Review On Paul Kennedys Book Essay Example

Review On Paul Kennedys Book Essay Example Review On Paul Kennedys Book Essay Review On Paul Kennedys Book Essay A brief knowledge of Historical events Is useful when reading this book as Individual Wars and Battles are not covered in too much detail because of the vast number of conflicts since the Renaissance period, however a reader with no historical background can read this book and gain a lot of knowledge, It has an easily read neural textbook feel about it, and It Is divided chronologically into three sections: pre-industrial 1500 1800, Industrial 1800 1943 and Today Tomorrow 1943 21st Century, which allows the book to be easily used as reference material for people interested In a particular period. A particularly Interesting feature of this History book Is that Instead of finishing when the author wrote It, Kennedy continues and makes his predictions for the future, he accurately predicted the fall of the Soviet union as well as the relative decline in the American economy with regards to the sis of new Powers such as China and the cooperation of the European states, which helps convince the reader in the 21st century that Kennedy Is somebody who knows what he Is talking about and that his arguments and predictions should be considered! The main line of the authors argument is that the Great Powers strength can only be tested against that of other Great Powers, one is by necessity always stronger than another due to factors such as the constantly differing growth rates, population and resources that each Power has. Kennedy time and again links the Roth or decline of an economy with the respective Powers military capability and eventual rise or fall. Whilst reading the book, backed with the wealth of examples and evidence Kennedy cites giving tables, charts and maps; it is easy to be convinced by Kennedys arguments. After all It makes sense that the bal-polar world of the Austrian and Spanish ended as they overextended themselves, creating the multi polar eighteenth century including Britain, France, Austria, Prussia and Russia. Kennedy then states that the economical power created by the Countries that were prepared o industrialist created a new series of superpowers: The nineteenth century British Empire then the t wentieth century Soviet union and the united States, and as the growth of these states stagnates and others grow world power will become multi polar once more encompassing five more possible powers; LISA, Russia, China, India and the ELI. Personally I agree mostly with what Kennedy says but In my opinion there are several difficulties, firstly he argues that Europe rose to dominate the rest of the world as opposed to because of fragmented states, increasing competition and 1 OFF actors for the decline of the Spanish Empire caused through lack of cohesion When I read this part for the first time, I though that this seemed like a contradiction, but on further thought could Kennedy mean however that these factors are beneficial to the rise of a power, however once they have reached a Great Power status begin to become a burden and can act as a factor in the Powers decline? I also think that an important factor which appears to be understated in the book are the leaders of Powers, I dont want to appear biased towards elite history as opposed to economic story, but using the Spanish Empire example from earlier, Spain did had ineffectual monarchs certainly from the mid seventeenth century, and was the time at which the Empire started to decline, cumulating in the Spanish war of Succession which in effect made Spain a second rate power. If Spain had more capable leaders they would have been in a better position to remain a major world player. In conclusion I would recommend The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, it is easily read, there are maps and charts which help the reader visualize the political boundaries of the time. The main arguments are well backed up, and it is interesting as the focus is constantly changing from state to state. It is a good book for students but anybody with an interest could read and understand it. The Book I am about to review The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers is one of fourteen books written by Paul Kennedy, the author is considered an expert in the fields of Grand Strategy and International Relations, he previously studied under the famous historian GAP Taylor and this is Kennedys best known book to date; it being translated into twenty three languages, reaching no. N the Bestselling Hardcover Books when it was released in 1988 and also winning Kennedy the Williston History Prize for his work. The Book is rather long; owing to the fact it covers five hundred years of World History of the Great Powers, yet focuses largely towards European Powers, as that is where the majority of power lay until the early twentieth century. A brief knowledge of Historical events is useful when reading this book as individual Wars and Battles are not covered in too much detail because of the vast number of conflicts since the Renaissance period, however reader with no historical background can read this book and gain a lot of knowledge, it has an easily read general textbook feel about it, and it is divided chronologically into three sections: Pre-industrial 1500 1800, Industrial 1800 1943 and Today Tomorrow 1943 21st Century, which allows the book to be easily used as reference