The Cold War :: American History, Soviet Union, War

In the immediate aftermath of WWII, the world was split into two opposing camps that, though they did not fight directly, were actively engaged in the Cold War. This war did not end until the USSR broke apart in 1991. The Cold War was both created and prolonged by the interconnected economic and ideological tensions of the East and West Blocs. The ideological systems of the two powers were viewed as being complete opposites in their goals and experienced increasing animosity toward each other. This in turn influenced the economic policies that drove the main powers of the Cold War even further apart. By far, the biggest contributor to the formation of the Cold War was the fact that both sides believed the communist Soviet Union and the capitalist west ideologies were incompatible with each other. The essence of the Cold War was seen as the opposition of communism and capitalism (Kishlansky, Geary, and O’Brien 874). This belief was present as soon as 1946, when Winston Churchill gave a speech characterizing the Soviet Union as a government that was capable of trying to â€Å"enforce totalitarian systems upon the free democratic world† (Churchill 303). He also contrasted the Soviet Union as a state where control was â€Å"enforced upon the common people by†¦ police governments,† while the U.S. and Great Britain embodied â€Å"the great principles of freedom and the rights of man† (Churchill 303). This belief did not abate as the Cold War dragged on, and caused even more animosity between the two blocs. Even as late as 1961, Khrushchev’ s address to the Communist Party Congress still proclaimed the main driving force of the Soviet Union to be the â€Å"competition of the two world social systems, the socialist and the capitalist† (Khrushchev 307). This perceived ideological incompatibility also contributed to the formation of alliances in the East and West blocs. These alliances in turn prolonged the Cold War. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was first formed in 1949 as protection of capitalist countries from the USSR, and it was still bringing countries into it’s membership all the way up untill Spain’s entrance in 1982. The Soviets responded to this with yet another alliance group in Eastern Europe, the Warsaw Pact (Kishlansky, Geary, and O’Brien 876). Former colonies were also forced to choose an allegiance with either the capitalist or communist camps (Kishlansky, Geary, and O’Brien 877).

