...Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Book Review Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a book that centers on the life of Greg Gaines who is an ordinary high school student who focuses on fitting in with other students. Greg and his friend Earl make films in their free time, but generally keep them a secret from others. Greg's mom tells him one day that a girl that he had gone to Hebrew school a while back with, Rachel, had been diagnosed with cancer. Greg and Rachel both become close friends, and Rachel one day sees Greg and Eric's film and praises it. Greg and Eric decide to make a film about Rachel, which she sees and enjoys. Rachel is later hospitalized for her leukemia and dies. When the principal shows the film, they've made in front of the...
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...| Film essay 1 | | Ninotchka | | Film essay 1 | | Ninotchka | In the past propaganda was used rather obviously, especially during the war and battle. Posters, comics and movies showing the ‘opponent’ as being malicious and horrifying were shown, while the antagonists were portrayed as tough and nearly divine. In my paper I will be discussing propaganda and its uses in the film industry, by examining the power of the Communism shown in the movie during the Second Red Scare. The plot is shaped to show that an average Soviet resident, far from being an ideological, given the opportunity, will be tempted by capitalist advantage . Ignoring that, the movie differentiates itself by giving the communist a human face. Ninotchka can be seen as one of the first movies which came out as Hollywood propaganda against Communism, it shows a rough Russian woman sent to Paris, where she meets a French “gigolo” called Leon who appears to characterize everything against her beliefs. The movie illustrates Russia as harsh, unsympathetic and depressed, whilst showing France as magnificent and lovely. By falling for a man who stands against everything Ninotchka is thought to support, the movie also shows how much superior Western civilization is in comparison to the strict, dreadful conditions in Russia at the time. The humor in the movie derives from differences between life in the East and the West. Three incompetent Soviet envoys Buljanoff, Iranoff, and Kopalski arrive to Paris...
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...Joseph (Dzhughashvili) Stalin accomplished many achievements for the Russia people during his life time, unfortunately at the expense of many lives, and others he sent into exile, in gulag camps in Siberia. He was born in Gori, Georgia, the son of a poor shoemaker in 1879. Like most young Russian men, of Stalin time, he struggled to find his way, but after much hardship in Georgia. He grew to be anti-government and the Marxist ideas were his new found believes. Stalin elected President after Lenin death in 1924. “The Russian Revolution was a war between the Bolshevik (Red Guard), communist, and Mensheviks (White Guard)”, Frazee, C. A. p179. Joseph Stalin fought in the civil war Bolshevik, standing strong on his ideals of socialism was the only way Russian would survive. His authoritarian rule forced the Russian people to believe as he did that socialism the right way and capitalism was wrong. While Stalin was in power, his ruling strategies industrialized the country, communized their agriculture, and he made Russia a more active country on international affairs, he lead his country to a superpower. The early years of Stalin were the foundational years that gave him the true since of poverty, “an uptown boy, he distinguished himself in fighting, in Russian of the late 1880 and early 1890, Stalin at the age of fifteen adopted the Marxist ways” Davies, S. and Harris J P30. The ideas of Marxism, in the beginning, remained blind to the majority of Georgian’s country men. He attended...
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...why was Russia so difficult to govern? * Poor old fashioned agricultural methods * Bad economy not enough produce being made in good yield and quickly * Poor industrial levels * High levels of poverty poor living and working conditions and salary which led to unhappy public. * Russia was very big but there were no effective ways to transport resources around the countries * Poor communication methods * Russification why was there opposition to tsarist rule? * He was a weak tsar as he was primarily reluctant to taking over * Bloody Sunday * 1905 revolution * Failures of the Dumas * Social democratic party, octobrists, social revolutionaries- revolution through peasants * Ignorant and arrogant What was the impact of ww1 on tsarist Russia? * Lack of available infrastructure- basic facilities banks factories ect. * Poor leadership of generals and officers * Poor communication * Incompetent and overconfident officials * Inflation * Middle class discontented as their sons were dying at war * Large life cost why was there a Feb. rev in feb1917 * First WW put pressure on tsarist system * The weather was so bad so trains wouldn’t function and no import/export * Prices rose and rationing led to further discontent * Series of strikes * Famines and poverty getting worse * ARMY DESERTED THE TSAR WHERAS PRIOR TO THIS HE WAS SUPPORTED BY THEM I.E THROUGHOUT...
