Conservative dominance in the years 1951 to 1964 Essay Example for Free

Conservative dominance in the years 1951 to 1964 Essay The main reason for conservative dominance in the years 1951 to 1964 was labour disunity?† Access the validity of this view I agree with this statement as the labour party leaders were ageing. The labour leaders were from the pre-war era therefore it meant that they were not in touch with the population. This led to labour disunity throughout the years as it caused Attlee to retire, he found that he couldn’t understand what the young wanted. For the public they left their trust with the labour party and put it in the conservatives as they felt that labour had failed to create the consumer revolution that everyone had hoped for. By 1951 the public were also fed up with the rationing that they still had to endure even though the war had ended 6 years ago therefore this helped the conservative dominance in those years. Another reason as to why labour disunity was to blame for labour dominance was the growing split in the party caused by the Bevanites and Gaitskillites. The split in the party was due to Gaitskell introducing prescription and dentistry charges. Bevan supported the left wing of the party whereas Gaitskell supported the right wing of the party and followed Attlee in becoming the next leader of labour government. The split led to disunity as Gaitskell didn’t have the full support of the party; his ideas were always going to be argued against. Another reason why the split caused disunity in the labour party was to do with the trade unions. The trade unions were supporting the left wing of the party; this was a problem particularly during the Scarborough conference in 1960. Frank Cousins was the leader of the one of the most powerful unions, TGWU (transport and general workers) and was an extreme left wing. He led fierce opposition to Gaitskell over Britain’s nuclear weapons. Gaitskell wanted Britain to have nuclear weapons because of the looming threat of Russia, during the cold war; they could wipe out countries at any time. At the party conference in Scarborough Frank Cousins opposed Gaitskell’s leadership over the labour party and in particular nuclear weapons. He challenged Gaitskell over his decision not to refect unilateral disarmament. This caused disunity in the party because it showed to the public how weak the labour party was if a trade union leader, who had no power within the party was able to dictate what they did. It showed to them that someone who was a small minority was able to gather a lot of power. It was humiliation for Gaitskell because it showed he wasn’t able to control what was happening to the party. Alsoà ‚  disunity in the party was due to the fact that the left wing of the party was closely associated with CND (campaign for nuclear disarmament). The left wing side of the labour party were in favour of nuclear disarmament and being connected with nuclear disarmament scared many labour supporters. Many people were not in favour of nuclear disarmament as it was at the height of the cold war and they were scared of a nuclear war happening; this link between the CND and the labour party could have led to many voters turning away from the labour party in the 1959 election. Another reason which could have turned people away from voting for the labour party in the 1959 election was the association of CND being anti-government. Their ‘unilateralism’ became a powerful magnet for anti-government protest in some ways it almost was seen as a substitute for opposition in government. With many labour left-wingers associated with one of the most powerful pressure groups in Britain it made people question the ideas that the labour government had and their ability to run the country. The final reason for a split in labour disunity was clause four. Clause four was the commitment to nationalisation of everything which was a step towards socialism and communism. Gaitskell put forward the idea to abolish this clause and labours commitment to nationalisation to nationalisation. He was impressed with the way Germany had dumped their commitments to Marxist ideas in their party conference in 1959. Many people including the left wing of labour opposed this ide a and Gaitskell had to back down from his idea. With events happening in the world connected with socialism and communism, the abolishment of clause four was linked to the ideas of radical socialism which scared people as it was too close to communism for their liking. However it wasn’t just the labour disunity that caused the conservative party to remain dominant. The conservatives had strengths of their own that they used to the best of their ability. When conservatives came into power in 1951 it marked the end of the austerity era and the start of the post war boom. From 1952 most economic indicators pointed upwards with the boom in car ownership, home ownership increased, helped by the easy access to cheap mortgages and food rationing ended completely in 1954. Harold Macmillan who was then the housing minister fulfilled the election pledge of getting new homes constructed above 300,000 per year. The age of affluence helped keep the conservatives dominant in politics as it meant the public saw that party  as the ones who could make a change. Also the conservatives keeping their promises meant the public would respect them. In the run up to the 1955 election Butler was able to boost conservative election prospects with a ‘give-away’ budget. This meant for people in the middle classes would be provided with  £134 million in tax cuts. For these middle classes it meant an overwhelming support in favour of the conservatives because of the classes that might not have been able to afford the consumer goods were given a chance to. For the conservatives in the 1955 general election the public mood was what was described as a ‘feel good’ factor. They wanted the continuation of the consumer goods and therefore they would continue to vote for the conservatives as they saw them as the party who would be able to offer them it. Another reason for conservative dominance was that the national press was overwhelmingly in favour with the conservatives. During the 1955 election this helped win support and it also helped during Macmillan’s time as prime minister. Macmillan seemed to have the media in the palm of his hand using the new political opportunities that were provided by the television. With the conservative party gaining wide spread coverage throughout the country and labour not, it meant people knew more about the conservative party. With the national press focusing on the conservatives it gave them enough attention to win the elections crushing labour in every defeat. An important reason for the conservative dominance was the personalities that led the party. Winston Churchill gained his reputation for leading Britain to victory during the war. However during his post war leadership he was very much absent and Anthony Eden the acting prime minister led the conservatives. Eden was the first prime minister that the public felt they could understand what they wanted. Anthony Eden was said to have ‘represented contemporary manhood.’ This led the public to believe that for the first time after the war they would receive the benefits that they wanted. Eden has also many progressive ideas in domestic affairs however in the end this was his downfall. The Suez crisis split the conservative party and for the first time it looked like they would be weakened and labour would take power however it didn’t. Eden was resigned in 1957 and Harold Macmillan who led the campaign to abort the Suez crisis emerged as prime minister. He restored the party unity and in the 1959 led the conservatives to another win in the election. Macmillan from 1957 showed  his aura of confidence and political mastery. This showed to the public that the politicians and leaders in the party were strong willed and would do anything in their power to protect their country. This gave the conservatives the respect that they needed to go on and win the elections. Overall I think that although the labour party were weak, and this weakness led to the conservatives dominating politics and government; conservative dominance was due to the power that the leaders had. The people saw that this party was able to give them everything they wanted with the age of affluence. Also conservatives made sure that labour supporters would change sides as they gave respect to the labour’s post war consensus. With keeping with the post war consensus it showed to the people they were leaders who knew what they party wanted and not the ageing leader s in the labour party.

