Was Nasser good for Egypt? Is he the "charismatic and dynamic president that put Egypt back on the map?"
I believe, after reading Sources A through F and looking at the image in Source G, that Nasser was the "charismatic and dynamic president that put Egypt back on the map." Charismatic is a characteristic that refers to someone's ability to influence people and attract people to them, and it is very evident from 4 of the sources. Source C (obituary headline) says that he had "Hypnotic Power" over the Egyptians, which can be seen because he was able to create a number of changes during only his 18 years of leadership. Source E (from a book by an Egyptian writer) says he "signaled to the nation and it awoke; signaled to the army and it moved.." and so on, showing his great influential ways and the fact that he had power and control and was able to achieve. This source even mentions the word charisma. Source F (by another Egyptian writer) states that he "overwhelmed us with his magic", so it's evident from all of this, plus the fact that Source F mentions that Egypt had the strongest military in the Middle East, that at least from the Egyptian perspective (and regarding the matter, their perspective matters most), Nasser was influential, great, and had turned Egypt into a notable country, given that he increased military power significantly, was able to get rid of the monarchy, and according to Source A (Amin Howeidi), loved the common man. Source D, from the Minister of Public Health, calls Nasser "considerate, frank and decisive". It doesn't appear that, although his place on the political spectrum was relatively far to the left and he was trying to align Egypt with the Communist world, that he was that detrimental and it seems, at least from the perspective of an Egyptian as well as my perspective as an outsider, that he seems to have made something out of Egypt. The only setback, and counterclaim, being what Source B refers to when it mentions that Egypt was not victorious in war in 1967 (and this statement also came from an Egyptian, Hussein Dhu'l Fiqar Sabri, who wrote to an Egyptian weekly newspaper in 1975). So Nasser did have his weaknesses as well and might have overestimated Egypt's power, even though he had made progress and he was liked overall. This is evident also in Source G, given the picture of his funeral shows that many, many people attended.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Films in PostWar Britain, March 18, 2011.
Sources;
http://www.totalfilm.com/shadows-of-progress-documentary-films-in-post-war-britain-1951-77
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0216205/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Williams
The Shadow of Progress, a British documentary directed and written by Derek Williams in 1970, outlines the pollution of natural resources and the misuse of technology in Britain in the 1960s and 1970s. It was a multi-award winning documentary and its main focus was on environmental issues, which are directly connected with the increase of industrialization (which is what would have made the society more technologically advanced and expanded the consumer industry) as well as the need for greater energy as technology advanced. This connects back to the song "Lost in the Supermarket", by the Clash, as that song outlines the increasingly superfluous nature of the consumer industry. It is also known that with time came cars that required more fuel, bigger stores were being built, and the nature of innovation and change affected the quality of life for many people, but with this came the beginning of environmental concerns. The use of the word "progress" in the title of this documentary does represent the known progress in Britain and the negative side of industrialization, and the fact that the society was becoming more technologically advanced and innovative, which is related to the consumer industry and its changes, but the idea of the documentary is actually the OTHER side of it, as it outlines the effect that these changes had on the environment, hence the word "shadow" in the title (it was the hidden side of the progress that most were not giving as much mind to). So in a way, this documentary does demonstrate the mindset of Britain at the time, since the director of this documentary felt the need to bring to light the effects of "progress" that were taking place, giving the public the other side.
"The film exposed the consequences of industrialisation, particularly with regard to pollution, though coming prior to the identification of global warming, its focus is more on the visual impact and damage to wild-life and the lived environment. Over 1,900 copies of the film were printed and circulated in a number of languages and the film was twice shown by the BBC on prime time."
