Teenage pregnancy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Teenage pregnancy - Essay Example One the major problems is the guilt and embarrassment faced both by the mother and her family. In the teenage when a girl is not even independent and earning money to support herself, she’s forced to support another life which needs her constant attention and care as well. She’s forced to face the questions arised by the society and is not allowed to live or progress further without having them answered. In these situations, when things are already very much difficult for her, she’s afraid of the fact that her family might also quit her and leave her alone to face the cruel world. In a study conducted by Wilson and Huntington in 2006, the social and the guilt faced by teenagers mother mainly from United States, United Kingdom and Canada were discussed and analyzed. They came with the results that it is the guilt of getting pregnant at such a small age that usually makes them literally unstable and and unable to perform even the daily chores of life thus ruining their whole life. Secondly, psychological problems arose by teenage pregnancies have been supposed to push the teenage mother into many psychological disorders too. Starting from depresison as a result of social rejection to suicide could be caused be teenage pregnancies. Young girls getting affected by teenage pregnancies have been proposed to push theirselves into complete loneliness thus getting detached completely form the society will push a person into depression and makes her dependent on drugs. Thus social rejection, complete detachment from the environment around and complete loneliness push the mother into psychiatric problems and suicide ultimately. Lastly, the baby of a teenage mother is supposed to be affected by this morally and ethically wrong action. Mainly due to lack of experience of the teenage mother as she is not mature enough at such small age to take care of her child, the child is supposed to be affected as a result of this

Monopoly versus perfect markets Essay Example for Free

Monopoly versus perfect markets Essay This paper investigates the two extremes of market structures. A monopoly firm, and a firm which operates in a perfectly competitive market. We will compare features, similarities, differences, advantages and disadvantages. The monopoly firm I have chosen is Thames Water. This company is an accurate example, as it’s the sole supplier of the industry. The firm, is the industry. Thames Water supply water through peoples taps in and around London. Fyffe is my chosen firm in a perfectly competitive market. I think this is a good example. It sells bananas to supermarkets and food suppliers, who resell on to customers. The next two paragraphs explain the features of perfect competition, then a monopoly. â€Å"The theory of perfect competition illustrates an extreme form of capitalism. † (Sloman, 2007:113) There are many suppliers, who all only supply and produce a small fraction of the total output, of the whole industry. None of the firms have any power over the market. (Mankiw, 2001) Barriers to entry do not exist. Therefore firms can enter and leave the market freely. Apart from the money and time it takes to set up the business, there are no other obstacles. Both producers and consumers have perfect knowledge of the market. Therefore they both know prices which should be paid, quality which should be met, availability of the product. Market opportunities for expansion, and entry opportunities in the industry as a whole. The price Fyffe must charge for their bananas will depend upon the demand and supply of the whole market, not just Fyffe personal demand. Hence they have no power over prices. They must follow the market forces. (Sloman, 2007)Established firms in the banana industry have no advantage over firms who have newly entered the market. (Parkin, Powell, Matthews)â€Å"This means they can sell all the products they can produce at the market price, but none at a price which is higher. † (Sloman, 2007:114) If Fyffe raise their selling price above p1, their demand will drop to 0, because if Fyffe raise the price of their bananas, consumers will just buy from another firm selling at the current market price. Illustrated in diagram 2. (Beardshaw, 2001) All firms operating in the banana industry sell a homogenous product, all the firms in the industry sell an identical banana. The theory states there is not a great need for advertising or branding. (McConnell, 2008) I would agree with this statement in the context of bananas. Advertising is not needed as people will not look for a specific brand of banana. They all taste the same. However I think a firm in a market selling shampoos and conditioners would need a certain amount of branding and advertising so people choose their product and gain customer loyalty. In the shampoo industry products are not as homogenous. A pure monopoly owns 100% of the industry. Thames water have a great deal of power, and are price makers, thus they set the price to how much they want to charge. If the consumer cannot, or doesn’t want to pay the price, they have to go without the tap water. In the short run both perfect competition and monopolies can make economic profits, losses and supernormal profits. Only monopolies can manage to sustain super normal profits in the long run. â€Å"Persistant economic profits are called monopoly profits. † (Dobson, 2005:99) Monopolies can sustain supernormal profits and remain safe and unaffected by competition due to barriers to entry. Supply to the industry does not increase with new entrants. (Hunt, 1990). There are many types of barriers to entry. Thames water is known as a natural monopoly, meaning there are barriers to entry due to large economies of scale. (Sloman, 2007) Capital equipment is so expensive and large scale that only one sole supplier could manage to make a profit in the water industry. However Thames Water incurred low marginal costs once they are set up. â€Å"If average cost falls as output increases over the entire range of market demand its a natural monopoly. † (Dobson, 2006:100) â€Å"Each would have a very high average cost at a low output. † (Begg, 2005:134) Correspondingly Thames Water gain barriers to entry through lower costs. This is an artificial barrier. The firm is experienced in their field. Has good knowledge of their market, and will be able to gain the best rates of interest on finance, the best suppliers at the lowest costs, and lean methods of production. Other firms would struggle to compete. If a firm decided to set up and compete with Thames Water, and failed by going out of business there would be huge sunk costs. This occurs when high amounts are spent on capital expenditure, which cannot be used on another business venture. (Sloman, 2007) This is an example of exit costs. It would be a huge loss to the firm, and would discourage firms from entering the market. Thames water also have patents copywrite and licensing. The next two paragraphs explain the effect on demand for perfect competition, then a monopoly. For Fyffe the price charged for the bananas is equal to marginal revenue. Average revenue and demand are also equal to price. If average cost dips below average revenue the firm will earn supernormal profits. If demand is above where marginal costs and marginal revenue meet the firms will be making normal profit. See diagram 2. Normal profits cover opportunity costs of the owners money and time. If Fyffe set output below equilibrium marginal cost would exceed marginal revenue and profit would be lowered. If Fyffe raised output above equilibrium marginal costs would exceed marginal revenue and profits would also be lowered. See graph 1. (Dobson, 2005:99) The demand curve is elastic for the banana industry, but not perfectly elastic. Hence why it slopes downwards in diagram 1. If there is a rise in price for bananas, consumers will spend less on the product, and Fyffe will entail a fall in revenue. In contrast if the price of bananas drop, consumers will buy more of the product, and providing the firm is covering their costs they will receive an increase in revenue, because bananas can be relatively easily substituted by another cheaper fruit. Furthermore bananas will sell for a cheaper price when they are in season, due to a larger supply to the market in this period. Fyffe is perfectly elastic which is why their demand curve is horizontal. See graph 2. The firms prices are not affected by their output and their decisions do not affect the industry. (Ison, 2007) Firms must produce at equilibrium to maximise profits, which is where the market supply, meets the market demand, as illustrated in diagram 1. Short run â€Å"assumes the number of firms in the industry does not increase, as there is not enough time. † (Sloman 2007:114) When a firm produces quantity and price, where marginal costs, and average costs meet they are breaking even. See diagram 2. (Begg, 2005) Consumers are charged a price which is equal to what it costs the firm to produce the extra unit. See diagram 2. If the demand curve for bananas increases short term, the demand curve will shift to the right. See diagram 3. This results in a higher equilibrium and a higher selling price. As selling price has increased farmers will raise their output by increasing their variable costs such as labour and materials. This will result in a larger profit and profits are maximised. As illustrated in diagram 4. In contrast if the demand for bananas was to decrease, this would cause a shift to the left in the demand curve. See diagram 5. This results in a lower equilibrium for the industry, and a fall in the selling price. Consequently all firms in the industry including Fyffe would reduce output, by decreasing variable factors and the firm would suffer economic losses. As illustrated in diagram 6. (Dobson, 2005) If Fyffe or Thames Water are not covering their average total costs in the short run, they should carry on trading, but if they are not covering their short run average variable costs, it would be cheaper to temporarily close down. The theory is known as the short run supply decision. (Ison, 2007) In the long run any firm should close down if it is not covering its total average costs as it is loss making. Called the long run supply decision. (Begg, 2003) When demand increases and selling prices rise in the long term, existing firms are making supernormal profits. Several new firms will enter the market. The supply curve will shift to the right, and supply will increase, which will lower market price. As more new industries join firms reduce their output until they are making a normal profit again. Output of the whole industry will be larger now that more firms are in the market, and there is no incentive for firms to enter, or leave the market as breakeven profits are being made. Referred to as the entry or exit price. When there is a decrease in demand, prices will fall, and firms will reduce output to minimise losses. Eventually due to losses some firms will leave the market which lessens supply and the supply curve will shift to the left. This raises prices due to restricted output, and farmers will start to make normal profits again. So there are less firms and less output in the industry. (Dobson, 2005) In the long run there are no fixed costs in any industry, as firms can change their plant size or machinery. Resulting in a long run supply curve which is flatter than the short run. (Begg, 2003) If all firms operating in the industry restricted supply together increasing demand and prices, new firms would enter the market which would increase supply and lower prices. (Begg, 2005) Thames water are price inelastic, and have a low income elasticity of demand, because there are no close substitutes for their product, and water is a essential item. However they are not perfectly inelastic, as a rise in price will still amount to a small drop in quantity demanded. This means Thames water’s revenue will increase with a rise in price, and decrease with a fall in price. A profit maximising level of output is where marginal revenue is equal to marginal cost but rising up to the demand curve to obtain price. See diagram 9 (Sloman, 2007) The demand curve in diagram 9 represents the value of Thames water to customers, and the marginal curve shows the costs Thames water must pay. The marginal revenue curve must lie below the downward sloping demand curve as marginal revenue is less than price. The further the distance between the demand curve on the right hand side and the marginal revenue on the left the more inelastic the demand, see diagram 9. (Dobson, 2005) ) A firm cannot produce to the right of marginal revenue as this part of the diagram is inelastic. In order for the monopolist to sell a larger amount, the price must be lowered on all previous units, so to prevent this the monopolist may restrict output to keep a larger revenue. Creating scarcity and raising the equilibrium price. (Begg, 2005) â€Å"The excess of price over marginal costs shows the monopolies power† (Dobson, 2005:102) The power to raise prices by selling a smaller amount of output. Diagrams 8, 9, and 10 show long run economic profits, normal profits and losses. Thames water will then check weather the profit maximising level of output covers their total costs in the long run and variable costs in the short run. (Begg, 2003) Thames water is not a contestable market due to the fact it’s a natural monopoly, and has very high barriers to entry. This means they can charge high prices and make supernormal profits, without the threat of competition and new entrants. (Sloman, 2007) Thames water may want to behave ethically when setting prices. If they choose too high a price which people cannot afford this could lead to poverty, but if they charge too low a price this could lead to a wastage of water. Monopolies often use price discrimination when setting prices. Although Thames water do not. Perfect competition cannot use this method. Particular consumers are charged a higher price for an identical service so the monopoly can earn higher profits. (Ison, 2007) Revenue is not lost from previously sold units when price is reduced. More output can be sold ands firms can catch some of their consumer surpluses. See diagram 12. â€Å"Surpluses are the difference between actual price paid and what consumers will have been willing to pay. † â€Å"So the business is treating the demand curve as the marginal revenue curve† (Ison, 2007:138) Only works when consumers cannot buy the product for a cheaper price and sell on to others. (Begg, 2005) A firm operating in perfect competition will achieve allocative efficiency. This exists when price is equal to marginal costs. â€Å" Society is better off when resources are allocated to maximise the total surplus in the market. † (Dobson, 2005:91) Productive efficiency will also be achieved, meaning Fyffe will produce and sell their output for the lowest price they can in the long run giving consumers the best possible value for money. â€Å"Price equals minimum average total cost. † (Dobson, 2005:92) This is good for consumers and society as consumers get the best possible value for money. (Sloman, 2007) Perfectly competitive markets are critised for having a lack of variety, unable to fully satisfy consumers wants and needs. Furthermore the long term entry and exit of firms can be a waste of certain resources such as empty buildings. This is called competitive forces in action. (Dobson, 2005) Monopoly’s are in a position to give us a lower price if they decide to, due to economies of scale. The marginal cost curve is lower than the supply curve in their graph which means the firm can supply more output at a lower production cost. Supernormal profits can fund research and development which will improve the quality of the product. Therefore the monopoly can innovate and introduce new products. (Ison, 2007) However some firms may not do this as they do not need to fight to stay in the industry, with no competition around. (Mankiw, 2001) Joseph Schumpeter said in theory monopolies have more ability and incentive to innovate which can make them better for society. If you imagine a whole industry was taken over by a monopolist, they could eliminate competition and charge very high prices, by reducing output level to which raises price. Supernormal profits represent a redistribution of income from consumer to producer which can be critised on equity grounds† (Ison, 2007:137) Monopoly firms have been known to â€Å"engage in dirty tricks to protect themselves from competition. † They do not produce an output which minimises average costs. Making them productively efficient. â€Å"Perfect competition is rare due to larger companies expanding, gaining economies of scale and market power. Resulting in other firms being forced of the business. So if economies of scale did not exist any industry could have perfect competition. † (Dobson, 2006:94) Monopolies are also rare, and both are extremes of market structures. Most firms lie somewhere between the two. I think the two firms I picked are a fair comparism. They are both from a mixed economy. Thames water will have regulating agencies monitoring them. There are only 3 legal monopolies in Britain Thames Water included. In the past there was a significant amount of monopolies which were government owned. When Margaret Thatcher came into power she privitised these firms as she believed competition would lead to greater efficiency and lower prices which would benefit society as a whole. I agree with her decision and I think after researching, perfect competition appears to be the better option for consumers. Monopolys benefit society in certain situations such as retained profits ploughed back into research and development for medical reasons, and natural monopolies who could not survive in a perfectly competitive industry. Monoplies and perfect competition are becoming more rare as time goes on and who knows what will happen in the future.