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The Vietnam War is one of the most controversial subjects in American politics. The US went to the war under the guise of the domino effect, as they believed that if Vietnam fell, the surrounding countries would fall as well. President Johnson said â€Å"If you let a bully come into your garden, the next day he’ll be on your porch, and the day after that he’ll rape your wife† One thing that is not controversial is that we lost the war. Lots of different factors contributed to the United States unsuccessful trip to Vietnam. Among many reasons, one of the two biggest factors in the lose of the war was America’s foreign policy how and how bad the US underestimated how important freedom and independence was to the people of Vietnam. On top of that the US used the wrong military strategy, instead of focusing on limiting collateral damage the US used heavy artillery that killed citizens and alienated would be supporters. There was political corruptness in So uth Vietnam governments, which meant that they could not build an alternative to the NLF. At home, the public opinion of the war was decreasing at a constant rate and demonstrations were at an all time high. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong, and these problems all contributed to a Vietnam tour that went horribly wrong and an attitude among the American people that was growing ever doubt full of their government. There is lots of belief that the reason the United States lost the war is because of their foreign policy. America’s mission was not to get rid of Communism all together but rather to just stop the spread of Communism. The US had many past opportunities to destroy Communism; the Korean War would be a prime example. However out of fear that we would sound like ... ...y changed America, its politics, and foreign policy forever. Not only is this war the longest war in American history, its also the war that will leave the deepest scar. This war changed the way Americans viewed themselves and it tarnished their self-image. The Vietnam war was the first time in history of the United States that failed to accomplish its stated war aims, to preserve a separate, independent, noncommunist government. Not only did it affect our views on foreign policy, it affected the people of America too. The war was broadcasted on the television, the first time that had ever happened, and it allows the public to get a first hand account of what was happening on the battlefield. This war divided the American people, it was one of the most polarizing times in our history. This war will be in the forefront of Americans mind for many generations to come