http://www.totalfilm.com/shadows-of-progress-documentary-films-in-post-war-britain-1951-77
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0216205/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Williams
The Shadow of Progress, a British documentary directed and written by Derek Williams in 1970, outlines the pollution of natural resources and the misuse of technology in Britain in the 1960s and 1970s. It was a multi-award winning documentary and its main focus was on environmental issues, which are directly connected with the increase of industrialization (which is what would have made the society more technologically advanced and expanded the consumer industry) as well as the need for greater energy as technology advanced. This connects back to the song "Lost in the Supermarket", by the Clash, as that song outlines the increasingly superfluous nature of the consumer industry. It is also known that with time came cars that required more fuel, bigger stores were being built, and the nature of innovation and change affected the quality of life for many people, but with this came the beginning of environmental concerns. The use of the word "progress" in the title of this documentary does represent the known progress in Britain and the negative side of industrialization, and the fact that the society was becoming more technologically advanced and innovative, which is related to the consumer industry and its changes, but the idea of the documentary is actually the OTHER side of it, as it outlines the effect that these changes had on the environment, hence the word "shadow" in the title (it was the hidden side of the progress that most were not giving as much mind to). So in a way, this documentary does demonstrate the mindset of Britain at the time, since the director of this documentary felt the need to bring to light the effects of "progress" that were taking place, giving the public the other side.
"The film exposed the consequences of industrialisation, particularly with regard to pollution, though coming prior to the identification of global warming, its focus is more on the visual impact and damage to wild-life and the lived environment. Over 1,900 copies of the film were printed and circulated in a number of languages and the film was twice shown by the BBC on prime time."
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Case Study Questions, March 17, 2011.
1. Explain the following references:
a. "a state of prosperity" (source A) - this refers to the fact that the country was experiencing a cultural and economic boom, in particular at this time there was an increase in literature, music, and television in a way that made the culture seem far more modern and innovative.
b. "a mother's little helper" (source B) - this is a tongue-in-cheek reference to a housewife dealing with a demanding husband and bratty children.
2. Compare and contrast the views of Britain's consumer society expressed in Sources A and C.
Source A presents the idea of the state of Britain's consumer society as a positive, and a time where everyone is happy and benefiting. The source states "Most of our people have never had it so good", which implies that the new innovations are something that everyone is happy about (things such as shopping offers and consumer goods). The reference to a state of prosperity furthers this idea. On the other hand, Source C presents the other point of view, that which all of this is excess, hence "I can no longer shop happily" and "Long distance callers make long distance calls and the silence makes me lonely". It sounds as if this point of view is that there is nothing personally gained and that Britain's consumer society is rich in goods and things to buy and do, but that there is less intrinsic value and contrary to Source A, not everyone is happy about it. However, the thing both sources have in common is that they both acknowledge that there has been change.
3. Assess the origin, purpose, value, and limitations of sources A and C as historical documents.
Source A is a speech to a rally of Conservative supporters, made by Prime Minister Harold MacMillan in 1957. The purpose of this portion of the speech is to demonstrate that there have been positive changes in Britain and that the people are happy and that everything seems financially sound. The value of this to someone looking at it as a historical document is that it does acknowledge change, and that there was indeed some sort of cultural/economic change that indeed made some people happy. It provides context and gives one an idea of how some people in Britain felt about the changes. The limitation, however, is that this is only one portion of the speech, thus it is unknown if other valuable information was stated before, and also the most important limitation is that the speaker is assessing other people's happiness ("our people have never had it so good"), when that is subjective and depends on how many people you survey and ask. I think as a historical document, this has some value but the limitations make it more of an opinion or one point of view than a fact.
Source C is part of the song "Lost in the Supermarket", by the Clash, from 1979. The purpose was to convey the other side of all of the changes to Britain's consumer society, and the fact that not everyone was necessarily happy about it, as the speaker in the song is not. The value is that this is one other point of view that works contrary to that in Source A, but similarly to Source A, the limitation encountered is that it is someone's opinion and shows their PERSONAL feelings ("I can no longer shop happily", for instance). Also, this was a song that was written most likely in part with the purpose of sales and profit, so it is unknown if this is entirely how the writer of the song felt, or if they presented a point of view that would sell. Additionally you must consider that with songs come rhyme scheme and keeping a meter, so the choice of words might depend on that more than trying to prove a point in some places. This is, like Source A, valuable as context more than as fact.
4. Using these Sources and further research, evaluate the consumer economy as it developed in Britain between the years 1950 and 1980.
