Political success depended upon military success Essay Example for Free

Political success depended upon military success Essay Political success depended upon military success. To what extent do the sources support the view of the ways in which politicians achieved success in Rome? Success in the battlefield and the support of the army -that is if exploited correctly- could be the catalyst for one to climb the ladder and acquire a prominent political career. Military success at Rome was important but not a guarantee for political success, nevertheless the two were not entirely independent from each other but interlinked. Rome had managed to expand by employing his strong army and successful generals; however numerous forces were constantly required as Rome was involved in long and continuous wars in order to maintain its domination, making military distinction a contributing factor for political advancement, however there were alternative ways to be considered or better, be combined in order to achieve political influence. The various roman sources, their reliability controversial and under scrutiny, each provide different prospective. Two of our main sources are Plutarch and Suetonius, both biographers that focused on their protagonists rather than on analysing the political framework and did not live through the events they describe but during roman republic. Plutarch provided a Greek outlook as he didnt really understand the complex nature of Roman politics and machinations and he tended to moralisation. As for Suetonius, being imperial secretary provided him access to numerous sources and anecdotes. He behaves according to modern historians standards by listing his references with his reliability being equivalent to that of his sources. Our first hand accounts include Sallust, Cicero and Caesar, which are considered biased as each of them has his own agenda to promote. Cicero, an optimates supporter, is a famous orator and novus homo, a prolific writer and speaker promoting his interests according to the audience he is addressing. Thus his speeches and letters must be evaluated accordingly, the former as being public knowledge, the latter as expressing his actions on a private, personal level. Sallusts dramatic descriptions are subjective and historically inaccurate, uniquely though contain historical analysis with Thusydidean realism instead of being chronological accounts. He wrote a farewell to politics, a concept he has excessive knowledge due to his active part in Romes political life. He, also, widely supported his friend Caesar since he had saved his political life by revealing the corruption and incompetence of the optimates and the propaganda they used against him. As for the historical account of his own wars that Caesar provided, it justified and glorified his actions. One of the politicians that achieved political success and a triumphant through military means by conquering Italy and then the world was Marius, a novus homo. He achieved to be elected consul 7 consecutive times due to being victorious and important army reforms that strongly appealed to the masses are attributed to him. He was the 1st to use army as political tool by creating a semi-professional, fresh and numerous army. He distributed the spoils of war to the poorer plebs and land to veterans, thus reconciled them with the political status quo and solved the problem of the landless and jobless by giving them the option of enrolling in the army. Through the cohort formation he achieved unit bonding and allegiance and he introduced skilled military training, new weapons and made the army more mobile, thus moulding it as one of the finest armies of ancient times. These brought peoples dedication and loyalty to his name. The army became a strong force, subsequently who had control over it could also control Rome! Marius was gradually overshadowed by Sullas military successes which included the capture of Jugurtha with the risk of his own life, an event that boosted his political career. With his diplomatic skills, he became consul and marched into Rome twice enabling him to be appointed a dictator. His political agenda included the reformation of the system which included the proscription and execution of Marians, the crippling of the power of the tribune and strengthen of the aristocracy and thus the Senate by increasing its members to 600. He maintained his predominance by giving to 10 000 slaves freedom and Roman citizenship, therefore, this class was always ready to safeguard his command. According to Caesar though, he didnt know his political abc as he retired at the peak of his career. Additinally, an extremely charismatic military general, a man of glory (Macer speech) was Pompey who through military success he managed to gain political power without even going through the cursus honorum (the ladder of progress through different magistracies until one became consul later on became conventional law, therefore it became binding for accomplishing a political career). Pompey showed his brilliance by raising an army when only 23 to support Sulla and put down Lepidus and Sertorius revolts, significantly acquiring the title Magnus. He was allowed to bypass the ancient Roman tradition and at when only 35 years old, while not even a senator, he was elected Consul by an overwhelming majority vote. His political agenda included to undo Sullas reforms