Prelude to Philosophy: What is Philosophy? Essay

List 4 reasons students often presuppose a low view of philosophy. 1. The image that one has to be super intelligent to do philosophy. 2. As a discipline, most students study it late in their academic development. 3. Most people don’t think it’s practical. 4. Most students don’t know what philosophy is or how it can benefit them. Know Socrates’ quote: What is the unexamined life? What did he mean when he said it wasn’t worth living? The quote: â€Å"The unexamined life is not worth living.† Socrates didn’t mean that people have no value, or should be executed if they lived unexamined lives. Humans are unique in the animal kingdom; we have the ability to reason and reflect about everything. What he meant was: To live the unexamined life is to live less than a fully human life; not living life the way we were created to live. Know the etymology of the word â€Å"philosophy.† The combination of two Greek terms: phileo and sopos. Phileo means â€Å"love†, sophos means â€Å"wisdom†. Know the working definition of â€Å"philosophy† and explain each of its elements. Philosophy is the critical examination of our foundational beliefs concerning the nature of reality, knowledge, and truth, and our moral and social values. List and explain each of the 6 characteristics under the description of philosophy. 1. The relationship between philosophy and facts: philosophers are generally more interested in what lies behind the facts, their meaning, significance and veracity, than in the facts themselves. 2. The importance of method in philosophical investigation: why someone believes something more so than what they believe. 3. clarification: clear thinking is imperative in finding truth. Two enemies to clear thinking is ambiguity and vagueness. 4. Philosophy examines and evaluates everything; nothing is  taken for granted: Every belief and idea is open to critical examination. Clarification and justification are required before accepting any belief to be true. 5. Philosophy is usually concerned with foundational issues that have been perennial throughout the history of humankind. 6. Philosophy often appeals to systems of principles or guidelines regarded to be true: either reject new claim to be true or adjust system to adapt to the new claim. Philosophers build systems of beliefs and philosophical examination doesn’t begin from a neutral position. Contrast and compare philosophy with religion, science, and art. How are they different and how are they similar? 1. Philosophy and Religion: (compared) Both search for the ultimate – that which has the ultimate meaning and value, the one thing that unifies everything and from which everything finds it’s meaning and origin. (contrasted) Religion usually appeals to some authoritative revelation to discover the truths about the ultimate; philosophy uses rational inquiry in attempting to understand the ultimate. A spiritual aspect normally isn’t found in philosophy. 2. Philosophy and Science: (compared) Both try to understand reality in a methodical fashion. They both use observation and appeal to evidence to support their conclusions. They both derive criteria, hypotheses, and theories that they apply to specific situations to discover the truth about reality. (contrasted) Science generally examines that part of reality associated with the senses, the physical world, philosophies field extends outside of physical reality to what lies beyond. Also, science deals with first-order questions about reality, philosophy deals with second-order questions about disciplines like science. 3. Philosophy and Art: (compared) artists often use their medium to express philosophical ideas, they both also often deal with similar topics, and artists capture what some modern philosophers promote. (contrasted) Art usually only coveys a particular philosophical view, whereas philosophy seeks the rational justification of a view. Philosophy argues for a view, art expresses it. Art is concerned mostly with structure, philosophy is concerned mostly with content. Explain the value of experiential knowledge in distinction to propositional knowledge. Experiential knowledge enhances our understanding beyond what  propositional knowledge can convey. Philosophy: Examining life; love of wisdom. Unexamine Life: Going through daily/routine activities/life, without thinking about what you’re doing and why you’re doing it; going through the motions of life without making the effort to reflect and think about what life is about. Normative Claim: Makes a claim about some actions persons ought to do. Socrates’ â€Å"unexamined life† claim was a normative claim. Wisdom: Wisdom has less to do with how much one knows and more to do with how one uses the knowledge they have. Wisdom is knowledge applied; using the knowledge one has in a way that benefits life. Critical Examination: To analyze. Clarification: To determine what something means. Justification: Addresses the questions: Is this true, and are there good reasons to believe it’s true? Evaluation: Determines the significance or value of the idea. Presuppositions: Beliefs people usually don’t think about or try to prove. They are assumptions people hold about themselves and the world, without knowing which they would not be able to arrive at any other knowledge. Foundational Beliefs: Central and fundamental beliefs, the core of all other beliefs. First-Order Discipline: A field that directly studies reality. Second-Order Discipline: A field that studies the methods and presuppositions of first-order disciplines. It’s not interested in the conclusion but the  means used to arrive at the conclusion and the presuppositions held while attempting to answer the question. Ambiguous: When there is more than one possible meaning. Vague: When the meaning is not clear. Worldview: A comprehensive system of beliefs that functions, first as an explanation and interpretation of the world and, second as an application of that system to the way people live and the values they hold. Scientism: The notion that scientific knowledge is the only kind of knowledge there is. Propositional Knowledge: Consists of beliefs that can be formulated and conveyed in propositions. Experiential Knowledge: Knowledge gained through experiencing something. Rational Animal: Humans.

The American Revolutionary War Was Truly Revolutionary

AP U.S History: D.B.Q. American Revolution Prompt: Analyze the extent to which the American Revolutionary War was truly ‘revolutionary?’† The American Revolution, which occurred approximately from 1765 to 1786, is also known as the American Revolutionary War and the U.S. War of Independence, for good reason. The conflict rose from rising tensions amid the people of Great Britain’s thirteen American colonies and the colonial government, which represented the British crown. Clashes between Britain’s troops and colonial militiamen in Lexington and Concord in April 1775 kicked off the armed conflict, and by the following summer, the rebels were waging a full-scale war for their independence. The American Revolution had tremendous consequences, and was not simply a victory of arms on the battlefield, but also a feat of economic and political ideals, and vital societal changes. This huge period of history set into motion greater changes in American life and created a country, demonstrating just how this revolutionary age in time more than earned its name. This battle of independence waged by the American coloni es against Britain influenced political ideas and revolutions around the globe, as a young, largely divided nation won its freedom from the greatest military force of its time. The American Revolution had huge and idealistic effects on the American population. It was social revolution. To a large extent, it sparked a fire within their hearts over the ideaShow MoreRelatedRip Van Winkle, By Washington Irving1187 Words   |  5 Pagesconsidered to be one of our country’s first and greatest folktales, â€Å"Rip Van Winkle† is also so much more. Indeed, the entirety of this narrative can be seen as a commentary and reflection on the establishment of an identity by the American people before and after the Revolutionary War. 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