This document is a press statement written from the United States’ perspective that described a potential European Common Market and free rade area. This common market was to be comprised of Belgium, France, the German Federal Republic, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. The intent of these negotiations was to eliminate trade barriers between member countries and to establish a common external tariff towards outside countries. Both the United States and Great Britain favored this initiative because it would further the political and economic strength of Western Europe by unifying this market.… Read the rest here
Tag Archives: France
Otto von Bismarck
Author: Otto von Bismarck, who ruled between 1862 and 1890, helped to unify Germany. He helped to unite the German states with Prussian leadership by initiating wars with Denmark, Austria, and France. [1]
Context: He wrote this during the time when he was establishing power with Prussia. He began a series of wars in order to establish this Prussian power. He created tension between France and Prussia by editing a telegram to make these countries angry at each other.… Read the rest here
Socialist Opinions in an Industrial Society
Robert Owen
Author
- Robert Owen
- English cotton manufacturer
- “Utopian” socialist and workers’ rights advocate
- Headed England’s Revolutionary Trades Union movement in 1830s
- Worked in America/England
Context
- Industrial Revolution is booming
- Working conditions are not good and there are few laws in place to protect them
- In United States, President Andrew Jackson defunded Second Bank of U.S. on March 28 (much to many peoples’ disapproval)
Language
- Negative opinion on the flaws of the system
- Persuasive with extended flowery (yet still understandable) language
Audience
- Literate upper/middle class
- Voters, landowners, business owners (people of everyday influence)
- Great Britain’s people
Intent
- Explain why the current system is so flawed
- Incite change in a bloodless revolution
Message
- Unite as Consolidated Union
- By holding a strong moral influence, help man reach its full potential outside the evil grasps of the current flawed system
Karl Marx
Author
- Karl Marx
- Wealthy middle class
- When this was published he was working as the editor to a paper in Paris
Context
- Industrial Revolution
- Very poor conditions for workers
- France during the July Monarchy
Language
- Very philosophical… breaks down each basic element and defines/redefines to reach a certain conclusion
- Rational
- Easy to understand and follow
Audience
- Workers
- Lower classes of Paris
Intent
- Reach the workers and convince them of a socialist system where they are not devalued
Message
- Political economy based on greed and competition
- Workers are objectified, estranged, and treated poorly in a system based on greed
- People are alienated from their products by the system which contradicts their nature
- Private property causes this estrangement
Claude Henri de Rouvroy, comte de Saint-Simon
Author
- Claude Henri de Rouvroy, comte de Saint-Simon
- Scientist, businessman, and theorist
- Writing had more influence after his death
Context
- France under Napoleon’s constitutional monarchy
- Industrial rev with poor working conditions and a lot of angry, hungry workers
Language
- Emotional and persuasive
- Many questions
Audience
- Working class and middle class
Intent
- Offer an opinion against laissez-faire economics
Message
- Personal and social interests do not always coincide, which is why laissez-faire economics don’t always work
- Those at the top become corrupted while those at the bottom suffer
Materials for the Philosophy of the History of Mankind
Johann Gottfried von Herder was a German philosopher associated with the Enlightenment. He wrote the article, “Materials for the Philosophy of the History of Mankind” in 1784, and he discussed the idea of nationalism. Paul Halsall provided an introduction to this article. There have been different types of nationalism, such as cultural pride, …right to self-government, and …national superiority” (Halsall 1)
He established the central ideas of nationalism, which are that people can be defined as having a “common history, language, and tradition” and that a nation “has a unique claim to be considered a legitimate political basis for sovereignty” (Halsall 1).… Read the rest here
Moving away from Absolutism
France endured centuries of Absolute Monarchs that spent much of their kingdom’s wealth on lavish buildings, monuments, and other signs of status, while the common people, known as the third estate, remained poor, hungry and devoid of power. Though the third estate lacked power through the traditional estate system, as the clergy and nobility could overrule their political ambitions, it consisted of 96% of the French population. Because it held the overwhelming majority of the population, members of the third estate believed that they should hold more power over France’s decisions. … Read the rest here
Thoughts on the Declaration of Independence and the Third Estate
The document originally drafted by Thomas Jefferson and signed by fifty-six men on July 4th, 1776 that was coined the “unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America” (Blaisdell 63) and later became known as the Declaration of Independence, remains to this day the most famous and important document in American history. Throughout this document, the framers specifically highlight and outline wrongdoings committed by the King of England and ultimately their desire to form a new sovereign nation separate from England.… Read the rest here
The Declaration of Independence and The Third Estate
Thomas Jefferson wrote up the draft to a very important document back in 1776. It was known as “The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America” (Blaisdell 63) but came to be known as the Declaration of Independence. This document explained what the government should do for its people to prove that the king of England was not the proper or wanted ruler for the colonies anymore. It explained how the government should help out the citizens rather than hold them back, how it should promote safety and happiness (Blaisdell 64).… Read the rest here
Power Struggles Present in the Declaration of Independence and The Third Estate
The Declaration of Independence clearly establishes the kind power the United States is looking for through a representation of Britain’s tight control. The Declaration of Independence exemplifies how the king caused “repeated injuries and usurpations” (Blaisdell 64) as well as acted in every way “which may define a tyrant” (Blaisdell 66). The United States is looking for a government that allows power to be given to the people. The authors of this document believe that men are born with certain rights, and in order to protect those rights, the people should have a say in the government.… Read the rest here
The Declaration of Independence and the Third Estate
The Declaration of Independence discusses the reasons why the United States decided to break off from England and become its own nation. This document discusses how it is a government’s responsibility to protect certain rights of the citizens: “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” (Blaisdell 64). If a government does not protect these rights, then it is the rights of the governed people to “abolish it, and to institute new Government” (Blaisdell 64). The British government did not protect and uphold these rights of the people; rather, it caused a series of “repeated injuries” and established “absolute Tyranny over these States” (Blaisdell 64).… Read the rest here
French Colonial Expansion
Jules Ferry – On French Colonial Expansion
Author: Jules Ferry was born April 5, 1832, in Saint-Dié, France. He was educated as a lawyer. Before serving two terms as prime minister of France (1880-1881, 1883-1885), Ferry was an active politician. He served as the republican deputy for Paris in 1869 and protested the declaration of war against Germany. The government of national defense appointed Ferry as the prefect of the Seine. As prime minister, he passed laws that secularized the French educational system.… Read the rest here