Revolutions as a catalyst for change are always going to be 'world changing' events. By their nature a revolution pertains to either the overthrow of an existing political system or a dramatic change in ideas or practice. Yet one must consider the wider world in context. Whilst in a...

In 2002, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in Europe (OECD) detailed the growing gap between the incomes of the rich and poor in 20 OECD member states. In particular, the study concluded that the poorest 30 percent of the population in the countries examined received ...

The Mid-Nineteenth century in Europe was a melting pot of activity. The industrial revolution was in full swing in Great Britain, while the Prussian empire slowly grew in size. Over most of the continent the people were poverty stricken while few thrived in the economy. Rebellions of the middle clas...

The shocking fall of communism in Eastern and Central Europe in the late eighties was remarkable for both its rapidity and its scope. None more than for East and West Germany. "The unification of Germany has been one of the most significant and moving events of the 20th century. Yet the ...

We Americans have come to understand our kind of economy called capitalism which means that it's a free market system in which peoples businesses own most of the resources. They seek a profit out of their investments and there hard work. But one thing we must understand...

Karl Marx: A Life. Francis Wheen. New York: Norton, 1999. 431pp There were only 11 mourners at Karl Marx's funeral in Highgate cemetery on March 17th 1883, but within a hundred years of his death governments that professed Marxism as their guiding faith ruled half the world's popu...

The relationship that exists between capitalism and democracy is one that contradicts itself. It is obvious that the nations that follow the ideology of both capitalism and democracy are the nations that tend to be more industrialized and more economically stable, for example, the United States and ...

The Rise and Spread of Communism in China The aftermath of World War II had left many countries in ruins, as great masses of countrymen were beginning to suffer from its devastating effects. The remains of what had once been great cities were now destroyed, and the remnants of great buildings an...

By early 1918 in Russia, the Bolsheviks controlled only the north-western area of the Russian Empire (Petrograd and Moscow) together with the areas between and around them. Various opposition groups were formed against the Bolsheviks, under the new Provisional Government. The provisional governmen...

HOW CAN WE EXPLAIN THE PERSISTANCE OF CLASS INEQUALITIES IN BRITAIN? Traditionally Britain has always been recognized as a 'class society', characterised by widespread awareness of social class membership, class inequality and the influence of class inequalities in employment prospec...

Karl Marx The influence of Karl Marx's thought on the events transpiring subsequent to his writings is so immense that it perhaps towers over any other theorist of his time or era. Perhaps the only 19th century thinkers whose ideas can be said to have had a similar wide-based appeal and ...

Communism is a concept or system of society in which the community owns the major resources and means of production rather than by individuals. (Beers 670) Which means if that theory was true, everything should be shared between people. That also suggests that society wouldn't need a government beca...

Social Democracy (SD) is a form of society in which democratic political methods are used to create greater social equality through the redistribution of resources. Social democracy has developed from originally strong socialist ideals, towards being proponents of more moderate programs of social ch...

One of the first and most persuasive advocates of modern capitalism was Adam Smith. The most serious challenge to Adam Smith and his followers came from Karl Marx, a nineteenth century German. The son of a Prussian lawyer, the methodical Marx was a worthy and resourceful opponent. He unfolded h...

The use of physical violence towards other people is usually taken by the general public as an act of aggression with negative connotations. However, there are times when the use of violence is a necessary action when there are no other alternatives available to being unjustly treated. T...

Dorothy Day was a troublemaker, an egomaniac, a radical, a dangerous subversive, an unwed mother, and a crusading journalist. This however, was before the influence of Christianity in her life. Meanwhile, Arch Bishop Romero was considered to be a great and loving soul of the Salvadorian people. Both...

The government, whether we think about it or not, plays a very significant role in all of our lives regardless of our ethnic background. Though there are many differing forms of government, they affect our lives in the same way. Changes in how the government works slowly begin to effect how we car...

Karl Marx was one of the most influential men who ever lived. His writings and personal accomplishments have greatly swayed economics, social sciences, politics, religion and scholarship in general. During his lifetime, his political efforts, although not revolutionary, influenced the views of other...

Reform or Revolution was Rosa Luxembourg\'s first major political work, and one of the most enduring contributions to socialist thought. When Rosa Luxembourg arrived in Berlin in 1898, she found the SPD (German Social Democratic Party) engulfed in a crisis of conscience provoked by Eduard Bernstein....

There are different interpretations of 'how and why Stalin was able to gain power', either concentrating on his own actions and abilities, or the situation at the time and the failure of his opponents. It would appear that the success of Stalin was due to both his own strengths and actions in the po...

"Unless we accept the claim that Lenin's coup d'etat gave birth to an entirely new state, and indeed to a new era in the history of mankind, we must recognize in today's Soviet Union the old empire of the Russians -- the only empire that survived into the mid 1980's" (Luttwak, 1). In their Comm...

Unless we accept the claim that Lenin's coup gave birth to an entirely new state, and indeed to a new era in the history of mankind, we must recognize in today's Soviet Union the old empire of the Russians -- the only empire that survived into the mid 1980'sÓ (Luttwak, 1). In their Communist Manife...

Transcending the Barriers"My primary interest is to explain something out there that impingesme, and I would sell my soul to the devil if I thought it would help."Eric Wolf, 1987Eric Wolf's interest into the realm of anthropology emerged upon recognition of the theorist- imposed boundaries, encompas...

Karl Marx and Max Weber are two of the most important figures in the science of sociology. Karl Marx was born on May 5, 1818 in the city of Trier, Germany and was the forefather to the great communist revolution that swept across a large part of the world at the beginning of the 20th Century. Marx i...

Discuss the continuing relevance of Adorno's views on popular music as expressed in 'On Popular Music' with reference to today's popular musicIt's impossible to take away popular music from social conditions and cultural theory. One of the earliest academic writers to consider the importance of pop...