Geography and Economy in Modern History of China

Geography and Economy in Modern History of China Population: 1,379 Billion (2016 estimate)Capital: BeijingMajor Cities: Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Harbin, ChengduArea: 3,705,407 square miles (9,596,961 sq km)Bordering Countries: FourteenCoastline: 9,010 miles (14,500 km)Highest Point: Mount Everest at 29,035 feet (8,850 m)Lowest Point: Turpan Pendi at -505 feet (-154 m) China is the third largest country in the world in terms of area but it is the worlds largest based on population. The country is a developing nation with a capitalist economy that is controlled politically by communist leadership. Chinese civilization began more than 5,000 years ago and the nation has played a crucial role in world history and is continuing to do so today. Chinas Modern History Chinese civilization originated on the North China Plain in about 1700 B.C.E with the Shang Dynasty. However, because Chinese historey  dates so far back, it is too long to include in its entirety in this overview. This article focuses on modern Chinese history beginning in the 1900s.   Modern Chinese history began in 1912 after the last Chinese emperor abdicated the throne and the country became a republic. After 1912 political and military instability was common in China and it was initially fought over by different warlords. Shortly thereafter, two political parties or movements began as a solution to the countrys problems. These were the Kuomintang, also called the Chinese National Party, and the Communist Party. Problems later began for China in 1931 when Japan seized Manchuria - an act that eventually began a war between the two nations in 1937. During the war, the Communist Party and the Kuomintang cooperated with each other to defeat Japan but later in 1945, a civil war between the Kuomintang and the communists broke out. This civil war killed more than 12 million people. Three years later the civil war ended with a win by the Communist Party and leader Mao Zedong, which then led to the establishment of the Peoples Republic of China in October 1949. During the early years of communist rule in China and the Peoples Republic of China, mass starvation, malnutrition and disease were common. In addition, there was an idea for a highly planned economy at this time and the rural population was divided into 50,000 communes, each of which was responsible for farming and running different industries and schools. In an effort to further jump-start Chinas industrialization and political change Chairman Mao began the Great Leap Forward initiative in 1958. The initiative failed however and between 1959 and 1961, famine and disease again spread throughout the country. Shortly thereafter in 1966, Chairman Mao began the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution which put local authorities on trial and attempted to change historic customs to give the Communist Party more power. In 1976, Chairman Mao died and Deng Xiaoping became Chinas leader. This led to economic liberalization but also a policy of government controlled capitalism and a still strict political regime. Today, China remains much the same, as every aspect of the country is heavily controlled by its government. Government of China Chinas government is a communist state with a unicameral legislative branch called the National Peoples Congress that is made up of 2,987 members from the municipal, regional and provincial level. There is also a judicial branch comprised of the Supreme Peoples Court, Local Peoples Courts, and Special Peoples Courts. China is divided into 23 provinces, five autonomous regions, and four municipalities. National suffrage is 18 years of age and the main political party in China is the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). There are also smaller political parties in China, but all are controlled by the CCP. Economics and Industry in China Chinas economy has changed rapidly in recent decades. In the past, it was focused around a highly planned economic system with specialized communes and was closed to international trade and foreign relations. In the 1970s however, this began to change and today China is more economically tied to the worlds countries. In 2008, China was the worlds second largest economy. Today, Chinas economy is 43% agriculture, 25% industrial and 32% service related. Agriculture consists mainly of items like rice, wheat, potatoes, and tea. Industry is focused on raw mineral processing and the manufacturing of a wide variety of items. Geography and Climate of China China is located in Eastern Asia with its borders along several countries and the East China Sea, Korea Bay, the Yellow Sea, and the South China Sea. China is divided into three geographic regions: the mountains to the west, the various deserts and basins in the northeast and the low lying valleys and plains in the east. Most of China, however, consists of mountains and plateaus such as the Tibetan Plateau which leads into the Himalayan Mountains and Mount Everest. Because of its area and variations in topography, Chinas climate is also varied. In the south, it is tropical, while the east is temperate and the Tibetan Plateau is cold and arid. The northern deserts are also arid and the northeast is cold temperate. More Facts about China China instituted a One Child Policy in 1979 to control its growing populationThe majority of Chinese are non-denominational in religion, but 10% are BuddhistChinas population is expected to peak in 2026 at 1.4 billion. India will surpass China as the worlds most populous country in 2025. References Central Intelligence Agency. (6 April 2011). CIA - The World Factbook China. Retrieved from: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html Infoplease.com. (n.d). China: History, Geography, Government, and Culture - Infoplease.com. Retrieved from: infoplease.com/ipa/A0107411.html United States Department of State. (October 2009). China (10/09). Retrieved from: state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/18902.htm

