Monthly Archives: April 2014

Document Analysis 2 Review

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The document analysis we read merits an A grade because of its clear and sophisticated thesis, organized paragraphs, and useful corporation of evidence. The thesis, “Peter the Great and Catherine the Great stratified and expanded governmental roles in order to strengthen Russia’s international presence and to pacify conflict within and regulate the daily lives of the nobility and townspeople,” is specific and clear. While this thesis does answer the prompt, it focuses on one particular aspect of the readings: the stratification and ranking of Russian citizens. By narrowing in on one theme in the readings, the paper is able to develop fully its ideas, instead of spreading itself too thin.

Furthermore, the body paragraphs in the paper are organized very well. Each paragraph starts off with a topic sentence which introduces the mini argument within the paragraph. For instance, the second paragraph begins, “This new system also
spoke to Peter’s desire for Westernization, especially his imitating of
European militaries to strengthen Russia’s own armed forces.” With this sentence, the reader understand that the following paragraph will explain that Peter’s desire for Westernization influenced some of his military reforms. The paper then offers an example, article 15 of the Table of Ranks, to support this argument. The paragraph continues by rephrasing that quotation before explaining how it connects to Peter’s larger goal of Westernization. The paragraph concludes with a strong closing sentence.

The organization is also clear in between paragraphs. The paper moves logically from Peter’s reforms to Catherine’s. Moreover, it tries to both show the connections between the two monarchs’ reforms, such as in the third body paragraph, and highlight the disparities between the two, such as in the fourth and fifth body paragraphs.

The paper also uses evidence well. In paraphrasing or quoting the documents once or twice per paragraph, it gives enough evidence without letting the evidence overwhelm the reader. Also, the paper does not quote incessantly; it only quotes when it needs to. However, it still uses evidence by paraphrasing the documents. For example, the fourth body paragraph paraphrases a section in the Charter to the Towns: “The first guild, for instance, was for those with wealth between ten thousand and fifty thousand rubles, whereas members of the third guild possessed between one thousand and five thousand rubles.” Instead of quoting, the author paraphrases here to draw attention to the evidence it needs.

Finally, the paper is free of grammatical errors, and the language is (for the most part) concise and clear. The paper meets the qualifications for an A grade which Professor Qualls has expressed.

Fascism

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3 Points

1) Fascism denies the necessity and possibility of perpetual peace. It believes that human nature inevitably leads to conflict and thus war. Also, war is the time when the noble are separated from the weak and cowardly. War helps expand the empire of the fascist state.

2) Fascism provides the strength and order that socialism in the 18th century lacked. Mussolini identifies Marxism as the problem in Europe and proves fascism as the solution. It would provide the strong leadership needed in Europe.  Fascism also opposed the class struggle and discrimination based on class.

3) Fascism best represents the tendencies and aspirations of the people. It gives the people the necessary freedoms and no more. Democracy gives too much freedom to the people and lacks a strong unified leadership. The majority does not guide the nation in the proper direction, but a fascist government does.

2 Questions

1) Is fascism really what Europe needed after the previous era of socialism?

2) How and why did fascism when put in practice contribute to World War II?

1 Interesting Observation

1) Fascism’s original meaning was twisted by the horrors of WWII. In America, the meaning of fascism has been further distorted by the media. When people call President Obama  a fascist, it’s clear that the meaning has been almost completely lost.

What is Fascism?

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Three points:

1. Fascism does not believe perpetual peace and be achieved and maintained. It stresses that competition is always there, and that men eventually have to choose between life and death.

2. Fascism is complete opposite to Marxian Socialism, because it does not believe in public decision making; instead, it is a school of thought that promotes “holiness and heroism,” which constitutes a Fascism State that has will, consciousness and ambition.

3.Benito asserts that the twentieth century was going to be the age of Fascism, as he sees that the nineteenth century, the century of democracy, has come to an end, as liberalism and democracy had entered a chaos situation in which its people live a hard life.

Two questions:

1. Is Fascism only effective under the extremely bad economy during pre-WWII period because it shifted individual interest to collective interest?

2. Since the core idea that keeps fascist fighting is the existence of competitors, what happens when Fascism does defeat all its rivals? What will happens to the state when the collective goal is achieved?

 

Observation:

1.Fascism nevertheless has the characteristic of nationalism, yet it is more powerful than nationalism because it calls for a collective consciousness of competition, making it much more aggressive than nationalism.

2.I think its biggest issue is that, it can be a living faith while there are rivals to fight against, but let us say that it somehow defeat all its rivals one day, does not it mean that what holds the fascists together collapse at the moment they win? And when there is no rival, the competitive nature of people, which is what the fascists always believe in, results in a new cycle of chaos again. History repeats itself.

Benito Mussolini’s Fascism

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Thee Points:

Politics: Mussolini states that Fascism is the exact opposite of Socialism/Communism.  This is due to Fascism’s core roots in “holiness and in heroism”.  Additionally, Fascism completely deviates away from the “whole complex system of democratic ideology, and repudiates it, whether in its theoretical premises or in its practical application.”  Also, it refuses to recognize the majority as the main force behind the directing of society.