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...Assess these strengths and weaknesses of Marxists explanations of crime Traditional Marxism is a structural theory which sees society as a structure in which the economic base determines the shape of the superstructure, which is made up of all the other social institutions, including the state, the law and the criminal justice system. Their function is to serve the ruling-class interests and maintain the capitalist society. Marxists agree that the law is enforced against powerless groups and that labelling often results in further deviance. They see crime and deviance as not coming from moral or biological defects but defects within social order and therefore crime is an inevitable part of capitalism as it stems from social inequality. For Marxists, crime is inevitable in capitalism because capitalism is criminogenic. Capitalism is based on the exploitation of the working class and therefore is particularly damaging to the working class which may give rise to crime. Alienation and the lack of control over their lives may lead to frustration and aggression, resulting in non-utilitarian crimes such as vandalism and violence. Crime may also be the only way they can obtain the consumer goods encouraged by capitalist advertising, resulting in utilitarian crimes such as theft. Therefore, it can be said a strength of the Marxist explanation of crime is that is it explains the causes of both utilitarian and non-utilitarian crime of the working class. However, one could argue that this...
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...The period 1928 to 1933 marked a transition, perhaps the most decisive turning point in the history of the country of Russia. While the NEP system was not formally repudiated, official policies increasingly came to contradicts fundamental assumptions. The first five year plan (1928-1933) could be construed as a general success even though it did have its moment of failure. The first five year plan was introduced in Russia in an attempt to catch up with the more advanced west. As Stalin said 'We are fifty or a hundred years behind the advanced countries. We must make good this distance in ten years.' The focus of the first five year plan on heavy industry made huge strides in modernising industry and increasing output, in that 'Coal, iron, and the generation of electrical power all increased in huge proportion’s and Russia felt it could compete again on a scale with its western rivals. However, despite overarching economic development, many of the targets set by central panning didn't consider the quality of products or waste of materials and on reflection, highlight a number of fundamental flaws in the measurement of success of the first five year plan. Stalin's idea of collectivisation forced the peasants to move to a commune, share the livestock and equipment whilst having to give the government their share of the revenue. 'The government figured that new technology and new farming machines, would allow mass production of food without the large amount of workers that...
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...Peace, Land, and Bread The Bolsheviks’ Rise to Power in Revolutionary Russia In January of 1917, Vladimir Lenin said that he did not believe that he would not live to see a socialist revolution. Indeed, Russia appeared to be comfortably transitioning in bourgeois democracy. Progressive leaders, Pavel Miliukov and Prince Lvov were taking control of the State Duma, both Leon Trotsky and Lenin were in exile, and their Bolshevik Party’s following had been decimated by conscription. Yet by the closing of that very year, the Bolshevik Party had taken control of Russia and transformed the country into the world’s first communist state, with a very much alive Lenin at its helm. In addition to seizing power against all odds, the Bolshevik apparatus succeeded in crushing its rivals in the following years and created a regime that would survive a global depression, genocide, a world war, and a bitter half-century arms race with a world superpower. The Bolshevik Party’s ascension to power was enabled by a number of factors which coincided to create a ‘perfect storm.’ Disunity amongst the Bolsheviks’ adversaries contributed to a lack of opposition. Russia’s wartime economy proved to be a major inciter of unrest in both the urban and rural populace. Aid, both intentional and unintentional, from foreign powers bolstered the Bolsheviks’ position. And of course a sizeable amount of luck cannot go without credit. But the deciding factor, which is apparent before, during and after...
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...Evaluate Lenin’s contribution to the success of the Bolshevik Revolution in November 1917? Lenin played a crucial role in the success of the November Revolution. He did not create the discontent which permeated Russian society in 1917, but he did devise slogans and strategies to win disaffected groups over to the Bolshevik Party. By the beginning of 1917, the Tsarist regime was facing insurmountable problems. The peasants were demanding land; the workers wanted higher wages and better working conditions; the middle class wanted political reforms to make Russia a true constitutional democracy; and all three classes were demanding an end to the war. More than anything, it was the war which brought an end to Tsarism and set the scene for the Bolshevik Revolution. By 1917, casualties numbered in the millions, and the lack of food and fuel on the home front led to hunger and privation. The Tsar was unable to solve these problems, and was soon overthrown in a popular uprising. What emerged was a system of dual power, based on the workers’ soviets (councils) and the Provisional Government. The soviets represented the peasants, workers and soldiers. The Provisional Government represented the aristocratic and middle classes. Lenin understood that the Provisional Government would only survive if it met the popular expectations which were unleashed by the fall of Tsarism. However, the Provisional Government saw itself as a caretaker institution only, and was unwilling to...