Plaza the logistics of Zaragoza Essay

The uncertainty in demand is reflected in the reorder point and safety stock. The more the variability in demand the higher will be the reorder point and the safety stock. A higher deviation in demand would directly affect the safety stock levels required at the warehouses and hence increase the inventory carrying costs. This increase would then affect the overall costs. Using our excel model, If we increase the standard deviation of annual demand from 10,000 to 32,000, the overall costs for Rotterdam become higher than those of Zaragoza. Similarly, varying the service life has an impact on the total cost as it controls the safety stock which in turn controls the inventory holding cost. Hence, as the service life increases to a higher value the cost of option 2 (Zaragoza) will be lesser than option 1. Cost of the product As the cost of the product increases the inventory holding cost increases increasing the total cost. So Zaragoza as has a better cost advantage over Rotterdam option. In our excel model, plugging a product cost of 295 Euros (E 47 and F 47 cells), keeping all other parameters unchanged makes Zaragoza a better cost option. So it is a factor to be considered. Recommendations Based on our above analysis, we recommend the following to the CEO of Zaragoza Logistics Park (Who should they try to sell their idea/option) Zaragoza should target customers with high number of units/TEU They should target customers with high product costs They should target customers whose demand uncertainty is high They should target customers with high annual demand rates They should target customers who have preference for high service rates Plaza is also an educational center for logistics while Rotterdam is a just a logistics park. Zaragoza should try to educate the customer about the supply chain benefits of associating with a world class logistics research center Plaza is a government backed firm – they should use this factor to instill more confidence in the customer over a private firm like Rotterdam option

Why was the Thirty Years War fought?

The Thirty Years War is a series of wars fought between 1618 to1648 for reasons that range from religious to territorial. It devastated most of Europe especially Germany and ended with the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648. It began with the resistance of Protestant nobles in Bohemia against the Hapsburgs, the family which headed the Holy Roman Empire. Since its beginning, political affiliations among states played a role in the causes and the outcomes of the series of wars. When the war started, the German Protestants allied with Austria. They were defeated by another alliance, that of Brussel and Spain, which was sent by King Ferdinand II. In 1625, Denmark renewed the war but was defeated by General Wallenstein's army, also sent by Ferdinand. Wallenstein was a Bohemian, but who sided with the Roman Empire in return for the spoils of war. The final phases of the war were initiated by Denmark, Sweden and France, all of whom were led to the fray in concern with the increasing Hapsburg power in their territories. The Peace of Westphalia, two treaties which ended the war, returned the German states which were seized by the Holy Roman Empire in the duration of the war to their former rulers. It also allowed them to practice and choose their religions. Countries like Switzerland and Netherland were granted independence. The treaty introduced religious tolerance and ended religious warfare. Matters could have been resolved earlier during the conflict, avoiding the death and destruction that it inflicted upon the affected countries has the Holy Roman Empire been not driven by ambition and greed for more land. The reason why states waged the wars against the empire was their fear of the increasing power of the Hapsburg over Europe threatening their very borders. King Ferdinand could have also appeased the Protestants within Germany; that he would leave them alone, way before the war expanded outside Germany. Reference The Columbia Encyclopia, (2001) Sixth Edition, 2001-2007. Columbia University Press. Retrieved on May 21, 2008. http://www. bartleby. com/65/th/ThirtyYe. html.