Economics: The economics of Fascism revolve around the fact that it is the opposite of Communism. The acts of Fascists are not driven by an economic motive.  This also means that materialism is not important.  Additionally, there is a vehement rejection of any ‘class-war’.

Colonization:  Fascism wields a strong desire to expand beyond its own borders and “is an essential manifestation of vitality”.  Mussolini states that their expanding influence will help the aspirations of the people and will join in Italy’s rise “again after many centuries of abasement and foreign servitude.”

Questions:  How did Italy’s fostering of Fascism allow it to spread to other European nations, most notably Germany?  Did Fascism cause concern in other nations and how did they react to it?

Observation:  I found it incredibly interesting that Mussolini was a editor for a socialist newspaper before becoming Fascist, the exact opposite of socialist.

What is Fascism?

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1) Political: Highly efficient but unilateral. Mussolini’s Fascism highly contrasts common democracy because it dismisses the ethical philosophy that the majority is always right due to it being the most beneficial for the greater good. Although decisions that are non-consensual to demographic representation are often interpreted as inherently chaotic, this type of government can accomplish its political agendas more efficiently due to less required processes.

2) Economic: The opposite of Marxian Socialism. The economic ideology of Mussolini’s original fascism revolves around the individuals motives for “heroism” rather than materialism. Therefore, workers who embrace this principle will discard their desire of upward class mobility and replace it with the intent to work for the power of the State, as “Fascism believes in…actions influenced by no economic motive.” This can potentially serve as a powerful incentive for production due to laborers impression that greatness is achieved through effort rather than status.

3) Military: Expansionist. Mussolini believed what marked a powerful nation was its momentum, and there was no better way to achieve this than through expansion and imperial prowess.

How did Fascism manifest itself given the cultural and political history of Italy? Would Fascism have arisen had Italy played a larger military role in World War I?

It is easy to understand why American’s view of Fascism is dark. “The pursuit of happiness” is an American phrase that is embedded in our Declaration of Independence, while fascism regards happiness as a “myth.”

Document Analysis

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From the beginning paragraph this paper, a document analysis of Peter the Great and Catherine II, clearly warranted an A. The information within each paragraph developed a clear path that aimed towards the goal of proving the thesis statement. The thesis itself expressed a clear and focused argument as well as a well organized perspective, which according to the “writing rubric” is required in order to receive an A. Furthermore only when necessary did the author include quotations in order to further prove his argument. Besides it being absolutely necessary, the majority of the paper was composed of paraphrasing of the historical documents, rather than quoting, in order to further their argument.

Each of the topic sentences within the paper expressed a controvertible statement in which always related back to the thesis statement, thus providing another requirement in receiving an A. Each sentence following the topic sentences also followed the “writing rubric” by staying within the focus of the topic sentence along with working towards proving the thesis statement.

Specifically speaking, the authors paragraph about Catherine’s reforms, which were the “Statute on Provincial Administration”, the “Charter to the Nobility”, and the “Charter to the Towns”, expresses the necessary requirements for an A. The author states and explains each of Catherine’s reforms as well as discusses Catherine’s reasons for creating each document, such as providing a response to the rise of the serf and peasant rebellion known as Pugachev’s Rebellion; thus providing the answers to the “five W questions” like “what?” “how?” and “why?”, which are crucial to any history paper.

When looking at the mechanics of the document analysis it, like the other aspects of the paper, expresses the requirements in order to receive an A. The author uses the correct Chicago formatting style by including footnotes on each page. The author writes with an active voice instead of a passive voice as well, which is also particularly important when writing a paper about history. The only mechanical error found within this otherwise mechanically flawless paper consists of a few grammatical errors.

Ultimately this paper provides every aspect needed for an A. It  initially presents a logical and well organized argument that directly answers the prompt. Furthermore each following paragraph continues in a detailed, logical way with the author writing in chronological order of Peter and Catherine’s reforms all the while remaining in the focus of proving the thesis statement.

Fascism

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Main Points:
1. “Fascism, the more it considers and observes the future and the development of humanity quite apart from political considerations of the moment, believes neither in the possibility nor the utility of perpetual peace.” Perpetual peace is not a realistic goal, nor is it a useful one. Fascism holds that problems and conflicts can only be ultimately solved by war, and that all other solutions to problems are only substitutes for war. War is not necessary detrimental, and pacifists have unrealistic world views.
2. “…Fascism [is] the complete opposite of…Marxian Socialism, the materialist conception of history of human civilization can be explained simply through the conflict of interests among the various social groups and by the change and development in the means and instruments of production…. Fascism, now and always, believes in holiness and in heroism; that is to say, in actions influenced by no economic motive, direct or indirect.” Economics have little bearing on the history of man. History cannot be explained by social and economic issues or differences between estates and classes. Class warfare has no real effect on politics and conflict and cannot be the primary mechanism for change in society.
3. “After Socialism, Fascism combats the whole complex system of democratic ideology, and repudiates it, whether in its theoretical premises or in its practical application. Fascism denies that the majority, by the simple fact that it is a majority, can direct human society; it denies that numbers alone can govern by means of a periodical consultation, and it affirms the immutable, beneficial, and fruitful inequality of mankind, which can never be permanently leveled through the mere operation of a mechanical process such as universal suffrage….” Fascism maintains that the majority cannot be held to be correct based solely on the fact that it is the majority. Universal suffrage is a useless practice, since the majority opinion does not matter. Not all individuals are equal, and therefore cannot have equal political standing; Fascism outright denies the democratic principles of political equality and perpetual progress.