as he restored the power of the tribunes lost under Sullas dictatorship. Nevertheless, during fighting Sertorius at Spain, he faced the lack of proper funding, complaining to the senate, consequently implied that gaining military and maintaining political success depends strongly on someones interaction with other bodies, as during a war the senate consents to provisions for the soldiers and the assembly ratifies or annuls treaties and peace. Once in 61 BC he returned victorious and triumphant from the 3rd Mithridadic war, he had already managed to establish himself due to military victory. As for Crassus, he achieved his political influence through bribery since he was very rich and he ensured to put his own people into positions of power eg. Caesar. His military successes include his achievement to put down the Spartacus revolt even though his triumph was stolen by Pompey. Maybe, thats why when he failed to rise constitutionally through military command he alternatively got involved in the indented massacre of the Senate. Contrary, Cicero achieved his results by word (Plutarch) without his involvement in the army as the pen is mightier than the sword. He was from Arpinium, a municipia, and went through the cursus honorum until he became a novus homo with his election as consul. Rhetoric was his tool for politics as he was prominent at the law courts and became famous through the Verres case and for putting down the catelinarian conspiracy. Upon crushing the conspiracy he received the title pater patriae that no one else, not even the most victorious generals had gained and a procession was organised for him, something that they did only for those who had established important military successes. Cicero is the ideal example that plebeians had to counteract the hostility of the nobles in order to achieve political power as it was easier for patricians to gain positions in politics since they ruled by right of birth and their advice was employed in conducting all business due to mos maiorum. In 63 BC, Cicero was the first man to attain the consulship in over 30 years following the advices of commentariolum petitionis supposedly written by his brother Quintus but surely by someone with full understanding of roman politics. It was important for him to cultivate valuable friendships by glad handling the voters and keeping himself constantly in public life in order to overcome the political newness of his name by his reputation as a speaker through campaign promises which appealed to as many voters as possible. Political power was guarantee for Caesar as his success depended on his intimidating, dynamic, opportunist and cunning character. Due to his ambitious and diplomatic nature he managed to come to the limelight and later or secure his dominations by proving his military genius as he aimed to conquer the world as Alexander the Great -his model- did. He used marriage as a political tool, followed the cursus honorum and established in his consulship the monarchy which he planned while only an aedile'(Cicero to Axius). Sulla had predicted his motives phrasing it as in this Caesar you will find many Mariuses. Ruthlessly he participated with Crassus to an intended conspiracy about the massacre of the senators and tried to convince the roman allies to revolt against the senate. Caesar cleverly -and as a Populares- gained the support of the people through his military victories, by passing an agrarian law and establishing bread and games exploiting Bibulus money. Even though he came from an old patrician family he was poor, thus he needed to rely on others. He used Lucceius money to increase his influence and became consul through bribery, corruption and clientelism exerted on voters. Caesar exceptionally good managed to outmanoeuvred his political opponents and establish a consulship of Julius and Caesar'(Suetonius, Divius Julius, 20). This reinforces the sources that suggest that apart from military success illegal ways were also required. It is no coincident that Rome is regarded as a timocracy as bribery and corruption were obvious (commit wrong for payment than do right for nothing-Macer speech) and necessary for political advancement (bribery excused for the sake of commonwealth) as well intermarriage and amicci, which included political alliance with other clans. Such an example of political alliance was the triumvirate formed to promote Caesars, Crassus and Pompeys mutual aims, swearing to oppose all public policies of which any one of them might disapprove (Suetonius, Divius Julius, 19) and smoothing Pompey and Crassus hostile relationship as all 3 of them rose to power through it. In essence it was aimed against the Optimates since they dominated the Senate, the true governor of Rome that one had to overthrow in order to gain absolute power. This had been an uneasy alliance based purely on interests and political convenience and once it outlived its usefulness it collapsed. Moreover the building block of ones political career was the patronage allowing the nobles to maintain their influence and control the elections. Patrons would advance and protect the interests of their clients and in return the clients voted according to their patrons decision in the assembly. It was subservient, nonetheless, this was one of the ways Rome maintained its empire, by controlling its provinces through personal relations and entourages.

