Aristocracy

Winston Churchill has been quoted, “…Democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.” If democracy is the best of the worst alternatives, why do the majority of countries in the western hemisphere have a democratic system? Isn’t there a better choice out there that would benefit people? And because democracy is governed by the people, what makes the average citizen participate in government and what influences them to vote? Democracy originated in Athens,…

What forces shaped the Greeks ' attitudes to competitiveness? Social performance played a crucial role in the life of any Ancient Greek and the result of this constant performance was that the agôn became essential to the social dynamics of Ancient Greece. Agôn had a variety of meanings throughout Greek history, at first the term was used to define a space in which people compete however later on it was used to denote any kind of competition whether it be in an athletic contest or a…

In his famous novel, Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh weaves a lavish tale of one man’s aristocratic adventures, mainly concerning the Flyte family, in the more peaceful years between the first and second world wars. As that man, Charles Ryder, is looking back on those times from the 1940’s, a period brimming with strife and suffering, it is only natural that nostalgia plays an important role in defining his character and narration. However, it is not only Charles who seems to romanticize the…

This novel occurs in the 1920’s, specifically 1922-1924, set in New York. There are four major places where Gatsby’s tale is played out: West Egg, East Egg, New York City, and the Valley of Ashes. Fitzgerald chose New York to be where the novel is set because in the 1920’s, New York was the cultural center of the United States, reflecting the attitudes, values, and lifestyles of the time, such as wealth, big corporations, and high social status. Fitzgerald contrasted the foundations of West Egg…

stated worked best for small homogenous populations and that monarchies were best for large diverse empires. Baron Montesquieu was also the reason for the separation of powers. He believed that a system that mixed each form of government monarchy, aristocracy and democracy. He believed that this mix could prevent the absolutism that had occurred in his home country of France. In 1748, the Baron de Montesquieu suggested that the separation of the executive, legislative, and judicial…

wage gap. To add fuel to the fire, only less than one percent of the population was clergy, yet they had this much power compared to the ninety eight percent of the population that did not have power. “The Catholic clery was associated with the aristocracy and oppression of the people” (Brandstatter, Religious changes during the french revolution) This is where the civilians had had enough of the Catholic Church and unleash their…

inequality was not a direct Roman value but was paramount to Roman culture due to the necessary sacrifice of women in giving birth or becoming a vestal virgin, the natural sense of leadership men posed over women, and the long kept tradition of aristocracy favouring bloodlines. When analysing inequality through the gender barrier, it is clear to assert that woman did not live the same, if not completely different lives as men. For either the better, or worse–inequality is present. As mentioned…

Consumerism in the United States among young people, specifically below thirty years, has been a subject of research by many scholars over the years. From a sociological standpoint, consumerism has been explored by some of the most renowned sociologists such as Thorstein Veblen and Bourdieu. These two sociologists sought to understand and explain consumer behavior during their lifetime and maintained that their sociological theories regarding consumerism were bound to persist in the future.…

Religion teaches people how to use their freedom for the good of themselves and others. It is practically the sole means of counteracting the materialistic aspects of life by taking people’s minds beyond the physical, material aspects of life. Religion teaches men that being good is in their self interest because they will be rewarded in the afterlife. By working towards the common good rather than personal gain, people are forced to work together. Through these features of American…

Siqi He HST 109 Prof. Barth Book Review Revolutionary Characters: What Made the Founders Different written by Gordon Wood, who is a great historian focused on the history of the founding era, successfully argues about the great character of seven founders of America which includes George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Adams as well as Thomas Paine and the great contributions they have made to the establishment of early America. From…