidential advisers, rather than as an independent body, and made sure that it remained under his control. Depression, New Deal, & World War Truman took office just as World War II entered its final stages. à His main task, then, was to outline to Americans his vision for the countryââ¬â¢s future. à à Two related issues ââ¬â the future of New Deal liberalism and the re-conversion of the American economy from a war-time to a peace-time footing topped his agenda. With the warââ¬â¢s end, Truman needed to restructure the nationââ¬â¢s financial system towards consumer production and spell out the governmentââ¬â¢s future role in the economy. Truman presented to Congress a detailed twenty-one point message that nevertheless attempted to set the post-war political and economic agenda. à Truman called for new public works programs, legislation guaranteeing ââ¬Å"full employment,â⬠a higher minimum wage, extension of the Fair Employment Practices Committee, a larger Social Security System, and a national health insurance system. Overall, these requests showed an interest in maintaining and building upon the New Deal. à On reconversion, Truman pushed for quick demobilization of the military ââ¬â a political necessity as the troops and their families clamored for a quick return to civilian life and the temporary extension of governmental economic controls. Trumanââ¬â¢s program went nowhere. à Republicans and conservative southern Democrats in Congress were dead-set against many of the other proposed reforms, including an extension of FEPC, national health insurance, and a higher minimum wage. à The public, in addition, divided over the prospects of an enlarged social welfare state and continued government intervention in the economy; liberal Democrats and key constituents of the Democratic Party supported them, but many other Americans did not. Reconversion was rejected and stalled and Truman received the blame. à As a matter of fact, rapid reconversion would have been difficult for any President, because of the variety and challenge of its objectives: increased production of consumer goods, full employment, higher wages, lower prices, and peace between labor unions and industrial management. Paradoxically, a key Democratic constituency namely labor gave Truman the most headaches. à In August 1945, Truman stated that he would maintain price controls however that unions could pursue higher wages. à à Beginning in late 1945 and lasting throughout 1946, a wave of strikes hit the steel, coal, auto, and railroad industries, and devastating key sectors of the American economy and stifling production of certain consumer goods. To end the strikes and restore industrial peace, he recommended compulsory mediation and arbitration, warned that the U.S. government would draft striking railroad workers, and even took a union ââ¬â the United Mine Workers to court. à However by taking such a hard line, Truman had damaged his relationship with an important element of the party coalition. Trumanââ¬â¢s other major economic problem was the time it took to convert from military to civilian production. à Consumer goods in high demand were slow to appear on the nationââ¬â¢s shelves and in its showrooms, frustrating Americans who desperately wanted to purchase items they had forsaken during the war. Price controls proved a principally difficult problem. à à As controls began to disappear in mid-1946, prices shot upward; the rise in the price of meat which doubled over a two-week period in the summer, received the most attention. à In response, the government reinstituted price controls, angering meat producers who then withheld meat from the market. The combination of high prices and shortage infuriated consumers and voters, who often criticized the President. à By September of 1946, Trumanââ¬â¢s popularity rating had sunk to 32 percent. à Many Americans, including the Presidentââ¬â¢s supposed Democratic allies, wondered if Truman could successfully lead the nation. In his State of the Union address, he identified the need for legislation to solve the persistent problems of labor unrest and strikes. He offered no solution of his own, nevertheless, proposing only a temporary commission to study the issue and a declaration that he would sign no bill attacking organized labor. Republicans in Congress took up Trumanââ¬â¢s challenge and passed the Taft-Hartley bill, which limited the power of labor unions by curbing union participation in politics, by approving state ââ¬Å"right to workâ⬠laws, and by allowing the President to block strikes through a judicially mandated eighty day ââ¬Å"cooling-offâ⬠period. à Truman vetoed Taft-Hartley in June 1947, declaring that it ââ¬Å"would take fundamental rights away from our working people.