...initiated a series of hearings called “Communist Methods of Infiltration (Education). The Committee’s purpose was to investigate the “character, extent and objects” of Communist Party activities carried out by teachers loyal to the Communist Party. Francis X.T. Crowley testified before the committee and implicated his former University of Michigan roommate Lloyd Barenblatt of being a former member of a club with Communist Party links. Barenblatt was subpoenaed to testify before the committee and refused to answer some questions about his past activities and Communist Party affiliation. He was found in contempt of Congress for failing to cooperate with the committee investigation. Issue: Did the...
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...The Vietnamese Political System THE HISTORY OF VIETNAM FROM NINETEENTH CENTURY The Nineteenth Century is the initial period of imperialism and colonialism Western capitalist countries. The French colonialists began the invasion in Vietnam through missionaries and trade. From the beginning, the resistance movements under the leadership of Vietnamese intellectuals revolted everywhere. Dong Du movement by Phan Boi Chau and Duy Tan movement by Phan Chau Trinh are two most prominent movement in that time, however, both of them are suppressed by the French. In 1930, Nguyen Ai Quoc, known as Ho Chi Minh coordinated the unification of the parties: the Indochinese Communist Party, Annamese Communist Party and the Indochinese Communist Union, into the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) with Tran Phu as the first Secretary General. In 1941, Nguyen Ai Quoc established the Viet Minh Front in northern Vietnam, and it fight for national independence. CPV headed by Nguyen Ai Quoc led the Vietnamese people and the Armed Propaganda Unit for National Liberation successfully led a general uprising to seize power, founded the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) on September 2, 1945. The globe-shaking victory of Dien Bien Phu in May 1954 put an end to the invasion the French colonialists and to the signing Geneva Agreement. In this period, Northern Vietnam named DRV, under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh, with Hanoi is the capital. South Vietnam named the Republic of Vietnam headed by...
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...Reichstag Fire? On the night of the 27th of February, 1933, the Reichstag building in Berlin burned down in an act declared by the Nazi Party to be the inception of a widespread communist uprising. The Reichstag Fire, as it was called, can be observed as one of the most significant events in the formation of Nazi Germany through its pivotal role in the reduction of civil liberties of Germany’s citizens and the emergence of a near dictatorial regime within the Weimar Republic. The significance of the fire lies in its role as a catalyst towards effecting the power that the Nazi Party would hold throughout the 1930’s as a result of the various decrees and laws passed in response to it. There is little doubt that the party would have come to similar power with time, but by utilising the fire as part of a communist plot to overthrow the German government, Adolf Hitler created a political and social environment susceptible to his control. The direct consequences of the fire were great, both in terms of political gain and the restriction of rights for the Nazi party’s adversaries, which at that point was predominantly the communist community. These greater holds on power were provided chiefly through the instigation of the Reichstag Decree and the Enabling Act along with the utilisation of political alliances between the police force and the Nazi Party. To understand the resounding effect of the fire, the general political environment in Germany before the fire must be examined. On...
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...had been rife with regional, economic, and social conflict for decades. These factors, although minor in the context of the causes of the Spanish civil war, were important secondary factors that worked in tandem to exacerbate the internal political conflict that preceded civil war. The primary cause for the weakness of the Second Republic was its divisive constitution (Decemeber 1931). The constitution played a large role in weakening the government because it exacerbated the existing divisions within the nation and appealed only to a minority. It was perceived as elitist and angered multiple political and social factions, polarizing Spanish politics. This polarization of factions brought on the collapse of the Republic. Argument #1: The leftist government failed to mature due to the lack of popular and political support for the constitution of 1931 and its constituencies, thus weakening it by dividing society. • The Leftist government was weakened upon its implementation of the constitution of 1931 because it stifled its potential for growth (failed to mature) by employing such an elitist and uninclusive constitution that exacerbated societal divisions • The division weakened the government because it did not have a popular support base once the...
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...still connected to events that happened hundreds of years ago. Poland (republic) Linguistic Group: Western Slavic Religion: Catholic (important part of national identity) Ethnical Minorities: German, Ukraine, Belorussian (small and not important) Often divided (Russia, Germany, Austria-Hungary) Is called state of wheels always moving We are Poles because we are not Russian, not German religion became very important for their identification. Day 2 Post-Yugoslavia states Tito managed to unify Yugoslavia after WWII and to keep it independent from Russia. self-managed socialism (market orientation). More contact to the west. Authoritarian system but not as closed as the other eastern states. Before he died he passed a new constitution that came into effect after his death. start of decentralization of Yugoslavia. Conflict: movements for more autonomy, different attitudes to possible reforms, many of the states experience first free elections after 1989 neither politicians nor voters were prepared for that, moment of uncertainty, if in such a moment of...