Objections to Charles Peirces Article, A Neglected Argument for the Re

Objections to Charles Peirce's Article, A Neglected Argument for the Reality of God ABSTRACT: Charles S. Peirce sketches "a nest of three arguments for the Reality of God" in his article "A Neglected Argument for the Reality of God." I provide careful analysis and explication of Peirce's argument, along with consideration of some objections. I argue that (1) there are significant differences between Peirce's neglected argument and the traditional arguments for God's existence; (2) Peirce's analysis of the neglected argument into three arguments is misleading; (3) there are two distinct levels of argument that Peirce does not recognize; and (4) it is doubtful whether the argument meets all the criteria set by Peirce himself. Charles S. Peirce published in the Hibbert Journal in 1908 an article titled, "A Neglected Argument for the Reality of God." The article sketches what Peirce calls, in a later comment, "a nest of three arguments for the Reality of God" (6.486). (1) I provide an analysis of Peirce's argument and his interpretation of it along with a consideration of some objections. I shall argue: (1) that there are significant differences between Peirce's neglected argument and the traditional arguments for God's existence; (2) that Peirce's own analysis of the neglected argument into three arguments is misleading; (3) that there are two distinct levels of argument that Peirce does not acknowledge, and (4) that it is doubtful the argument meets all the criteria Peirce himself establishes. I trust that your response to what I have to say will not mirror the response Michael Raposa reports he received from a "prominent American philosophical theologian," when he gave a presentation on this topic; that... ... 77-78. Also, if we follow Karl Barth. s interpretation of Anselm. s ontological argument, then the prayerful context in which Anselm offers his argument gives it a more religious cast. However, whatever similarities may exist I think it vital to recognize the differences otherwise one will expect to find yet another bit of metaphysical argumentation about God and be disappointed at not finding it. (5) It must, however, be admitted that if everyone who mused reached the same conclusion, this rather impressive fact would cry out for some explanation. (6) C.F. Delany, "Peirce on the Hypothesis of God," op. cit., p. 735. (7) Donna Orange, Peirce's Conception of God. op. cit., p. 86. (8) Michael L. Raposa, Peirce's Philosophy of Religion. op. cit., p. 128. (9) John E. Smith, "The Tension Between Direct Experience and Argument in Religion." op. cit., p. 497.

Social Influence Research - Do the Ends Justify the Means? Essay

Social Influence Research - Do the Ends Justify the Means? To what extent does the importance of social influence research, justify the methods used in its investigation? The debate about ethics in psychology focuses on two areas: protection of participants and benefiting society. This is a double obligation dilemma as if some psychologists are not allowed to do certain experiments because of ethical restraints; this can cause problems with validity. In social psychology, these psychologists have an obligation to use their research skills to advance our knowledge of human behaviour, for the ultimate aim of human betterment. Milgram’s study into obedience involved participants becoming a ‘teacher’ and applying an electric shock to the ‘learner’ (who was a confederate) when they answered a word association question incorrectly. The participant was not aware that the shocks they administered were false and some believed they may have killed a man. In this instance therefore, the code of conduct and ethical guidelines published by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and American Psychological Society (APS) in 1993 were broken in more than one way. The participants’ right to withdraw was disabled as the prods given by the experimenter (such as â€Å"please continue† etc) made the participants feel that they had no choice but to continue. The were also involved in deception as they thought they had administered real shocks and were not informed of the confederate being present. This study, however, was conducted in the 1950’s and the ethical guidelines were not in position and therefore this study may be published in modern day t... ...very case. For example, there was only one prisoner who tried to resist and went on a hunger strike. When he was put into solitary confinement the others were allowed to release him by means of giving up their blankets. They refused. They saw they situation as every man for themselves. Another benefit to society was also the impression this experiment left on the prison system in America at the time, and some aspects of this were changed as a result. Therefore in conclusion, in these two experiments alone, the unethical methods used can be justified as they have helped to profit humanity by providing insight into how humans behave when put into certain social situations. Without these ethical guidelines being broken, both experiments would have lacked ecological validity and the results would not be legitimate.

“the Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Profit”

Businesses have many responsibilities, the primary role being, to make profit and then in turn grow and expand as a business in the hope that they increase profits. After all, not many people want to be in the business of losing money, it is simply the function of a business †¦ to make money. However, in saying that, I would disagree in saying that this is entirely a â€Å"social† responsibility. Businesses have a responsibility to their stakeholders and/or their shareholders to increase profits, but socially they are required to do so much more. In terms of â€Å"social† responsibility, in this current day and age, businesses have a responsibility to society. I believe consumers are generally not concerned about the profit businesses makes, they are more concerned about the quality, service and value they receive from dealing with a business, and more importantly whether the success of the business was gained by them following socially and ethically responsible business practices. In the past, businesses would forfeit their social responsibility at the cost of increasing profit. A good example of this is multinational conglomerate, Proctor & Gamble, identified by PETA as a corporation that actively participates in animal testing1 to ensure that their products are safe for people to use. Yes, they are fulfilling their â€Å"social† responsibility in ensuring that their products do not harm their consumers, but now society and organisations are pointing the finger and actively boycotting companies such as Proctor & Gamble, for ignoring their social responsibility. Businesses have had to turn things around to adapt to the views of changing society. Being socially responsible is now a costly exercise. Due to their previous poor business ethics, they have to date invested almost $250 million in alternative testing methods in an effort to abolish all forms of animal testing. 2 Not only now is it socially unacceptable to practice â€Å"bad† business ethics, but it is socially unacceptable for businesses that make too much money to ignore the needs of the needy. Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft together with the efforts of his wife Melinda have established the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The foundation donates millions of dollars every year, aiding many projects with their slogan being â€Å"all lives have equal value†. It is now the duty of businesses and many large corporations to be socially responsible and contribute to society on a larger scale. It is simply incorrect to say that increasing profit is the sole responsibility of a business. It is the social responsibility of a business to be socially responsible, in all facets. Portraying a ‘socially responsible’ image is detrimental to increasing profits, this has not always been the case, many companies that were once selfless entities who’s only mission was to profiteer at any cost have realised that with the changes in society, they have had to change the way they conduct their business. Sadly, many businesses and corporations participate in â€Å"socially responsible† activities for the purpose of increasing profit, businesses are not changing their packaging to pink to ‘secretly’ support breast cancer, they do so, so that you and I know about it. These so called acts of social responsibility are a form of advertising and they are done to show consumers just how â€Å"good† they can be. It is not the social responsibility of businesses to increase profit, but it is the social responsibility of companies to be socially responsible to increase profit.

