The Byzantine Empire Essay Example for Free

The Byzantine Empire Essay The Byzantine Empire, sometimes known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the predominantly Greek-speaking continuation of the eastern half of the Roman Empire during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Its capital city was Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), originally founded as Byzantium. It survived the 5th century fragmentation and fall of the Western Roman Empire and continued to exist for an additional thousand years until it fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453. During most of its existence, the empire was the most powerful economic, cultural, and military force in Europe. Both Byzantine Empire and Eastern Roman Empire are historiographical terms created after the end of the realm; its citizens continued to refer to their empire as the Roman Empire. Several events from the 4th to 6th centuries mark the transitional period during which the Roman Empires east and west divided. In 285, the emperor Diocletian (r. 284–305) partitioned the Roman Empires administration into eastern and western halves. The borders of the Empire evolved significantly over its existence, as it went through several cycles of decline and recovery. During the reign of Justinian I (r. 527–565), the Empire reached its greatest extent after reconquering much of the historically Roman western Mediterranean coast, including north Africa, Italy, and Rome itself, which it held for two more centuries. During the reign of Maurice (r. 582–602), the Empires eastern frontier was expanded and the north stabilized. However, his assassination caused a two-decade-long war with Sassanid Persia which exhausted the Empires resources and contributed to major territorial losses during the Muslim conquests of the 7th century. In a matter of years the Empire l ost its richest provinces, Egypt and Syria, to the Arabs. The final centuries of the Empire exhibited a general trend of decline. It struggled to recover during the 12th century, but was delivered a mortal blow during the Fourth Crusade, when Constantinople was sacked and the Empire dissolved and divided into competing Byzantine Greek and Latin realms. Despite the eventual recovery of Constantinople and re-establishment of the Empire in 1261, Byzantium remained only one of several small rival states in the area for the final two centuries of its existence. Its  remaining territories were progressively annexed by the Ottomans over the 15th century. The Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 finally ended the Empire. The Major Causes for the Fall of the Roman Empire Antagonism between the Senate and the Emperor Decline in Morals Political Corruption and the Praetorian Guard Fast expansion of the Empire Constant Wars and Heavy Military Spending Barbarian Knowledge of Roman Military Tactics Failing Economy Unemployment of the Working Classes (The Plebs) The Mob and the cost of the Games Decline in Ethics and Values Slave Labor Natural Disasters Christianity Barbarian Invasion The Antagonism between the Senate and the Emperor. The Roman Emperor had the legal power to rule Rome’s religious, civil and military affairs with the Senate acting as an advisory body. The emperor had power over life and death. The powerful, spoilt, wealthy Roman Emperors inevitably became corrupt and many lived a debauched, deluded and immoral lifestyle. The Roman Empire saw many examples of antagonism between the Senators and the Emperors. Either the Senators didnt like the Emperor or the Emperors was at odds with the Senators. One of the main causes for the Fall of the Roman Empire was the Decline in Morals. The decline in morals, especially in the rich upper classes, nobility and the emperors, had a devastating impact on the Romans. Immoral and promiscuous sexual behavior including adultery and orgies. Emperors such as Tiberius kept groups of young boys for his pleasure, incest by Nero who  also had a male slave castrated so he could take him as his wife; Elagabalus who forced a Vestal Virgin into marriage, Commodus with his harems of concubines enraged Romans by sitting in the theatre or at the games dressed in a womans garments. The decline in morals also affected the lower classes and slaves. Religious festivals such as Saturnalia and Bacchanalia where sacrifices, ribald songs, lewd acts and sexual promiscuity were practiced. Bestiality and other lewd and sexually explicit acts were exhibited in the Colosseum arena to amuse the mob. Brothels and forced prostitution flourished. Widespread gambling on the chariot races and gladiatorial combats. Massive consumption of alcohol. The sadistic cruelty towards both man and beasts in the arena. One of the main causes for the Fall of the Roman Empire was the Political Corruption and the Praetorian Guard. The power of the Praetorian Guard, the elite soldiers who made up the bodyguard of the emperor, led to political corruption and grew to such an extent that this massive group of soldiers decided on whether an emperor should be disposed of and who should become the new emperor! The story of Sejanus, who was the commander of the Praetorian Guard during the reign of Tiberius, illustrates the extent of the power of the Praetorians. At one point the Praetorian Guard sold at auction the throne of the world to the highest bidder. Another cause, was the Fast expansion of the Empire. The rapid growth in the lands conquered by the Empire led to the need to defend the borders and territories of Rome. The people of the conquered