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...their brutality using the CHEKA. This was established by Lenin on the 20th of December 1917. It was used as a secret police force to deal with opposition. The CHEKA used many methods all of which were brutal and included arrests, kidnapping, torture, sending of to labour camps and murder. This meant hat through the CHEKA Lenin could deal with any opposition that could affect his remaining in power. Secondly, One reason why the Bolsheviks remained in power was because of their brutality was due to Trotsky and the red army. For example Trotsky introduced the death penalty for any conscripts who deserted the army. He blackmailed them into doing this by holding their families hostage. This meant that not only did the army hold together but was also being trained by the best people there were around. Meaning this would enable them to have a much better chance of lacking opposition e.g. the white’s. This is a brutal and forceful tactic for the Bolsheviks and it worked. Not only did this lead them to win the civil war but in turn by doing that, the Bolsheviks remained in power. Lastly, another reason why the Bolsheviks remained in power because of their brutality was due to the murder of the royal family. For example some people n Russia still were hopeful of the monarchy returning. Due to this it is said that under the orders of Lenin, on the 17th of July 1918 the royal family were murdered. Some historians believe that Lenin ordered the royal family to be murdered but we can never...
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...“The Bolshevik state under Lenin between 1918 and 1924 was a ruthless dictatorship, caring little the Russian people.” To what extent do you agree with this statement? After having overthrown the weak Provisional Government in the October Revolution of 1917, the Bolsheviks had seized power in Russia. Although they were a quite small party, that at first only had power in Petrograd, they managed to gain support and power throughout the whole country, turning it into a Bolshevik dictatorship. (Oxford 113) This was only possible because of their driven leader, Lenin, their equally motivated military leader Trotsky and the promises they made to the soviet people. Some of these are: the most famous phrase: “Peace, Bread, Land”, which captured the needs of the people in three simple words, the promise of “Soviet Power” above all and the abolition of private property and redistribution of said property. (Oxford 115) Even though this seemed very promising and beneficial for the Russian people, the methods of the Bolsheviks were less than ethical and, even though promising that it was all for the people, very controversial. The first thing to be determined, is whether Russia under the Bolsheviks was a dictatorship, and if so, a dictatorship of a single person, in this case Lenin, or the dictatorship of the whole party, Lenin’s role not being as important as historians have played it out to be. (Oxford 136) The Bolsheviks have not concealed the idea of making the country a dictatorship...
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...An understanding of the Russian nihilism of the 1860s begins with an attempt to understand the concept of nihilism. This is naturally difficult because if there is a word that has even more loaded, and negative, connotations than anarchism it would be nihilism. This is particularly because the primary vehicle of our modern understanding of nihilism is through the fiction of Turgenev and Dostoevsky. Neither of these authors were particularly sympathetic to nihilism and provided nihilist characters primarily as a frame with which to drape their morality tales. The version of nihilism offered by these authors is then, primarily, a snapshot of the popular culture in which nihilism dwelt as much as it is a recollection of the trend. This time in Russian history is part of the story of nihilism and will be part of the story in bridging the gap between the mythological Bazarov, Verkhovensky, or Raskolnikov and figures like Nicholas Chernyshevsky, Dmitry Pisarev, and to some extent Sergey Nechayev. What then was nihilism? Nihilism was a youth movement, a philosophical tendency, and a revolutionary impulse. Nihilism was the valorization of the natural sciences. Nihilism was a specific fashion style. Nihilism was a new approach to aesthetics, criticism and ethics. Nihilism was the contradiction between a studied materialism and the desire to annihilate the social order. Nihilism was also a particularly Russian response to the conditions of Tsarist reform and repression. Nihilism has...