The Dark Half by Stephen King essays

The Dark Half by Stephen King essays During the seventies, Stephen King wrote several stories under a pseudonym, Richard Bachman. Ten years later King incorporated the idea of a writer using a fake name in a novel called The Dark Half published by Penguin Books USA Inc. in 1989. It's the story of Thad Beaumont, a writer who lives in Ludlow, Maine. His "other" is George Stark, who writes crime novels about a killer named Alexis Machine. When it's learned that Thad Beaumont is really George Stark, he and his wife Elizabeth come up with a photo opportunity, a daylight burial of George. His tombstone at the local cemetery says it all: NOT A VERY NICE GUY. When he was 11, Thad Beaumont had to have surgery on his brain to remove what was thought to be a tumor. It turned out that the 'tumor' was something else. Thad is soon visited by Sheriff Alan Pangborn, asking questions about the mysterious murders that are going on. Somehow, Thads fingerprints are all over the crime scene. Pangborn soon learns why Thad had to have surgery when he was a kid and that he was twins. The unborn brother was absorbed into Thad and later removed from his skull when he was a boy. He had suffered from severe headaches, and it was originally thought to be a tumor causing them. Somehow, Stark resurrects himself and starts to kill everyone he believes is responsible for his "death".After Stark murders the people responsible for his death he makes contact with Thad. All Stark seems to want is for Thad to write another novel as his pseudonym, and he is going to go to any length to get him to do it. Thad experiences blackouts every now and then. Soon, he finds out that him and George share a telepathic bond. This explains how he can see George's murderous rampages, and how the two can telegraph pain to one another. This is a very good book that starts out a little too slow. The pace set at the start of the book doesn't really pick up like you might expect. As you start ...

Free Essays on Mrs.

Many individuals cite the Seneca Falls Convention held in Seneca Falls, New York to be the beginning of the women's movement in America. However, the idea for the convention came about at another protest meeting: the 1840 World Anti-Slavery Convention in London. At that convention, the female delegates were not allowed to participate in the debates. Lucretia Mott wrote in her diary that even though the convention was titled a 'World' convention, "that was mere poetical license." She had accompanied her husband to London, but had to sit behind a partition with other ladies such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton. They took a dim view of their treatment, or rather mistreatment, and the idea of a women's convention was born. In the interim between the 1840 World Anti-Slavery Convention and the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, Elizabeth Cady Stanton composed the Declaration of Sentiments, a document declaring the rights of women modeled on the Declaration of Independence. It is worth noting that upon showing her Declaration to her husband, Mr. Stanton was less than pleased. He stated that if she read the Declaration at the Seneca Falls Convention, he would leave town. The Declaration of Sentiments contained several resolutions including that a man should not withhold a woman's rights, take her property or refuse to allow her to vote. The 300 participants spent July 19th and 20th arguing, refining and voting on the Declaration. Most of the resolutions received unanimous support. However, the right to vote had many dissenters including one very prominent figure, Lucretia Mott. The convention was treated with scorn from all corners. The press and religious leaders denounced the happenings at Seneca Falls. However, a positive report was printed at the office of The North Star, Frederick Douglass' newspaper. Many leaders of the Women's Movement were also leaders in the Abolitionist Movement and vice-versa. However, the two movements while occur... Free Essays on Mrs. Free Essays on Mrs. Many individuals cite the Seneca Falls Convention held in Seneca Falls, New York to be the beginning of the women's movement in America. However, the idea for the convention came about at another protest meeting: the 1840 World Anti-Slavery Convention in London. At that convention, the female delegates were not allowed to participate in the debates. Lucretia Mott wrote in her diary that even though the convention was titled a 'World' convention, "that was mere poetical license." She had accompanied her husband to London, but had to sit behind a partition with other ladies such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton. They took a dim view of their treatment, or rather mistreatment, and the idea of a women's convention was born. In the interim between the 1840 World Anti-Slavery Convention and the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, Elizabeth Cady Stanton composed the Declaration of Sentiments, a document declaring the rights of women modeled on the Declaration of Independence. It is worth noting that upon showing her Declaration to her husband, Mr. Stanton was less than pleased. He stated that if she read the Declaration at the Seneca Falls Convention, he would leave town. The Declaration of Sentiments contained several resolutions including that a man should not withhold a woman's rights, take her property or refuse to allow her to vote. The 300 participants spent July 19th and 20th arguing, refining and voting on the Declaration. Most of the resolutions received unanimous support. However, the right to vote had many dissenters including one very prominent figure, Lucretia Mott. The convention was treated with scorn from all corners. The press and religious leaders denounced the happenings at Seneca Falls. However, a positive report was printed at the office of The North Star, Frederick Douglass' newspaper. Many leaders of the Women's Movement were also leaders in the Abolitionist Movement and vice-versa. However, the two movements while occur...

The Differences Between Communism and Socialism

The Differences Between Communism and Socialism The difference between communism and socialism is not conveniently clear-cut. The two terms are often used interchangeably, but these economic and political theories are not the same. Both communism and socialism arose from protests against the exploitation of the working class during the Industrial Revolution. While applications of their economic and social policies vary, several modern countries- all ideologically opposed to capitalism- are perceived as either communist or socialist. In order to understand contemporary political debates, its important to know the similarities and the differences between communism and socialism. Communism vs. Socialism In both communism and socialism, the people own the factors of economic production. The main difference is that under communism, most property and economic resources are owned and controlled by the state (rather than individual citizens); by contrast, under socialism, all citizens share equally in all economic resources as allocated by a democratically-elected government. This difference and others are outlined in the table below. Communism vs. Socialism Attribute Communism Socialism Basic Philosophy From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs. From each according to his ability, to each according to his contribution. Economy Planned By Central government Central government Ownership of Economic Resources All economic resources are publicly owned and controlled by the government. Individuals hold no personal property or assets. Individuals own personal property but all industrial and production capacity is communally owned and managed by a democratically elected government. Distribution of Economic Production Production is intended to meet all basic human needs and is distributed to the people at no charge. Production is intended to meet individual and societal needs and distributed according to individual ability and contribution. Class Distinction Class is abolished. The ability to earn more than other workers is almost nonexistent. Classes exist but differences are diminished. It is possible for some people to earn more than others. Religion Religion is effectively abolished. Freedom of religion is allowed. Key Similarities Communism and socialism both grew out of grass-roots opposition to the exploitation of workers by wealthy businesses during the Industrial Revolution. Both assume that all goods and services will be produced by government-controlled institutions or collective organizations rather than by privately-owned businesses. In addition, the central government is mainly responsible for all aspects of economic planning, including matters of supply and demand. Key Differences Under communism, the people are compensated or provided for based on their needs. In a pure communist society, the government provides most or all food, clothing, housing and other necessities based on what it considers the needs of the people. Socialism is based on the premise the people will be compensated based on the level of their individual contribution to the economy. Effort and innovation are thus rewarded under socialism. Pure Communism Definition Pure communism is an economic, political, and social system in which most or all property and resources are collectively owned by a class-free society rather than by individual citizens. According to the theory developed by German philosopher, economist, and political theorist Karl Marx in his classic 1848 book, â€Å"The Communist Manifesto,† pure communism results in a society in which all people are equal and there is no need for money or the accumulation of individual wealth. There is no private ownership of economic resources, with a central government controlling all facets of production. Economic output is distributed according to the needs of the people. Social friction between white and blue collar workers and between rural and urban cultures will be eliminated, freeing each person to achieve his or her highest human potential. Under pure communism, the central government provides the people with all basic necessitates, such as food, housing, education, and medical care, thus allowing the people to share equally from the benefits of collective labor. Free access to these necessities depends on constant advances in technology contributing to ever-greater production. In 1875, Marx coined the phrase used to summarize communism, â€Å"From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.† Pure Socialism Definition Pure socialism is an economic system under which each individual- through a democratically elected government- is given an equal share of the four factors or economic production: labor, entrepreneurship, capital goods, and natural resources. In essence, socialism is based on the assumption that all people naturally want to cooperate, but are restrained from doing so by the competitive nature of capitalism. Socialism is an economic system where everyone in society equally owns the factors of production. The ownership is acquired through a democratically elected government. It could also be a cooperative or public corporation in which everyone owns shares. Again, the four factors of production under socialism are labor, entrepreneurship, capital goods, and natural resources. As in a command economy, the socialist government employs centralize planning to allocate resources based on both the needs of individuals and society as a whole. Economic output is distributed according to each individual’s ability and level of contribution. In 1980, American author and sociologist Gregory Paul paid homage to Marx in coining the phrase commonly used to describe socialism, â€Å"From each according to his ability, to each according to his contribution.†Ã‚   What Is a Socialist Democracy? Democratic socialism is an economic, social, and political ideology holding that while both the society and economy should be run democratically, they should be dedicated to meeting the needs of the people as a whole, rather than encouraging individual prosperity as in capitalism. Democratic socialists advocate the transition of society from capitalism to socialism through existing participatory democratic processes, rather than revolution as characterized by orthodox Marxism. Universally-used services, such as housing, utilities, mass transit, and health care are distributed by the government, while consumer goods are distributed by a capitalistic free market.   The latter half of the 20th century saw the emergence of a more moderate version of socialist democracy advocating a mixture of socialist and capitalist control of all means of economic production supplemented by extensive social welfare programs to help provide the basic needs of the people. What is Green Socialism   As a recent outgrowth of the environmental movement and the climate change debate, green socialism or â€Å"eco-socialism† places its economic emphasis on the maintenance and utilization of natural resources. This is achieved largely through government ownership of the largest, most resource consumptive corporations. The use of â€Å"green† resources, such as renewable energy, public transit, and locally sourced food is emphasized or mandated. Economic production focuses on meeting the basic needs of the people, rather than a wasteful excess of unneeded consumer goods. Green socialism often offers a guaranteed minimum livable income to all citizens regardless of their employment status. Communist Countries It is difficult to classify countries as being either communist or socialist. Several countries, while ruled by the Communist Party, declare themselves to be socialist states and employ many aspects of socialist economic and social policy. Three countries typically considered communist states- mainly due to their political structure- are Cuba, China, and North Korea. China The Communist Party of China owns and strictly controls all industry, which operates solely to generate profits for the government through its successful and growing export of consumer goods. Health care and primary through higher education are run by the government and provided free of charge to the people. However, housing and property development operate under a highly competitive capitalist system. Cuba   The Communist Party of Cuba owns and operates most industries, and most of the people work for the state. Government-controlled health care and primary through higher education are provided free. Housing is either free or heavily subsidized by the government. North Korea Ruled by the Communist Party until 1946, North Korea now operates under a â€Å"Socialist Constitution of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.† However, the government owns and control of all farmland, workers, and food distribution channels. Today, the government provides universal health and education for all citizens. Private ownership of property is forbidden. Instead, the government grants people the right to government-owned and assigned homes. Socialist Countries Once again, most modern countries that identify themselves to be socialist may not strictly follow the economic or social systems associated with pure socialism. Instead, most countries generally considered socialist actually employ the policies of democratic socialism. Norway, Sweden, and Denmark all employ similar predominantly socialist systems. The democratically chosen governments of all three countries provide free health care, education, and lifetime retirement income. As a result, however, their citizens pay some of the world’s highest taxes. All three countries also have highly successful capitalist sectors. With most of their needs provided by their governments, the people see little need to accumulate wealth. As a result, about 10% of the people hold more than 65 percent of each nation’s wealth. Sources and Further Reference Engels, Frederick (1847). â€Å"Principles of Communism.†Bukharin, Nikoli. (1920). â€Å"The ABCs of Communism.†Lenin, Vladimir (1917). â€Å"The State and Revolution Chapter 5, Section 3.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Difference Between Communism and Socialism.† Investopedia (2018).Marx, Karl (1875). â€Å".†The Critique of the Gotha Programme (From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs)Paul, Gregory and Stuart, Robert C. â€Å".†Comparing Economic Systems in the Twenty-First Century Cengage Learning (1980). ISBN: 9780618261819. (From each according to his ability, to each according to his contribution.)Heilbroner, Robert. â€Å"Socialism.† Library of Economics and Liberty Kallie Szczepanski  contributed to this article.

