dadaism

Sabrina Kureshy
European History
Pugliese E
Response #7

Dadaism
Dadaism captured the disheartened and dissatisfied sentiments of those artists who were a part of the movement, post-WWI. Speak to any Dadaist during that time, and he or she would have be offended if the movement referred to as an artistic one. It was certainly not. It was anti-art. It was a cultural movement that reflected an attitude, a view of the world, a certain understanding (or rather lack there of). There lies an interesting connection between the concept of anti-art and the effects of WWI on people.
If art was supposed to have a meaning, dada was meant to be meaningless; if art was intended to appeal to the senses, dada was meant to offend. How strange, yet how understandable. It was a depressing time for people around the world, and thus Dadaism developed, attracting people who look at the world in a very nihilistic way.
Dadaists looked cynically upon the human potential. They didn’t understand how men could become involved in such brutal actions on the battlefield. Consequently, Dadaism was a nonsensical and restriction-lacking outlet for those who couldn’t believe that order could give way to the horrid events that took place during WWI.
Having written about the Romantic Movement and how it was reactionary to European industrialization, political tensions etc., I think its interesting that throughout history, movements like Romanticism and Dadaism have formed because of events that upset the calmness and understanding amongst certain people. There is clearly a link between historical events and actions and those who chose to react in ways other than voicing dissenting opinions. What are we supposed to make of this? I think we are supposed to understand that as humans, many of us feel the need to express our opinions in very different ways. Historically, cultural and artistic expression (whether its Romanticism, Classicism, Dadaism, Realism, Surrealism, etc.) has been a key medium in which people relieve their unhappiness. We can’t always change the world around us, but perhaps it is reactionary movements like these, that have allowed us to, in our own mind, make the world a better place.

Shell Shock in the 21st Century

Numerous papers and periodicals have, in the last two years, run special coverage of the special and often dire cases of soldiers returning home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. As early as 2003, the Christian Science Monitor was reporting on the difficulties soldiers face when returning home from war zones; nineteen months later, the Monitor ran a piece on rising homelessness among veterans of the "Wars on Terror". In the last two years, more mainstream publications have followed suit. Anderson Cooper got in on the action. The New York Times and Washington Post both commented on the surge in homeless vets. Our own Chronicle ran a special Veteran's Day piece last year on the continuously rising statistics, citing data from the Palo Alto VA Hospital – the largest in-patient mental health facility in the country.

The horror stories go beyond homelessness. In a special series they called War Torn, the New York Times reported over one hundred and twenty cases of violent – and often lethal – crimes committed by soldiers returned from Iraq and Afghanistan. The New Yorker followed suit, with an article on the suicide of a decorated Marine, movingly coupled with a series of military portraits. The Washington Post, meanwhile spent years on a special investigation into charges of neglect and malpractice at the Walter Reed Army Medical facilities. The series won the Pulitzer Prize for public service in 2008.

Jean-François Millet and the Realist Movement Thesis

Through the universal medium of artwork Jean-François Millet inspired a political reaction from the working class and paved the way for an era of loftier peasant aspirations, rendering him a vicious threat to stability in 19th century Europe as it teetered under the weight of the powerful politicians and elite class.

Industrialization's contribution to nationalism

In the corner of nearly every public school classroom throughout the United States, the stars and stripes of the American flag hang proudly. Next to this symbolic piece of cloth, stapled to the wall is the order of the presidents, starting with the recognizable George Washington. The words memorized in one’s young age recite the allegiance pledged to the flag, and the student continues their classes like any other school day. This small symbol of nationalism could not be nearly as powerful without the historical propaganda and widespread unification. However, such unification could not reach such great heights until the country had sufficient communication and efficient transportation. The flags and pictures of our founding fathers could not be distributed to the schooling systems unless we had a reliable industry that could develop such goods due to an increase in demand. The schooling system itself would not hang this common flag and teach a universal curriculum unless textbooks and lesson plans were easy accessible. Indeed, behind every sense of nationalism, there lies the powerful movement of industrialization.

