Germany experienced a period of political Essay Example for Free

Germany experienced a period of political Essay Political calm, spd can’t compromise, Hindenburg causing problems, lack of cooperation between parties causing polarisation but no outright revolutions that happened during 1919-24, growing foreign relations lorcano/treaty of berlin Economic development, result of lorcano meant breathing space from reparations also dawes and young plan and rentenmark – dawes plan borrowed US money lead to increase in capital. Later though fulfilment still causing problems and unemployment pay is causing issues, increase in taxes Social progress, conservative right unhappy and manifests in literature and cinema expressing glory in WW1 contrasts with neue sachlichkiet modern Weimar culture, Bauhaus linking art and functionality. Highlighting social issues within Weimar Overall relative calm but lack of progress, economic development but in short term and social progress but not helping Weimar. The years 1924 to 1929 are often described as the ‘Golden years’ but it is debatable to what extent Germany actually experienced political calm, economic development and social progress during this time. Certainly there was not the turbulence of post-war Germany and the consequences of the crippling Versaille Treaty were not as harsh in this period but this does not mean it was a time of development and progress. It can be suggested that it was not a period ‘of political calm’, there was certainly a lot of tension between the various political parties that made up the many coalition governments in this period, the failure of so many governments alone suggests that there were serious political issues. The narrowing of the interests of each party meant that it was becoming increasingly difficult for effective coalition governments to be formed. The SPD were especially difficult in this time as they were against compromising with the ‘bourgeois parties’ as they felt a change in ideals would occur and proposed policies like the Heidelberg Programme which would see private ownership of industry be taken over by social owners. Obviously many parties from the left felt this but the SPD had the largest amount of seats in the Reichstag, over 150 at their peak in the 20’s, and therefore had the ability to put the government into a stalemate. The SPD’s inability to compromise makes the political stage even worse when Hindenburg is elected as president  in 1925. Hindenburg, being a veteran of the Franco-Prussian war and the general who won the battle of Tannenburg was already conservative and took as many steps as he could to reduce the power the SPD had. Hindenburg also believed the powers of the president should be unrestrained and even blocked a draft that would limit his ability to use Article 48. This incoduscive atmosphere meant that by the time the SPD were willing to cooperate with a coalition government, individual interests and polarisation of parties had developed and no one else was interested. Therefore this cannot be classed as a period of political calm due to the stagnant politica l system. However, it could be suggested that this tension is to be expected as people are still feeling the effects of the First World War and political calm could be defined by the lack of extreme political parties attempting to take over. When this era is compared to the years 1919 to 1924 it is by far a time of political calm as there were no outright attempts at revolution. The years before saw extreme right and left wing idealists try to take over and the fact that this was not attempted during the ‘golden years’ meant it was a time of relative political calm. This is not to mention the successes in Stresemann’s foreign policy, which put Germany back on track to becoming a serious European power once again. The admittance of Germany into the league of nations and the signing of various treaties, such as the Lorcano treaty, meant Germany were in a period of political calm; not experiencing the diplomatic humiliation of the years before. The various treaties signed by Stresemann also helped the economic development in this period. The Dawes gained significant investments from the US and the Young Plan reduced the reparations Germany would have to pay, and set a timescale for how long they would have to pay. This gave the country some ‘breathing space’ to repair and develop its own economy. The young plan, for example, reduced the amount they would have to pay by 1700 million marks than they would in conjunction with the Dawes plan. These plans, alongside the introduction of the rentenmark meant there was an increase in German capital in this period, which can certainly be classed as a period of economic development. Whilst there is definitely evidence of economic development in the mid-1920’s it did also experience financial issues. The increase in unemployment, 15% of the workforce were unemployed by 1929, put a heavy strain on the welfare system of Weimar Germany. The institution for paying unemployment benefits had to borrow money from the Government, 342 million reichsmarks, and the parties could not agree how to find this money. The SPD would increase taxes while the DVP would cut benefits. This can be seen as a backwards move in economic development, as the system did not address the problem of unemployment, but just found more money to pay it, with the decision of how to pay for the unemployment benefits was delayed until 1930. This can be seen as the government almost shooting themselves in the foot and making a short term fix for a long term problem. This short-sightedness can also be argued to be found in Stresemann’s policies, for borrowing money from the US. An international financial crisis would leave over-dependant-on-America Germany in a high amount of debt, which is what happened when the Wall Street Crash occurred. Therefore it can be said that these years were a period of economic development, but that there would be little long term effect on the country from these developments. Social progress is probably the only contention that can be absolutely agreed with, with very influential movements like the Bauhaus dominating this period of time, summed up as Neue Schlachkliet. This movement, saw a progression in modern views and an attempt to undermine the Weimar government by exposing the issues faced through literature, theatre and film. The need for educational and social reform was well documented and although this did not bode well for the Weimar government it definitely showed progress in attitudes of the general public. The conservative nature of many Germans could still be found and also classed as a social progress in the form of anti-democratic writings and films that promoted the glory of the First World war. The two social ideas both grew in this period, but neither celebrated the Weimar Government so whilst it was undoubtedly social progress it was not productive for the Weimar republic. There is definitely a case for political calm, economic development and social progress in the mid-1920’s but they were not necessarily the advances  that would warrant the term ‘golden years’. The political calm was only due to a lack of serious opposition to the government but still they could not successfully form an effective coalition government and whilst the economy did improve in this time the provisions made were short-sighted and the country was over-reliant on foreign investments. Whilst social progress was made in this era it is easy to see that the progress wasnot in the name of democracy and presented the Weimar government with future problems as popular ideology differed from what they promoted.