Fashion Marketing -Marks and Spencer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fashion Marketing -Marks and Spencer - Essay Example The essay "Fashion Marketing - Marks and Spencer" concerns the fashion marketing. The company started by Amancio Ortega at the Northern part of Spain continually enjoyed growth in the Spanish market through strategic prepositions. Initially, the chain served the needs of the local consumer in the young feminine segment. Within the last ten years, the company grew proportionately to increased revenues and consumer loyalty through the modernized approaches that it employed. The company preserves the strengths of analyzing the customer targets in the market as serving the entire fashion market poses more threats than opportunities. The company defines that the youthful female consumer depicts a standardized behavior throughout the geographical segments. Zara depicts that the consumer buying decision model affects all businesses alike. The company analyzes fashion needs through the online research surveys and establishes on the fashion trends that depict a favorable rate of return on inv estment. Through a communicative channel that tends to link the company to the consumer, Zara advertises on the release of the garments that target to suit perceived consumer needs. The company runs a solely owned ultramodern factory that designs and makes garments in accordance to the anticipated consumer needs. Zara communicates actual date of releasing the new makes to the customer, and through an effective delivery chain, the company avails the garments to the more than 1500 outlets in 70 countries of the world economy. ... The Limited Collection brand was introduced in the late 2004; it was not being considered that it could significantly remain helpful to create such a unique differentiation. But it remained pretty successful and customers showed a very high adoptability towards the brand. However it has its same placement and the concept oriented approach which keenly values the notion of cost and brand consciousness. Serving segment is cost conscious group, target population is high class and upper middle class whereas positioning of the products is as a high quality and distinguished fashioned products. The Limited Collection brand offers a wide range of women’s, men’s and kid’s wear. The best feature of the brand is that the offerings are replaced each week from the outlet. In this way, it has a vast choice and unique variety because of rapid replacement of display items from the stores. The section of Limited Collection is not offered at every outlet which is a step towards a specification orientation (Marketingweek.co.uk, 2004). Competitors’ Analysis for Marks and Spencer Competitors’ analysis is really worth when designing a lucrative marketing strategy. The competitors of Marks and Spencer in fashion industry include a wide range of potential competitors. The competitors may include elite class fashion designers to middle class fashion wears. It is important to study the characteristics of the competitors. The realistic competitors of M&S are those who present their products to the population of upper middle class and higher classes of the society. Specifically the competitors of M&S may include Alde, Centra, Levi’s and ASDA. Although some of these companies

The Empty Quarter desert in Saudi Arabia Term Paper

The Empty Quarter desert in Saudi Arabia - Term Paper Example According to the paper people also avoid living in this region because it has scarce rainfall, vegetation, and lack of clean water. Hence, the name Rub’ al Khali, which means, the Empty Quarter. In addition, the natural features of the desert such as large sand dunes make it difficult for human beings to live and walk around. The Empty Quarter also has another name, the Great Sandy Desert due to these large sand dunes. People also believe that the Empty Quarter desert evolved during the time of pluvial in the Tertiary and Quaternary. The sand dunes of the Empty Quarter desert emerged from the far end of Miocene and up to the late Pleistocene. There are two main sources of the sand dunes in The Empty Quarter desert.   From this study it is clear that strong winds then moves the accumulated sand to the Empty Quarter desert. This type of sand is characterized by its white color, salty, course, and easy to move. Marine sands cover the eastern and northern parts of the Empty Quarter desert. The ideal source of marine sand found in Empty Quarter desert is Al Gafourah. The strong winds play a vital role in shaping the sand dunes of the Empty Quarter desert. The desert generally slopes from west towards east at a rate of one meter per kilometer. The approximate height above sea level of the sand dunes ranges between nine hundred to one thousand meters. The middle of Empty Quarter desert has is approximately four hundred to five hundred meters above the sea level. The Empty Quarter desert elevation decreases towards the Arabian Gulf. Touring the around the desert, I realized that the Empty Quarter can be divided into five main section considering the types of Sand Dunes. To begin with, there are Barchan D unes, which are large, and high dunes having moist sabkha spread among the dunes. Such dunes exist in northern parts of the Empty Quarter desert. Secondly, there are star dunes, which are steep pyramidal in shape, vertical peaks, formed individually or inter-structural in shapes. Some of the star dunes height reaches as much as two hundred meters. Star dunes mainly cover the southern and eastern parts of the Empty Quarter desert. A good example of star dune is Al G’ad and Ghonaim sand dunes. Thirdly, there are domal dunes characterized by being high and inter-structured. Domal dunes occur at the junction of longitudinal dunes that flow in opposite directions. Some of these dunes have a height of one hundred meters. Domal dunes cover the middle portion of the Empty Quarter desert.

Report in Consumer Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Report in Consumer Behaviour - Essay Example But coming to the festival is not an easy task it involves a decision, fair bit of travel, standing in long queues and the determination to stay in a city of music and music loving people. Motivation plays a pivotal role and getting people to the festival (Motivation, Mood and Involvement, n.d). People have different acquired needs and in order to fulfil these needs they perform different actions. When a need is unfulfilled it creates tension and the drive towards the goal. Similarly, in our case, people who are fond of music have many unfulfilled needs such as somebody wanted to be a singer but could not likewise someone else might want to become a guitarist but cannot due to different reasons. Furthermore, others may have a need to listen to quality music, attend a concert, see a live performance and feel the excitement of dancing to music with thousands of other music lovers. Therefore, when these needs are not fulfilled people turn to social events such as the Glastonbury festival, to feel better, even if their ultimate goal cannot be reached. They will substitute their ultimate goal with a new goal and hence will feel relieved by accomplishing the newly set goal. As a result, a positive motivation is created towards the goal, i.e. the festival. Similarly, some people may have emotional motives to attend the festival yet others may be pulled towards it due environmental arousal (Schiffman & Kanuk, 2004). This can be explained using the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, people have ego and social needs to cater to (Maslow, 1943). Attending the world’s biggest performing arts and music festival may fulfil the ego needs of some die hard music fans. Likewise, others may end up coming to the festival because of their social needs, such as peer pressure and affection (Maslow’s Hierarchy, 2009). On the other hand, when the needs of people are not fulfilled

Problems with tracking Terrorist financing Research Paper

Problems with tracking Terrorist financing - Research Paper Example Therefore, when terrorists chose to go back to traditional methods of carrying out their financial transactions, like using cash instead of electronic cards or so, it becomes difficult for the authorities to track such activities. Moreover, terrorists have adopted new techniques of helping them carry out their activities without getting suspected. This paper will broadly look into the findings brought forward in a research done by Torrey Carpenter about the difficulties that national government authorities encounter while trying to identify the financiers of terrorists. He will also suggest a possible solution to the identified problem, present various critics that relate to the problem as well as provide a discussion on the implications that the problem pose. There exist many definitions of terrorism depending on an individual’s point of view. According to one theory, it can be considered to be the illegal use of power or aggression against people or properties with intentions of threatening or pressurizing a government or its society to extend particular political or social goals. According to various law enforcements, Torrey discovers they acknowledge that acts of terrorism can either be domestic or international. Under domestic terrorism, the action is based and carried out within a country and is executed by the country’s own citizens without any outer or foreign enforcers. On the other hand, international terrorism, which is usually linked to foreign groups or governments, involve invasion by the foreign terrorists into a target country. Terrorism has no boundaries and, therefore, any nation around the world is vulnerable to it. He acknowledges that the act, whether carried out internationally or locally, requires a lo t of funding, and up to now, the mystery about who funds the terrorists have not been solved. Since it is an act that involves a lot of damages, be it direct or collateral,

Music in Japanese Animation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Music in Japanese Animation - Essay Example The beginning of Anim of Japanese animation dates back to the early years of the 20th century. Patten (2004) mentions that the earliest Japanese animation was inspired by the pioneer animators of France, Germany and the United States. Anim during that period was basically an approach by Japanese filmmakers to experiment with the animation techniques. The first known anim was screened in 1917, which was a two minute clip of a samurai trying his new sword on a target only to face defeat. It is only in the 1930s that animation has successfully become an alternative from of story-telling in Japan. The reason for its lagging behind the European and American film industries is the small market size of Japanese live-action industry suffering from budgeting and other restrictions. Shooting films set on European or American backdrop was almost next to impossible for Japan due to lack of finance as well as absence of a fantasy world in Japan. In other words, the scope was really limited for Ja panese film industry.