Calvi's Essay on WWI

What made WWI

World War I could best be described as the war that finally drew a steady map of Europe. For eons, since the death of the Roman Empire, Europe had been something akin to a large dish of water. Nations and empires, whether it be the Holy Roman Empire, the states of Italy, or Napoleon’s conquered territories, floated around in this dish, swelling in shrinking to fill up different portions of the map. As a result wars between two nations were frequent as the different floating states would collide into one another and each would try to gain the same territory. Europe was in a constant state of friction, each nation rubbing against another.
It’s impossible to point out what factors exactly led to WWI breaking out. Saying that it was all Gavrillo Princep’s fault is just not correct. However it is possible to accurately say what WWI represented. In my esteemed opinion, I believe that WWI was a rebellion within Europe of Sorts. Nations that had previously been either occupied or regarded as redundant (Serbia, Italy, and Russia) were now moving against the dominant powers (Germany, Great Britain, Austro-Hungary.) These punk nations, fresh in the state of independence and relevancy, picked fights with nations much bigger and more powerful than them, feeling for the first time that they had a chance to stand up against the set powers in Europe. Whether it be when the Serbs marched against Austrian troops in the Balkans, when the Italians stormed Izonzo to claim land they felt was theirs, or when the Turks defended themselves from the Anglo invasion; WWI was the war of sticking it to the man.

Darwin and Atheism

Much of Darwin's scientific theories are responsible for the formation and acceptance of Atheism in 19th Century European Society.   

Awesome Thesis about Darwin

Darwin's theory of evolution led way to social darwinism, as well as the idea of White Man's Burden, which justified Imperialism as a socially and politically acceptable practice for European powers although it was in fact a way to control foreign lands and their people, and overtake their goods and resources for powerful European countries.

women and wwi

Sabrina Kureshy
European History
Pugliese E
March 5, 2009
Response #6

Women and WWI

WWI, as bad a time it was in history, had a somewhat positive outcome in the gender equality department. Women in some nations, like Germany, were granted suffrage post-WWI. Like wartime in pre-WWI Europe, WWI saw a similar increase in the role/participation of women in industry. Women were now earning an income and as a result, were experiencing a life that was much more independent than the life of a domestic homemaker.

I think it is interesting that a mere 60 or so years ago, women were enjoying little independence and were instead, only exposed to this independency during times of turmoil, warfare and chaos. In fact, it is a very strange connection, yet it makes sense. The world has come incredibly be far from where it was 100 years ago and even during WWI. Gender roles had always been clearly defined. Only when there was a significant need to interrupt the boundaries of gender roles, did women enjoy more independence because of their exposure to the ‘working world’.

While women today are much more independent and more prominent in the business world, there still exists this very fine line between the role of women and that of men, and I don’t know that we can ever transcend this line. It is something that is embedded not only in the culture in society of America and the world, but it is almost an inherent gene in our body that allows these gender roles to live on in the modern world, in a discrete and much altered way. I’m certainly not convinced that we’ve reached a point where stereotypical gender roles no longer exist. And this is where we must draw the subtle yet crucial difference between equality and gender roles. History has shown that, in the past, these two overlapped. Today however, I feel fairly confident when I say that there is a sense of equality, of course I’m only speaking for America (certainly not other places in the world). While women share equality in the eyes of the law, etc., there still exists the stereotype that women stay at home and men go out into the workforce and are the breadwinners. I don’t ever think that these stereotypes will disappear.

Rough Darwin Thesis/Half Intro Paragraph

Charles Darwin generated and published innovative theories on the mechanisms behind the transmutation (evolution) of species, completely contradicting the long-standing church beliefs on the genesis of man. The complex man behind the theories grew up with a scientific background: a mother who was a botanist, a grandfather who was an evolutionary pioneer among other subjects, and an education in one of Scotland’s most renowned research facilities at The University of Edinburgh. Darwin lived for some time in London, at the heart of the industry and capitalism, allowing him to experience first hand the truths behind Thomas Malthus’ economic speculations that suggested “survival of the fittest.” On an extended sea voyage focused on scientific research, he was among sailors who were religious skeptics causing him to question his own faith. Evidently Charles Darwin’s external influences are most likely the main explanations for his motivation to publish his radical ideas.

