The Ryder Cup Essay Example For Students

The Ryder Cup Essay The Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is the most famous team golf event in the world. The Ryder Cup is played for biannually between the USA and the European team. The tournament was founded in 1927 by Samuel Ryder and has continued to the present day. The competition was originally held between the USA and the British teams, but then in 1973 the rules changed to allow the British team to field Irish golfers. The competition finally extended in 1979 to allow all European golfers to play for the new European team. The competition has been contested once every two years since 1927 except during WWII. Since 1979, the tournament has been played on 11 occasions between the USA and Europe. The inaugural tournament was played at Worcester Country Club in Worcester, Massachusetts. USA were the first team to lift the trophy as they triumphed over Britain 91/2-21/2. The Ryder Cup has been contested at 28 different venues. No course has hosted the cup more than twice. The only time the cup was not conte sted was during the duration of WWII. Ryder Cup Venues Worcester CC USA wins -25 Moortown GC, Leeds GB/Ire/Eur wins-8 Sciote CC, Ohio Southport and Ainsdale GC, England Ridgewood CC Portland GC, Oregon Ganton GC, Scarborough Pinehurst CC Wentworth GC Thunderbird CC, Palm Springs Lindrick GC, Yorkshire Eldorado CC, Palm Desert Royal Lytham and St Annes GC East Lake CC, Atlanta Royal Birkdale GC, Southport Champions GC, Houston Old Warson CC, St Louis Muirfield, Scotland Laurel Valley GC, Ligonier Greenbrier, Virginia Walton Heath GC, Surrey PGA National GC, Palm Beach Gardens The Belfry, Sutton Coldfield Muirfield Village GC, Ohio The Ocean Course, Kiawah Island Oak Hill CC, New York Valderama GC, Sotogrande, Spain Brookline CC, Newark The Trophy In 1927, Samuel Ryder presented the Ryder Cup to Great Britains Professional Golfers Association as the prize for an international competition between American and British professional golfers. In 1927, the Ryder Cup was valued at 250 GBP. T oday it is valued at $13,900. The Ryder Cup is 17 inches tall and weighs just over four pounds. The golfer depicted on top of the trophy is Abe Mitchell, friend and private instructor of Ryder. Rules, Format and Terminology The Ryder Cup is played by the Rules of Golf determined by the USGA and applied by the PGA of America. Several types of matchplay are used during the Ryder Cup , including foursomes (two man teams taking alternate shots), fourball (betterball) and singles (18 holes at matchplay). The order of play during the first two days of the competition (foursomes or fourballs) is determined through mutual agreement of both teams captains. There are a total of 28 matches . Matchplay Guidelines Matchplay is a game played by holes. A hole is won by the team which holes its ball in the fewer strokes. Score is kept by the number of holes up (won) and the number of holes remaining. (Example: US is 2-up with 6 holes to play). When a team is up (winning) by more holes than there ar e holes left to play the match is closed out and a point is awarded to the winning team. One point is awarded for each point won. If a match is tied or halved through 18 holes of play, each team receives 1/2 a point. A total of 28 points are contested in Ryder Cup competition. If a match is currently tied while in competition, then it is considered all-square. A match is considered dormie when one side is up by the exact number of holes that remain. A player/twosome is said to be 2-up thru 10 after winning two more holes than their opponents through 10 holes. A player/twosome is said to win the match 2-up after winning two more holes than their opponents thru 18 holes. A player/twosome is said to win 3 and 2 after winning 3 holes more than their opponents with only 2 holes left to play, assuring victory. FAQs What are Concessions? A stroke, hole or an entire match can be conceded at any time prior to the conclusion of the hole or match. 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Quotes by Audre Lorde, Black Feminist Lesbian Activist