Questions:
1. Why is it that fascism and socialism are thought of as being related by many people, when in actuality they are opposites?
2. Why does Fascism get its name from ancient Rome, the government of which is the inspiration for many of the world’s modern democracies?

Observation:
“…The Fascist accepts life and loves it, knowing nothing of and despising suicide: he rather conceives of life as duty and struggle and conquest, but above all for others — those who are at hand and those who are far distant, contemporaries, and those who will come after…” Mussolini’s definition of fascism includes the stipulation that the Fascist despises suicide and knows nothing of it, yet Adolf Hitler, one of the foremost fascists in history, took his own life.

Document Analysis

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The writer of this paper fulfills the requirements of the rubric very well and structured his/her essay properly to make the essay clear and easy to understand.
The topic sentence is set up well by the rest of the intro paragraph. By the time the reader gets to the topic sentence, he/she has a good understanding of the situational context. The sentence itself is concise, but very clear and describes effectively what the paper will be focusing on. The thesis is proven relevant by answering “so what?” and it is also an arguable statement.
The position of the author is well defined and clear. Evidence is effectively used to clarify points. The author analyzes a wide variety of resources to prove his/her points. The numerous resources are also properly cited.

The sources are well placed and agreeing with the claims made by the author. They effectively convey and respond to the points analyzed in the document.

Very few errors in the document overall, grammatically or structurally. The document appears to be very well-revised (probably three times at least).

The document also does a good job of maintaining my attention.

Overall, the paper was very well structured, well revised, and analyzes an interesting, arguable point.

Essay Review

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The essay we are given to explain the grade for makes sense as an A given your standards. It does not appear to run afoul of any of the parts that would make it lose an automatic ten percent, the font, spacing etc. all appear correct. The thesis is takes a large topic and is able to answer the given topic clearly and concisely. The paper flows chronologically and addresses the ideas presented the thesis in order. The topic sentences each present the ideas that will be addressed in the following paragraph. Each source that is used is analyzed and then conclusions are drawn in a logical manner from the document. In my albeit not exhaustive reading of the essay it appeared that it had very few grammatical and punctuation errors. It appears to have been proofed several times. The vocabulary is clearly educated but none of it should be hard for a college student to understand. While obviously we where not allowed the length to explain everything mentioned in depth but the essay is able to give a reader, even one who does not necessarily know about the topic enough information to understand what it is about. The author of this essay approached had a clear plan for how they would write it. Either outlined before or after their first draft they set up a logical order that would address every part of the thesis. The lack of errors and the fact that no sentences are just off the wall confusing makes me assume it was done in several drafts, very likely with an outside reader as well. The essay makes use of several primary sources which are all cited. They all add to the readers understanding and the conclusions drawn from them are central evidence in the essay. The essay follows almost all of the guidelines set pout in various documents for writings in this class. It also achieves A level in all the categories of the rubric.

Grade A

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According to the rubric, an ‘A’ paper keeps the thesis clear and is original in thought. This paper does both exceptionally well. The author lays out all of the documents he/she will present in the paper (no surprise documents) prior to the thesis, and uses these documents as a nice segue into the thesis statement. Every point the paper is carried by an affirmative assertion followed by solid blocks of evidence used to back these assertions, each linked together in a good flow. For example:

“Catherine’s “Statue on Provincial Administration,” by dictating the rankings of persons of power within these provinces, furthermore attempted to eliminate the possibility of another rebellion. For instance, the Statute stipulates that, in the absence of a monarch, rule would pass to each province’s commander in chief. This delegation affirmed that strong authority would govern each province, regardless of the monarch’s physical presence.” (Page 2 of the essay)

 

 

Although this phrasing is full of elongated sentences, each phrase beautifully parlays into the next one, and, by building on the preceding phrase, concisely gets the authors point about said document across. The author also doesn’t lose track of his/her own opinion throughout the paper. This is evident when the author writes, “…More likely, Catherine used this stratification to keep track of free peasants. Because each townsperson had to apply for a guild membership, the legal rankings allowed the government to document and oversee its citizens” (Page 3). With very careful diction (use of the words ‘more likely’ to imply the author’s opinion) the author keeps his/her opinion present throughout the paper without losing sight of the focus. The author further gives his/her own insight onto the establishment of these codes, which is evident in the author’s saying:

 

“Because each townsperson had to apply for guild membership, the legal rankings allowed the government to document and oversee its citizens, consequently reducing the possibility of a rebellion”

With sentences like these and a concise, coherent structure flowing consistently throughout the entire paper, it is easily understandable how it attained an ‘A’.