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...To an extent it is valid to say that Lenin's skill and determination as leader of the Bolsheviks was the main reason for the overthrow of the Provisional government. Although, there are significant other factors that contributed to the downfall of the government, such as the weakness the government it in itself possessed, the misjudgment and mistakes it made, and other contributing factors, such as the influential role of Trotsky, which helped impact on the eventual overthrow of the government. Evidence suggests that one of the main reasons for the fall of the Provisional government, was the weaknesses it in itself possessed. For example, the dual authority government can be seen as a weakness because it was not an elected body, and came into being as a rebellious committee of the old duma, refusing to disband at the Tsar's order. This meant it consequently lacked legitimate authority as a result. It had no constitutional claim upon the loyalty of Russian people and no natural fund of good will to rely on, meaning it was judged entirely on how it dealt with the nations problems, making it vulnerable from the start. Its second major weakness was that its authority was limited by its unofficial partnership with the Petrograd Soviet. To begin with there was considerable co-operation between the two, with some people (e.g.- Kerensky) being members of both bodies. The soviet did not set out to be an alternative government, and regarded its role as supervisory, checking that the...
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...Historical Studies 333 The Age of Totalitarianism Instructor: Mikkel Dack ASSIGNMENT #1: DOCUMENT ANALYSIS Joseph Stalin: Industrialization of the country, 1928 Prepared by: Yulia Kirillova ID: 10095380 The Soviet Union was founded in 1922, when the Bolsheviks seized power in Russia. After the death of its first leader, Vladimir Lenin, there was a power struggle from which Joseph Stalin emerged as winner for the control of the Communist party. By the day of Lenin’s death there were five candidates with the potential to emerge as the new leader of the U.S.S.R: Stalin, Trotsky, Bukharin, Zinoviev, and Kamenev; Bukharin belonged to the “Rightists” and wished to continue Lenin’s economic policy, which gave more economic freedom for the peasants and promoted agriculture, Zinoviev and Kamenev wanted state control of economic life, Trotsky believed in the importance of a worldwide communist revolution, and Stalin filled the room for interpretation in Marxist though with the concept that he called “socialism in one country”. That was a significant shift from the previously held Marxist position that socialism must be established globally, and was in sharp opposition to Leon Trotsky’s theory of permanent revolution. In contrast to what Trotsky thought and envisioned for Russia, Stalin believed that the success of Marxism in Russia was dependent on the construction of a successful soviet union, rather than a multitude of communist revolutions throughout the world. ...
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...The Red Scare The Red Scare of WWI The red scare was a national-wide anti-radical terror which was provoked by mounting apprehension, fear and imminence of Bolshevik revolution of the united state. The Red Scare was also involved in the promotion of communism and followed the Bolshevik revolution, as well. Communism is social ownership or economic system that property or resources were collectively owned by classes but not by individuals. When WWI ended, the Bolshevik revolution of Russia and the Red Scare came up due to fear of communist and socialist and took hold of the United State. There were bombings by the anarchist all over and this had put the State in fear. Democracy was not expressed, the innocent were put to jail by putting forward their views. There were no social liberty and everybody was afraid that the Bolshevik revolution could take control. During the First World War, patriotism filled the hearts of people and the state was divided into two major groups. There was a minor group which was unrecognized on governmental affairs. The first group worked in the war industry and the other in the armed forces. During this period, one had to be patriot, communist, slackers or draft dodgers; they were all classified as suspect. Out of this patriotism the Red scare took control in 1920s (Binkley 187). The McCarthyism According to Binkley, McCarthyism also known as the second Red Scare is the act of making accusations of treachery, sedition, or treason...
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...Russia and its Rulers 1855-1964 An overview This overview The Nature of Russian Government Ideology Structures and Institutions Opposition The nature of opposition and how it changed Repression as a way of controlling opposition Reform as a way of controlling opposition Social and Economic Change In the countryside In the towns and cities War and Revolution and the development of Government Government - Ideology Strong continuity in autocratic Tsarist rule 1832 Fundamental Laws (Nicholas I) “The emperor of all Russians is an autocratic and unlimited monarch: God himself ordains that all must bow to his supreme power, not only out of fear but also out of conscience” 1906 Fundamental Laws (Nicholas II) “The All-Russian Emperor possess the supreme autocratic power. Not only fear and conscience but God himself commands obedience to his authority” Government - Ideology Subtle changes in the extent to which different Tsars were autocratic. 1861 Emancipation Edit (Alexander II) Though Alexander II used his autocratic powers to enact the edict, this was only after a long period of discussion and consultation with his nobles, which started in 1856. 1881 “The Reaction” of Alexander III to his father’s assassination. Under the influence of Pobodonostev, who believed that most Russians were incapable of understanding the complexity of the world, and therefore could not be given freedom, or the vote...
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