AIDS Social Workers

Looks at the dangers, relationships with clients, treatment, socioeconomics, diagnosis, at-risk behavior, prevention, and public perceptions. This paper is an examination of the problems that the rising epidemic of HIV infection and AIDS poses to social workers, both as a direct issue in providing service to infected clients and as an indirect part of the overall job of social work. The prevalence of this devastating illness has had a profound effect on society as a whole. The consequences for social workers, however, are even greater, since the field services many of the patients most profoundly affected, either those who are suffering from advanced stages of the disease or those who are closely involved with the ailing. In order to provide the most effective service possible, social workers need to understand the stages of HIV and AIDS, the most current medical understanding of the ways in which HIV can be transmitted, some of the current treatments, and funding and other resources that are available to diagnosed.

GLA (Greater London Authority) and MAYOR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

GLA (Greater London Authority) and MAYOR - Essay Example The purpose for electing a mayor is to represent London through one person who is responsible for all its development, strategic planning and peace discipline. Boris Johnson is the present mayor of London holding an authority according to Greater London Authority act 1999 and 2007.( GLA Report, 2009) POWERS AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Greater London authority is funded by the central government and local council taxes to carry out their desired plans. GLA itself does not work on any project, whereas holds an umbrella under which four major functional bodies work on the directed plans released by mayor. These four departments are the functional bodies which are: Transport for London. Metropolitan Police Authority. London Development Authority. London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority. GLA is responsible to communicate with internal bodies and London Borough councils are legally bound to follow strategic plans and if not, than Mayor has the right to decline the decisions that are not in interest of London or its public made by London Borough GLA claims to be a successful practitioner in regard to their planned strategies in terms of providing a quality life to all Londoners. Keeping the developments made by GLA in London, Government proposed a plan in over handing more powers and responsibilities to Mayor to wor k with better framework of all sectors including all the remaining sectors which were not under Mayor Authority previously like housing, skills and education, environment, waste management, and planning. This proposal was released on 30th November 2005 after reviewing all the achievements made through proper strategic planning and implementations. Some of the successful plans carried out to maintain the competition with the rest of the progressing cites in the world. London is a financial hub which makes a major contribution in the economy of United Kingdom. To meet the unique challenges, Mayor designed strategies to maintain the efficiency of Londoners involving minorities with a clear layout of Capital investment projects. Some of the successes Mayor achieve during his rule show an investment of 10 billion pounds on transport development project, security measures were improved by increasing the number of police around 8000, a joint venture with government of childcare program was introduced, the most complimenting achievement was the selection of London for hosting Olympic Games of 2012. Thus Mayor and GLA progressed towards bright prospects of London and therefore, GLA in support of Mayor accepted some