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...the constitution guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition. The First Amendment was created because citizens demanded a guarantee of their basic freedoms. Without the First Amendment, religious minorities could be persecuted, the government might well establish a national religion, protesters could be silenced, the press could not criticize government, and citizens could not mobilize for social change. When the U.S. Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, it did not contain the essential freedoms now outlined in the Bill of Rights, because many of the Framers viewed their inclusion as unnecessary, but after a huge debate, the Bill of Rights was...
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...Dictatorship in the 1930’s? During the 1930’s, Stalin engaged in a range of measures to bolster his personal control of the USSR. This included purging Russia of anyone who he considered a threat or disloyal, building a personality cult and the introduction of a new constitution for the USSR in 1936. In 1934, the use of purges were employed after the murder, most probably instructed by Stalin himself, of the leader of the Leningrad Communist Party, Kirov. The murder of Sergei Kirov was announced as part of a terrorist conspiracy involving Trotsky and was then used to arrest Zinoviev, who was given 10 years in prison, and Kamenev who received a 15 year sentence. This lead to an outbreak of purges by which anybody suspected of disloyalty was murdered, sent to prison camps, or put on public show trials at which they pleaded guilty to crimes that were not humanly possible. In reality, Kirov was most likely murdered by Stalin due to his higher levels of popularity and the incident at the 1934 part congress where he was tipped as a future leader. Kirov was also a critic of collectivisation and disagreed with Stalin’s style. The Communist party was the political party most damaged by the effects of these purges. 20% of the party was purged, accused of being “trostskyies”, and were arrested, shot or sentenced to hard labour. Stalin enforced these purges with the use of the emergency decrees, which gave him extra powers to the NKPD to pursue traitors and was able to legalise torture trials...
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...Indonesia: Searching For The Ratu Adil In the 1966 Italian film ‘The Battle of Algeries, the insurgent leader Ben M'Hidi is having a conversation with one of his foot soldiers named Ali. During this scene Ben M’Hidi makes an observation that was true of many nationalist movements for self-determination during the 20th century by stating “It's hard to start a revolution. Even harder to continue it, and hardest of all to win it. But, it's only afterwards, when we have won, that the true difficulties begin. In short, Ali, there's still much to do. “ (Pontecorvo, 1966). Ben M’hidi’s words have rung true of a great many of the national revolutions as the world moved from an imperial world order to one of sovern nation states. The Indonesian archipelago has a history of civilization going back as far as the 7th century CE, but not a united one. The diversity of the region is exemplified in its current national motto, “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika” (Unity in Diversity). However, prior to the 20th century this unity was largely nonexistent, and instead consisted of rival kingdoms and sultanates, vying for power with each other and technologically and socially backwards in relation to the Imperial powers which were becoming aware of the potential the region could serve to those who controlled its trade routes and resources. In the 17th century CE, Dutch traders realized the potential of East Indies trade, and set forward in consolidating power over the region. To gain control over the...
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...Understanding China’s Political System The Chinese Communist Party (CCP or Party) has been in power in China for more than six decades, a record of longevity that rivals and could one day surpass that of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.2 The CCP assumed power in 1949 by means of a civil war victory over the forces of Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists, who moved the seat of their Republic of China government to the island of Taiwan. The Communists named their new regime the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Although the CCP has been continually in power since, China’s political institutions and political culture have evolved significantly over those decades, with the CCP’s willingness to adapt helping to explain why it has, so far at least, avoided the fate of its sister parties in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Today, although the Party is committed to maintaining a permanent monopoly on power and is intolerant of those who question its right to rule, analysts consider the political system to be neither monolithic nor rigidly hierarchical. Jockeying among leaders and institutions representing different sets of interests is common at every level of the system. Sometimes fierce competition exists among the members of the Communist Party’s nine-man Politburo Standing Committee and 25-member Politburo, China’s highest decision-making bodies. It also exists among ministries; between ministries and provincial governments, which are equals in bureaucratic...
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...with the victory of Mao Zedong in China. Mao Zedong was one of the leaders of the revolution in China and after throwing over the previous government, he became the leader of Communist China. Later, the Bolsheviks in Russia began their movement and earned their place in the government after the gruesome Russian Revolution. They later changed the name to the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics (USSR). Quoted from Ali in “Communism”, “The Russian Communist movement became the model for other communist parties around the war”. The many communist parties, using the USSR as their model, began to make the US worry of a domino effect of Communism resulting in the ideas reaching the West. Genovese explains the cause of the impact of the Soviet Union in...
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...It was passed on December 15, 1791. Initially, the first amendment only applied to laws promulgated by the National Assembly. Start Gitlow v. New York, the Supreme Court has used the First Amendment to the states and other Court. Benjamin Gitlow used his freedom of speech to publish a "Left Wing Manifesto" against the New York government. In the trial, Gitlow argued that the Manifesto was only historical analysis and he had no intention of opposing the Government. The court has to consider whether it is possible to consider a change to the state law on the grounds that it violates the federal constitution, especially violations of the law. Gitlow and New York have partially reversed and started a reversal trend almost completely. The Supreme Court now holds that most provisions should apply to both the federal and state governments to avoid unnecessary hassle. The court used the doctrine described for the first time in Gitlow in other cases and created a certain...