Quotes by Audre Lorde, Black Feminist Lesbian Activist Audre Lorde once described herself as a black-lesbian feminist mother lover poet. Born to parents from the West Indies, she grew up in New York City. She wrote and occasionally published poetry and was active in the 1960s movements for civil rights, feminism, and against the Vietnam War. She was a critic of what she saw as feminisms blindness to racial differences and fear of lesbians being involved. She attended Hunter College in New York from 1951 through 1959, working at odd jobs while also writing poetry and earned a masters degree in library science in 1961. She worked as a librarian through 1968, when her first volume of poetry was published. During the 1960s she married Edward Ashley Rollins. They had two children together and divorced in 1970. She was with Frances Clayton, who she met in Mississippi, until 1989 when Gloria Joseph became her partner. She continued her outspoken ways, especially through her poetry, even during her 14-year struggle with breast cancer. Audre Lorde died in 1992. Feminism I am a Black Feminist. I mean I recognize that my power as well as my primary oppressions come as a result of my blackness as well as my womaness, and therefore my struggles on both of these fronts are inseparable. For the masters tools will never dismantle the masters house. They may allow us temporarily to beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change. And this fact is only threatening to those women who still define the masters house as their only source of support. What woman here is so enamored of her own oppression that she cannot see her heelprint upon another womans face? What womans terms of oppression have become precious and necessary to her as a ticket into the fold of the righteous, away from the cold winds of self-scrutiny? We welcome all women who can meet us, face to face, beyond objectification and beyond guilt. For women, the need and desire to nurture each other is not pathological but redemptive, and it is within that knowledge that our real power I rediscovered. It is this real connection which is so feared by a patriarchal world. Only within a patriarchal structure is maternity the only social power open to women. The failure of academic feminists to recognize difference as a crucial strength is a failure to reach beyond the first patriarchal lesson. In our world, divide and conquer must become define and empower. Every woman I have ever known has made a lasting impression on my soul. Every woman I have ever loved has left her print upon me, where I loved some invaluable piece of myself apart from me- so different that I had to stretch and grow in order to recognize her. And in that growing, we came to separation, that place where work begins. Advocating the mere tolerance of difference between women is the grossest reformism. It is a total denial of the creative function of difference  in our lives. Difference must be not merely tolerated, but seen as a fund of necessary polarities between which our creativity can spark like a dialectic.   The love expressed between women is particular and powerful because we have had to love in order to live; love has been our survival. But the true feminist deals out of a lesbian consciousness whether or not she ever sleeps with women. Part of the lesbian consciousness is an absolute recognition of the erotic within our lives and, taking that a step further, dealing with the erotic not only in sexual terms. Poetry and Activism Without community, there is no liberation. When I dare to be powerful- to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid. I am deliberate and afraid of nothing. Who I am is what fulfills me and what fulfills the vision I have of a world. Even the smallest victory is never to be taken for granted. Each victory must be applauded. Revolution is not a onetime event. I have come to believe over and over again that what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood. Life is very short and what we have to do must be done in the now. We are powerful because we have survived. If I didnt define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other peoples fantasies for me and eaten alive. For women, then, poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity of our existence. It forms the quality of the light within which we predicate our hopes and dreams toward survival and change, first made into language, then into idea, then into more tangible action. Poetry is the way we help give name  to the nameless so it can be thought. The farthest horizons of our hopes and fears are cobbled by our poems, carved from the rock experiences of our daily lives. Poetry is not only dream and vision; it is the skeleton architecture of our lives. It lays the foundations for a future of change, a bridge across our fears of what has never been before. Our poems formulate the implications of ourselves, that we feel within and dare make real (or bring action into accordance with), our fear, our hopes, our most cherished terrors. Attend me, hold me in your muscular flowering arms, protect me from throwing any part of myself away. Our visions begin with our desires. Our feelings are our most genuine paths to knowledge. As we come to know, accept, and explore our feelings, they will become sanctuaries and fortresses and spawning grounds for the most radical and daring of ideas- the house of difference so necessary to change and the conceptualization of any meaningful action. The sharing of joy, whether physical, emotional, psychic, or intellectual, forms a bridge between the sharers which can be the basis for understanding much of what is not shared between them, and lessens the threat of their