History Questions (1st World War, Socialism, French Revolution) - Essay Example

Assignment Questions: Q The First World War occurred during the periods of 1914 to 1918, and thecauses of this war ranged from imperialism, nationalism, alliance building and militarism. The triggering factor of the war was the assassination of Franz Ferdinand and his wife. Franz Ferdinand was the arch deacon of Austria, and he was killed by Gavrilo princip, a Serb. The activities of Germany played an important role into the development of the First World War (Hobson, 23). The development of the German domestic affairs influenced the roles of Germany in starting the 1st World War. In the 1912 German elections, the Social Democratic Party, which is a left wing party made gains. The main ideologies of these parties were to seek an external war, for purposes of advancing the hegemony of Germany at the International system. This was also precipitated by the Russian military build ups and reforms. These parties saw the Russian military buildup, as a threat to the existence of Germany, and on December 8th 1912, the German Imperial War council met (Hobson, 29). The topic on discussion was a possible war with Russia, and Britain, considering their military development, and reconstruction. The council was of the opinion that, Serbia would attack Austria, and they will get the support of the Russians. Austria being an ally of Germany, Germany would be forced to defend Austria, on this note, war was inevitable (Hobson, 310. The council resolved that the war should start immediately. On this note, the assignation of the arch duke of Austria was just a catalyst, since this war was decided on December 8th of 1912. Germany was also responsible for its own defeat in the war. German entered into the war with inadequate military facilities that could match that of Britain, France and Russia. During the war council of 1912, Admiral Tirpitz, the head of the German Navy asked for the postponement of the war, because the navy was not adequately prepared to fight in the war, especially if Britain was enjoined (Hobson, 31). This is because of the Triple entente treaty which comprised of Britain, France and Russia. The Navy wanted to build widen the Kiev Canal, and construct a u boat system, that had the capability of matching the facilities of the British Navy. On this note, Germany entered into war ill prepared, in terms of the machineries and equipment’s of the war. Q. 2 The main ideas of Karl Marx are capitalism, and he defines as a system in which the rich accumulate resources at the expense of the population. According to Karl Marx, the Society is divided between the bourgeois, the proletariat and the masses. He states that the Bourgeois are the owners of capital, and the society is run by them. According to Karl Marx, the Bourgeois employ the proletariat to carter for their needs (Hobson, 41). The proletariats are the managers of the various investments of the Bourgeois, and they are paid a salary to carter for their education, health and family wellbeing. The masses are people who do not have skills that they can use for survival in the society. They are poor and hopeless, on this note Karl Marx observes that it is important to establish communalism in a state, because it will carter for the interests of all members of the State. It will limit the excesses of the bourgeois in exploiting the proletariats and the masses. These thoughts by Karl Marx were developed on the basis of the conflict that arose in the society due to economic and financial problems. Karl Marx observed the relationship between the owners of companies, and their workers. He analyzed their relationships, and noted that there was a conflict between these workers and their employers, and he therefore developed a critique of capitalism. Charles Darwin on the other hand believed that living organism strive to exist, and any feature within their possession that affects their survival and reproductive capability must subject itself to a continuous selective process. This idea emanated from his observation of the development of finches at the Galapagos Island. In his opinion, the finches emerged from a basic Finch, and by eating different diets, the characteristics of the Finches became different, but their body patterns were the same (Hobson, 12). On this note, Darwin observed that the environment shapes the development of an organism. The theories of Karl Marx and Charles Darwin are useful in the contemporary Western culture. For instance, to protect against the excesses of capitalism, government institutions have enacted measures that will prevent exploitation that emanates from the Bourgeois. The ideas of Karl Marx influenced a wider study on the concepts of capitalism, and therefore resulted into a large pool of knowledge that compare communalism and capitalism, and which is a better economic system. The ideas of Darwin influenced the understanding of mankind in relation to race. It denotes that man emerged from a single being, and due to pressures of the environment, different racial groups emerged. Q. 3 The French revolution occurred between the periods 1789 to 1799, and was characterized by the political and social change in France. The revolution led to the collapse of the French monarchy, changing the social and economic system that was characterized by feudalism, aristocracy, and religious privileges. One of the causes of the French revolution was the financial crises of the 1780s (Hobson, 11). There was hunger, and malnutrition in France, this was because of the high price of bread. The prices of bread were high because of poor harvest in grain, and a weak transportation infrastructure. Because of poor transportation system, farm products from the rural areas could not reach the population centers, and this was a major factor in destabilization the French social system. The government also faced financial difficulties that came from the war between Britain and France, termed as the Seven Years war (Hobson, 15). The war was meant to challenge the British commercial and naval power, as a result; France lost its North American colonies, and a destruction of its naval unit. This war was very costly to France, and the government was unable to provide basic amenities such as health care services. On this note, the Royal court of King Louis was seen as being indecisive to the problems of the people. This is despite the various reforms that the king initiated. During the periods of 1792 to 1793, the revolution turned radical. This movement turned radical because of the fanatical believes of Robespierre, Marat and Danton. These leaders turned the movement into a dictatorship, and on August 9th 1972, they took the charge of the municipal government in Paris. Riots were still persistent, and France faced a threat of engaging in war with Austria and Prussia (Hobson, 21). To maintain order and stability, these leaders of the movement decided to turn violent. Lead by Marat and Danton, the leaders of the Jacobins, they discarded the French constitution that provided for freedom of expression, and resorted to maintaining domestic stability through violence. Even though Napoleon managed to bring order and stability to the French, he turned out to be a dictator. This undermined the principles of the revolution, which were about democracy and transparency in governance. Works Cited: Hobson, John M.. The Eurocentric conception of world politics: western international theory, 1760-2010. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2012. Print. Top of Form Bottom of Form Read More