Problems with tracking Terrorist financing Research Paper

Problems with tracking Terrorist financing - Research Paper Example Therefore, when terrorists chose to go back to traditional methods of carrying out their financial transactions, like using cash instead of electronic cards or so, it becomes difficult for the authorities to track such activities. Moreover, terrorists have adopted new techniques of helping them carry out their activities without getting suspected. This paper will broadly look into the findings brought forward in a research done by Torrey Carpenter about the difficulties that national government authorities encounter while trying to identify the financiers of terrorists. He will also suggest a possible solution to the identified problem, present various critics that relate to the problem as well as provide a discussion on the implications that the problem pose. There exist many definitions of terrorism depending on an individual’s point of view. According to one theory, it can be considered to be the illegal use of power or aggression against people or properties with intentions of threatening or pressurizing a government or its society to extend particular political or social goals. According to various law enforcements, Torrey discovers they acknowledge that acts of terrorism can either be domestic or international. Under domestic terrorism, the action is based and carried out within a country and is executed by the country’s own citizens without any outer or foreign enforcers. On the other hand, international terrorism, which is usually linked to foreign groups or governments, involve invasion by the foreign terrorists into a target country. Terrorism has no boundaries and, therefore, any nation around the world is vulnerable to it. He acknowledges that the act, whether carried out internationally or locally, requires a lo t of funding, and up to now, the mystery about who funds the terrorists have not been solved. Since it is an act that involves a lot of damages, be it direct or collateral,

Research Journal Based on Personal Experience and Observation Assignment

Research Journal Based on Personal Experience and Observation - Assignment Example The message drew her attention from the television, and she began to reply. 5:23pm After replying, she took her laptop and opened the tab where she has logged into facebook, and found more than five people have already initiated chats. She commenced replying to their chats, and before she was done with it, her attention was drawn by the television. Therefore, the television distracted her from continuing with the chats on Facebook; in fact, she did not respond to some of the comments from her friends. In the meantime, she was also waiting for her friend to respond to the message that she had sent earlier, via the text messaging. 5:35pm Her friend replied through the phone messaging services, and this drew her attention again. The message seemed to be more interesting than the television: due to a reflection from her smile as she read through. Before replying to the message received, friends on the facebook drew her attention, and she decided to reply to three of her friends. It is ev ident that both messaging and Facebook seemed to be more interesting to her, than watching American Idol on the television, since every time the messages were received, she was drawn from watching the television. 6:01PM 6:10 PM 6:15 PM 6:18 PM She was not paying attention to the television anymore, since she was concentrating on her laptop, while typing on Facebook chats. Therefore, she was not able to pay attentions to the television and Facebook at the same time, though the phone was also demanding attention from her at various instances like reading messages and replying. At this moment, she remembered about her drink, she took it, though her mind, and eyes were focusing on the laptop. Another message was sent to her through the SMS, and this drew her attention to the phone in order to check the message. She replied to the message, thereby taking about three minutes. Finally, her attention was drawn to the television, whereby she stopped typing on the laptop, and commenced watchi ng an iphone 5 commercial on the television. The features of the phone were exiting to her in a way that drew her attention, thus making her to leave all other activities and concentrate on the television advert.   MY REFLECTION During my observation, I was able to identify the way people have been sending and receiving messages in the past using the phone, while comparing to the new social media, Facebook. It is evident that, the new social media is allowing accessibility of numerous people through different avenues of communication at the same time. My subject seems to be distracted while watching the television, since she had to check on the messages received from her friend, while still chatting with her friends on Facebook. However, the new social media offer an opportunity to enjoy watching the same program on the cable television, while chatting with friends, hence reducing the interruption. Subject 2: Myself Date: Monday 10 September 2012 Situation: Texting message using m y phone, while chatting on Twitter   Ã‚   Old  Media: Phone messaging services New (social) Media:

The Cinema Essay Example for Free

The Cinema Essay The movies that are being compared here are made at two different periods of time and for audience of distinct mentality. Movies are made keeping in mind the taste of audience because it is totally show business. But here two movies, one of which was made almost more than 50 years before the other are somewhat similar. The base of â€Å"Singin’ in The Rain†, made in 1952 is same as â€Å" Linda Linda Linda† which was released in 2005. Both the films are musical blockbusters and were liked by the audience at the time of release and afterwards too. If we compare both these movies we will see that the plot of old ovie is not typical and lots of Hollywood movies has been made on this plot but â€Å"Singin’ in The Rain† is remembered today because it took the cinema from silent era to talkies. Its music is being admired till date and is considered as a movie with great combination of action and humor. The film is a total entertainer with almost everything being expected from a movie. â€Å"Linda Linda Linda† came out in 2005 targeting a different audience that was young and in the modern era. The taste of this audience was completely different from that of 1950s ut this movie also proved to be successful and the base here was once again music and dance. The story of course is admirable here and the film is entertaining and technically competent. There are four girls who want to create their own rock band for the upcoming function of their school. Plot of the movie revolves round the experiences of these girls to find a singer and everything needed to make a band. Their ultimate challenge became to play a single song for the function. The movie of the 1950’s was focusing on the music of that period and that of 2005 represents the music of this era.