Signifying Definition and Examples in English

Signifying Definition and Examples in English Signifying is a combination of rhetorical strategies employed in African American speech communitiesin particular, the use of irony and indirection to express ideas and opinions. In The Signifying Monkey: A Theory of African-American Literary Criticism  (Oxford University Press, 1988), Henry Louis Gates describes signifyin(g) as a trope in which are subsumed several other rhetorical tropes, including metaphor, metonymy, synecdoche, and irony (the master tropes), and also hyperbole, litotes, and metalepsis ([Harold] Blooms supplement to [Kenneth] Burke). To this list, we could easily add aporia, chiasmus, and catachresis, all of which are used in the ritual of signifyin(g). Examples and Observations Above all, signifying is a ritualistic practice that serves various functions in different African American discursive and communal spaces. Some scholars define signifying as primarily a male-dominated activity (the female version is called specifying). African American men in this verbal art form focus their anger, aggression, and frustration into a relatively harmless exchange of wordplay where they can establish their masculinity in verbal battles with their peers. This form of signifying lends itself to validating a pecking order style of dominance based on the result of the verbal exchange. . . .Signifying can affirm, critique, or build community through the involvement of its participants. (Carole Boyce Davies, Encyclopedia of the African Diaspora: Origins, Experiences, and Culture. ABC-CLIO, 2008)Women, and to certain extent children, commonly use more indirect methods of signifying. These range from the most obvious kinds of indirection, like using an unexpected pronoun in di scourse (Didnt we come to shine today or Who thinks his drawers dont stink?), to the more subtle technique, of louding or loud-talking in a different sense from the one above. A person is loud-talking when he says something of someone just loud enough for that person to hear, but indirectly, so he cannot properly respond (Mitchell-Kernan). Another technique of signifying through indirection is making reference to a person or group not present, in order to start trouble between someone present and the ones who are not. An example of this technique is the famous toast, The Signifying Monkey. (Roger D. Abrahams, Talking Black. Newbury House, 1976) Rhetorically, for the African American community, the strategy behind indirection suggests that direct confrontation in everyday discourse is to be avoided when possible. . . . Normally, indirection has been treated as a function of the speech acts and not as a rhetorical strategy in oral discourse. Boasting, bragging, loud talking, rapping, signifying, and, to a degree, playing the dozens have elements of indirection. . . .While signifying is a way of encoding a message, ones shared cultural knowledge is the basis on which any reinterpretation of the message is made. Theoretically, signifying (Black) as a concept can be used to give meaning to rhetorical acts of African Americans and indicate a Black presence. Rhetorically, one can also explore texts for the manner in which the themes or worldviews of other texts are repeated and revised with a signal difference, but based on shared knowledge. (Thurmon Garner and Carolyn Calloway-Thomas, African American Orality. Understanding Afric an American Rhetoric: Classical Origins to Contemporary Innovations, ed. by Ronald L. Jackson II and Elaine B. Richardson. Routledge, 2003) Also known as: signifyin(g), signifyin