lands, most of whom were referred to as Barbarians, hated the Romans. Taxes on the non-Romans were high and constantly increased. Frequent rebellions arose. One of the main causes for the fall of the Roman Empire was the Constant Wars and Heavy Military Spending. Constant warfare required heavy military spending. The Roman army became over-stretched and needed more and more soldiers. The barbarians, who had been conquered, and other foreign mercenaries were allowed to join the Roman army. One of the main causes for the fall of the Roman Empire was the Barbarian  Knowledge of Roman Military Tactics. The knowledge that the Barbarians gained of Roman style of warfare and military tactics by serving in the Roman army were eventually turned against the Empire and led to the sack of Rome by the Visigoths led by an ex-army soldier, Alaric. One of the main causes for the fall of the Roman Empire was the Failing Economy and high inflation. The Government was constantly threatened by bankruptcy due to the cost of defending the Empire, the failing economics, heavy taxation and high inflation was another cause for the fall of the Roman Empire. The majority of the inhabitants of the Roman Empire failed to share in the incredible prosperity of Rome. The amount of gold sent to the orient to pay for luxury goods led to a shortage of gold to make Roman coins. Roman currency was devalued to such an extent that a system of bartering returned to one of the greatest civilizations the world had ever known. One of the main causes for the fall of the Roman Empire was the Unemployment of the Working Classes. Cheap slave labor resulted in the unemployment of the Plebs in Rome who became dependent on hand-outs from the state. The Romans attempted a policy of unrestricted trade but this led to the Plebs being unable to compete with foreign trade. The government was therefore forced to subsidize the working class Romans to make up the differences in prices. This resulted in thousands of Romans choosing just to live on the subsides sacrificing their standard of living with an idle life of ease. The massive divide between the rich Romans and the poor Romans increased still further. One of the main causes for the fall of the Roman Empire was the Mob and the cost of the Gladiatorial Games. If the thousands of unemployed Romans became bored this led to civil unrest and rioting in the streets. The Mob needed to be amused spectacular gladiatorial games had to be provided. The cost of the gladiatorial games was born by the Emperors, and therefore the state, and corrupt politicians who sponsored the games to curry favor and support with the Mob. The cost of the gladiatorial games eventually came to one third of the total income of the Roman Empire. One of the main causes for the fall of the Roman Empire was the Decline in Ethics and Values. Life became cheap bloodshed led to more bloodshed and extreme cruelty. The values, the ideals, customs, traditions and institutions, of the Romans declined. The basic principles, standards and judgments about what was valuable or important in life declined. The total disregard for human and animal life resulted in a lack of ethics a perverted view of what was right and wrong, good and bad, desirable and undesirable. Any conformity to acceptable rules or standards of human behavior was being lost. One of the main causes for the fall of the Roman Empire was the Slave Labor. The number of slaves increased dramatically during the first 2 centuries of the Roman Empire. The Romans dependency on slave labor led not only to the decline in morals, values and ethics but also to the stagnation of any new technology to produce goods more efficiently. Romans could rely on the slave manpower for all their needs but this reliance inhibited technological change and growth. The treatment of slaves led to rebellion and several Servile (Slave) Wars, the most famous being the revolt led by the gladiator slave, Spartacus. In the later centuries of the Empire and the advent of Christianity the attitudes towards slaves changed. With manumission (the act of freeing a slave) the number of slaves declined together with the manpower that Rome was dependent upon. One of the main causes for the fall of the Roman Empire were the Natural Disasters. During the time of the Roman Empire there were not only foreign wars, civil wars, street fights, fires and revolts there were also natural disasters such as plagues, famines and earthquakes. As in all periods and societies the people looked for someone to blame and different religions to turn to. One of the main causes for the fall of the Roman Empire was Christianity. Life and the future seemed hopeless for the millions of people who were ruled by Rome where an early death was almost inevitable. Christianity taught the belief in an afterlife which gave hope and courage to the  desperate. Eventually the Roman Emperor, Constantine the Great, proclaimed himself a Christian and issued an edict promising the Christians his favor and protection. Attitudes in the Roman Empire changed from being antagonistic to becoming calm. In conclusion the last of the causes for the Fall of the Roman Empire was the Barbarian Invasion. Rome had fierce foreign enemies. There were great Barbarian armies consisting of warriors such as the Visigoths, Huns and the Vandals. The final death blow to the Roman Empire was inflicted by these Barbarians. The city of Rome was sacked by the Visigoths in 410 and by the Vandals in 455 signaling the disintegration of Roman authority and the fall of the Roman Empire.

