Wednesday, November 27, 2019

War and Society Essay Example For Students

War and Society Essay Do you agree with Pat Hudsons argument in her chapter the Economy and theState?In this chapter Pat Hudson focuses on economic growth during the industrialrevolution, she questions whether or not this growth was as extreme aspreviously thought, and why it came about. She also discusses the role thestate played economically and its contribution both commercially andindustrially. She puts forward a convincing argument, which highlights theissues surrounding the debate over whether or not the term industrialrevolution is an exaggeration of the economic changes that occurred inBritain during this period. I agreewithherargumentandherinterpretation of the data she uses as evidence. The first step Hudson takes to support this argument is to look at newestimates of economic change produced in the last ten years such as GDPgrowth and industrial output. She puts forward the arguments used by Harleyin 1982 and of Wrigley and Schofield against Deane and Coles figures inthe sixties. These arguments state that dean and Cole had relied tooheavily on import and export figures to work out growth, and thatpopulation growth had begun earlier than they thought. This is crucial incalculating the rate of economic growth. We will write a custom essay on War and Society specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Hudson then discusses the revisions of occupational structure in theeighteenth century, which were carried out by Lindert and Williamson. Theyused data on wages and burial records to show that the previous estimatesby Gregory King had been influenced in favour to agriculture. Crafts thenbrought together many of these new estimates and incorporated them with hisown. He suggested that productivity growth was very slow up until 1830.Healso states that TFP grew very slowly and was influenced by agriculture,not industry. Hudson brings up the common argument against the idea of anindustrial revolution concerning the textile industry. Cotton was a smallsector of the industrial world, yet it is thought that it accounted foraround half of all productivity change in manufacturing. Next Hudson brings in a completely different argument to show the limits ofeconomic growth, one that disagrees with Craft. J.G. Williamson argues thatthe high growth and productivity levels thatCraftattributedtoagriculture would have caused de-industrialisation. Williamson insteadconsiders the slowing down of British industrialisation was due to thefailure of the labour and capital markets, as in the difference betweenurban and rural wages. He believes that the capital market failed due tothe investments made during the Napoleonic wars, which inhibited growth andcontributed to the poor living standards suffered by the working class. However unlike Craft he considers the period to be one of dramatic changeand innovation, even if labour shortages and debt slowed it down. Hudson also addresses the issue of the unreliability of data from thisperiod. The modern way of measuring economic activity is by analysingnational income, this can be unreliable today, however it is even more sowhen applied to economics during the nineteenth and early twentiethcentury, which were considerably underdeveloped. Its unreliability isincreased further due to the scarceness of reliable data. Hudson goes on togive examples of productivity calculations and show how they differ. Theburial records that are used by historians for occupational data are alsonot to be relied on, as they do not record the occupations of either womenor children even although their contributiontotheeconomywassubstantial. The records also neglect to define occupations such aslabourer or gentleman. Hudson emphasised how much ofthedatacompletely underestimates activity in numerous occupations. Some of it evenleaves out industries that were growing fast, and were vital in the newurban Britain such as gla ss, lead, metalwork and food processing. .ua60790ef085b6e870c0ffb9f7230f7b3 , .ua60790ef085b6e870c0ffb9f7230f7b3 .postImageUrl , .ua60790ef085b6e870c0ffb9f7230f7b3 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ua60790ef085b6e870c0ffb9f7230f7b3 , .ua60790ef085b6e870c0ffb9f7230f7b3:hover , .ua60790ef085b6e870c0ffb9f7230f7b3:visited , .ua60790ef085b6e870c0ffb9f7230f7b3:active { border:0!important; } .ua60790ef085b6e870c0ffb9f7230f7b3 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ua60790ef085b6e870c0ffb9f7230f7b3 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ua60790ef085b6e870c0ffb9f7230f7b3:active , .ua60790ef085b6e870c0ffb9f7230f7b3:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ua60790ef085b6e870c0ffb9f7230f7b3 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ua60790ef085b6e870c0ffb9f7230f7b3 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ua60790ef085b6e870c0ffb9f7230f7b3 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ua60790ef085b6e870c0ffb9f7230f7b3 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ua60790ef085b6e870c0ffb9f7230f7b3:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ua60790ef085b6e870c0ffb9f7230f7b3 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ua60790ef085b6e870c0ffb9f7230f7b3 .ua60790ef085b6e870c0ffb9f7230f7b3-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ua60790ef085b6e870c0ffb9f7230f7b3:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Anne Frank EssayThe author also addresses the subject of labour division; this is animportant factor in the argument. Some historians believe thattheindustrial revolution was down to changes in labour, such as shift work anddivision of labour and tasks, thus reducingcostsandincreasingproductivity, all with limited use of technology. There was also a massivechange in lifestyle as more people than ever before were city dwellers,this provided a large labour market including women and children. Hudson then goes on to discuss the role the state plays concerning economicchange. In the nineteenth century Britain was economically superior to therest of the world, she possessed a near monopoly of the overseas market aswell as being a major military power with a huge empire. However the loansacquired by the state during the wars were responsible for the majority ofthe financial problems later on in the century. The state dealt with thisby heavily taxing goods and imposing income tax. The state contributed tothe economic growth because of this tax, even although it became moredifficult to impose tax on trade goods due to smuggling and evasion. Waralso played an important part in the growth of many industries such astextiles and hardware, and more importantly the outcome of the warsincreased demand for British goods, so exports significantly increased. In this chapter Hudson puts forward different interpretations of theeffects the Napoleonic wars had on the economy. Craft is of the view thatwartime had very limited effects on key sectors of the economy whileWilliamson blames the wars for the slow growth of the economy during theindustrial revolution. Some economic historians feel that the economy wouldnot have slumped had it not been for the wars, i.e. if it had continued togrow at the rate it did before the war.Hudson states that wartimeincreases in customs duties did not have a harmful effect on most majorindustries, and it had a commercialising effect on agriculture. Pat Hudsons approach to economics during the period of the industrialrevolution is becoming more common as new theories are put forward and oldones questioned. She approaches the issues covered in this chapter frommany perspectives, and does not deny that despite the debates this was aperiod of change that would set the course for todaysinnovativetechnological world.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Crystal Growing essays