Oil ALternatives Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Oil ALternatives - Research Paper Example Impacts of Alternative Fuels 1. Environmental Impacts 2. Social Impacts 3. Economic Impacts Conclusion: More research must be done on the various sources of fuel other than oil, in order to identify the most suitable and environmentally beneficial alternative. Karen Duneen Margaret Wilhelm English 1102 24 Apr. 2012 OIL ALTERNATIVES Alternative and effective sources of energy to oil must be found, as oil is a limited resource which is extremely bad for the environment. Oil is a non-renewable energy which is obtained through the drilling of oil reservoirs in particular regions. In the contemporary world, our daily operations are driven by oil (Sherman and Freemuth 6). The industrial world is well aware of the significance of oil in its operations. Ostensibly, oil was a great catalyst of the industrial revolution and was instrumental in enabling the economic advancement of numerous countries. Petroleum is the fuel of choice for industrial equipment while others are run by diesel. In the past coal was the preferable fuel until oil became known as a better alternative. A vast proportion of automobiles for example, are reliant on oil since they encompass oil-dependent engines. In addition, modern ships and boats have a structure that requires oil to propel it to various destinations. The aviation industry also constitutes engines that require the introduction of oil into their systems to enable them to function properly. Evidently commercial industries have been integrated with oil since it is cheaper and widely useful in most of their operations unlike electricity. Petroleum has high-energy capacities; its transportation is relatively easy and efficient in initiating numerous operations (Sherman and Freemuth 6). Its relevance in modern society is growing with most of its producers emanating from the Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iran. Processing of oil also gives rise to several oil products like kerosene, diesel, petroleum, and gasoline. Kerosene is instr umental in cooking and other domestic tasks that require fuel. Invariably, oil is an essential element in the manufacturing of products that comprise of clothing, ink, crayons, paints, upholstery, antiseptics, heart valves and many others. Oil is increasingly becoming essential and thereby its price fluctuates especially in recent years. Recently doubts regarding the abundance of oil are surfacing, together with the detrimental effects of oil pollution to the climate. According to Sherman and Freemuth (7), oil is a finite resource and hence upon exhaustion the suppliers cannot replenish it. This suggests that oil is not adequately dependable as a resource in the end. This element has facilitated the debate of adoption of other renewable resources of power as an alternative to oil. There is a simmering debate over the possibility of replacing oil as the predominant energy resource, due to its limitations. Irrespective of the high-energy capacities of petroleum, it is essential to ack nowledge the fact that oil is a limited reserve. There are dreadful assertions that some of the oil wells could be drying up since there is a reduction in the quantity of oil barrels that they produce. Such a stance also has undesirable ramifications politically, socially, and economically. Evidently, there is an increasing global effort in initiatives resulting from this awareness, for example, the introduction of electric cars and the manufacture of environmentally friendly containers. The alternative sources of energy will mitigate the

Hitler Youth: The Future of Germany :: Nazi German Hitler History Essays

Hitler Youth: The Future of Germany The Hitler Youth (Hitlerjugend-HJ) were for Hitler the future of the Nazi party. Hitler’s dream of a thousand year Reich could only be accomplished through the youth, which were deemed the most important aspect of Germany's future as a powerful nation. "The future of the German nation depends on its youth, and the German youth shall have to be prepared for its future duties."(i) The youth were important because they would continue the Nazi legacy and spread propaganda to future generations. Hitler was so obsessed with his quest for the future of Germany, that he devoted most of his endeavors, such as the acquisition of Lebensraum and the elimination of the subhumans, for the purpose of gaining more land for the future generations. Hitler was not some all mighty God that was able to just snap his fingers and the youth would follow him, he was aided in the fact that the youth were on a quest of their own: independence. They were energetic, full of life, and had an overwhelming love for Germany along with spirit and a quest to find their position in life. Hitler recognized these characteristics of the youth and decided to incorporate them into his plan for the National Socialist German Worker's Party (NSDAP or Nazi Party) to flourish. These characteristics and Hitler's involvement became the leading tragedy and inspiration of the German youth movement. This youth movement began before World War I, was the result of the industrial revolution, and came to be known as the ‘Youth Revolution.’(ii) The Early Movement In the 1920's, the German youth were involved in about two thousand groups and organizations. The most popular organization was the Wandervogel, which was popular due to the involvement of sports. Boys were able to go on weekend retreats, where they would hike and learn to survive on their own in the wilderness. Organized sporting events of soccer and other various competitions kept the interests of the children. The Wandervogel were noted for their love of the land, not the new, modern conveniences of the cities. Hiking and skiing were chosen over activities such as watching a movie or going to a dance. The Wandervogel, which was formed November 4, 1901(iii), reflected the main attitudes of the of the youth movement. American Boy Scouts saluting Hitler Youth in Munich in 1935. Koch p. 196. In some ways the Wandervogel was a manifestation of the perceptible mood of boredom and restlessness appearance of Wilhelmian Germany was little more than a facade which