material for people interested in a particular period. A particularly interesting feature of this History book is that instead of finishing when the author wrote it, Kennedy continues and makes his predictions for the future, he accurately redirected the fall of the Soviet Union as well as the relative decline in the American economy with regards to the rise of new Powers such as China and the cooperation of the European states, which helps convince the reader in the 21st century that Kennedy is somebody who knows what he is talking about and that his arguments and predictions should be considered! The main line of the authors argument is that the Great Powers strength can only be tested against that of other Great Powers, one is by necessity always stronger than another due to factors such as the constantly offering growth rates, population and resources that each Power has. Kennedy time and again links the growth or decline of an economy with the respective Powers wealth of examples and evidence Kennedy cites giving tables, charts and maps; it is easy to be convinced by Kennedys arguments, after all it makes sense that the bi- polar world of the Austrian and Spanish ended as they overextended themselves, creating the multi polar eighteenth century including Britain, France, Austria, Prussia and Russia. Kennedy then states that the economical power created by the Countries hat were prepared to industrialist created a new series of superpowers: The nineteenth century British Empire then the twentieth century Soviet Union and the United States, and as the growth of these states stagnates and others grow world power will become multi polar once more encompassing five more possible powers; USA, Russia, China, India and the ELI. Personally I agree mostly with what Kennedy says but in my opinion there are several difficulties, firstly he argues that Europe rose to dominate the rest of the world as opposed to because of fragmented states, increasing competition and the freedom for merchants to do as they wish, yet he later cites the same reasons as factors for the decline of the Spanish Empire caused through lack of cohesion When I read this part for the first time, I though that this seemed like a contradiction, but on further thought could Kennedy mean however that these factors are beneficial to the rise of a power, however once they have reached a Great Power status begin to become a burden and can act as a factor in the Powers decline? I also think that an important factor which appears to be understated in the book are the leaders of Powers, I dont want to appear biased towards elite history as opposed to economic history, but using the Spanish Empire example from earlier, Spain did had ineffectual monarchs certainly from the mid seventeenth century, and was the time at which the Empire started to decline, cumulating in the Spanish war of Succession which in effect made Spain a second rate power. If Spain had more capable leaders they would have been in a better position to remain a major world player. In conclusion I would recommend The Rise ND Fall of the Great Powers, it is easily read, there are maps and charts which help the reader visualize the political boundaries of the time. The main arguments are well backed up, and it is interesting as the focus is constantly changing from state to state. It is a good book for students but anybody with an interest could read and understand it. The Book I am about to review The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers is one of fourteen books written by Paul Kennedy, the author is considered an expert in the fields of Grand Strategy and International Relations, he previously studied ender the famous historian GAP Taylor and this is Kennedys best known book to date; it being translated into twenty three languages, reaching no. 6 in the Bestselling Hardcover Books when it was released in 1988 and also winning Kennedy the Williston History Prize for his work. The Book is rather long; owing to the fact it covers five hundred years of World History of the Great Powers, yet focuses largely towards European Powers, as that is where the majority of power lay until the early twentieth century. A brief knowledge of Historical events is useful when reading this book as individual Wars and Battles are not covered in too much detail because of the vast number of conflicts since the Renaissance period, however a reader with no historical background can read this book and gain a lot of knowledge, it has an easily read general textbook feel about it, and it is divided chronologically into three sections: interested in a particular period. A particularly interesting feature of this History book is that instead of finishing when the author wrote it, Kennedy continues and Union as well as the relative decline in the American economy with regards to the alps convince the reader in the 21st century that Kennedy is somebody who knows what he is talking about and that his arguments and predictions should be Kennedys arguments, after all it makes sense that the bi-polar world of the Austrian Empire then the twentieth century Soviet Union and the United States, and as the polar once more encompassing five more possible powers; USA, Russia, China, India and the ELI. Personally I agree mostly with what Kennedy says but in my opinion the freedom for merchants to do as they wish, yet he later cites the same reasons as with an interest could read and understand it.

