International History

Woodrow Wilson: Civil War, Morality and Foreign Policy

Harry Kazianis • Jan 26 2011 • Essays

President Woodrow Wilson, the only person to be elected to the presidency with a PhD in Political Science, left an undeniable mark on US history and world affairs. War can shape the values of a nation. I believe the American Civil War war influenced President Wilson as a young boy to such an extent, that it changed world history.

Entitlement to Eat: Explaining the Ukraine Famine of 1932-1933

Alex Stark • Jan 20 2011 • Essays

Scholars do not agree on the causes of the Ukrainian Famine of 1932-1933, popularly known as the Holodomar (“murder by hunger”). Recent research suggests Stalin used “food as a weapon” to subdue Ukrainian national movements. This analysis poses significant challenges to the existing larger body of famine scholarship.

Why did Britain join the war against Germany?

John Higgins • Dec 14 2010 • Essays

Many in the British public believe that the First World War was fought over nothing but trivial issues amongst a tiny elite. But the idea that Britain went to war for no reason is without charge; Britain went to war to preserve its national interests that were threatened to such an extent that it faced no other realistic opportunity but to engage in war.

Jim Callaghan: A Successful Prime Minister?

Tom Pettinger • Dec 7 2010 • Essays

Callaghan cannot take the blame for the economic instability he inherited. Callaghan held successes throughout his term in office, inflation fell from 16% and 24% the two previous years before he took office, down to nearly 8% in 1978. Whilst he was successful to an extent, there were clear failings; his premiership is tainted by the decision not to go to the polls in the autumn of 1978, and the IMF crisis which is seen to be a blot on his economic record

Why did Communism survive in China but not in the USSR?

anon • Nov 17 2010 • Essays

While there were many factors that contributed to the downfall of Communism in the Soviet Union, the main one was that during the 1980s nobody believed in it any more; which was the key difference between the survival of Communism in China. China had a truly mass movement with Communism, while the Soviet Union was largely created with the ideas of one man, Lenin.

The Division of Palestine in 1947: Personal Policy or Strategic Interest?

Emma Darkins • Nov 16 2010 • Essays

The decision by the United Nations to partition Palestine in 1947 was a major watershed in Middle Eastern history. Not only did it lead to the creation of the state of Israel, a Zionist aim since the eighteenth century, but it set in stone a conflict which still to this day remains unresolved.Although the decision aimed to appease both Jews and Arabs, who laid differing ideological claims to the same territory and, as James L. Ilsley stated, was the ‘best of four unattractive and difficult alternatives,’ it failed.

Guilt and Predation: Europe’s Relations with the Former Colonial World

Christian Walker • Nov 14 2010 • Essays

Whilst the EU has always looked to the future with regards to its outlook and policy directions, there can be no escaping the colonial legacy that Europe forged for itself in the period leading up to the creation of the ECSC in 1947. Special relations exist between each colonial power and its former territories. As a result, this necessitates special relations existing between the EU and former territories of its members

Does Britain bear the primary responsibility for World War I?

anon • Nov 13 2010 • Essays

The sheer chaos of an era said to have required a daily calendar to catch the sense of rising tension between all the capitals makes it seem nonsensical to ascribe substantial blame to Britain. Eyebrows should rightly be raised over Britain’s non-interventionist policy on the eve of war in 1914, despite unconcealed German desires to be the main protagonist in global affairs. Which role did Britain play in the slide to war?

The US Victory in the Cold War: Economic Strength, Foreign Policy Triumph or Both?

David Sykes • Jul 15 2010 • Essays

The economic strength of the US alone was not enough to secure victory, and the US foreign policy was frequently counter-productive. But when the disparity in economic strength was utilised by the US foreign policy it enabled the US to have a clear advantage over its enemy and negotiate from a position of strength

The Enduring Wisdom of Sun Tzu and Clausewitz

Brad Smith • Jun 15 2010 • Essays

This essay will assess the relevance of the principles developed in On War and The Art of War to the conduct of war by International Security Assistance Forces in Afghanistan, contrasting the resilient lessons of each philosopher in modern combat. The result is solidified in the idea that war is dynamic -a dialogue that is malleable to whatever will is imposed on it-yet there are universal characteristics of war that are pervasive across time and culture.

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