Communism In The Soviet Union And Why It Failed Essay -- Communism Essa

Communism in the Soviet Union and Why it Failed Communism is defined as "a system of political and economic organization in which property is owned by the community and all citizens share in the enjoyment of the common wealth, more or less according to their need." In 1917 the rise of power in the Marxist-inspired Bolsheviks in Russia along with the consolidation of power by Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin, the word communism came to mean a totalitarian system controlled by a single political party. This came to justify that the means of production is controlled and the wealth is distributed with the goal of producing a classless or possibly a stateless society. The ideological meaning of communism arose in 1848 with the publication of the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. They believed that communism is inevitable and is an outcome of the historical process. They believed that the "struggle between an exploiting class, the capatalists at present age, and an exploited class, the workers, would enter a crucial stage in the period of capitalism where industrialization occurs and that the effects of industrialization is to heighten and intensify the internal contradictions in capitalism." To put it bluntly they believed that the ownership of industry would be in fewer and fewer hands where the workers would plunge into a state of ever-increasing misery. These impoverished workers grow in numbers and organize themselves into a political party which would lead a revolution in which they dispose of the capitalists. The proletariat would establish a society governed by a " dictatorship of the proletariat" based on communal ownership of the wealth. According to Marx this phase of human society is referred to as socialism. Communism is the final transcendence of this revolution in which there is a break up and elimination of the state and no class division. That is the primary reason that it was called the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. In 1991 the Soviet Union collapsed. What was the problem with this system of government, if this is a workers paradise what happened ? What did the Soviet Union do wrong to cause a breakdown of their ideal system ? In this paper I will explore the rise of the Soviet power and causes of the 1991 breakup. The person who started the whole transition into a communist empire was ... ...nd lacked spark. The respect and fear they once generated was rapidly declining in an increasingly young and educated country. This weakness of political dissent within the Soviet Union was also important to the crisis. It planted seeds of antitotalitarianism and anticommunism in the native soil. Also the potential for political action sunk to an all time low in the community. The final problem that they encountered was in their relationships with other nations and ethnic groups. This may have been the most potent flaw in their system. Non-Russian ethnic regions contained under developed, peasant cultures. These groups were able to resist with surprising force subordination to Russian culture or submersion into the Soviet state. This lack of development led to cultivation of old ethnic identities and the process of modernization only created new strains. The Soviet Union lost all of its internal vitality, the powers of the regime were still intense. Decay was probably unavoidable but the disintegration did not seem immediate. The counter actions to the already failing government are what caused the final demise of the nation, the actions only accelerated the demise of communism.

Explore the role of nature Essay

In the first three opening sections of â€Å"Tess of the D’Urbervilles†, nature plays many a significant role. It acts as a storytelling device, helping the plot of the story to move and develop; it acts as a mirror for Tess’ feelings and the feelings of others; it adds atmosphere to the plot itself. Most importantly, it plays a major role in Tess’ wellbeing, but this role is often thwarted by the actions of man and the actions of man’s Church – the two are often in conflict, and these sections often explore this. We first see Tess taking part in an activity, â€Å"clubwalking†, with many of her friends and surrounding neighbours. All the people taking part are women, and it is a very simple activity; it is only them and the surrounding nature. This suggests that they share a harmony with their surroundings, and also that it is very feminine and pure, much like Tess at the beginning of the novel. As Tess emerges from this, we associate nature with her almost immediately. Angel also appears from this setting, with his two brothers, and he seems more connected with nature