The consumer economy of Britain had greatly increased over these years, as evidenced by the increase of television, literature, and music which can be seen as culturally enriching. This is evident in Source C most of all, with references to long distance calls, and supermarkets with "special offers" and "coupons" as well as "all the programmes" on TV. This sounds like a society that has become more filled with things that customers could purchase, watch, see etc. American music also became popular in the UK, too. The film industry is an example; during the 1950s and 1960s in Britain, more films were made that were directed toward younger audiences, which brought about the increase of young people who went to the movies and purchased films. This is just one example. Additionally it is important to note that there were poorer industrial relations and vocational trading, so the economy was still at risk and the British had relatively low growth during this period overall, hence making the statement that the British had "never had it so good" seem very hollow.
Source: http://webspace.webring.com/people/gj/jlinwood/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_history_of_the_United_Kingdom#1960.E2.80.931979:_the_Sixties_and_Seventies
a. "a state of prosperity" (source A) - this refers to the fact that the country was experiencing a cultural and economic boom, in particular at this time there was an increase in literature, music, and television in a way that made the culture seem far more modern and innovative.
b. "a mother's little helper" (source B) - this is a tongue-in-cheek reference to a housewife dealing with a demanding husband and bratty children.
2. Compare and contrast the views of Britain's consumer society expressed in Sources A and C.
Source A presents the idea of the state of Britain's consumer society as a positive, and a time where everyone is happy and benefiting. The source states "Most of our people have never had it so good", which implies that the new innovations are something that everyone is happy about (things such as shopping offers and consumer goods). The reference to a state of prosperity furthers this idea. On the other hand, Source C presents the other point of view, that which all of this is excess, hence "I can no longer shop happily" and "Long distance callers make long distance calls and the silence makes me lonely". It sounds as if this point of view is that there is nothing personally gained and that Britain's consumer society is rich in goods and things to buy and do, but that there is less intrinsic value and contrary to Source A, not everyone is happy about it. However, the thing both sources have in common is that they both acknowledge that there has been change.
3. Assess the origin, purpose, value, and limitations of sources A and C as historical documents.
Source A is a speech to a rally of Conservative supporters, made by Prime Minister Harold MacMillan in 1957. The purpose of this portion of the speech is to demonstrate that there have been positive changes in Britain and that the people are happy and that everything seems financially sound. The value of this to someone looking at it as a historical document is that it does acknowledge change, and that there was indeed some sort of cultural/economic change that indeed made some people happy. It provides context and gives one an idea of how some people in Britain felt about the changes. The limitation, however, is that this is only one portion of the speech, thus it is unknown if other valuable information was stated before, and also the most important limitation is that the speaker is assessing other people's happiness ("our people have never had it so good"), when that is subjective and depends on how many people you survey and ask. I think as a historical document, this has some value but the limitations make it more of an opinion or one point of view than a fact.
Source C is part of the song "Lost in the Supermarket", by the Clash, from 1979. The purpose was to convey the other side of all of the changes to Britain's consumer society, and the fact that not everyone was necessarily happy about it, as the speaker in the song is not. The value is that this is one other point of view that works contrary to that in Source A, but similarly to Source A, the limitation encountered is that it is someone's opinion and shows their PERSONAL feelings ("I can no longer shop happily", for instance). Also, this was a song that was written most likely in part with the purpose of sales and profit, so it is unknown if this is entirely how the writer of the song felt, or if they presented a point of view that would sell. Additionally you must consider that with songs come rhyme scheme and keeping a meter, so the choice of words might depend on that more than trying to prove a point in some places. This is, like Source A, valuable as context more than as fact.
4. Using these Sources and further research, evaluate the consumer economy as it developed in Britain between the years 1950 and 1980.
The consumer economy of Britain had greatly increased over these years, as evidenced by the increase of television, literature, and music which can be seen as culturally enriching. This is evident in Source C most of all, with references to long distance calls, and supermarkets with "special offers" and "coupons" as well as "all the programmes" on TV. This sounds like a society that has become more filled with things that customers could purchase, watch, see etc. American music also became popular in the UK, too. The film industry is an example; during the 1950s and 1960s in Britain, more films were made that were directed toward younger audiences, which brought about the increase of young people who went to the movies and purchased films. This is just one example. Additionally it is important to note that there were poorer industrial relations and vocational trading, so the economy was still at risk and the British had relatively low growth during this period overall, hence making the statement that the British had "never had it so good" seem very hollow.