Crystal Growing essays The idea of this is to grow crystals of coloured metal compounds in drops of water on glass slides, under a biological microscope. A drop of water will completely dry up and crystallize in 30 minutes, so if you start 'em 15 minutes before class, students can observe the progress of crystal growth They don't quite grow visibly, but almost: have the students check them every 2 minutes or so Biological (transmitting) microscopes. Stereoscopic mikes are no good for this. Glass slides (high school biology labs have lots of these). In dropper bottles, saturated solutions of Copper Sulphate and Nickel Chloride (my favourites; but any water- soluble transition metal compound is worth trying, because all you need are nice coloured crystals. Ask the storeroom techy for suggestions). Note: saturated solutions just mean that the water has taken up all the solute that it can. An easy way to guarantee this is to mix enough of the powder into the water so that some sits on the bottom of the bottle. Not much. Put drops of the solutions on the slides and put them on the microscopes. The light from the tight sources on the scopes heats up the water and hastens the drying-up process. At first the crystals will be really small and scattered. At mid- stage (20 minutes) you have the most beautiful array of large ones. In the latest stage, quench crystals with irregular tree-like shapes grow rapidly from the edges of the drop inwards. These are like hoar frost on a window pane. A few minutes after they start, the water is gone and crystallization is complete. Safety considerations: these compounds are poisonous: no one should drink them, lick the slides, or run them on their skin. No panic, but ensure responsible lab behaviour. 1. This experiment models the growth of natural crystals like quartz, only on a very compressed time scale. Quartz c ...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Book Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Book Review - Essay Example The intended audience is quite broad, as the author strives to encompass individuals who would like to improve their communication skills and interpersonal interactions beyond verbal communication. Components of the book are factual and the author’s presentation of the material was not technical as evidenced by her informal writing style. One will also find a mixture of information and opinion, along with many examples from authentic or imagined situations. The book is well structured, with an introduction, nine chapters and a plethora of references at the end. The chapters have general titles and are succinctly and sequentially presented into mini sections Author’s Purpose The use of the word â€Å"Power† in book’s title gives away the author’s tendency to see body language as a technique for enhancing a person’s ability to control the world, and other people, through body language. I strongly confirm the position that the author used social engineering methodologies to illustrate her points of view relative to the power of body language. Through anecdotal stories, the author demonstrated how she â€Å"helped† people to change their personal presentation style. There seemed also to be a bias towards creating certain conformity, especially for women. For example, the case study of â€Å"Cindy† who preferred wearing â€Å"tight suits and stilettos† (p. 14) and was transformed in two or three weeks from â€Å"overdone office floozy to striking young professional† (p. 14). This stereotypical language betrays a tendency in the book to dramatize and over-simplify, and for my own professional purposes, I would be much more accepting and respectful of the choices people make in their own non-verbal language. The book also has a tendency to make general judgments about a person’s appearance such as â€Å"In today’s world having yellow teeth is like dying a slow social death†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 230). There may be reasons such as illness, medication, poverty and/or depression which can contribute to an individual’s appearance falling outside of the â€Å"ideal† professional look. Also, it appears that the author spoke in generalities and may have minimized medical conditions and/or multi-cultural values and norms contributing to an individual’s appearance or body language. The author implies that transformation is within reach of every reader. For many people who are overweight or underweight, older than average, living with disability or any number of other physical and social challenges, this is too simplistic. Just advising people to â€Å"lose the weight† and pointing out that â€Å"a landmark Harvard study found that overweight women earn an average of $6,710 less a year than women who are not overweight† (p. 215) could actually be a harmful reinforcement of social prejudice. These observations show that the author wants to pro mote a particular and rather elitist view of body language as an extension of a dominant and successful personality. This may reflect a preoccupation with the worlds of media and business, and this means that the purpose of the book is to address issues in these areas, rather than in general educational or therapeutic contexts. Personal Reaction I found this to be an interesting book; with many useful tips, but at the same time I did not warm to the author’s style. The breezy and casual tone suggested to me that the author