Gone With the Wind Essay -- essays papers

Gone With the Wind This is a film about contrast. In the film clip, lagre amount of contrast can be found between characters, lighting, the way of how colour is presented, the way of how camera being placed, and the way of how shots being taken. Misc-en-Scene From the film clip (and the whole film), the colour image is strong on contrast, not only the colour of the settings, the furnitures, and the costumes, also the colour contrast of indoor and outdoor. In the film clip, the major colour is grayish, the tones contain grayish olive green, grayish blue ( Melanie’s costume), and grayish brown. It gave the audience an impression of desolated space, like a castle. With a large amount of gloomly shadows of furnitures and stairs, it empasis the dismal of the indoor surroundings strongly. The dull tone of indoor settings is different when compare with the outdoor setting. When Melanie announced to the people who were out in the field through the window, the colourful image of the field outside is a strong contrast to the dull and gloomy image inside the house. This created a feeling of a hidden incident is happened or happening inside the house but the public outside is never known. As the colour concept of people (i.e. audiences) always treated colourful as joyful, happiness and innocent, and dark, dull, gloomy are always connected with evil, crime and secrets. The costumes are designed to signifly the difference in the personalities of Melanie and Scarlet. The costume of Melanie is a grayish-blue lingerie, an additonal over coat, and the a long plait with an untidy hair, that makes her looks compelety as a peasanty woman. Her pale face and the pair of sunken eyes also suggests she is weak, sick, and need protection. Scarlet is wearing a bright colour one piece dress with patterns, her hair hair looks tidy with a white hair net, her light make up, looks elegant and sexy when compared with Melanie. And also created an impression that she doesn’t belongs to the dismal, gloomy house, she doesn’t belong to the working peasant lifestyle. However, she is wearing a pair of old leather shoes which covered by dirt, dry mud and dust, that hide under her pretty dress. It means even thought she is not belong to there, or she think she is not belong to there, but her birth place, her root is Tara, the place with mud, dust, and p... ... and affecting each other...In the film clip, Scarlet shoot the deserter with no mercy, and then discuss with Melanie how to manage the corpse in a very reality tone, it is just like discussing how to hide a furniture, an object. A conflict with Melanie, she hasn’t got any idea of how to solve and hide for this kind of serious crime. But Melanie lie for Scarlet, even thought it is something out of her personality. At that moment they are standing at the same line. Therefore, this is the way of opening up the possibilities of more complexity of the narrative – Melanie and Scarlet is not totally against each other, they still the help from each other, like Scarlet work for Melanie, Melanie lie for Scarlet, they are situated in a very subtle relationship, this is the formation of the the story. Finally, the director described the Northerns are robbers, intruders to the Southerns. This film clip is standing in the point of view of a Southerns. As Southerns are the oppose of liberation the black slave, we can noticed that this film still having the shadow of the white supremeism Bibliography: Gone with the wind and the sunset(1992) Dr Karen Chen, Meiah Publisher

Discuss the powers and constraints on the power of the Prime Minister

The British Prime Minister (PM) is holder of great power(s). ‘The PM is the most powerful figure, indeed the most powerful figure in the British system of government’[1]. He or She leads a group of political figures some of whom have a party or national standing in their own right. At the beginning of the 20th century the PM was described as primus inter pares- first among equals. The PM has can exercise powers which are denied to other members of the cabinet for example the power of patronage. He/she has formal powers inherited by the monarch such as the ability to go to war and more informal powers such as the media. The PM also has constitutional powers for example being able to decide the election date. This essay shall outline some of the powers at the disposal of the PM as well as some of the constraints that can limit the PMs freedom of action. Firstly, ‘The Prime Minister’s role is peculiarly British in two ways. The first is that as the Head of Government, he must control the House of Commons to remain in office[2]. The fact that the PM is head of government gives him/her considerable power. The PM owes his or her position to the party and must not forget such a connection. He or she will use the powers of leadership to keep the party united, working out compromise solutions as necessary. As leader of the majority party the PM retains support of the parliament. As long as the majority is a workable one, the PM and his or her cabinet colleagues are in a position to persuade the House to adopt party policies. In this sense a good relationship between the Pm and his or her party is crucial in allowing the freedom of choice for the PM. Secondly, the PM exercises power under the royal prerogative, powers which can be used but are traditionally powers of the crown. Powers relating to the legislature-e. g. ‘the summoning, proroguing and dissolution of parliament; the granting of royal assent to bills; legislating by Order in Council (e. g. in relation to civil service) or by letters patent; creating schemes for conferring benefits upon citizens where Parliament appropriates the necessary finance’[3]. Powers regarding the armed forces ‘Powers relating to the armed forces e. g. – the Sovereign is