Imperialism: Perspectives through literature

WW1 Tech

Throughout the course of history, advances in technology have vastly affected the way humans fight wars. One could name countless additions to the human war cabinet that have, over the years, changed the manner of war. With the progression of personal weaponry, armor, artillery, there are countless examples. Within World War One, automatic weapons elevated warfare to a previously unforeseen level. The introduction of automatic weapons, weapons that could sustain a high rate of fire, made all formally used war tactics obsolete. Normally, these tactics in earlier wars consisted of men lining up across from each other on an open field and firing upon the opposing line until one group retreated. Automatic weapons made these tactics outdated, as a group of 500 men lined up in such a manner could be taken down with a machine gun in a few seconds. Machine guns showed their revolutionary worth most notably in World War One when they made crossing open battlefields an inevitable death sentence.
Utilized heavily in World War One, machine guns brought full armies to a halt, causing them to dig in for defense. Trench warfare was the new tactic developed in response to the machine gun because combatants could not be in the open or else they would be shot down by a machine gun. Moving only a few yards in trench warfare could have cost hundreds of men’s lives because of the devastating power of the machine gun. Normally, tactics in the war consisted of a heavy artillery barrage of the enemy’s fortifications to break down any obstacles and barbed wire in the way and to throw the enemy into a state of panic. Next, the army who just fired the artillery would climb out of the trenches and run toward the enemy’s trenches hoping they could take control of them. However, this tactic was extremely ineffective because although the artillery could have taken out a few machine gunners, one machine gunner could hold hundreds of men at bay. This new weapon created the very indecisive nature of World War One because armies would rarely advance into enemy territories, and if they did, it would be at the cost of thousands of soldiers. The significance of the machine gun was that war would never be the same. No longer would armies be able to see each other as intimately as they would have in conflicts like the Civil and Revolutionary wars.

John Stuart Mill Tentative Thesis

Though John Stuart Mill is now thought of as a breakthrough liberal thinker that developed revolutionary policies and ideas in many areas of philosophy, his legacy is not deserved; Mill merely copied the thoughts of previous philosophers, such as Jeremy Bentham and Adam Smith, and made them far more accessible to the general public.

Elizabeth Strutt and middle-class woman of the family enterprise in the 18th century

Dana Tom

Why were Elizabeth Strutt and many middle-class women of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries successful in contributing to their family enterprises, despite the imminent emergence of "the separate spheres" of the sexes?

Elizabeth Strutt possessed a unique, romantic marriage with her husband and thus earned the entrusted role as an economic contributor to the Strutt family enterprise, unlike the subordinate roles of most wives during the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. However, aside from her unconventional, marital partnership with Strutt, Elizabeth accurately represented the role of many eighteenth-century middle-class wives as the hidden investments of family industries before the later years of the Industrial Revolution. And yet, ironically, the economic contributions of women during the late eighteenth century eventually fazed them out of all economic activity during the nineteenth, as European corporations industrialized and grew and as “the separate spheres” of the sexes consequently emerged.

Elise's Austen/Gender Roles Thesis

Jane Austen, the acclaimed literary and poetic genius, became widely respected for her witty and pointed critique of gender roles in the 18th and 19th century.  However, despite her sharp tongue, her observations in Pride and Prejudice do not necessarily reflect the actual role of women during her time.

Bismarck Thesis

Because of Germany’s heightened interest in colonization, Bismarck chose to use nationalism as a means to unite Germany, help enforce total war, and mask separate actions and motives.

Calvi's Thesis on Simon Bolivar

Although the intense debate over what style of revolutionary Simon Bolivar was often takes two extremes; some claiming that he was a elitist who wanted to take power away from the Spaniards and only give it to white South Americans and some claiming that Bolivar was the first Latin American socialist, the truth lies somewhere in between (as usual). In actuality Bolivar was a pragmatist with little ideological conviction who simply wanted to get rid of the Spaniards. This is best reflected in the style of revolution he conducted, one that was aimed for a simple Republican goal and was based on the ideals of Napoleon rather than the radical Jacobins of the French Revolution. He also shows less conservative stripes with the type of revolutionary force he put tighter; having an army that even at the highest ranks had blacks and indigenous members, reflecting Bolivar’s realization of the diversity of Latin America.

Wilhelm the Pre Nazi

Ultimately, Kaiser Wilhelm II is responsible for the increases in nationalism, militarism and xenophobia that would pave the road to the Third Reich and the downfall of the German Empire.

Tentative Lord Byron (& The Greek War of Independence) Thesis

Despite the idealistic notions that may have driven the Greeks to the point of conflict, the outside involvement in the Greek War of Independence of 1821 through 1829 by those such as Lord George Gordon Byron and The London Greek Committee, with which the former was loosely involved, was fuelled mainly, if not purely, by self-interest, avarice, and a quest for acclaim.

Jack the Ripper Tentative Thesis

Although it is argued that Jack the Ripper is such a famous criminal because of the extent of his crimes and that he was never caught, but in reality he is so famous because he represented everything that West End hated about East End. Jack the Ripper became who he is because West End couldn’t get enough of him; to them, East End became the crimes that were committed in it.