â⬠Congress superseded the veto; Truman, in turn, declared to accomplish the lawââ¬â¢s provisions and he even applied several of them including the court injunction to bring an end to some strikes.à à However, in opposing Taft-Hartley, Truman mustered the support of organized labor. Inflation continued to be a problem in 1947 and 1948 too, although prices did not rise as sharply as they had in 1946. à Food prices, especially, continued to rise.à à Truman suggested a return to price controls, although with the knowledge that congressional Republicans would reject such a measure and which they did. Finally, in 1947, Truman reaffirmed his support for liberal initiatives like housing for the poor and federal assistance for education. He vetoed Republican tax bills perceived as favoring the rich and rejected a Republican effort to raise tariffs on imported wool, a measure he deemed isolationist. à These positions, combined with his veto of Taft-Hartley and his sympathy toward price controls, situated Truman as the chief defender of the New Deal against Republican encroachments. Truman also took a stand in 1947 on civil rights. à à His failed 1945 proposal to extend FEPC was, partially, an effort to woo black voters so important to the Democratic Party. à In the summer of 1947, Truman became the first President to address the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), to whom he declared his forthright support of African-American civil rights. à Speaking to a crowd of 10,000, Truman declared that ââ¬Å"The only limit to an Americanââ¬â¢s achievement should be his ability, his industry, and his character.â⬠Truman however, proceeded warily on Civil rights front. à In early 1948, he sent his civil rights proposals to Congress, but did little to urge their passage. à He also announced that he would issue executive orders in the future to integrate the armed forces and to ban discrimination in the civil service. à à By early 1948, therefore, his support for civil rights was more rhetorical than substantive.à However, as he followed this strategy with increasing skill throughout the year, Truman stood poised to win Democratic votes. In his 1948 State of the Union address, Truman again called for civil rights legislation, national health insurance, a housing program, and a higher minimum wage. On a cross-country train tour in early 1948 dubbed a ââ¬Å"whistle stopâ⬠tour by Republican Senator Robert Taft.à Truman used a new extemporaneous speaking style. à Audiences warmed to this new public persona: the plain-spoken, hard-fighting Harry Truman from Missouri. à Still, most political observers and many Democrats thought Truman would not win re-election in 1948. Truman also embraced more fully the cause of black civil rights by issuing executive orders desegregating the military and outlawing discrimination in the civil service. à à He won an upset victory that fall over his Republican opponent, Governor Thomas Dewey of New York. Fair Deal Propped up by his dramatic victory, Truman announced an agenda in early 1949, which he called the ââ¬Å"Fair Deal.â⬠à It was a collection of policies and programs much desired by liberals in the Democratic Party: economic controls, repeal of Taft-Hartley, an increase in the minimum wage, expansion of the Social Security program, a housing bill, national health insurance, development projects modeled on the New Dealââ¬â¢s Tennessee Valley Authority, liberalized immigration laws, and ambitious civil rights legislation for African-Americans. Conservatives in the Republican and Democratic parties had little use for Trumanââ¬â¢s Fair Deal. à National health insurance and repeal of Taft-Hartley went nowhere in Congress. à à Moreover Trumanââ¬â¢s agricultural program, the ââ¬Å"Brannan Plan,â⬠designed to aid the family farmer by providing income support, had difficulties; it was replaced by a program that continued price supports. à Congress did approve parts of the Fair Deal; Truman won passage of a moderately effective public housing and slum-clearance bill in 1949, Noticeably, Truman had misjudged in reading his electoral victory as a mandate to enact a liberal political, social, and economic agenda. Just as important, Truman believed the ââ¬Å"Fair Dealâ⬠as an opportunity to transform the Democratic Party into an alliance of urban dwellers, small farmers, labor, and African-Americans. à Absent from this proposed coalition were white conservative southern Democrats. In addition, public opinion polls showed that most Americans wanted Truman to protect the New Deal, not expand it. à à Similarly, Truman misjudged congressional opposition to a larger social welfare state ââ¬â opposition strengthened by the publicââ¬â¢s lack of support for the Truman agenda. à Whatever