difference. It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences. In our work and in our living, we must recognize that difference is a reason for celebration and growth, rather than a reason for destruction. To encourage excellence is to go beyond the encouraged mediocrity of our society. If our history has taught us anything, it is that action for change directed against the external conditions of our oppressions is not enough. The quality of light by which we scrutinize our lives has direct bearing upon the product which we live, and upon the changes which we hope to bring about through those lives. Each time you love, love as deeply as if it were forever / Only, nothing is eternal. I write for those women who do not speak, for those who do not have a voice because they were so terrified, because we are taught to respect fear more than ourselves. Weve been taught that silence would save us, but it wont. When we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard or welcomed. But when we are silent, we are still afraid. So it is better to speak. I realize that if I wait until I am no longer afraid to act, write, speak, be, Ill be sending messages on a Ouija board, cryptic complaints from the other side. But the question is a matter of the survival and the teaching. Thats what our work comes down to. No matter where we key into it, its the same work, just different pieces of ourselves doing it. My Black womans anger is a molten pond at the core of me, my most fiercely guarded secret. Your silence will not protect you! For we have been socialized to respect fear more than our own needs for language and definition, and while we wait in silence for that final luxury of fearlessness, the weight of that silence will choke us. We tend to think of the erotic as an easy, tantalizing sexual arousal. I speak of the erotic as the deepest life force, a force which moves us toward living in a fundamental way. The learning process is something you can incite, literally incite, like a riot. Art is not living. It is the use of living. My anger has meant pain to me but it has also meant survival, and before I give it up Im going to be sure that there is something at least as powerful to replace it on the road to clarity. Hopefully, we can learn from the 60s that we cannot afford to do our enemies work by destroying each other. There are no new ideas. There are only new ways of making them felt. Racism The energies I gain from my work help me neutralize those implanted forces of negativity and self-destructiveness that is White Americas way of making sure I keep whatever is powerful and creative within me unavailable, ineffective, and non-threatening. You have to learn to love yourself before you can love me or accept my loving. Know we are worthy of touch before we can reach out for each other. Not cover that sense of worthlessness with I dont want you or it doesnt matter or white folks feel, Black folks do. Black women sharing close ties with each other, politically or emotionally, are not the enemies of Black men. In discussions around the hiring and firing of Black faculty at universities, the charge is frequently heard that Black women are more easily hired than are Black men. As I have said elsewhere, it is not the destiny of black America to repeat white Americas mistakes. But we will, if we mistake the trappings of success in a sick society for the signs of a meaningful life. If black men continue to do so, defining femininity in its archaic European terms, this augurs ill for our survival as a people, let alone our survival as individuals. Freedom and future for blacks do not mean absorbing the dominant white male disease. As black people, we cannot begin our dialogue by denying the oppressive nature of male privilege. And if black males choose to assume that privilege, for whatever reason, raping, brutalizing, and killing women, then we cannot ignore black male oppression. One oppression does not justify another. But, on the other hand, I get bored with racism too and recognize that there are still many things to be said about a Black person and a White person loving each other in a racist society. Black writers, of whatever quality, who step outside the pale of what black writers are supposed to write about, or who black writers are supposed to be, are condemned to silences in black literary circles that are as total and as destructive as any imposed by racism. Intersectionality There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives. Theres always someone asking you to underline one piece of yourself- whether its Black, woman, mother, dyke, teacher, etc.- because thats the piece that they need to key in to. They want to dismiss everything else. We are African women and we know, in our bloods telling, the tenderness with which our foremothers held each other. Black women are programmed to define ourselves within this male attention and to compete with each other for it rather than to recognize and move upon our common interests. I am who I am, doing what I came to do, acting upon you like a drug or chisel or remind you of your me-ness as I discover you in myself. Only by learning to live in harmony with your contradictions can you keep it all afloat. When we create out of our experiences, as feminists of color, women of color, we have to develop those structures that will present and circulate our culture. We cannot continue to evade each other on the deepest levels because we fear each others angers, nor continue to believe that respect means never looking directly nor with openness into another black womans eyes. I remember how being young and black and gay and lonely felt. A lot of it was fine, feeling I had the truth and the light and the key, but a lot of it was purely hell.