Herpes Simplex Virus Antiviral Drug Resistance

Herpes Simplex Virus Antiviral Drug Resistance Omer Baskan The increasing drug resistance of the herpes simplex virus Abstract Herpes simplex infections remain very common worldwide, the development of new treatments is of vital importance, particularly for the severely immunocompromised individuals due to the increasing emergence of HSV resistant strains being reported. The standard treatment for HSV still remains highly effective, however there is an ever increasing risk that drug resistant HSV will become more prevalent due to the reliance on a limited group of drugs: acyclovir, foscarnet and cidofovir. This review aims to address the failure of previous studies conducted, which include the focus on treating acyclovir resistant HSV with foscarnet and cidofovir but not aiming to discover new compounds which might be used to treat HSV instead. A valuable source for new treatments is the abundance of natural compounds which exhibit antiviral properties. Several candidates are addressed and discussed in this review. Introduction A large family of DNA viruses commonly known as herpesviridae is largely known for causing diseases in humans as well as animals. The most prevalent forms of the virus family are known as HSV-1, HSV-2, Varicella zoster virus, Epstein-Barr virus and Cytomegalovirus. All five mentioned members of the herpesvirus family (herpesviridae) are known to infect humans (Sandri-Goldin, 2006), in total there 8 herpesviruses which can infect humans, these include human herpesvirus 6 and 7, and finally Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (Carter Saunders, 2013). So far there are more than 130 herpesviruses which can affect a range of animals (Brown Newcomb, 2011). Herpesviruses are latent therefore they can remain in most people undetected, as the virus establishes itself in the ganglia of the peripheral nervous system (Stevens, 1975). It is reported that more than 90% of adults have been infected with the aforementioned species of the virus (Chayavichitsilp et al., 2009). Once an HSV infection occurs it will establish latency and can then multiply in large numbers as it has been reactivated, this then allows for the infection of a new host. In people who have a competent immune system the infection can be both painful and distressing but most importantly it is seldom life threatening. As a result the risks associated with herpes simplex are underestimated by people. However individuals with a HSV infection who also happen to have an impaired immune system can have life threatening symptoms which can result in death (Severson Tyring, 1999). The preferred treatment of choice is the use of acyclovir (Morfin Thouvenot, 2003) but due to its widespread use it has led to the emanation of HSV strains which are resistant to acyclovir (Morfin Thouvenot, 2003). Resistant strains were first reported in 1982 (Sibrack et al., 1982). Therefore, surveys were conducted which showed that there was a recurring low incidence rate of acyclovir resistant strains among i mmunocompetent patients which was 0.6% (Englund et al., 1990). However among patients who have an impaired immune system the acyclovir resistant strains which were recovered showed a frequency ranging from 3 to 6%, this figure then reaches 14% among patients who have received a bone marrow transplant (Englund et al., 1990). This review aims to deal with the features attributed with the emanation of acyclovir resistant HSV as well as the epidemiological features. Whilst addressing the severity of the emerging drug resistance strains of HSV and its impact on immunocompromised patients. This review will also aim to highlight potential natural compounds which are new candidates for the development of new antivirals to combat HSV, as well as many compounds which should have further investigation into its antiviral properties. Epidemiology It is rare for resistance to ACV to occur in immunocompetent patients but there have been reports that described that there is a below 1% occurrence of ACV resistance in the population (Nugier et al., 1992). Most acyclovir resistant HSV isolated from patients with competent immune systems have been detected because of repeatedly having genital herpes. The observed occurrence ranged from 3.5 to 8.6% (Fife et al., 1994). In most cases the course of antivirals remained unchanged, there was only three cases of genital herpes were use of acyclovir was unsuccessful due to HSV being resistant to acyclovir (Mouly et al., 1995). Acyclovir resistant among certain HSV infections is about 5% (Christophers et al., 1998), this is only among immunocompromised patients who are most at risk of contracting an acyclovir resistant HSV. Infections caused by HSV among bone marrow transplant patients shows that patients that have received a bone marrow of either autologous or allogeneic origin have the same risk of developing an HSV infection. Resistance to acyclovir was detected only among allogeneic bone marrow transplant patients, this led to the discovery of the prevalence of resistance reaching 30% in patients who have had an allogeneic bone marrow transplant (Morfin et al., 2004). HSV strains that have been isolated from 3000 patients have been tested and have shown that half of them were immunocompetent whereas the other half had a immunocompromised system (Morfin Thouvenot, 2003). The resistance of acyclovir was 0.3% among immunocompetent and 4% among immunocompromised (Morfin Thouvenot, 2003). Concerning the certain type of immunosuppression present, the resistance has been detected as 2.8% among solid organ transplant patients, 3.5% among HIV infected patients and at 29% for allogeneic transplant patients (Morfin Thouvenot, 2003). These results show that the prevalence of acyclovir resistant HSV was stable in 2003 compared to previous studies published more than 10 years ago. This level of stability is same for both immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients. As suggested by previous studies, resistance to acyclovir is a major concern for allogeneic bone marrow transplant patients. Mechanism of resistance Nucleoside analogues make up the majority of antiherpetic drugs in clinical use (Morfin Thouvenot, 2003). Acyclovir is a guanosine analogue, as is penciclovir. Cidofovir is a phosphonate molecule which is derived from cytidine and foscarnet has a very different structure, as it is analogous to a pyrophosphate. The mechanism of action for acyclovir and penciclovir involve two viral enzymes. These are thymidine kinase which is for the first phosphorylation of the activation step and DNA polymerase, which is used as a target for the triphosphate form. Only two phosphorylations are needed for cidofovir for it to obtain the active diphosphate molecule, with both being performed by cellular kinases. Foscarnet only acts directly on the viral DNA polymerase (Figure 1; De Clercq et al., 2001). There are three mechanisms which are involved in HSV resistance to acyclovir: an alteration of thymidine kinase substance specificity, an alteration of DNA polymerase activity and a loss of thymidine kinase activity (Larder et al., 1983). The viral gene encoding for thymidine kinase can have a mutation occur within them resulting in 95% of acyclovir resistance isolates presenting a thymidine kinase deficient phenotype (Hill et al., 1991). Recovery of thymidine kinase deficient, altered and positive virus in a single isolate can lead to a detection of resistance of susceptible viruses (Nugier et al., 1992). These mutations that can cause resistance, occur spontaneously during viral replication therefore viruses which are resistant can then be selected for antiviral treatment. Functional DNA polymerase is required for viral replication but not for thymidine kinase. Therefore, there is a higher probability of a viable acyclovir resistant virus being caused by a mutation in the thymidine kinase gene, than by a mutation which occurs in the DNA polymerase. Viral pathogenesis of mutant viruses depends on the resistance phenotype. However to DNA polymerase and thymidine kinase altered mutants, thymidine kinase deficient HSV is known to be impaired for pathogenesis in animal models (Morfin Thouvenot, 2003). Therefore they fail to reactivate from a latent form in explanted tissue ganglia (Kosz-Vnenchak et al., 1990). Thymidine kinase activity is not involved in the formation of latent infections but it is required for the virus to reactivate from latency (Efstathiou et al., 1989). After isolation of resistant HSV, the reactivations tend to be associated with the original, thymidine kinase positive and acyclovir sensitive strain (Morfin Thouvenot, 2003). Although, there are few reports checking reactivations due to the acyclovir resistant virus associated with the thymidine kinase altered virus (Kost et al., 1993) or thymidine kinase deficient virus (Morfin et al., 2000). Management of HSV infections with acyclovir resistance In order to manage an HSV infection which is resistant to acyclovir we currently have to use several antiviral drugs. Many of the acyclovir resistant HSV isolates tend to be resistant to penciclovir but this occurs rarely. Some isolates can be resistant to acyclovir but still be susceptible to penciclovir as there have been reported cases; mechanisms of resistance to acyclovir of these particular strains was most likely an altered thymidine kinase protein (Sutton Boyd, 1993) or it could have been that a mutation occurred in the viral DNA polymerase (Suzutani et al., 2003). The thymidine kinase protein allows for acyclovir to become active but only in cells which are infected with HSV (Morfin Thouvenot, 2003). Cidofovir and foscanet act directly on the viral DNA polymerase without the need of activation by viral thymidine kinase. The molecules cidofovir and foscarnet are both active on the HSV which is resistant to acyclovir, this is due to a mutation in the thymidine kinase gene (B lot et al., 2000), however in clinical practice the molecules cidofovir and foscarnet are associated with high levels of toxicity. Managing a acyclovir resistant HSV infection can be further improved by decreasing immunosuppressive treatments for the patient (Collins Oliver, 1986). In vitro detection of resistance In vitro evaluation of HSV susceptibility to antiviral drugs is based on the determination of viral replication inhibition in the presence of increasing concentrations of antiviral drugs. There are three techniques which are available to reveal viral replication: plaque reduction assay which is the reference technique, dye uptake method (Langlois et al., 1986) and DNA hybridisation test (Swierkosz et al., 1987). The dye uptake method and DNA hybridisation test are known to be less time consuming as the reading cytopathic effect is automatable (Morfin Thouvenot, 2003). The concentration of antiviral drugs can be determined by the three techniques mentioned which can lead to viral replication inhibition by 50% (inhibitory concentration 50%, IC50). To discriminate between the resistant strains, IC50 thresholds must be defined for every single virus and antiviral drug set. The values are determined using the mean value obtained for susceptible viruses. These thresholds are arbitrary and the detection of resistance is coming from the evolution of IC50 values of sequential isolates from a patient. There has been a development of several screening techniques using a limited number of viral dilutions and antiviral drug concentrations (Danve et al., 2002). The phenotypic methods all require isolation of viral strains on the cell cultures. This is time consuming and can delay the adaptation of antiviral treatment according to in vitro susceptibility (Danve et al., 2002). Therefore genotypic tests are being developed in order to detect the resistant virus strains at a much shorter time delay (Morfin Thouvenot, 2003). The viral genes which are used to encode thymidine kinase and DNA polymerase are amplified by PCR and the products then produced by PCR can be then sequenced. The main area of concern lies in the fact that many nucleotide substitutions can be found and they must then be identified as the mutations which are responsible for resistance. This interpretation will made easier as more results on mutations detected in the resistant isolates are then collected for future comparison and analysis. Natural products with anti-herpes simplex virus activity A phenolic compound known as Caffeic acid which is shown below, is an effective substance in Plantago major (Figure 2; Bourne et al., 1999). It has been shown to exhibit strong activity against HSV-1 but decreased activity against HSV-2 (Mundinger Efferth, 2008). Reducing the number of hydroxyl groups from the phenolic compound has also shown to reduce activity against HSV-1 (Chiang et al., 2002). Curcumin (Figure 3A) which is shown below is another phenolic compound and is mainly present in the spice turmeric and was found to inhibit genes of HSV-1 by an unknown mechanism (Mundinger Efferth, 2008). It has also been previously shown that curcumin is slightly active against HSV-2 in vitro. An in vivo assay with the use of a mouse model of intravaginal HSV-2 infections showed that curcumin can provide significant protection (Mundinger Efferth, 2008). In a further experiment cineole (Figure 3B), exhibited very similar results to curcumin, whilst eugenol (Figure 3C) provided results in the mouse model which showed the most promise (Mundinger Efferth, 2008). This study was then repeated but this time with the use of guinea pigs to represent the course of HSV-2 infection. The use of guinea pigs allowed for a more accurate representation of the infection that could occur in humans. The results showed that eugenol was again highly effective (Mundinger Efferth, 2008). The use of eugenol resulted in fewer animals developing primary infections. Benencia and Courreges have confirmed the effectiveness of eugenol at preventing virus replication (Benencia Courrà ¨ges, 2000). Therefore, it was suggested that eugenol may damage the envelope proteins of the newly-synthesised virus particles (Serkedjieva Manolova, 1992). In the animal models, it was shown that capsaicin was effective against HSV. Although, it was noxious when it was applied to the mucous membranes and also caused an unpleasant burning sensation. Consequently, civamide (Figure 4) was tested in animal models as it is less noxious. When civamide was administered prior to the virus challenge it was shown to reduce primary infections, it was also to shown to reduce the effect of the infection after the virus challenge (Mundinger Efferth, 2008). Civamide was also shown to reduce the latent infection recurrence but only when it was used as a weekly treatment for suppressive maintenance therapy (Bourne et al., 1999). Propolis has long been seen as a natural product for antiviral treatments. Nine flavonoids were identified from propolis which were tested for their level of effectiveness against HSV (Amoros et al., 1992). From the group of substances which were tested, galangin and kaempferol (Figure 5) were shown to have the highest anti-HSV in vitro activity (Lyu et al., 2005). A monoterpene which is found in several essential oils named isoborneol (Figure 5), was found to exhibit interesting anti-HSV activity which warranted further investigation. The tests showed that isoborneol was quickly able to inactivate HSV with a 30 minute period of exposure, and it was also completely able to inhibit viral replication at very low concentrations. The presence of isoborneol allowed for the glycosylation of certain viral polypeptides to be inhibited, whilst the glycosylation of cellular proteins remained unchanged. Glycosylation was normal in the presence of isoborneol when copies of the viral proteins were introduced into the cellular genome (Armaka et al., 1999). These results seemingly indicate that isoborneol may be a promising new candidate for HSV treatment. Several sulphated polysaccharides have shown to possess anti-HSV activity, and many carrageenans which are mainly found in red seaweed have been shown to be active against HSV infections. In models of intravaginal HSV-2 infection, mice were shown to exhibit significant signs of protection against HSV infections (Bourne et al., 1999; Talarico et al., 2004), and they were also protected from infection in the abdominal cavity when carrageenan was administered after infection (Pujol et al., 2006). Conclusion Infections of HSV have a high occurrence globally therefore the number of infections is not expected to decrease significantly over the next couple of years. Due to the increasing number of immunocompromised patients and prolonged period of standardised treatment this can only exacerbate the problems caused by drug resistant HSV. The increasing use of acyclovir as the immediate antiviral drug of use to treat an HSV infection has increased the fear of the increasing numbers of acyclovir resistant infections, notably in prophylaxis treatments among transplant patients. However, studies that have been conducted have shown that acyclovir resistant HSV is largely a concern for severely immunocompromised patients, such as those patients who have received a bone marrow from an allogeneic origin. When an acyclovir resistant strain of HSV arises it is best to manage the infection with other antiviral drugs which have different mechanisms of action, the most useful two to use would be foscarnet or cidofovir. There is an urgent need for new treatment options to be developed as current treatment options do remain limited. There is the main use of acyclovir and then the subsequent use of foscarnet or cidofovir which is only used if acyclovir resistance is present. This shows that there is a limited amount of effective treatments available. Therefore, new treatments must be made available in order to avoid any future HSV epidemics. The antiviral potential of the natural products indicates that there is still a wide range of compounds which could be useful in the battle against drug resistant HSV, mainly HSV which is resistant to acyclovir; as it is the main major concern moving forward. Therefore, it is highly advised that research in this area continues so that an even larger amount of compounds can be identified in order to combat drug resistant HSV.