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...brought the Nazis many advantages and some disadvantages. When the police managed to enter the building they found a man named Marinus Van Der Lubbe, who was a Dutch communist. The fact that he was a communist enabled Hitler to use this against the communists and have 4,000 communist leaders imprisoned days before the elections. During this period of terror for Germany the police could do anything, more specifically the Nazi police. Hitler made the most out of this situation; he used the police to intimidate voters and to disrupt communist party meetings. The fact that a communist was found burning the Reichstag building made all of this possible for Hitler, although it has been argued that the Nazis might have started the fire and that Van Der Lubbe was framed for the crime. Shortly afterwards Van Der Lubbe was tried and executed. In addition, it allowed Hitler to persuade Hindenburg to pass the “Enabling Act”, which suspended all the articles in the constitution, which guaranteed personal freedom. The Enabling Act gave the chancellor the ability to pass decrees without having to consult the Reichstag before; this was the beginning of his dictatorship. Even though the Nazi party had the support of the nationalists, they never were able to get the majority of seats in the Reichstag to be able to change the constitution....
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...Instead of working to achieve power by armed coup, we shall hold our noses and enter the Reichstag against the opposition deputies. If outvoting them takes longer than out shooting them, at least the results will be guaranteed by their own constitution. Sooner or later we shall have a majority, and after that- Germany. (Heiden, 142)' Adolf Hitler spoke these words in 1920, soon after becoming leader of the newly named National Socialist German Workers' Party, commonly known as the Nazi Party. There are many contributing factors, which lead to Hitler's gain in power over the next thirteen years. The recent history of post-war Germany, and the events that would follow were of perfect conditions for the rise of an extremist party such as the Nazis. World War One had left Germany in defeat. Germany was put under immense pressure by the treaty of Versailles, which contributed to the disastrous and politically unstable early twenties. Hitler was a strong and manipulating character, with extraordinary leadership skills and his party was very tactical. He was very much underestimated by opposing political parties. All of these factors lead to Hitler and his Nazis' becoming the sole political party in the Reichstag in 1933. The German Empire was formed in 1871 and soon became one of Europe?s most influential countries. It dominated in industrial and military power, and the German people were proud of their achievements. Up until the end of World War One, a Kaiser ruled Germany...
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...Government Overall Since 1949, the People's Republic of China was established in the country by the communists who still govern it today by the Communist Party of China (PCC), whose monopoly on power is guaranteed by the Chinese constitution. The current president is Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao is the prime minister. There are other political parties in the country, though mainly serve to endorse the policies adopted by the PCC. There are signs of political opening, with competitive elections in village and town levels, but these are slim. The Communist Party still maintains effective control over government nominations. Although the Constitution contains rights and individual guarantees, the People's Republic of China is considered one of the least free countries in terms of press freedom and censorship is common for expression of views and information related to the government. China is often criticized by NGOs and other governments due to serious violations of human rights, as in the case of arrests of political activists without trial, forced confessions, torture, mistreatment of prisoners and others. China was then characterized as a country governed by laws and authoritarian policies, communists and socialists. Censorship of political speech and information, including the Internet, is openly and routinely used to silence criticism of the government and the Chinese Communist Party. The government represses the demonstrations from organizations and beliefs that it considers a...
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...Stephanie Assamoi HUM305 Historic Legacy, Government, and Economic Systems Professor: Michael Rodriguez Located in Central Europe, Poland covers 312,685 square kilometers. Bordered on the north by the Baltic Sea, Russia and Lithuania, on the east by Belarus and Ukraine, on the south by Slovakia and the Czech Republic; and on the west by Germany, the country used to have for capital Cracow (Krakow) until it was moved to Warsaw (Warszawa) in 1611. Its population is about 38,463,689 million. Of this number, a large amount of people were different ethnic Poles. As well, in the world additional million of Poles live abroad. Because of their history, changes occurred over time in the ethnic policies. Similarly, the political and economic record of the country has experienced several dislocations throughout the time which help the country to identify its real image and build up its culture. Poland is one of those nations for whom individuals willfully gave their life for an independent and united Poland. Indeed, it is impossible to identify modern Poles’ ancestors because no one knows their origins. According to Biskupski (2000), their ancestors were living in a part of the Eurasian, and got separated from other Slavs. The history of the Polish state began in 956 C.E, when the Prince Mieszko I married a Bohemian princes, and accepted Christianity. Their son, Boleslaw became the first Polish king. The armies of King Boleslaw Chrobry reached Prague and Kiev, and expanded...
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