Free Essays on U.S. Vs Asian School System

Andre’ Umansky Two Systems into One In the past twenty years the United States school system has been accumulating quite a bit of criticism. Evidence shows that the United States has been lagging exponentially compared to almost all the industrialized countries. This specifically refers to Asian countries that are statistically blowing the U.S. out of the water. Recent survey results in the universal subject of math show us that the U.S. eighth graders have fallen behind, while the twelfth grade level showed only slight improvement (appositive). This means that the U.S. students are barely floating above water, where as, Asian students have built some sort of super boat (appositive). Yet we all recognize that not any one device is perfect, and are usually leaking water in the most unnoticeable spot. Before one realizes the problem, the boat is sinking. We would potentially look at these education systems as extremes of each other. Each education system being on the different side of the spectrum. Both systems having faults and advantages. Taking the positive aspects from both sides and merging them together, a harmonious education system could be established (verb phrase). The article â€Å"Japan’s School System† tells us that in an Asian classroom students will feel an incredible amount of pressure starting from grade school and up, while U.S. teachers are too afraid to raise the bar because of potential discouragement of the student. We examine evidence from the article â€Å"Strengths, weaknesses, and lessons of Japanese education†. A negative of the Asian school system, is the conformity that must be upheld. This achieves better education because it becomes the â€Å"thing to do†. When everybody is on the same curriculum there is no other choice but to follow the herd. While conformity creates better math students, it demises the aspect of creativity and individuality. The boat may float, but not posses any ... Free Essays on U.S. Vs Asian School System Free Essays on U.S. Vs Asian School System Andre’ Umansky Two Systems into One In the past twenty years the United States school system has been accumulating quite a bit of criticism. Evidence shows that the United States has been lagging exponentially compared to almost all the industrialized countries. This specifically refers to Asian countries that are statistically blowing the U.S. out of the water. Recent survey results in the universal subject of math show us that the U.S. eighth graders have fallen behind, while the twelfth grade level showed only slight improvement (appositive). This means that the U.S. students are barely floating above water, where as, Asian students have built some sort of super boat (appositive). Yet we all recognize that not any one device is perfect, and are usually leaking water in the most unnoticeable spot. Before one realizes the problem, the boat is sinking. We would potentially look at these education systems as extremes of each other. Each education system being on the different side of the spectrum. Both systems having faults and advantages. Taking the positive aspects from both sides and merging them together, a harmonious education system could be established (verb phrase). The article â€Å"Japan’s School System† tells us that in an Asian classroom students will feel an incredible amount of pressure starting from grade school and up, while U.S. teachers are too afraid to raise the bar because of potential discouragement of the student. We examine evidence from the article â€Å"Strengths, weaknesses, and lessons of Japanese education†. A negative of the Asian school system, is the conformity that must be upheld. This achieves better education because it becomes the â€Å"thing to do†. When everybody is on the same curriculum there is no other choice but to follow the herd. While conformity creates better math students, it demises the aspect of creativity and individuality. The boat may float, but not posses any ...

History and Reconstruction of Cutty Sark Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

History and Reconstruction of Cutty Sark - Essay Example In the United States, clipper ships â€Å"represents a powerful symbol of American ingenuity and entrepreneurship. A pivotal moment in American maritime history, the clipper ship era is a story charged with national pride, romance, competition, and rapidly changing technology† (Curtis 2004). Its invention was a critical focal point in the development of the global economy. The Suez Canal was opened in the year 1869 that provided short-cut routes for countries of distant locations, setting off the competition between steam-mobilized liners and clipper ships. However, this was also the period when clipper ships were seldom preferred for commercial purposes. One of the last clipper ships built for opium trading functions in China to England was the Cutty Stark. BRIEF HISTORY OF CUTTY STARK Cutty Sark was considered to be â€Å"one of the most famous of the great clippers†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (History 2012). Her construction was completed in 1869 by the order of the shipping mogul Jock Willis. During this time, Cutty Stark was one of the fastest clipper ships in England, initially built for the purpose of tea trade between China and England. Nevertheless, due to the opening of Suez Canal 1 by the same year, steam-mobilized ships had an easier and shorter course for China which resulted into a short-lived maritime trade bustle of Cutty Sark. She then was shifted for wool business in Australia where she operated for ten years. It was one of the last clipper ships created for the tea trade between England and China from 1840 to 1870. Its first touch of the seabed took place on its launching on November 22, 1869 afternoon in Dumbarton. Since the Suez Canal opened, it cut the travel period of steam vessels to the Far East overwhelmingly (History 2012, para. 3). Also, â€Å"the winds of the Red Sea and the Mediterranean were not suited to the clippers though† (History 2012, para. 3) and which resulted into her pitiable revenues in the 1870s. Consequently, its jou rney to Australia for wool trade acquired the upper hand, â€Å"setting speed records between London and Melbourne and Sydney (History 2012). For ten years, Cutty Sark held prevalent reputation and prominence because of its fast tours. Nevertheless, in 1895, Cutty Sark’s speed gradually waned and had become less rewarding. Following the zenith of her success, Cutty Sark completely lost its sense of residence. She was sold several times to companies and people including Captain Dowman, who after recollecting Cutty Sark’s heydays, â€Å"brought her to Falmouth, where she was restored and opened to the public† (History 2012). After Dowman’s demise in 1936, Cutty Sark was then transferred to a â€Å"navy Training College at Greenhithe† (History 2012, para. 7) and was used for maritime training by the students of the college. A FIRE DESTROYED CUTTY SARK On 21 May 2007, the iconic Cutty Shark, which was temporarily closed for a maintenance work, shocked everyone when it grabbed hold of a fire and burned down for many hours before the fire was contained by the London Fire Brigade. The fire-fighters battled the fire for more than two hours. â€Å"Fire-fighters were called to the scene at 0445 BST and the flames were put out by 0700 2 BST† (BBC News 2007). The Fire Brigade of London together with the Metropolitan police, after analysing the CCTV video, initially concluded that â€Å"arson† was a possibility; nevertheless, they were not able to gather proofs that would