Discovery of the Structure of DNA Essay -- History Historical Science

Discovery of the Structure of DNA On the last day of February in 1953, according to James Watson, Francis Crick announced to the patrons of the Eagle Pub in Cambridge, â€Å"We have discovered the secret of life† (Watson 115, 1980). As Brian Hayes, the author of â€Å"The Invention of the Genetic Code† states, â€Å"If life ever had a secret, the double helix of DNA was surely it† (1). However, it was not the work of these two men alone that led to the discovery of the power the lies within the double helix, but rather the work of many scientists that was carefully picked apart and pieced together by the two who received the most fame for the work. Scientists’ knowledge of DNA was reported as early as 1868, when the Swiss physician Fritz Miescher discovered its presence in the nuclei of cells (Frank-Kamenetskii 10, 1997). Until the study of the structure of DNA led to the discovery of its function, proteins were primarily thought to be the carriers of genetic material. Although the chemical composition of DNA was Francis Crick known and understood, scientists were unable to make conclusions about its function (Patterson 17, 1999). In 1958, Crick presented his scientific paper, â€Å"On Protein Synthesis† at the Society for Experimental Biology. Within his text he states, â€Å"It is an essential feature of my argument that in biology proteins are uniquely important . . . their nearest rivals are the nucleic acids. Watson said to me, a few years ago, ‘The most significant thing about nucleic acids is that we don’t know what they do.’ By contrast, the most significant thing about proteins i s that they can do almost anything† (Carlson 236, 1989). Watson’s statement led the pair to further investigate the mystery of life by delving through ot... ...801.html, 25 March 2001 - â€Å"James Watson.† [Online] Available http://www.anthro.mankato.msus.edu/information/biography/uvwxyz/watson_james.html - â€Å"Lecture 2 – What is Science and How Do Scientists do it?† [Online] Available http://fig.cox.miami.edu/Faculty/Tom/bil101/lec2.html, 25 March 2001. - Leone, Francis. Genetics: The Mystery and The Promise. Blue Ridge Summit: TAB Books, 1992. - Patterson, Colin. Evolution. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1999. - â€Å"Rosalind Franklin.† [Online] Available http://www.anthro.mankato.msus.edu/information/biography/fghjj/franklin_roaslind.html 25 March 2001 - Watson, James and Francis Crick. â€Å"A structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid.† Nature. 2 April 1953: 737. - Watson, James D. The Double Helix. New York: Norton Critical Editions in the History of Ideas, 1980.

Robert Frosts The Road Not Taken Essay -- English Literature Essays

Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken Robert Frost’s â€Å"The Road Not Taken† is a symbolic poem of the complications people must face in the course of their lives. Although it is not difficult to understand the meaning of the poem through it’s title, it is however hard to interpret what the author means when he describes the roads. Throughout the poem, the two roads appear similar at times and different at others. He uses free imagery to make his poem more complex for the audience. In the first stanza, Frost attempts to do many things: he illustrates the setting; he describes the roads; and he explains the significance of the roads. The setting of the poem is drawn in a yellow wood, which suggests that it is autumn. In the following line, â€Å"And I’m sorry I could not travel both/and be one traveler long I stood/and looked down one as far as I could/to where it bent in the undergrowth†, the narrator shows his regret that he could only take one (Frost,HO). This demonstrates to the reader that the roads are of great importance, and because he can only travel one it will leave him forever wondering about what it would be like if he had took the other. The narrator spent a lot of time choosing which path to take. After he studied the first road cautiously, he examined the second one. At first he is more attracted to the second road because â€Å"it was grassy and wanted wear† which meant that it was less traveled by (Frost,HO). To say that the path â€Å"wanted wear† is a personification (Frost,HO). It gives the road the human characteristic of wanting. After evaluating both roads, he decides that they are equal. He then states that they are really worn about the same. This gives the reader something to think about. If the two roads were utter... ... one he did. Frost gives just enough details in his writing to provide the viewers with a clear picture but allows them the freedom to create their own interpretations. One of the main things that make this poem attractive is the dilemma of picking a path. People immediately relate to that dilemma because most people face it numerous times throughout their lives. The Paths in the woods and forks in roads are metaphors for the many problems and decisions that fill one’s life. This poem says that we are free to choose, but we do not really know what we are choosing between. It does not say to take the path less traveled by nor take the path that is more traveled. The speaker knows that he will either second guess the decision somewhere down the line or wonder what was down the other path. In reality there is no right path, only the chosen path and the other path. Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken Essay -- English Literature Essays Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken Robert Frost’s â€Å"The Road Not Taken† is a symbolic poem of the complications people must face in the course of their lives. Although it is not difficult to understand the meaning of the poem through it’s title, it is however hard to interpret what the author means when he describes the roads. Throughout the poem, the two roads appear similar at times and different at others. He uses free imagery to make his poem more complex for the audience. In the first stanza, Frost attempts to do many things: he illustrates the setting; he describes the roads; and he explains the significance of the roads. The setting of the poem is drawn in a yellow wood, which suggests that it is autumn. In the following line, â€Å"And I’m sorry I could not travel both/and be one traveler long I stood/and looked down one as far as I could/to where it bent in the undergrowth†, the narrator shows his regret that he could only take one (Frost,HO). This demonstrates to the reader that the roads are of great importance, and because he can only travel one it will leave him forever wondering about what it would be like if he had took the other. The narrator spent a lot of time choosing which path to take. After he studied the first road cautiously, he examined the second one. At first he is more attracted to the second road because â€Å"it was grassy and wanted wear† which meant that it was less traveled by (Frost,HO). To say that the path â€Å"wanted wear† is a personification (Frost,HO). It gives the road the human characteristic of wanting. After evaluating both roads, he decides that they are equal. He then states that they are really worn about the same. This gives the reader something to think about. If the two roads were utter... ... one he did. Frost gives just enough details in his writing to provide the viewers with a clear picture but allows them the freedom to create their own interpretations. One of the main things that make this poem attractive is the dilemma of picking a path. People immediately relate to that dilemma because most people face it numerous times throughout their lives. The Paths in the woods and forks in roads are metaphors for the many problems and decisions that fill one’s life. This poem says that we are free to choose, but we do not really know what we are choosing between. It does not say to take the path less traveled by nor take the path that is more traveled. The speaker knows that he will either second guess the decision somewhere down the line or wonder what was down the other path. In reality there is no right path, only the chosen path and the other path.

Investment: Time Value of Money Essay

Investment is the use of money for a future financial gain. Investments may come in the form of shares of stock, life insurance, government bonds, or putting up a savings account. Every investment decision has its underlying risks and uncertainties. Various factors can affect investment decisions and outcomes such as annuities and time value of money. Money has a time value. A dollar now is worth more than a dollar to be received at any later date. Many economic decisions involve investing money now in the hope of receiving more money later on. Various economic factors affect the time value of money such as risk, inflation, opportunity cost, and others. According to Robert C. Higgins (1999), â€Å"time value of money exists for at least three reasons†. Robert C. Higgins (1999) stated that â€Å"inflation reduces the purchasing power of future dollars relative to current ones, uncertainties surrounding the receipt of dollar increases as the date of receipt draw away, and because of the presence of opportunity cost†. In economics, inflation is a decline in the value of money in relation to the goods and services it can buy. Inflation can affect time value of money and investment decisions. Due to inflation, borrowers usually benefit while lenders suffer, because mortgage, personal, business, and government loans are paid with money that loses purchasing power over time (Encarta, 2004). It is important to understand however, that borrowers only benefit when the inflation is unexpected, when inflation is expected by creditors, the interest rate they charges rises to compensate for the unexpected decline in the purchasing power of the principal loan (Encarta, 1999). Risk or financial risk is defined as the possibility of loss in an investment. Investment decisions involve some type of risk because of the time value of money. Lenders should take into consideration various factors before extending credit such as the borrower’s ability to pay or collaterals. Interest rates on loans can also be based on the degree of risk involved. The higher the risk involved the higher interest rate. On the other hand, lower interest is imposed on low-risk loans. As mentioned above, investment decisions has its underlying risk and uncertainties, therefore before making investment decisions it is important to understand the risks and uncertainties involved. Opportunity cost is defined as the expected income on the next best alternative or the income foregone if an investor chooses one action over another (Higgins, 1999). A dollar today is worth more than a dollar in the future since money today can be invested for it to double in the future. Opportunity cost depends on what action is to be considered. Before making decisions, an investor must first look for and obtain an understanding of all the available alternative courses of action. After determining the various alternatives, the differential effects of each alternative should be considered to avoid potential problems in the future. Interest is the payment made for the use of another person’s money and is regarded as a payment made for capital (Encarta, 2004). Interest can be affected by economic factors such as inflation. When interest is computed based on the principal amount, it is called simple interest. However, when interest is computed not only on the principal amount but also on the cumulative total of past interest payments, the process of interest computation is now called compounding. Compounding is the process of determining the future value of a present sum (Higgins, 1999). The interest rate used on compounding is called the compound interest rate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Discounting, on the other hand is the exact opposite of compounding. Discounting is the process of finding the present value of a future sum (Higgins, 1999). The interest rate used in discounting is called the discount rate. The amount of money to be received in a future date is usually a combination of the original investment and the interest on that investment. Discounts are rewards or considerations given on the purchase of negotiable instruments such as bills of exchange and promissory notes in advance of their maturity date. When these negotiable instruments are said to be discounted, discounts are regarded as advance collection of interest on the loans. An annuity is a type of investment that can provide a steady stream of income over along period of time (Understanding annuities, 2006). Annuity is an annual allowance, payment, or income derived from funds especially designated for the purpose (Encarta, 2004). At times, it is required to compute for the present value of a series of equal amounts to be received at the end of a series of years. Annuity earnings grow tax-deferred and are usually purchased by investors who are primarily concerned with limiting their taxes (Understanding annuities, 2006). The rule of 72 is a method of estimating an investment’s doubling time or halving time (Rule of 72, 2006). The Rule of 72 estimates the number of years it takes for an investment’s value to double at a specific interest rate or rate of return and the result can be obtained by dividing the expected growth rate into 72 to determine the number of years it will take to double. By taking into consideration the rule of 72, investors can assess the length of time in which their investment can double and to determine if their investments are feasible. Investing involves the decision of committing resources such as money for a period of time. Evaluating investment decisions involve the determination and assessment of the possible inherent risks and uncertainties. An effective investing decision requires a consideration of the time value of money. References Encarta Reference Library 2004. Microsoft Corporation Higgins, R. (1999). Analysis for financial management. Evaluating investment opportunities (pp 231-266). Washington. Irwin McGraw Hill. Rule of 72 (2006). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved December 3, 2006 from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruleof72 Understanding annuities (2006). Retrieved December 3, 2006 from: http://www.tdi.state.tx.us/consumer/cb078.html   