Racism :: essays research papers

Racism can ‘destroy the personality and scar the soul.’   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Martin Luther King Australian society is made up of a wide variety of groups. These groups of people have different cultural traditions and economic and social background. The success of the communication and interacting of these groups depends largely on the attitudes, values, and behaviour of people towards different groups. Racism is probably the first form of discrimination we think of. It is the belief that some races of people are inferior to other ‘races’. Racism usually involves negative acts against the group of people considered inferior. Genocide is the deliberate extermination of a whole race or ethnic or religious grouping of people. The impact of racism on the Aboriginal people is not just horrific but genocidal. Racism is a problem for Aboriginal Australians. This includes occupation of Aboriginal land under the ‘Terra Nullius’ principle, assimilation, the stolen generation, and Aboriginal Australian’s health. Before the arrival of European settlers, Australia was probably inhabited by as many as 500 different tribal groups of Aboriginal peoples. Many of these groups, their cultures, and their languages have been wiped out by white settlement. Aboriginal Australians traditionally owned land on a group or tribal basis according to birthright. Being a member of a tribe entitled an individual to dwell on a certain designated area of land and to utilise the natural materials from that land. The land was inalienable, that is ownership could not be transferred, because no one really ‘owned; the land in the European sense of the word therefore disputes about land did not arise between Aborigines. Upon European settlement in Australia, all useful available land was carved up by the settlers according to the notion of possession of land based on English law. This division of land failed to recognise any land rights held by the original dwellers. Dispossession had a devastating effect on Aboriginal society To the Aborigines the land was part of their very being. It had a special religious significance and they believed there was a direct relationship between the spirit and the site from which the spirit came. That place was the person’s life force and that person was inseparable connected with it and these sites were considered sacred. Within a generation of the first white settlement, many tribal groups were decimated or wiped out. By the 1850s many were on the point of extinction, others were extinct. In the Port Phillip area, for example, government records show that a pre-contact population of about 10000 was reduced to less than 2000 in only eighteen years.