commander in chief of the armed forces of the Crown and the control, organisation and disposition of the armed forces are within the prerogative’[4]. Furthermore, ‘the power of appointment and dismissal, can be, and is, used by the Prime Minister to shape the general and specific direction of policy, as Margaret Thatcher demonstrated in September 1981 when she reinforced her Governments commitment to its economic policy by dismissing several so called wets[5]. Thirdly, the PM determines the date of the next general election. The PM alone decides when to ask the monarch when to dissolve parliament and therefore the time of the polling day. Normally this will be after four years in office. The PM will choose a time when victory looks most likely[6], his or her choice may be influenced by party performance in the polls, opinion polls and also by-elections, there are a number of various influences that cast the deciding factor into when election Day is. On the other hand, a constraint on the powers of the PM could be his/her cabinet colleagues. It clearly limits the freedom of action for any PM. No PM can survive long without the support of his or her cabinet colleagues. The fall of Margaret Thatcher in 1990 is often said to be largely the work of her cabinet, ‘the introduction of the Community Charge for local government sounded the death knell for Thatcherism’[7] And her presidential style of leadership were making her unpopular. In 1990 there was a challenge to her leadership. Michael Heseltine stood against thatcher in a challenge to her leadership but ‘despite being only four votes short of outright victory, she stepped down after advice from her Cabinet’[8]. fewer votes than she did but enough to damage her authority to such an extent that in a succession of face to face interviews her cabinet colleagues convinced her not to stand in the second round, thus leaving the way open for john major to be elected. Thatcher was therefore removed from office largely due to the work of her cabinet colleagues. John Major also had some difficulties in his second ministry with some of his cabinet particularly John Redwood and Michael Portillo, because of their underhand opposition to his policy. Brown enjoyed the advantage of being able to reshuffle his cabinet thoroughly when he took over as PM, hence ensuring the exclusion of his enemies and rivals. He made sure to include some of his ‘inner circle’ including Ed Balls sometimes named Mr Browns ‘representative on earth’ [9] A second constraint on the powers of the PM is the support of the media or lack of it. If a PM is to be popular and hence successful, he or she needs the support of a large section of the media; this usually itself can be dependent on the popularity of the PM. The Murdoch press is often credited, especially by the newspapers themselves as having more influence than they really have, a Guardian article affirms ‘ Rupert Murdoch's spell is broken. But not his baleful influence’[10]. Moreover when they transferred their support from Major to Blair in the mid-1990s/ it was certainly harmful to Major’s electoral success. However, if Major had still been popular in the country, it is unlikely that the sun and the times would have switches sides as they did. Brown initially enjoyed a favourable press, largely due to the novelty factor. ‘By the skilful and sustained use of propaganda, one can make a people see even heaven as hell or an extremely wretched life as paradise’ Adolf Hitler’s remarks about the media make the impression that the correct use of it can prove a powerful thing. But by contrast we have seen that when the media turns against the PM it can be a constraint on the power of the PM. Finally, the size of the majority in the commons can have a substantial effect on the PMs ability to push things through. Tony Blair enters Downing Street on a wave of goodwill after a landslide election victory, his Commons majority of 179 ending 18 years of Conservative rule[11]. Tony Blair was fortunate between 1997 and 2005 with two large majorities. This was an important factor in his success, and his ability and his government’s ability to get programs passed in parliament. However, it is arguable that because his majority was so huge, some dissidents on the backbench were more willing to cause trouble than they otherwise would have been. In 2993-5, there were a number of Labour backbench revolts which greatly reduced the government’s theoretical majority in the commons. So perhaps it is better to have a large, rather than enormous majority. But governments with small majorities such as Wilson and Callaghan in the period 1974-0 and then John Major in 1992-7 can suffer considerably in the event of a backbench revolt. Over Europe, Major had great problems within his own party and only managed to ratify the Maastricht Treaty with a majority of one vote because of a backbench revolt. This sort of difficulty undermines the PMs Authority more generally, in the media and among the voters as a whole. Blair found this out for himself in his third term, with a reduced majority, and his first defeat in 2005 on the terrorism bill. Brown of course inherited this slimmer majority from Blair and in March 2008 he faced back-bench rebellions over his counter terrorism bill. In conclusion, it has been argued that the PM has acted beyond the constitutional role which is primus inter pares (first among equals). The PM can exercise powers held by the crown or prerogative powers for example the ability to go to war. Also the PM decides the election date. But most importantly, he or she is leader of government and by definition the most powerful politician in the country. However, should the PM forget the connection established between the press, the people and his or her party the PM will find it hard to succeed as Margaret thatcher’s downfall highlighted.