Source: http://webspace.webring.com/people/gj/jlinwood/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_history_of_the_United_Kingdom#1960.E2.80.931979:_the_Sixties_and_Seventies
Monday, March 14, 2011
UK Case Study, Education Questions, Questions 1, 2, 3.
1. Compare and contrast the views of educational change in the period after 1945 presented by these sources.
The views of the educational system differ between these sources. Source A outlines that the educational system promoted creativity moreso than just drilling information into people's heads by memorization, which definitely demonstrates a more "recent" (for lack of a better word) approach to education, since we think of this approach as innovative and recent. It describes the educational system as "relaxed, informal, with an emphasis on creativity rather than barrack-room drilling." Source B outlines that educational methods and standards have improved, but that such education is "disproportionally accessible" to the most advantaged of British society, showing that although the educational system did improve, not everyone had access to it, which makes it seem as if there was not as much of an advantage to these changes as one would think from Source A. Source C outlines academic performance differences between working-class and middle-class students, and lends support to Source B's assertion that the higher of class you were, the more access to education you'd have - Source C states that middle-class children performed better academically than working-class children (who would have had less access to educational opportunities). Assuming both sources B and C are accurate, it seems evident that Source A doesn't mention the fact that the reformed educational system was not evenly accessible to all.
2. Research the structure of the British school system in the period 1900-1945. What elements remained unchanged after 1945?
The British school system underwent several changes in the late 1800s, as well as others in the first half of the 20th century. One of these was the Balfour Act, which replaced school boards with Local Education Authorities that are still in use today. Secondary education was made compulsory up to age 14, as well. The 1944 Act, also known as the Butler Act, established the Tripartite System, It defined the grammar school as the place of education for the academically gifted (with entrance determined by a selection exam. Initially this was the "Scholarship" exam, which was later replaced by a "Grading Test", later replaced by the 11+ examination. Children who did not pass the selection test attended technical schools or secondary modern schools. Elements that remained unchanged after 1945 include the role of Local Education Authorities, in England and Wales, as well as the mandatory nature of school attendance. However other changes have taken place in the British educational system, mostly from the period of 1975-2000, including the Education Reform Act of 1988 which introduced the National Curriculum amongst other reforms. It's also important to note that the educational systems in different parts of the United Kingdom differ, and that what I stated above is mostly true for England and Wales.
3. Using these sources and further research evaluate the educational changes in the period 1945-2000 in terms of the effect on the social structure of Britain.
The educational system, particularly the Tripartite System, came under criticism following 1945, with many considering it elitist. The Work Experience Act of 1973 led to the introduction of middle schools, of which there are now fewer than 400 middle schools across England and Wales, which is not a lot if you think about it. The Education (Work Experience) Act increased the legal leaving age of school from 15 to 16, and the goal of this was to try to lower the number of students who left school, and employment in heavy industry and artisan trades has declined since the 1970s, showing a definite correlation between education and professions. Since heavy industry and artisan trades are often associated with working-class, it would seem that the social structure of Britain was altered in that social mobility has become increasingly possible since. Since 1997, further emphasis has been put on tailoring education to each child's ability. Other changes have been made, but it seems to me that since 93.7% of British are enrolled in secondary education and 26% obtain tertiary education, and I highly doubt all of these individuals are upper class, it becomes evident that education has become more accessible to the general population and that it will continue to do so in the future. Tertiary education refers primarily to colleges, universities, and technical institutions, and if 26% are attending them, you have to figure that they have to come from a variety of financial backgrounds, given that 26% of the British cannot reasonably be upper class/wealthy/rich but probably a mixture of upper, middle, and working class. The limitation of this assertion is that I can't find specific statistics that break down that 26% any further, but common sense would suggest they are not solely upper class.