than he does with their religion. His brothers seem uptight and stuffy – â€Å"dancing with a troop of country hoydens! † being an indication of this – whilst he seems more carefree and willing to interact. In this way, Tess and Angel are instantly connected for the reader, and nature appears to shelter and protect them. However, Angel chooses another girl to dance with, marring the experience and implying that there is more to the situation; perhaps they are not so perfect. It implys that where nature creates a situation, man can often disrupt it, through their actions and religion. It therefore acts as a device for dramatic irony and foreshadows further events in the book. The death of the family horse, one of the more important contributors to Tess’ decision to work for the d’Urbervilles, is caused by both nature and man. Tess falls asleep during her coach ride, and nature fails to keep her awake. It could be argued that it was enticing her to go to sleep, and therefore was a main conspirator against her. However, a man kills her horse (â€Å"the morning mailcart†¦ had driven into her slow and unlighted equipage†). The death of her horse is a combination of the two, and it seems as though nature is working with man to contribute to her ruin, although it may also be looked on as nature trying to protect her and, again, man disrupting it – the two forces work against each other. Tess’ family had already raised the idea of her going to work for an old family (although Tess was against this – when her younger brother questioned her on it she burst out â€Å"never mind that now! â€Å") but this new factor makes Tess think that she is responsible and must therefore help her family in their time of need. She has no choice in the matter; nature and fate, it seems has decided it for her – â€Å"she had hoped to become a teacher at the school, but the fates seemed to decide otherwise. † It suggests that nature has carved out its own path for Tess. Due to the death of the horse, and at the persuasion of her family, Tess leaves for Trantridge. She plans to gain work from the D’Urbervilles that live there. As readers, we are informed that they are not real D’Urbervilles like Tess and her family; the father in the family, Simon Stoke, bought the name once he had made his money from being a merchant, in order to appear more grand to the rest of society – they are not natural D’Urbervilles, and Tess has been tricked. This is an example of man meddling with nature – nature did not give them that name and they are therefore imposters. Trantridge itself, the house where the Stoke-D’Urbevilles like, seems out of place with the surrounding nature; it is described as â€Å"of recent erection†¦ of the†¦ rich red colour that formed such a contrast with the evergreens†¦ â€Å". It is far more modern and different from its surrounding and therefore appears almost sinister – Nature did not intend for it to be there. Tess is assigned to work on the â€Å"fancy farm† belonging to the D’Urbervilles. This small poultry farm seems unnecessary and frivolous, and is not needed in nature’s scheme – it is merely the whim of man, much as Tess is for Alec in the novel. In this way, nature and its parts act as a mimic for the story. When Alec D’Urberville first meets Tess, he immediately begins to seduce her. He feeds her strawberries – one of nature’s most seductive fruits, due to its rich red colour – and is riveted by the form that nature has given her. In this way, nature unwittingly works against Tess; by making her â€Å"appear more of a woman than she already was†, it has caused Alec to be immensely attracted to her. However, during the cart ride from her family home to his, when he has attempted to kiss her and she has dismounted under the pretences of saving her hat, he tries to use nature against her by hemming her in with his cart against the fence. She, however, uses nature to save her and talks to him â€Å"from the top of the hedge into which she had scrambled† – nature assists her here. Just before Tess’ rape, the descriptions of wood are dark and unforgiving, with â€Å"webs of vapour† forming â€Å"veils against the trees†. Nature shows its darker side, and indicates what is about to happen. What happens to Tess, however, is a vital part of Nature – perhaps nature assumes it is helping her in this way. It could be argued that nature here is working against Tess to set the next events in motion, or that nature is giving her a form of gift – sex and pregnancy is widely regarded as nature’s highest privelege. Human religion and attitudes, however, view it as a sin. The Church is in conflict with nature’s ideas here that these acts are a vital part of life and therefore later outcasts Tess – the slogans painted on the fences around Marlott such as the