Come Out the Wilderness Character Analysis - 1680 Words

â€Å"Come Out the Wilderness† James Baldwin’s â€Å"Come out the Wilderness,† presents the mentally isolated Ruth Bowman’s thoughts about men and her unwillingness to forget past relations. Growing up as a child, Ruth is sexually harassed by a guy whom her parents and brother think she is voluntarily sexually involved with. The events that happen in a previous era was a stepping stone into a life of low-self esteem and much insecurity that follows. The uncontrollable event causes her to be dependent on men and to have uncertainty in relationships. Ruth is educated in school, and she uses her skills on her job as a secretary, which she is promoted to. Ruth is a complicated woman in her thoughts as well as her actions. The feeling of not being†¦show more content†¦She is always reminded of her dirty past, She bawled at last: Goddamit, I wish I had, I wish I had. I might as well of done it! Her father slapped her. Her brother gave her a look and said: You dirty...you dirty... you black and dirty (382). Ruth hates her husband for not ending the tiring relationship and wishes them both dead. She smokes cigarettes because of her depression. The cigarettes may also symbolize her attempt to join her husband in a similar trait, to have something in common. Insecurities in Ruth’s life prevent her from being happy although she is married. Marriage does not hide the fact that two people are not happy; though she does attract attention from her boss Mr. Davis. She walks and has a conversation with him about life. She and Paul have tension between each other in an environmental way. Ruth thinks her relationship with Paul is heading to an end. | She knew that he was going to leave her. It was in his walk, his talk, and his eyes. He wanted to go. He had already moved back, crouching to leap. And she had no rival. He was not going to another woman. He simply wanted to go. It would happen today, tomorrow, three weeks from today; it was over she could do nothing about it; neither could she save herself by jumping first, She had no place to go, she only wanted him. She tried hard to want other men, and she was still young, only twenty-six, and there was no real lack ofShow MoreRelatedSemiotics of the Landscape1006 Words   |  5 Pagesshort story. This paper will discuss how the inner secrets and thoughts of the main character, who is named Lois, are expressed throughout the short story in the depiction of the Canadian wilderness, particularly the landscape portraits. A Freudian psychoanalytical analysis will be used in order to better understand not only the concept of the unconscious mind, but in order to reach a bett er understanding of the character Lois and the story as a whole. First, let us analyze Freuds theory of psychoanalysisRead MoreThe Pioneers: An Analysis of the Character of Natty Bumppo781 Words   |  3 Pagesï » ¿ The Pioneers: An Analysis of the Character of Natty Bumppo The Pioneers is the first in a series of five books by James Fenimore Cooper, though in the time period that the five books covers, it is the fourth, chronologically. The most famous book in this series is The Last of the Mohicans. Together, the five books are known as the Leatherstocking Tales, as they tell the story of Natty Bumppo, who also went by the alias of Leatherstocking. The Pioneers, like the other books in the LeatherstockingRead MoreThe Wild West: an Analysis of Post-Civil War Tension in John Ford’s â€Å"My Darling Clementine†1546 Words   |  7 PagesDoc Holliday and Granville Thorndyke (the Shakespearean actor) in â€Å"My Darling Clementine.