Jane Austen's Bringing The Feminist Movement Back

Although it may appear that Jane Austen’s works disregarded
the events from the French Revolution, in reality she was subtly
incorporating her opinions of the war through her vivid descriptions
of society.

Jane Austen Thesis

Although Jane Austen may have not been the most recognized author during her lifetime, the more historians study her unique work, the more they begin to realize how much she impacted a woman’s role in society through her novels and poems about moral issues, realistic principles, and the portrayal of feminist tradition which is still valued today. The change in the way that Austen was perceived throughout different time periods explains the variation and evolution of the styles of writings from the 18th century to the 20th century. Because her work was more “boisterous” and not focused on romanticism like most novels did during the 19th century, it took time for the public and scholars to truly appreciate the variety and distinctiveness of her writings.

Percy Shelley and the Romantic Ideal

Through the opinionated and fervent eyes of Percy Shelley, Romantic literary ideals were anti- most of the problems that plagued England at the time. And so, Romantic poetry became a medium in which Shelley’s dissenting voice could be profoundly critical and could prescribe remedies for these problems. Thus, Romanticism flourished as an outlet for those whose ideals were growing further and further apart from the ideals that were guiding tempestuous England.

Evolution in Context

While debate over the theory of evolution had been occurring throughout the nineteenth century, Charles Darwin’s interpretation of evolution was received with such success because it came at the time in which it played directly to what industrializing Britain wanted to hear. Darwin’s theory both shaped and was shaped by the individualist climate of Industrial Revolution Britain.

Jane Austen-Communism Thesis

Through the works of jane AUsten we are able to see subtle yet substantial similarities between the communist-dominated East and the socialist-fearing West and leanr that despite their insisted Differences, the two polar political spheres are not quite so different.

Social Darwinism thesis

Some historians argue that Darwin’s two books The Origin of Species and The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex directly caused the emergence of Social Darwinism and that Darwin was in fact a Social Darwinist who’s theories were not solely intended for the animal kingdom. However, even though Social Darwinism and Darwin himself appeared to be interrelated, the new social theory was a result of the industrial revolution, the subsequent ideals of competition and individuality that followed, and the theories of Thomas Malthus and Herbert Spencer.

Ironies of Nationalism under King Leopold II

King Leopold II, of the newly formed country, Belgium, portrayed to the public his need to colonize the Congo in order to strengthen their unity and their reputation on the Europe stage however, the horrors that occurred in his "Free State" traveled worldwide causing mass human rights movements which led the state of Belgium to regain a nationalistic government and unite against their own leader. 

Victor Hugo Thesis

Victor Hugo had a vision and plan for France that differed from Napoleon III, which would have changed history, but unfortunately he spoke out against Napoleon and wound up in exile unable to influence France at all. His romantic view of the world led him to over harshly slander Napoleon, who admittedly should have followed Hugo’s advice to wage peace not war.

Karl Marx Influence on Unification of Germany

Bismark was suspect of Karl Marx's ideas on socialism as set out in the Communist Manifesto, and Marx's ideas had little impact on Bismark's policies during the 19th century unification of Germany.

Dickens' World (attempt at a thesis - incomplete)

A Dickens novel is almost always filled with numerous characters from all walks of life, but though often portrayed with extremity, sarcasm and ridicule, they all retain their humanity. Ironically, it is the faultless, incorruptible protagonists that the readers and historians have found boring and that it is only their circumstances or situations are relatable. Still, Dickens uses this mixture of fantasy and realism to mock his characters but not to blame them. Influenced by his own experiences, he painfully and truthfully portrays his world as the source of the plights of his characters and while the endings are often happy, the sense bittersweet throughout the novels reminds the reader that they are still grounded in the real world, and not a fantasy world of Dickens’ creation. 

Tentative Thesis: On Metternich and his philosophy

While Metternich's conservatism and establishment of "legitimacy" gradually disintegrated beneath the power struggle amongst the 5 Great Powers and popular dissent within these countries, his policy was necessary-- rather than sufficient-- to maintain half a century of relative peace within a continent recovering from the Napoleonic Wars.

William Wordsworth Thesis

Question: Was William Wordsworth’s Romantic poetry inspired by the political events surrounding late eighteenth century France, and if so, did his poems influence national opinion towards the French Revolution?