The Value of Female Friendships

The Value of Female Friendships I met my girlfriend Dana in college, and in the years since then our friendship has grown exponentially. Nine years ago, Dana told me that she had breast cancer. Shes a survivor. In that timeframe, my marathon walking buddy Allison found out she had appendicidal cancer. She too is a survivor. With two very close girlfriends in the same situation- one that was certainly new to all of us- I found myself asking: How as a girlfriend do I handle this? What do I do to support them? Where do I look for answers? This is not an article about cancer. It is an article about the incredible life-force underlining the word girlfriend. Girlfriend Support I remember the moment I heard about Allisons cancer. I didnt want to talk with my husband, even though he is a great man and a caring friend of Allisons as well. I wanted to talk with my female friends. I wanted their advice, their hugs, their sincere listening while I asked ‘why? Seeking advice, sharing concern, providing support and love, I wanted to be around the women who understood how I felt and who, I hoped, would help me be a better friend to my friends going through one of lifes scariest situations. So, why are girlfriends so important? I dug in and studied my own need for female community and what pulled me toward my friendships as a primary support system in a time a great stress. I was especially curious to find out why couldnt I fill this need with my husband or through the wisdom of books, advisors or other communities? Was it just me? Turns out it wasnt. Relationship Research A little research led me to a captivating book that spelled out the answers to me. The Tending Instinct, by Shelley E. Taylor, unlocks some of the mysteries of women, men, and the biology of our relationships. The big ah-ha! I discovered in its pages is that this need for community with other women is biological; it is part of our DNA. Taylors book consolidated a variety of studies covering cultural factors, decades of research, anecdotal references- even the biological ties to the girlfriend concept in the animal kingdom. An unending stream of fascinating facts helped define why we as women are more social, more community focused, collaborative, less competitive and, above all, why we need our girlfriends. Consider these findings: Longevity - Married men live longer than single men, yet women who marry have the same life expectancy as those who dont. However, women with strong female social ties (girlfriends) live longer than those without them.Stress - For decades, stress tests focused solely on male participants, believing that all humans would respond in the same manner. When these same stress tests were finally conducted on females it was discovered that women dont have the same, classic fight or flight response to stress that men do. According to the research presented in The Tending Instinct, women under stress have the need to tend and befriend. We want to tend to our young and be with our friends. Time with our friends actually reduces our stress levels.More Stress - A study conducted by the UCLA School of Medicine found that when were with our girlfriends, our bodies emit the feel good hormone oxytocin, helping us reduce everyday stress. By prioritizing our female friendships and spending time with th ese friends, we take advantage of a very simple, natural way to reduce our stress. Even More Stress - Prairie voles, a monogamous rodent, have a similar response to stress. When a male vole is put in a stressful situation, he runs to his female partner. Female voles, when stressed, immediately run to the females they were raised with.Self-Esteem - A recent study by Dove indicated that 70% of women feel prettier because of their relationships with female friends. Its no surprise that our self-esteem is highly influenced by our girlfriends; this is important to understand for girls as well as women.The Health Factor - Women without strong social ties risk health issues equivalent to being overweight or a smoker- its that serious. Friendships Waning With all Ive discovered that is good about female friendships, I was disappointed to come across a national survey from 2006 that found a sharp decline in friendships. Research co-author Lynn Smith-Lovin, a sociologist at Duke University said, From a social point of view, it means youve got more people isolated. When were isolated, we dont have each other to help us through tough situations like hurricanes or fires, financial struggles or relationship changes, sadness or cancer. Without communities of women, we often miss opportunities to be involved in our cities, to learn from each other, to empathize with other women and to share the benefits of laughter and a heart-felt hug. As women, we sometimes need to be reminded what being a girlfriend means. Too often it takes an illness or loss to hit us with reality, realization, and appreciation of friendship. That reminder can also be as simple as a caring card, a hug or an e-mailed photo. Once in a while we simply need to take the time to think about our friends, stop and live in the moment, and if at all possible, celebrate that moment. Hear some bad news? Call a girlfriend. Have something great to celebrate? Share that celebration with a friend. Want to feel prettier, be less stressed, be healthier and happier? Spend some time with your BFFs. Like the scary, life-changing diagnoses of my dear girlfriends, recognize your own need for friendships and fill that need with time and memories together. Life is better together- with your girlfriends. NOTE: Research for this article primarily attributed to The Tending Instinct by Shelley E. Taylor. Additional information was received form Kappa Delta, NWFD facts, and the Dove Beauty study.

How Inappropriate General Wage Levels and Wage Inflation Can Cause In Assignment

How Inappropriate General Wage Levels and Wage Inflation Can Cause Increased Unemployment - Assignment Example Unemployment is often considered as a disease in the society; its major impact is the fact that the productivity that can be obtained by employing the unemployed resources is foregone. Additionally, it adds poverty to the society, frustration to the individuals, and more often than not, the symptoms of unemployment can be observed by tracking crime rate as it often creeps up. There are several reasons for unemployment, however, in the current economic situation; recession can be identified as the ‘hottest’ reason. Recession not just leads to unemployment in the short run but has long-term negativity associated to the same, by the due fact that individuals lose their interest in gaining relevant skills for a job, and subsequently, when recovery takes place and demand of the labor moves up, but lack of appropriately required skill set makes it difficult for employment levels to move up, and thus, recovery becomes very slow (Blanchard, 2008). Inflation, as simply defined as an increase in general price levels, is also a critical aspect of the economy, and is an important economic indicator. Despite the fact that inflation illustrates the growth of an economy, at the same time, this variable needs to be retained within certain limits because exceeding a certain value would imply excessive increasing prices, putting pressure on consumer pockets, and not allowing them to retain their standard of living, let alone increasing them. Inflation is influenced by various economic elements such as various input costs, depreciating the local currency, etc, while it also affects other economic elements at the same time (Nellis, 2006). Consider a scenario in which average wage is on the greater side, then as per the above equation, the unit labour cost would be on the higher side as well. Following this scenario, it can be assumed that the producer would have to increase the price of the output to ensure profit margins remaining at the past numbers, if not moving ahead that is.