enthusiasm remained for the Fair Deal was lost, after the summer of 1950, amidst preoccupations with the Korean War. Economic Growth At the same time as Truman fought for the Fair Deal in 1949, he also encountered a rather severe economic retardation. à à Both unemployment and price increases rose during the first six months of that year, reinforcing fears that the nationââ¬â¢s post-war economic boom was over. à Trumanââ¬â¢s economic policy sought to balance the federal budget through a combination of high taxes and limited spending; any budget surplus would be applied to the national debt. à As the economy slowed down, Truman in mid-1949 abandoned his hope for a balanced budget and gave some tax breaks to businesses. The economy responded by perking up in 1950. Frum states candidly: ââ¬Å"No American president ever proposed worse economic policies than Harry Truman. The great post-war economic boom that began in 1945 appalled and disgusted Truman, and he exerted all his political power in an attempt to shut it down. Truman wanted to impose a permanent war economy on the United Statesâ⬠(p. 85). (1) Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan & The Cold War: An Analysis The Truman Doctrine was the drive for the change in United States foreign policy, from isolationist to internationalists; thus Americans were drawn into two wars of containment and into world affairs. à The Truman Doctrine led to a major change in U.S. foreign policy from its inception. The outcome of World War II inspired the U.S. to issue a proclamation that would stop Communist influence all over the world. à Nevertheless, zeal in that achievement sent American soldiers to die in Vietnam and Korea for an apparently pointless cause. A direct result from the Truman Doctrine was the Marshall Plan. This came about when Truman appointed General Marshall as Secretary of State. In that position, he observed ââ¬Å"Europeââ¬â¢s economic plight.â⬠Marshall proposed a plan that would offer aid to all nations ââ¬Å"West of the Urals.â⬠(p. 355) (2). The Truman Doctrine has impacted everyone in the U.S. and nearly every country in the world since its declaration in 1947. à Some critics castigate the Doctrine: ââ¬Å"Critics blamed involvement in Korea and Vietnam on the Truman Doctrine. Without the Doctrine . . . the U.S. might have minded its own business.â⬠(p. 571) (3). Moreover, in 1949 the Soviet Union dared to acquire a nuclear capability, and so the Cold War started because the West had to respond to this sudden threat.à On July 25, 1945, the day Truman recorded in his diary, ââ¬Å"We have discovered the most terrible bomb in the history of the world,â⬠adding, ââ¬Å"It is certainly a good thing that Hitlerââ¬â¢s crowd or Stalinââ¬â¢s did not discover the atomic bomb.â⬠(4).à à It seems that the Cold War developed in the mind of a skeptic Truman.à It has been argued that his dropping two nuclear bombs on Japan was to some extent motivated by a desire to intimidate Russiaââ¬âas Cold War strategists often said, Russia respects nothing but power and force (5)(6). Conclusions Almost as soon as World War II ended the United States found itself entangled in a somewhat subtler and more complex Cold War with the Soviet Union.à This ideological conflict was an overwhelming influence in the formulation of American foreign and domestic policies for the next 45 years and redefined the Americaââ¬â¢s role in the world community.à American foreign policy that was founded upon George Washingtonââ¬â¢s warning to ââ¬Å"beware foreign entanglementsâ⬠soon found itself rebuilding Europe through the Marshall Plan, defending it under NATO, and eventually struggling to contain communism on a worldwide scale. Accusations of corruption troubled Truman since his earliest days in politics.à à During his presidency, the corruption charges proliferated, in part because they were effective political weapons for Trumanââ¬â¢s opponents. However these charges also resonated as some members of the administration did participate in ethically questionable, if not illegal, activities. End Notes Frum, David. Whatââ¬â¢s Right: The New Conservative Majority And The Remaking Of America, 1996, Basic Books. Truman, Margaret. Harry S. Truman, 1973, New York: William Morrow and Co., Inc., 344-372. McCullough, David. Truman, 1992, New York: Simon and Schuster, 550-575. Truman quoted in Robert H. Ferrell, Off the Record: The Private Papers of Harry S. Truman, 1980, New York: Harper and Row, 55-56. Williams, Appleman William. The Cold War Revisionist, 1967, The Nation, 13 November, 492-495. Lerner, Mitchell. Review of Dennis D. Wainstock, The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb, 1997, H-PCAACA, H-Net Reviews.
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