 

Thesis: Although historians may argue that outside influences such as drastic economic changes and severe social fervors manipulated the original intentions of Wordsworth’s Romantic poetry, lying at the core of the Romantic Movement was a desire to depict true human nature and attitude, which Wordsworth captured (and perhaps influenced), politically and socially in postbellum France. 

Hero or Villain?

Hero or Villain?
Most people enjoy others who share the same interests that they do or laugh at the same jokes. Humans become angry when others mock or challenge them. They have their friends, and likewise, have their enemies. To Otto von Bismarck, (a nineteenth century German nationalist and Prussian chancellor), on the other hand, this kind of thinking made little sense. In matters of peace and war, Bismarck’s enemies could become friends at any moment, and his friends could instantly become enemies. Self- interests and needs dominated Bismarck’s actions. In Bismarck’s world, domination and national needs took priority. Although Bismarck practiced his nationalistic ideas by unifying the divided states of Germany, he did not adhere to popular sovereignty and allowed the balance of power to be broke down in his favor. He turned European nations against each other and was continuously on a control rage. Bismarck lacked faith in others, destroyed the system of government of Germany and acted brutally and selfishly, portraying that he was not simply a German nationalist, but rather a power-hungry expansionist and provoker.

Thesis Paragraph Harry Vardon

Harry Vardon Research Paper

Crimson red colored battlefields, throats that have been cut, patriotic chants of “make them bleed bleed blood and guts”, and one country that has risen above this is the nationalism we’ve all heard of. The armies of Bonaparte and Van Bismarck were familiar to the rush of nationalistic pride that came from victory in battle and for ages and ages before these leaders nationalism was the product of war and terroritorial struggle. However, in 1885 a new brand of nationalism was being developed under the leadership of Harry Vardon. This new mold of nationalism came from taking less than 80 strokes on green grass and white sand not thousands of lost lives lost in a far off land; this form of nationalist simply required the act of hitting a white ball under a blue sky. Despite its non-violent nature, golf, lead by Harry Vardon, became a battleground of sorts for countries to compete amongst each other through pure sport. Vardon’s golf tour through America serves as one of the first monumental example of the magnitude of nationalism that could be created through athletics. This paper will analyze to what extent was golf able to spawn nationalism, and unveil the true significance of Harry Vardon himself. Vardon is important because his life story shows the widespread nature of Marxist ideals and demonstrates how big of an impact the Industrial Revolution had on the “average European Man” in the late 19th century.

Karl Marx (Euro Research Paper)

Question: In such an economic crisis like The United States is in currently, how might Marx’s ideals be considered today? Was Marx’s economic system not valued during the 19th century because of the economic stability that prevailed throughout Europe? Did Marx sell his economic system well or was it perceived in a different light than he had hoped?

Thesis: Though Marx’s economic ideas might appear as a solution for our contemporary struggles, historians have shown that these ideals have been misinterpreted, changed, and modernized throughout the past centuries. Marx’s economic system was unable to compete with the thriving capitalistic system during the 19th century, and because of this Marx’s ideals were therefore turned down and refuted. However, this new system of ideas was unable to be perceived in a positive light because of the flourishing society that was in no need of an alteration. Marx’s system was unable to be executed because of the misinterpretations his different, radical ideas brought about and the fear that surrounded the thought of change.

A Response to others' Responses

There seems to be this ongoing debate on whether humanitarianism and imperialism aren't at all the same or whether they actually have very similar intentions and motives. Obviously most humanitarians don't go to developing countries, demand rubber and then slice off people's limbs, yet I do believe that some have similar attitudes as early imperialists had: this notion that its their obligation or responsibility to take care of the unfortunate. This paternalistic perspective still seems to last, for example, when you see those commercials with small mexican children walking through hills of garbage and an old (christian) man picks one up gently and tells you to donate just one dollar a day. Now, I'm not saying that he's an evil con man or anything like that, I just thought it interesting that in some ways, and in some cases humanitarian efforts seem like a PC version of Imperialism. 

Also, I noticed varying opinions on the "White Man's Burden" poem by Rudyard Kipling. I personally believe that he was being sarcastic but for some different reasons than previously mentioned. I do not think he had any sympathies for the 'natives' of India or elsewhere, instead he felt that Imperialism was in fact a burden...how ironic...Many have stated that he thinks of Imperialism as a sacrifice, but lets remember that a sacrifice is quite different than a burden. Sacrifices are things that people take on because it is their responsibility yet a burden is usually unnecessary and annoying.