Sources: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1973/16/contents
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_education_in_England
http://www.nationmaster.com/country/uk-united-kingdom/edu-education
The views of the educational system differ between these sources. Source A outlines that the educational system promoted creativity moreso than just drilling information into people's heads by memorization, which definitely demonstrates a more "recent" (for lack of a better word) approach to education, since we think of this approach as innovative and recent. It describes the educational system as "relaxed, informal, with an emphasis on creativity rather than barrack-room drilling." Source B outlines that educational methods and standards have improved, but that such education is "disproportionally accessible" to the most advantaged of British society, showing that although the educational system did improve, not everyone had access to it, which makes it seem as if there was not as much of an advantage to these changes as one would think from Source A. Source C outlines academic performance differences between working-class and middle-class students, and lends support to Source B's assertion that the higher of class you were, the more access to education you'd have - Source C states that middle-class children performed better academically than working-class children (who would have had less access to educational opportunities). Assuming both sources B and C are accurate, it seems evident that Source A doesn't mention the fact that the reformed educational system was not evenly accessible to all.
2. Research the structure of the British school system in the period 1900-1945. What elements remained unchanged after 1945?
The British school system underwent several changes in the late 1800s, as well as others in the first half of the 20th century. One of these was the Balfour Act, which replaced school boards with Local Education Authorities that are still in use today. Secondary education was made compulsory up to age 14, as well. The 1944 Act, also known as the Butler Act, established the Tripartite System, It defined the grammar school as the place of education for the academically gifted (with entrance determined by a selection exam. Initially this was the "Scholarship" exam, which was later replaced by a "Grading Test", later replaced by the 11+ examination. Children who did not pass the selection test attended technical schools or secondary modern schools. Elements that remained unchanged after 1945 include the role of Local Education Authorities, in England and Wales, as well as the mandatory nature of school attendance. However other changes have taken place in the British educational system, mostly from the period of 1975-2000, including the Education Reform Act of 1988 which introduced the National Curriculum amongst other reforms. It's also important to note that the educational systems in different parts of the United Kingdom differ, and that what I stated above is mostly true for England and Wales.
3. Using these sources and further research evaluate the educational changes in the period 1945-2000 in terms of the effect on the social structure of Britain.
The educational system, particularly the Tripartite System, came under criticism following 1945, with many considering it elitist. The Work Experience Act of 1973 led to the introduction of middle schools, of which there are now fewer than 400 middle schools across England and Wales, which is not a lot if you think about it. The Education (Work Experience) Act increased the legal leaving age of school from 15 to 16, and the goal of this was to try to lower the number of students who left school, and employment in heavy industry and artisan trades has declined since the 1970s, showing a definite correlation between education and professions. Since heavy industry and artisan trades are often associated with working-class, it would seem that the social structure of Britain was altered in that social mobility has become increasingly possible since. Since 1997, further emphasis has been put on tailoring education to each child's ability. Other changes have been made, but it seems to me that since 93.7% of British are enrolled in secondary education and 26% obtain tertiary education, and I highly doubt all of these individuals are upper class, it becomes evident that education has become more accessible to the general population and that it will continue to do so in the future. Tertiary education refers primarily to colleges, universities, and technical institutions, and if 26% are attending them, you have to figure that they have to come from a variety of financial backgrounds, given that 26% of the British cannot reasonably be upper class/wealthy/rich but probably a mixture of upper, middle, and working class. The limitation of this assertion is that I can't find specific statistics that break down that 26% any further, but common sense would suggest they are not solely upper class.
Sources: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1973/16/contents
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_education_in_England
http://www.nationmaster.com/country/uk-united-kingdom/edu-education
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Gender Inequality in Britain, Questions 1, 2, 3. March 2, 2011.
1. How has the role of women in British politics changed since 1945?
The role of women in British politics has changed significantly in the last 70 years. Around that time, less than 1/5 of British women had jobs, so it would figure that even LESS would be involved in politics, yet today, 22% of the MPs of the House of Commons and 20% of the members of the House of Lords are women, when around 100 years ago, there were none. Granted, this isn't saying that nearly 1/4 of British women are invovled in politics since that's not true, but around 1/4 or 1/5 of British politicians today appear to be women. So while the vast majority of people involved in British politics are men, women are starting to play a more important role, unlike 50-100 years ago when a woman's place in society was often disregarded simply because she was a woman.
