The shocking fall of communism in Eastern and Central Europe in the late eighties was remarkable for both its rapidity and its scope. None more than for East and West Germany. "The unification of Germany has been one of the most significant and moving events of the 20th century. Yet the ...

Rosa Luxemburg was arguably one of the finest political theorists of the 20th century. Luxemburg was a German revolutionary leader, journalist, and socialist theorist. She lived the international life of a Socialist pilgrim, believing that only socialism could bring true freedom and social justice. ...

Hilter's Nazi Germany This essay sets out to assess the relative achievements of the totalitarian regimes of Hitler's Nazi Germany and Stalin's Russia. In assessing the achievements of the regimes we must be careful not to judge them with the values of a western democracy at the end of...

A Totalitarian State? When Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist Party took power in 1933, a wave of terror was begun which led to the genocide of millions of people and the destruction of much of the European continent. While the reign of the National Socialist regime has been universally recog...

Reform or Revolution was Rosa Luxembourg\'s first major political work, and one of the most enduring contributions to socialist thought. When Rosa Luxembourg arrived in Berlin in 1898, she found the SPD (German Social Democratic Party) engulfed in a crisis of conscience provoked by Eduard Bernstein....

LENIN A New Biography Dmitri Volkogonov, a former General in the Soviet army, was given unprecedented access to the clandestine Soviet archives during Vladimir Ilyich Lenin's rule, by Boris Yeltsin. In 1994, Volkogonov wrote a revealing book entitled, LENIN A New Biography, which rocked the Len...

Why was there working class protest in East Germany in June 1953The troubles in East Germany in June 1953 reached a peak on June 17th, when there were mass demonstrations and a General Strike throughout the German Democratic Republic. (G.D.R.). There has been many reasons cited for these protests, b...

1. Russian Revolution,violent upheaval in Russia in 1917 that overthrew the czarist government.2. Marx, Karl,1818-83, German social philosopher, the chief theorist of modern socialism and communism.Marxism,economic and political philosophy named for Karl Marx. It is also known as scientific (as oppo...

"The Wealth of Nations" vs. "The Communist Manifesto" Looking at the beginnings of civilization, one can identify a common theme between almost all prior cities and nations. This theme was and still is that these civilizations were structured and divided according to different powers, no matter it b...

After the Potsdam Conference, which took place from the 17th of July to the 2nd of August 1945, the Allied countries, mainly the USA, the UK, and the USSR, were moving steadily apart from each other in terms of their interests, leaving Europe torn apart into the eastern and the western blocs. The en...

Since its adoption by the Soviet Union in 1947, the AK-47 has been seen in every conflict around the world. The weapon was used by all communist countries and played a dramatic role in the spread of communism. The weapon's inventor Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov was born on November 10, 191...

Throughout history, there have been rules that all people live by. The most important one can be shortened into two words "supply and demand." For example if the people of a society suddenly demand the streets to be different colors, and if enough people or powerful people started demandi...

One of the first and most persuasive advocates of modern capitalism was Adam Smith. The most serious challenge to Adam Smith and his followers came from Karl Marx, a nineteenth century German. The son of a Prussian lawyer, the methodical Marx was a worthy and resourceful opponent. He unfolded h...

Politics and Government in central and Eastern Europe. Said Ahmed Title: Why did Communism collapse? In this essay, I will examine what Communism is, the factors that have led to the collapse of Communism and how Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Communism is a po...

Karl Marx\'s Core Criticism of Capitalism Karl Marx was born in Trier in the German Rhineland in 1818 (Kemerling 2006). He earned a doctorate in Jena in 1841, where he wrote on the materialism and atheism of Greek atomists. Later moving to Koln, he founded and edited a radical newspaper entitl...

The Mid-Nineteenth century in Europe was a melting pot of activity. The industrial revolution was in full swing in Great Britain, while the Prussian empire slowly grew in size. Over most of the continent the people were poverty stricken while few thrived in the economy. Rebellions of the middle clas...

"To sell a man a fish, he can eat for a day, to teach a man to fish, is to ruin a great business opportunity, says Karl Marx."Marx and Engels did a great thing when they wrote the "Communist Manifesto". They tried to liberate the proletariat by educating him. This was and sti...

Dorothy Day was a troublemaker, an egomaniac, a radical, a dangerous subversive, an unwed mother, and a crusading journalist. This however, was before the influence of Christianity in her life. Meanwhile, Arch Bishop Romero was considered to be a great and loving soul of the Salvadorian people. Both...

The Downfall of Communism in Eastern and Central Europe The shocking fall of communism in Eastern and Central Europein the late eighties was remarkable for both its rapidity and itsscope. The specifics of communism's demise varied among nations,but similarities in both the causes and the effect...

A villain is known as a scoundrel or a wicked person. These words describe the dictators Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin very precisely. Both men were powerful during their rule, but both also caused immense destruction to their countries. Hitler ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945. He turned Germany...

Karl Marx\'s early life shaped the way he thought about society and governments and what he thought could make them better, and his experiences and upbringing led him to become a communist. Karl Marx was born on May 5, 1818, in the small town of Trier, Germany. Trier is located in Western Germany ne...

World War II devastated Europe such a great deal that it would take many years before the entirety of the continent of Europe would be as strong as it once was before the twentieth century history which, at that point, had been almost totally consisting of wars. Following World War II, European nat...

"Marxism consists of thousands of truths, but these truths can be summarized in the statement: It is right to rebel against reactionaries" Mao Zedong Although Mao Zedong is known for bringing together the people of China before, during, and after the Chinese communist revolution, he actually cau...

The civil war that took place in Russia during the early 1900's was one that not only involved Russia, but many other countries that had specific interests in the war. One of the countries to with specific personal interests was the United States of America. In order to act upon the desires of the U...

Unit oneEDMUND BURKE: wrote "Reflection of the Revolution-didn't agree with Fr. Revolution-felt it tried to change fr. OvernightTHOMAS JEFFERSON: brains of U.S. revolution-helped write Declaration of IndependenceHOGARTH: developed a new art form: engravingTHE STAMP ACT: taxes imposed on items that w...