Bismarck’s Foreign policy was a Success Essay

The balance of power in Europe had been suddenly altered after the German victory over France in 1871. The resultant German Empire, with its large population great economic power, strong army and extensive resources, looked clear to be an important factor in international relations. However, even for Bismarck this looked set to be a challenge, due to the need not only to establish the Empire as a nation, but to also found an external security that would prove to be vital throughout his reign as Chancellor. Although was this set policy an overall success? Bismarck’s main objectives in the proposal of the instituted policies were to isolate France in Europe; maintain the balance of peace on the continent – particularly between Austria and Russia, who Bismarck feared would come to blows over the escalating problems in the Balkans – as well as maintaining his secured German territory; avoid fighting a war on two fronts and the Chancellor also desired, perhaps greedily, to have the control and power of two other powers in Europe as well as in Germany. The ideal for Bismarck was to establish a run of successful policies to achieve these goals and thus substantiate Germany as both the most powerful and influential of the Great Powers in Europe. The immediate problem in Bismarck’s international relations appeared to be the threat of the new French Republic. The government still viewed Bismarck’s German Empire with resentment after its defeat, and then the loss of Alsace-Lorraine, to Germany, which for the state not only meant the loss of valuable territory, but also represented the demise of French supremacy in Europe. However, France was in no real state to seek her revenge alone and knew, just as well as Bismarck, that an alliance was her only hope. Furthermore not only did Bismarck need to deal with this to ensure success in his foreign policy, but he felt that there was great diplomatic value in being able to count both Austria-Hungary and Russia as friends. Yet once again this was not without its difficulties, as the sensitive situation in the Balkans had led to rivalry between the states as to who would eventually gain power in the area after the demise of the Ottoman Empire. This in turn led to the declaration of a series of both lucrative and ineffective policies. In answer to his search for friendship with Austria and Russia to deal with both his desire for friendship with the two Great Powers and aid his plan for the isolation of France, Bismarck met with the state leaders and an agreement for the ‘Dreikaiserbund’ (Three Emperors League) was set in 1873. Although quite vague, the bill was a short-term success for Bismarck, as it allowed him to isolate France without causing suspicion and meant he could avoid making a choice between Austria and Russia. The powers had agreed that matters of common interest would be consulted, which was also of great interest to Bismarck as it meant a better understanding between the nations had been instituted causing Bismarck to believe that in the case of a war with France he would have the support of Austria and Russia. Further successes for Bismarck in terms of foreign policy were the Dual Alliance of 1879 and the Three Emperors Alliance of 1881. In response to Russia’s rejection of the Three Emperors League, Bismarck negotiated an alliance with Austria. Such a grouping strengthened both the nations power in the case of a war with Russia, although Austria agreed that in the case of a war with France she would remain neutral, thus resulting in the isolation of France but the reinforcement of German power. However, although the Chancellor decided it was best kept secret from Russia – though they did discover the details of the arrangement – he did not regard the alliance as a final choice between Austria and Russia. Therefore the alliance in fact meant more to Austria who had finally escaped the diplomatic isolation she had suffered since the Crimean War. On the other hand, after Russia’s discovery of the Dual Alliance, and the realisation of her isolation in Europe, she turned back to Germany and the result was a more specific revision of the past Dreikaiserbund. Once more this was successful for Bismarck in that it isolated France and prevented the situation of having to choose between Austria and Russia. The final of Bismarck’s foreign policies also secured successes for the Chancellor. The Triple Alliance of 1882 between Germany, Austria and Italy reassured Bismarck that unless a Franco-Russian alliance was formed then the prospect of war from either nation whilst standing alone could be easily contained. This alliance was, from Bismarck’s viewpoint, aimed directly towards the segregation of France, as he was aware that she could not, and so would not attack Germany single-handedly. However, yet again the Dreikaiserbund was destroyed in 1885 due to further problems in the Balkans, and it became clear that disputes in this area were unlikely to ever be fully resolved. This time Bismarck needed to desperately to avoid the prospect of a war on two fronts. This concluded in the Reinsurance Treaty of 1887, which tried to localize the problem by assuring Russia that Bismarck would not support Austria in a clash over the Balkans territory. By documenting that in the case of a war between two of the powers that the remaining power would remain neutral, Bismarck succeeded in both preventing a war on two fronts and obtaining the neutrality he desired. Lastly, Bismarck’s final foreign policy, the Second Mediterranean Agreement of 1887, was mainly successful for due to the fact that he merely sponsored the act and did not become involved in its negotiations. By encouraging the agreement Bismarck managed to restrain Russia from assuming a provocative position in the Balkans, thus preventing both the possibility of a war between Austria and Russia as well as Bismarck from perhaps having to choose between the two. However, these policies only ensured short-term successes for Germany and perhaps from the failures we can see that some of the long lasting effects of Bismarck’s policies were more serious. The first major failure in Bismarck’s foreign policy was in his handling of the ‘War in Sight Crisis’ of 1875 when the French recovery and rearmament provoked Germany into a diplomatic crisis, this then escalated out of control, with the Chancellor prohibiting any trade with France and the papers predicting war. Finally Bismarck himself raised the spectre of war, which resulted in condemnation from Britain and Russia, and the realisation for Bismarck that a war on two fronts remained a possibility and that the other powers were suspicious of him and would not tolerate a growth in German power. The incident also failed in that Germany was forced to reassure France war was not a possibility, thus not only failing to isolate France but causing Bismarck great diplomatic humiliation throughout the continent. This is furthermore evidence that the Three Emperors League failed Bismarck, as it did not give him the support from Russia he had believed would be obtained from such an agreement. Further humiliation for Bismarck came in 1878 in the form of the Congress of Berlin. Russia was forced to choose between a war with Britain or a revision of the proposed San Stefano Treaty concerning the Balkans. Although Germany remained neutral throughout the conference, this resulted in the Dreikaiserbund being dissolved, as Russia had hoped she could rely on Germany’s support, which was denied. Russia later blamed Bismarck for her diplomatic defeat and referred to the fiasco 1†³ a coalition of the European powers against Russia under the leadership of Prince Bismarck†. Yet this was not the Conferences only failure as Bismarck had also failed to maintain the peace within Europe, thus making an enemy of Russia, and in the long-term the problems in the Balkans remained unresolved. While successful in some ways for Bismarck’s foreign policy, the Three Emperors League was only short-term and failed to secure solutions to the enduring difficulties in the demising Ottoman Empire. This is also similar of the effects of the Triple Alliance, Reinsurance Treaty and Second Mediterranean Agreement, which though too had their success failed to obtain any long-term solutions. The Triple Alliance failed to prevent a war on two fronts from Russia and France, as Italy was not a strong military ally able to match the combined forces of France and Russia, thus leaving Germany in a vulnerable position. The Reinsurance Treaty was very similar in that it was only short-term as France and Russia did eventually join in the ‘Entente’. Bismarck further created himself problems, as the Second Mediterranean Agreement left him with no alliance to Russia, and so creating possible problems for the future. Finally by the end of Bismarck’s office in 1890 France still viewed Germany with contempt and searched for revenge, while the situation in the Balkans continued to flare as did the tension between Austria and Russia. This leads me to believe that although Bismarck’s foreign policy was successful in achieving his main objectives and solving problems in the short-term, all they did for the long-term was to simply delay the problems rather than resolving them. The Chancellor in fact made it difficult to maintain neutrality over the Balkans crisis in the long-term and it could even be said that too many alliances were made in an effort to obtain his goals, that it became too difficult to retain such a documented relationship with the other powers, and that perhaps Bismarck did not leave himself enough loose ends to play with the policies in the way he saw fit. Conclusively, it was probably an advantage for Bismarck that he left office in 1890, as it left Kaiser William II with the resulting problems to resolve and he was able to leave behind the tangle of long-term problems he had created. Bibliography: * The Unification of Germany 1815-90 – Andrina Stiles * Challenging History – European Powers 1815-1890 Plan Intro – Germany’s political and economic situation in Europe post unification – 1871 Paragraph 1 – Bismarck’s main objectives in foreign policy and immediate problems he faced in Europe i.e. French desired revenge desire to isolate France etc Paragraph 2 – Success in foreign policy e.g. prevented having to choose between Austria and Russia due to Dreikaiserbund Paragraph 3 – Failures in foreign policy e.g. Congress of Berlin caused breakdown of Dreikaiserbund Conclusion – Was Bismarck’s foreign policy a success? NO – only solved problems in the short-term and created further problems for the long-term 1 Challenging History – European Powers 1815-1890