beginning of â€Å"thou shalt not commit adultery† emphasise this in our minds. Alec’s attitude towards Tess after, when she leaves, suggest that he feels that it was Tess’ fault, for being so beautiful and irresistible to him; in reality, that is the fault of nature. Once she has left Alec’s house, Tess feels she has discovered the true meaning of nature to her; â€Å"the serpent hisses where the sweet bird sings†. This phallic imagery shares a link to Troy’s sword in Far From the Madding Crowd, another popular book by Thomas Hardy – for them both, nature leads them to men, men lead to their heartaches. To Tess, nature has exposed its dark underbelly and she feels robbed of natural beauty; what has happened to her, however, is a natural act, but in the eyes of man and the church, it is an unforgivable sin. This is empahasised in â€Å"She had been made to break an accepted social law, but no law known to the environmet in which she fancied herself such an anomaly. † When we meet Tess again, after a period of time has passed, we see her working in the local fields. The women working are described as â€Å"assimilated† with the fields – nature wishes to protect them. However, when Tess works, she â€Å"bleeds† from the â€Å"stubble† on the corn; nature appears to be punishing her, or she punishes herself by working herself too hard. It is then revealed that Tess has a newborn baby, which is widely regarded as the greatest gift Nature offers. For Tess, and for man, however, this separates her from them – she has sinned in their eyes; she still cannot resist pull of motherhood though, and her feelings for her baby are mixed and confused. Once she has decided she loves her child, nature takes it back when it dies from illness. The Church adds suffering for Tess when they refuse to bury it on concecrated ground; nature and the Church work together to upset Tess. Nature, at least, takes it from its suffering that it would have faced from mankind; the baby would never have been properly accepted. When Tess goes to work in Richard Crick’s dairy, we see the idyllic side of nature once more. Here, nature mirrors Tess’ feelings and attitude – there is a â€Å"change in the quality of air from heavy to light†, and we feel that the nature in the Valley of Great Dairies is far lighter and carefree for Tess; it will become her salvation for a time being, as nobody knows of her past here. She feels a connection with nature, and we have a sense that Tess is nature’s child – she belongs to it far more than she does to man’s Church. Nature saves her from herself, and the hard work with nature grants her peace. It also serves as an escape from Church, and has granted her this opportunity either as an apology or to set her up for more heartache. At the dairy, she is reunited with Angel Clare, a figure we haven’t seen since the opening chapters of the book. His description as a â€Å"figure rising out of the past†¦ and a mobility of mouth†¦ with an unexpectedly firm close of the lower lip† gives us an idea of his character – nature has given him a look with compliments his personality. His mouth gives an indication that, although he is open to ideas, he can be â€Å"unexpectedly firm† in his ideals, a slightly chilling prediction of the events to come. Tess’ mouth, by contrast, is described firstly as a â€Å"mobile peony mouth†; like her, it is full and beautiful, and also everchanging. Nature presents Tess to Angel as a â€Å"fresh and virginal daughter of Nature† -although her past contradicts this ideal, Angel regards her image as perfect in every way. Nature could be seen as tricking him or trying to make amends and improve Tess’ life. However, with the latter, the Church seems to oppose these ideas, and this is the cause of her heartache – man’s inability to work with nature. In the romance of Angel Clare and Tess, nature tries to help them come together, with romantic settings such as a â€Å"violet and pink dawn†. There is the incident with the butter tasting like garlic, forcing Angel and Tess to work together on the mead, and the butter not churning properly (which, according to the dairyman, happens only when love is affecting it, although the story he tells is far more similar to that of Tess and Alec than that of Tess and Angel.) There is, too, the rising rain before church that seems to force them to come together, and although Angel has to carry â€Å"Three Leahs to get one Rachel†, he feels as though the trial was worth it for a moment with Tess. However, when they finally embrace while Tess is milking, the cow reacts unfavourably – perhaps nature has realised what the consequences of its actions may be and is therefore trying to stop the romance. In this way, nature still tries to look out for Tess – it is very much a mother figure to her.