Jill Lepore, new york burning

New York Burning, by Jill Lepore, is an interesting yet flawed study of a 1741 conspiracy among New York’s slaves, which authorities discovered in the wake of ten fires started by African Americans.   While the work claims to examine the slave revolts and ensuing trials (in which over a hundred blacks were executed by hanging or burning) as evidence of how political opposition formed and functioned, it succeeds much better as a study of race relations and the culture of paranoia. Lepore’s thesis is that the 1741 conspiracy, while based more on hearsay and forced confessions than on actual evidence, occurred within a climate of political and intellectual ferment that made political pluralism (and, ultimately, the American political system) possible.   Indeed, the New York she describes was already politically divided in the wake of the landmark Zenger trial of 1735, in which printer John Peter Zenger was charged with printing libelous attacks against the arbitrary, heavy-handed colonial governor. His acquittal laid the foundations for free speech but also caused a political schism, as two rival political factions formed – the Court party, which supported the royal governors, and the Country Party, an opposition group which demanded greater liberties.   (However, she makes clear that liberty was reserved strictly for whites and pertained more to the press and taxation than to individuals, certainly those of color.)   Mutual mistrust between the two parties lingered for years. The 1741 conspiracy took place, says Lepore, within a rather tense and paranoid context.   It began in March with a fire at the city’s only military outpost, Fort George.   Subsequent blazes over the next few weeks broke out at houses and businesses belonging to Court party members, and these were quickly followed by a series of arrests and trials that lasted into the summer. Twenty whites and 152 blacks (slave and free) were arrested and over a hundred people executed, including many Country Party members’ slaves and servants.   Lepore claims that the end result of these events was greater acceptance of political opposition, but her work does less to connect the slave plot to politics than it does to describe a place beset by racism and paranoia. In tracing the plot’s evolution, Lepore offers the reader a detailed description of New York in 1741.   A former Dutch colony with a multilingual population and sizeable slave population, New York had considerable political division and a strangely paranoid culture.   Not only were fears of slave rebellions prevalent and population politically split, but novels and plays about intrigues were common and highly popular.   (She notes that George Farquhar’s The Beaux’ Stratagem was then the city’s most popular play.) New Yorkers were thus highly sensitive to anything resembling a plot and unusually prone to imagine such things; Lepore writes, â€Å"Nothing ‘just happened’ in the early eighteenth century.   There was always a villain to be caught, a conspiracy to be detected.   The century was lousy with intrigues† (51). In addition, she asserts that the black plotters may have been misunderstood by white witnesses who overheard them in Hughson’s tavern, taking oaths and swearing revenge on New York. She demonstrates that, much like New England’s slaves staged mock â€Å"election days† to both mimic and satirize white culture, the New York plotters may have been imitating their masters, many of whom were Masons (and thus mistrusted in an early America which saw wrongdoing in their secrecy and rituals).   Horsmanden, says Lepore, viewed the trial like a conspiracy novel and, â€Å"In an anxious empire, he found monstrous black creatures . . . [and] political plotters† (122) from whom he thought he could save the city. The 1741 plot was thus tailor-made for the age.   It involved a group of New York blacks who swore oaths to burn down the city, kill its white men, take their wives, and to install a tavern keeper and small-time criminal named John Hughson as the new governor.   After the arsonists were captured and confessions extracted (in some cases with torture, which could not legally be used on whites but was freely used against blacks), the colony’s Supreme Court was eager to demonstrate its authority and regain some of the credibility it lost after the Zenger trial.   In particular, Lepore devotes considerable attention to Daniel Horsmanden, the English judge who prosecuted Zenger and was eager to redeem himself. Lepore relies heavily on his own journal of the trial, pointing out its biases and distortions, and she comments that Horsmanden considered losing the Zenger trial â€Å"a gross humiliation† and that the 1741 plot offered him â€Å"an unrivaled opportunity to consolidate the court’s power.   He could make a name for himself† (118). Indeed, his handling of the trial shows not only his zeal but also how poorly colonial courts handled evidence and how grossly they mistreated black defendants.   Four whites and over a hundred blacks were executed, often in a grisly manner that assuaged the nervous city.   According to Lepore, whites enjoyed public executions and attended â€Å"out of hatred, out of obligation, out of fascination† and, â€Å"like imprisonment, interrogation, and trial, an execution was a pageant† (105).   Trials and executions of rebellious slaves were especially celebrated, as the racial order was preserved. Though the book claims to examine the 1741 slave plot’s meaning in terms of politics, is actually spends little time doing this and her analysis is thus somewhat underdeveloped.   However, Lepore offers an excellent picture of colonial New York’s race relations, which were volatile and tense, adding that â€Å"however much ‘liberty’ some enslaved New Yorkers might have enjoyed, it was always fragile and nearly always illicit† (155). Whites so feared blacks that they passed laws regulating their right to gather freely and set grossly unfair standards for sexual conduct (white men could exploit black women without penalty, but black men were sternly discouraged from consensual relations with white women).   It is little wonder, then, that blacks resented their white masters and neighbors.   Also, at the same time, though, the court was quick to attribute the plot’s leadership to Hughson, a smuggler and thief on the side, because few believed blacks intellectually capable of hatching such a scheme. Lepore ends the book by claiming that the 1741 plot demonstrates how New York’s colonial politics operated.   Horsmanden, who exacted a vicious justice on the conspirators, was stripped of his political offices in 1747 and then became a champion of the liberties he had denied as a judge.   His activities redeemed him and one of his posts was restored to him in 1755. Lepore uses this, along with the Zenger trial, as evidence of how New Yorkers became more tolerant of opposition politics, but she does not tie this very convincingly to the slave plot.   Indeed, her discussion of New York’s colonial politics pales in comparison to her picture of New York’s social and cultural landscapes. New York Burning appears to be two different histories in one, with its study of race relations and fear of conspiracies submerged within its examination of how the plot influenced politics.   The political aspects are not as well-developed and Lepore does not argue very convincingly that the Zenger trial and slave conspiracy demonstrate how New Yorkers handled the question of political opposition. The author devotes much of the book to exploring race and culture, and she creates a vivid, convincing picture of how early New Yorkers combined fear of their slaves with their taste for (and sensitivity to) conspiracy and intrigues.   Had the book been a study of race and paranoia, instead of claiming these were only parts of a developing political culture, it would likely have been a stronger piece of scholarship.   The book succeeds as a cultural history while failing to connect race and culture to the developing political landscape of early America. Lepore, Jill.   New York Burning.   New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005.