† What is Ford trying to say about the relation to the civilized East to the unsettled West. (Clementine vs. Chihuahua is relevant here.) The Wild West: An Analysis of Post-Civil War Tension in John Ford’s â€Å"My Darling Clementine† Following the end of the United States’ Civil War, new territories had becomes states, notably what is now known as the West. The West, iconized by its Cowboys, gunfights, andRead MoreThe Synoptic Relationship : The Four Source Hypothesis1472 Words   |  6 PagesTo analysis the synoptic relationship is to show the significance of the Synoptic Problem. In the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the Synoptic Gospels. All three of them share some of the same stories and some common materials, such as some of the arrangements of the common material follow Mark’s order and some common material from Matthew or Luke are different from Mark’s order, and then some agree with Mark’s order. According to the Eight General Rules of the Synoptic, MatthewRead MoreEssay On Chris Mccandless1092 Words   |  5 PagesPaul Shepard, Man in the Landscape, A historic view of the aesthetics of nature. (into The Wild, chapter 4 Detrital Wash). McCandles s wasnt trying to escape anything he was trying to find himself. McCandless knew that this journey into the Alaskan wilderness wasn’t going to be â€Å"a land of milk and honey.†He was ready for the obstacles set before him.â€Å"I thought Alex had lost his mind when he told us about his ‘great Alaskan odyssey’ as he called it. But he was really excited about it.Couldn’t stop talkingRead MoreAnalysis Of The Epic Of Gilgamesh 1647 Words   |  7 Pagesthe utmost quest of life. With the use of two very different yet so similar characters: Enkidu and Gilgamesh, the epic explains two aspects of same psyche, and different imageries, one of which is door, have been used in the text to explain interactions between these two aspects of a psyche. With a close analysis of the text, I realized that door comes out whenever there is some friction between these two aspects/characters and one eventually ends up affecting the other. So, doors for me is a boundar yRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of A Worn Path710 Words   |  3 PagesLiterary Analysis of A Worn Path, by Eudora Welty The famous short-story, A Worn Path, has enlightened many readers since it was published in 1941. This story tells the tale of an old woman and her long adventure to town. She experiences many obstacles her journey and people who make her consider giving up, but she keeps her head high and continues on. Welty’s inspiration struck when an elderly woman walked past in the distance on her way through the countryside. â€Å"A Worn Path† is an uplifting taleRead MoreThe Unredeemed Captain Is The Factual Telling Of The Deerfield Massacre Essay1431 Words   |  6 Pagesand how it relates to the ideas of savagery and family through comparison of experiences in the lives of the Puritans and the lives of the Native American captors. The Deerfield Massacre occurred in 1704 in Massachusetts. The massacre was carried out by a tribe of Native Americans in retaliation against French and English attacks. The small town of Deerfield was raided and about 112 people were taken captive with 47 more being slain on the spot. The captives are then forced to march 250 miles throughRead MoreThe Story Of The Ramayana931 Words   |  4 Pagesfire to prove her chastity (Anand). During the tenure of the abduction even after passing all these tests quietly, leaves her husband Rama who is the ideal man. When an ordinary washer man from his kingdom tells Rama about Sita of the doubts of her character forcing him to leave her. Despite the culture that these people live in an Indian society Valmiki’s Ramayana is one of those stories that compares women as creatures rather than humans as men use to treat woman as property. In the Ramayana cultureRead MoreHawthorne s The Scarlet Letter872 Words   |  4 Pagesportrayal of the characters that challenges ideas of the time. However, the book also has some flaws; most notable including the fact that the writing is an archaic writing style and thus is difficult to parse through as compared to more recent texts. It also lacks many strong motifs – only two or three are continuously present throughout the book, but the total number of motifs briefly developed is in the tens. Altogether the novel is an incredibly enjoyable read and continuously points out problems in