Avoiding Cross-Cultural Miscommunication Essay

In the current era of globalization, national boundaries are losing meaning and more and more companies now have their operations spread across various countries of the globe. Multi national companies now operate across different continents and it is typical of a company to have head quarters in one country but be present in multiple counties at the same time. This means that these multi national companies have to adapt to the culture of the company they are operating in. Also, the work force of such companies is an amalgamation of the local people along with some foreign workers and managers so effective communication and smooth operations are only possible if culture is well understood. However, this is not as simple as it seems and cross cultural miscommunications are harmful. Cross cultural miscommunication is not only detrimental to the working environment of the organization but it can also lead to a failure of the company as a whole in the society. To avoid any miscommunication, we first need to examine what culture is made up of. Artifacts, rituals, Stories, histories, myths, legends, jokes, and ceremonies are cultural symbols. By noticing these things and people’s reactions to them we can figure out the cultural norms and values and can avoid transgressing any boundaries. Ethnocentrism is the belief that one’s own race, culture or ethnic group is superior to the rest and the tendency to think like this is greater in MNCs. Many foreign managers or workers think in this manner and antagonize their co workers. This can be over come by encouraging inter cultural communication so that any misunderstandings or predetermined notions or stereo types may be removed. Also, if a cooperative culture is promoted at work and people taught to appreciate/criticize ideas rather than people, this problem may be solved. We also need to examine the interrelationship between attitudes, values, customs and beliefs and culture. A culture shapes the attitudes, values and beliefs of a person and the actions and preferences of the society (that are directly dependant upon the belief) make up the culture. Hence, this shows that there is a two relationship. For instance, the Japanese have a very serious attitude about work and they believe in hard work so working meticulously is a part of their culture. Similarly, the Muslim culture is conservative so they have a negative attitude towards men and women shaking hands and the believe it to be immoral. Global companies need to adopt a ‘glocal strategy’ meaning that they need to amend their global strategy according to the local culture and norms. Before a company enters a new country, formal market research should be conducted in order to make a customer profile according to which the product and promotion strategies will then be designed. International companies should be flexible to minor changes in the product so as to meet the local demands. Pizza hut has been successful all over the world for they have catered to the local taste in every country. For instance, it is spicier in the subcontinent and in countries such as India where people avoid meat; there is large vegetarian and cheese variety. The promotion strategies should also be according to the native culture. Companies should keep in mind that International brand cannot have the same advertising everywhere due to different cultures. When companies are entering a foreign culture, they should be aware of customs, traditions in general and in particular they should know about the psychology of the people. Companies should be aware of the attitude of the people towards work and the products/service the company has to offer. Understanding the local workforce is important for a company because an effective workforce is integral for success and it is crucial to design jobs, compensation packages and motivators that appeal to them. Attitudes toward work, leisure, time, change, family, social mobility and religion play a vital role in shaping the culture. In a collectivist culture, family is the top priority and the much of the leisure time is spent with family. In a society where family ties are weak, work and friends have a greater importance so the culture is an individualist one. In some cultures, there is greater emphasis on work and such people are hard workers by nature and their work is meticulous. The Chinese culture is a classical example of how hard work is an element of the national culture. The physical environment of a place influences the culture of that place as physical conditions such as the weather affect the life style of the people. The architecture of a place also reflects the culture. Moreover, it is important to understand the verbal and non verbal elements of a culture. For instance, the Arabs like to kiss on the cheeks when they meet even during formal meetings but in a British culture, this would be highly inappropriate. Similarly, maintaining eye contact is a non verbal cue, in some cultures it would be a symbol of courage while in others it will be considered insolent. Moreover education and technology are linked to the culture and this is evident by the fact that some cultures such as the Japanese lay stress on innovating and developing technology where as some have a laid back attitude. Some cultures lay stress on education and that is evident by the high literacy levels there. Lastly, media has a two way relationship with culture: mass media not only depicts the culture but it also leads to cultural change in the society. The success of any company also depends on the political and legal system of that country. In countries where there is political turbulence or the policies do not support foreign investment, survival becomes tough for the company as is the case in third world countries like Bangladesh where there is a frequent change in governments that leads to changes in policies too. References Brown, A. (1995). Organizational Culture. Pitman, London. Charles M. and Yongsun, P. (2006). Managing a Global Workforce: Challenges and Opportunities in International Human Resource Management. M. E . Sharpe Dong, Q. , Day, K. D. (2001). Overcoming Ethnocentrism through Developing Intercultural communication sensitivity and Multi culturism. Retrieved on January 16,2009 from http://www. allacademic. com David Straker. Elements of Culture. Retrieved on January 15, 2009 From www. changingminds. org Kwintessential Cross Cultural Solutions. Cross Cultural Communications. Retrieved on January 15, 2009 from http://www. kwintessential. co. uk

9708_s11_qp_43 - 1017 Words

w w ap eP m e tr .X w om .c s er UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL EXAMINATIONS General Certificate of Education Advanced Level 9708/43 ECONOMICS Paper 4 Data Response and Essay (Supplement) May/June 2011 2 hours 15 minutes Additional Materials: Answer Booklet/Paper * 0 4 1 8 9 1 9 9 5 0 * READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST If you have been given an Answer Booklet, follow the instructions on the front cover of the Booklet. Write your Centre number, candidate number and name on all the work you hand in. Write in dark blue or black pen. You may use a soft pencil for any diagrams, graphs or rough working. Do not use staples, paper clips, highlighters, glue or correction fluid. Section A†¦show more content†¦[6] (d) Identify the two policy approaches suggested by economists in the article and discuss whether there is a conflict between them. [8]  © UCLES 2011 9708/43/M/J/11 [Turn over 4 Section B Answer two questions. 2 The use of cars causes market failure. To achieve an efficient use of resources it would be better if governments intervened to affect both the production and the use of cars. Explain the meaning of the terms ‘market failure’ and ‘the efficient use of resources’ and analyse whether economic theory can be used to support this argument. [25] 3 (a) Discuss whether demand schedules and budget line diagrams are similar in the way they represent the effect of (i) a rise in the price of a good (ii) a rise in a consumer’s income. [12] (b) Analyse what is meant by the equi-marginal principle of consumer demand and whether it can be linked to the derivation of a market demand curve. [13] 4 (a) Discuss whether it is always advantageous for a firm to grow in size. [12] (b) Explain the economic theory of profit maximisation for a firm and consider whether firms are likely to follow this theory in fixing their price and output. [13] 5 In imperfect competition, labour markets can lead to worker exploitation in terms of the wage rates they receive compared with