Essay Major League Baseball´s Culture - 1548 Words

Baseball is spread across the United States and has become a part of some cities culture. Cultures stretch from the newer teams of the west and the old school teams of the east. There are teams that have been around since baseball started and new teams that were made within the last 20 years. Major League Baseball’s culture differs across the United States depending on where you’re located. There are trends between cultures based on location and how long the team has been around. These cultures are different in many, but all have a common similarity. All baseball cultures revolve around a Major League Baseball team. These teams can move, like the Dodgers from Brooklyn to L.A. and teams changing ownership, like when the Montreal Expos’s†¦show more content†¦To do that you have to go spend lots of money on free agents, like they are doing now. The way a team builds itself changes the type of culture that surrounds a team. A team at the other end of the spe ctrum is the St. Louis Cardinals. They have built their team through their farm system like I mention earlier, also known as the minor leagues. Many of their players are â€Å"home grown† talent as they call it and the fans are very close to their players, unlike the money driven stars, the fans feel like the young players are growing up and their involved with it. An example of this is on the teams Facebook page the team posted a thank you to two of their home grown stars that they traded away, and the top comment reads this, â€Å"Freese will always be a cardinal in the hearts of true fans of STL(St. Louis) baseball.† The second highest comment posted is this, â€Å"Freese will always be the homegrown talent. Best of luck to both of them in Anaheim.† The cardinal fans love their players and care about wining, but there is more to it to them, they feel a part of the growing of David Freese and other players like him. 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