The Importance of Literary Trash :: Personal Narrative Essays

The Importance of Literary Trash I've heard it said that the goal of "serious literature" is to illuminate the human condition. If that is the case, the error of serious literature is that it is far too simple-minded and attempts to illuminate the human condition by portraying it directly. The great strength of myth, legend and their modern-day successor trashy genre fiction is that they don't just show us the human condition, but interpret, highlight and contrast it by showing us the larger than life symbols. The courage and romance that allows us to survive and to savor daily life are the core of myth and genre. There they are made larger than life and inspire us to aspire to a greatness that goes beyond simple daily experience. The other failing of modern "serious literature" is the failing of all modern art: art for art's sake. Modern art far too frequently is nothing more than the artist showing off the techniques they would use if they were ever to create a true work of art. And so we see the sense of color that they would use if they ever a picture and so on. Technique becomes all important and content is eschewed as distracting from the true art, meaning the simple skills and techniques. An irony of this great "art for art" mistake is that one of its first and most eloquent spokesmen, Theophile Gautier, put forth his position in the introduction of his romantic novel "Mademoiselle de Maupin", whose title character whose adventurous life would make a rip-roaring and thoroughly trashy adventure novel, if only the author had wished to actually tell a story. Jessica Amanda Salmonson, in her introduction to "Amazons II", gives us a two-page summary of the life, loves, and adventures of the historical "La Maupin", actress, duelist and lover that is both exciting and tantalizing, and which has at least as much plot in its 2 pages as Gautier's novel. Stephen Donalson claimed at the second World Fantasy Convention (or was it the third?) that he never read any non-fiction because all of the great insights that people told him they got from non-fiction works he had found long before in fictional tales. From context, it was clear that much of that fiction was fantasy and science fiction. While I won't go as far as Donalson, his point is similar to my own.