Compare and Contrast Michael Dell and Andy Grove Essay

Michael Dell, founder of Dell Computer Corporation had his humble beginnings in the computer industry when he began selling personal computers directly out of his dorm room. This impressed upon him that this was the path to take in his professional life, he started his company in 1984, registered as Dell Computer Corporation. Krames, (2003) Unlike other computer companies at the time, Dell was heavily focused on the end user, the consumers who would actually be purchasing the computers. By placing the emphasis on the consumers instead of big box stores to sell his product he brought a new way of selling computers to the industry, which was an uncommon way of doing business at that time. This is a notable contribution to the computer field, as it made other computer companies rethink how they would sell their products, to try to combat Dells’ growing market share. As Krames (2003) â€Å"Dells direct model of â€Å" mass customization† was not born of any desire to revolutionize an industry. Instead, it was foraged through a â€Å"bottom-up† strategy based on customers’ needs and preferences.† (p.59) This proved to be a successful strategy, in 1988, 4 years after opening, Dell went public bringing in an impressive $30 million at its IPO. Krames, (2003) Seeing soaring success in personal computer sales, Dell decided to try a new direction, Olympic was introduced. â€Å"Olympic was a line of desktop and workstation computers that were able to perform a wide array of tasks.† (Krames, 2003, p. 67) In releasing this new program Dell neglected the principle part of his successful strategy-what do the costumers want? Resistance from consumers was noted, the consumers did not feel that they needed what the new line offered. Olympic proved to be Dells biggest tanking product. Andy Grove, born Andras Grof of Hungary, cofounded Intel corporation in 1968. Krames, (2003) Grove’s contributions to the computer industry is highly notable. Grove, along with his partners revolutionized how the computer industry looked at and transistors on computer chips. His contribution to the field was so noticeable, that Time magazine bestowed on him title of Person of the Year â€Å"for his role in fueling the computer revolution† (Krames, 2003, p. 135) Grove met with considerably more resistance and opposition that Dell. Intels’ first large confrontation and change was in 1980. The Japanese began producing chips that were not only lower cost wise but also considered better in quality. Krames, (2003) Groves was able to associate several factors that were partially responsible for this crisis. Intel had of recent, been constantly late with the release of new products. To compound this, the company had also neglected to invest in new manufacturing plants in a timely manner. As Krames (2003) states â€Å"†¦ the cause of the problem came down to the wrong strategy and poor execution† (p. 137) Grove and the then current CEO made the hard decision to get out of memories. Even though this is what the company was based on, and started from, they realized that if they remained in this market segment it could be the end of Intel. They made the hard decision to move into microprocessors, â€Å"the thinking part of the computer.† (p. 139) The next big issue Intel faced was 14 years later, in 1994. Intel was releasing its newest microprocessor, The Pentium. A small design flaw was detected, which prompted IBM to halt shipment of all Pentium-based computers. â€Å"Intel’s credibility- and, by extension- the entire company- was threatened as anxiety about the â€Å"bug† spun out of control in the business community.† (Krames, 2003, p. 140) Grove made the decision to replace all processors at the cost of a half billion dollars. This strategy, while costing a massive amount to the company, restored customers’ faith. Dell and Grove have a few similarities that can be noted. Each created a hugely successful business out a need or want that they saw that was not currently being fulfilled. Dell with his customer oriented selling approach, Grove with a computer chip that enabled a computer to run better and faster. Each man faced a point in their career of what Grove called a â€Å"strategic inflection point†Kramer (2003) While the magnitude of these was vastly different for each, it caused each man to reexamine how the company was running. The biggest difference that can be seen between these two is, while Dell simply restructured an already successful method of operation by segmenting it further. Grove completely changed how his company did business by changing the product, which could have ended in massive failure, but thankfully did not. Dell chose to focus more microscopically on the end user, on a person-to-person basis. Grove chose to focus more on the big picture with a mass production outcome. I think Dells’ beginnings of selling computers out of his dorm room gave him a taste for the personal aspect which his business is so well known for. Dell saw that this more approachable method worked for people, and obviously worked for him, thus creating one of the largest PC sales companies in the world. Grove’s very obvious personal factor that affected his business, is his background from before he entered the US. It even gave him â€Å"His personal manta, â€Å"only the paranoid survive†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Krames, 2003, p. 135) With this in mind he was able to overcome Intels’ crisis involving the Japanese, coming out on top, more successful than before. Each man is hugely successful, simple choices made throughout their careers differentiate them from one another.