2. To what extent did the election of Margaret Thatcher as the first woman prime minister affect the role of women in British society?
Margaret Thatcher's election as the first female prime minister of Britain affected the role of women in British society because she became a role model for British women with political aspirations, and she, being the first female prime minister, began to give women hope in the fact that it was possible to achieve what she did despite the way women were often viewed as less capable than men, and she also made significant changes to Britain in general that showed the general public that a woman was capable of political change. A quote from a British newspaper said "She changed the sense of embarrassment that Britons felt toward the concepts of productivity and profit. She changed British reliance of manufacturing industry just in time, inaugurating the services and information technology industry revolutions." It gave women hope to know that a woman could have such profound influence.
3. How has the evolution of religion in post war Britain affected reproductive rights?
In post-war Britain, several changes were made that are considered 'liberal' changes, for instance the legality of abortion in 1967. It is believed that this, along with other changes such as the effort to obtain gender equality as well as the fact that homosexuality was no longer illegal, coincides with the fact that fewer people went to church. By the 1990s, only 1 in 7 people responded to a survey that they do go to church, and formal professions of faith have become less important amongst those who identified themselves as believers, showing that it is possible that these liberal changes could have also been due to a lesser influence of a collective body of believers, such as a church, on people's minds, since a lot of people identified themselves as believers who don't go to church, or non-believers altogether. The Abortion Act in 1967 made abortion legal, and was at the time considered one of the most liberal abortion laws in Europe, and it allowed for abortion under the following circumstances; to save the woman's life, to prevent grave damage to the woman's physical or mental health, under 28 weeks to prevent damage to the mother, under 28 weeks to prevent damage to the woman's existing children, and if the child was likely to be severely mentally or physically handicapped. Before 1967, legal abortion in Britain was unheard of.
The role of women in British politics has changed significantly in the last 70 years. Around that time, less than 1/5 of British women had jobs, so it would figure that even LESS would be involved in politics, yet today, 22% of the MPs of the House of Commons and 20% of the members of the House of Lords are women, when around 100 years ago, there were none. Granted, this isn't saying that nearly 1/4 of British women are invovled in politics since that's not true, but around 1/4 or 1/5 of British politicians today appear to be women. So while the vast majority of people involved in British politics are men, women are starting to play a more important role, unlike 50-100 years ago when a woman's place in society was often disregarded simply because she was a woman.
2. To what extent did the election of Margaret Thatcher as the first woman prime minister affect the role of women in British society?
Margaret Thatcher's election as the first female prime minister of Britain affected the role of women in British society because she became a role model for British women with political aspirations, and she, being the first female prime minister, began to give women hope in the fact that it was possible to achieve what she did despite the way women were often viewed as less capable than men, and she also made significant changes to Britain in general that showed the general public that a woman was capable of political change. A quote from a British newspaper said "She changed the sense of embarrassment that Britons felt toward the concepts of productivity and profit. She changed British reliance of manufacturing industry just in time, inaugurating the services and information technology industry revolutions." It gave women hope to know that a woman could have such profound influence.
3. How has the evolution of religion in post war Britain affected reproductive rights?
In post-war Britain, several changes were made that are considered 'liberal' changes, for instance the legality of abortion in 1967. It is believed that this, along with other changes such as the effort to obtain gender equality as well as the fact that homosexuality was no longer illegal, coincides with the fact that fewer people went to church. By the 1990s, only 1 in 7 people responded to a survey that they do go to church, and formal professions of faith have become less important amongst those who identified themselves as believers, showing that it is possible that these liberal changes could have also been due to a lesser influence of a collective body of believers, such as a church, on people's minds, since a lot of people identified themselves as believers who don't go to church, or non-believers altogether. The Abortion Act in 1967 made abortion legal, and was at the time considered one of the most liberal abortion laws in Europe, and it allowed for abortion under the following circumstances; to save the woman's life, to prevent grave damage to the woman's physical or mental health, under 28 weeks to prevent damage to the mother, under 28 weeks to prevent damage to the woman's existing children, and if the child was likely to be severely mentally or physically handicapped. Before 1967, legal abortion in Britain was unheard of.
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