Review Your Role, Responsibilities and Boundaries as a Teacher

| Review your role, responsibilities and boundaries as a teacher would be in terms of the teaching/training cycle. | 631 words| | Alan Marshall| | 28/01/2012 | L. Walklin (1990) â€Å"The roles and responsibilities of a teacher evolve with time and circumstance. It is impossible to give a rigid definition of either as they change constantly, though there are some roles and responsibilities that are common to all teachers throughout the education system. It is hard to know where the roles and responsibilities of a teacher should stop and I feel is each teacher’s responsibility to know the boundaries. There exists a misconception that the only skill required to be a teacher is the ability to teach, but it goes far beyond this. A teacher must be multi-faceted. † It is important to identify the difference between roles, responsibilities and boundaries. In order to do this the teacher should look at the dictionary definitions. Collins Dictionaries(1999) â€Å"Role: Usual function, capacity, duty, function, job, part, position, post, task: what is his role in the organisation? † â€Å"Responsibility: A person or thing for which one is responsible. In authority, in charge, in control, accountable, answerable, duty bound. A thing which one is required to do as part of a job, role, or legal obligation† â€Å"Boundary: Something that indicates the farthest limit. A limit of something abstract, especially a subject or sphere of activity† Therefore responsibilities fit within roles and boundaries would include things such as maintaining professional relationships and taking care with communication methods (and increasingly social media use). To deal with each in order, the role of a teacher is primarily creating and facilitating opportunities for learning and will include: Schemes of work, lesson planning, finding and preparing materials, subject research. Record keeping is also an important role to ensure compliance with awarding and funding body regulation and legislation. This would include: Attendance registers, learner and teacher assessment and of course, reports. Some of the responsibilities of a teacher are: Health and safety. An example of this would be fire regulations and the pointing out of fire exits, and assembly points. Teachers are individually and collectively responsible for the safety of everyone whilst at the place of learning. Equal opportunities, promoting equality of all, regardless of age, gender and culture. Teachers need to examine their own behaviour to ensure they are not discriminatory and politically correct. Special needs. A teacher should also be aware of students with special needs and advocate conditions for their success. Continuous professional development; keeping yourself up to date in both teaching and your field of expertise. Maintaining high standards in your work and conduct, both in and out of the workplace. Complying with the rules of the organisation you are part of as well as legislation and codes of practice. The boundaries for any teaching role will include: Professional behaviour. A teachers professional values, rights, and responsibilities are more important than any sense of needing to be liked by others, needing to please others, or needing to make a good impression. As a teacher, discretion is required regarding what, where, and to whom personal information is disclosed. A teacher should both model and teach appropriate boundaries. The teaching environment such as the type of student and the subject will influence whether or not touching is appropriate. In short, the teacher is responsible for eliminating any possible misunderstanding. The teaching/training cycle is about identifying needs, planning and designing, delivering and facilitating, assessing and finally evaluating before it all starts again. Becoming a professional is an on-going process. A teacher should allow time each day for self-examination and reflection. Teachers need to continually assess their own personal behaviour, learn from their experiences, and realize that they will always be faced with unpredictable challenges. This system of continual improvement is known in industry as â€Å"Kaisen† but is equally applicable to the teaching profession. Reference List: Collins English Dictionary and Thesaurus (1999) Teaching and Learning in Further and Adult Education. L. Walklin (1990)

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Unitary, Confederation...

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Unitary, Confederation and the Federal system of the Government We can look at governmental systems as a continuum from a unitary type to a confederacy with federalism sitting in the middle. The unitary government is often described as a centralized government. It is a government in which all powers held by the government belong to a single, central agency. The central government creates local units of government for its own convenience. Most of the government in the world are unitary, Great Britain being one of them. One single central organ is Parliament it holds all the power of the British government. Local governments do exist but solely to relieve Parliament of burdens it could perform†¦show more content†¦The disadvantages are weakness of central government it makes it unable to enforce laws or collect taxes, also lack of unity and common laws. Lastly we move to federal government this is one in which the powers of government is divided between a central government and several local governments. There is a authority superior to both the central and local governments which makes this division of powers on a geographic basis; That division cannot be changed by either the local or national level acting alone. Both levels of government act directly on the people through their own sets of laws, the officials, and agencies. In the United States, for example the National Government has certain powers and the 50 states have others. This division of powers is set out in the Constitution of the United States. However federal government also has the advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of the Federal unity is that local government handles local problems also the local government and officials have to be very responsive of the people who elect them. 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