Air Pollution in Los Angeles, CA Research Paper

Air Pollution in Los Angeles, CA - Research Paper Example Beginning back in the 1960s, the United States began drafting multiple versions of legislation designed to clean up the area. The intent of these policies was to strengthen existing legislation governing air pollution through the industrialized world, particularly in the United States and in Europe. Commonly referred to as the Clean Air Act, there were limits placed on certain groups of air pollutants, and cities were required to report particulate levels and to state what the were doing to enforce the policies set forth in the legislation. Naturally, Los Angeles is a primary target of the Clean Air Acts. This paper aims to discuss current policies being implemented in the Los Angeles area, look at the long term impacts of air pollution if current curbing measure to not work, and the effect that air pollution has on the minority communities around Los Angeles. Current Public Policies Current policies in place in America overall seem to be having a positive affect. Over the course of the past four decades, levels of carbon monoxide emissions have been reduce by nearly 100 million tons. Nitrogen oxide emission have fallen about 8 million tons, while emissions from sulfur dioxides have been reduced about in half. In general, the United States has seen particulate emissions fall by more than 80% and lead emission by more than 98% (Jerrett and Calle 731). While these figures represent a significant improvement, they do not tell the complete story. Pollution in Los Angeles still remains a serious problem. Certain areas are more polluted that young children and the elderly can handle, leading to countless health issues and even death. The government of Los Angeles County is still seeking ways to reduce pollution across communities for the benefit of all people. For decades, Los Angeles has had some of the, if not the most, polluted air in the country. Los Angeles has the most polluted ozone and the fourth most polluted year-round particulate levels (Su & Jerrett 662). Many attribute the problem to the dense population in the city and its notorious traffic congestion. As such, most legislative policies aimed at reducing air pollution have been aimed at reducing traffic related issues. This has not paid dividends, which is one of the contributing factors behind Los Angeles lagging behind other cities its size in reducing the level of toxic chemicals in the air (Linn & Szlachcic 429). The public, and indeed the government, see the problem of air pollution as being the most serious environmental issue facing the city (Kunzli & Jerrett 202). While the Environmental Protection Agency, an arm of the federal government, has proposed even stricter regulations on air pollution levels and companies that pollute, subsequent presidential administrations have been hesitant to ask out of risk of the adverse economic impact that might result. They also point out the reality that there has been a decrease in the amount of air pollutants in recent decades, yet th is is not enough in the eyes of many. Many experts in the field contend that the improvements have only taken the problem from ‘dangerously high’ to ‘dangerous’

Describe, compare and contrast the ethical systems of Hinduism and Essay

Describe, compare and contrast the ethical systems of Hinduism and Confucianism - Essay Example This core belief presupposes a journey of transcendence, of transformation, that ultimately brings the soul to spiritual perfection, or moksha. The idea of the reincarnated soul is intrinsic to Hinduism, which teaches that the atman at long last merges with the great universal soul, or Brahman. Confucianism espouses a more humanistic, temporal view that emphasizes the improvement of human nature through teaching and personal experience. Confucianism is not a Deist religion in the same sense as Hinduism. It is sometimes considered more of a philosophy than a pure religion in the sense that it doesn’t emphasize care of the soul. However, its 6 million adherents have come to regard Confucius as a divine source of wisdom who achieved a form of ideal perfection in his life. Confucianism is a fairly elastic term for a belief system that has been present in China â€Å"from time immemorial† (Sarkar, 1916). In â€Å"Chinese Religion Through Asian Eyes,† Sarkar writes that a man named Confucius was the librarian at Lu and is thought to have compiled, or edited, a classic text in which the ancient Chinese â€Å"Cult of the World Forces† found expression (Ibid). Therefore, Sarkar writes that Confucianism, as it is now known, had actually pervaded China long before Confucius was born. It has since the 5th century A.D. become more like Hinduism in that Confucius himself has been worshipped as a god since that time (Ibid). Confucianism may, in practice, be an intricate system of moral, philosophical and social thought but it has long held the status of a religion in China as Hinduism has for hundreds of millions in India and throughout Southeast Asia. For many, the comparison between the two begins and ends there. Hinduism is, after all, a polytheistic religion with thousands of deities in which reincarnation plays a prominent role. Salvation only comes after the soul is at long last freed from the cycle of birth and death. For adherents of

Digital rights management (only the written part) Essay

Digital rights management (only the written part) - Essay Example This is all great for sharing various works and ideas, publishing content cheaply, etc. but there is a problem here as well, and that is what were going to discuss - the issue of Digital Rights Management or DRM for short, with a focus on music files. One of the consequences of files spreading so easily is that â€Å"intellectual property owners lose control of distribution† (Kumik, 2003) and usually don’t get paid regardless of the time, cost, and effort that may have gone into producing it. The music industry has been particularly affected (Peitz et al, 2005). This puts off many from publishing on the Internet, but as a distribution channel, nothing else can compete, so it is attractive as well. Among end users also, there is an issue of privacy (Feigenbaum et al, 2002). Firstly, let me explain precisely what is DRM. According to Subrmanya (Subramanya, 2006), DRM broadly refers to â€Å"a set of policies, techniques and tools that guide the proper use of digital content†. It is clearly â€Å"rooted in and driven by business interests and legal concerns† as pointed out by William Rosenblatt and others in their book ‘Digital Rights Management: Business and Technology’ (Rosenblatt et al, 20 01). Technology enabled the digital revolution to take place, but many content owners are therefore now eager â€Å"for more intelligent, efficient, and effective management of their content† (Hilts, 2003) as well. If we break down the whole process of content flow from ‘packaging’, through transmission, tracking, and delivery, and of course, redelivery, protection measures can be applied at each stage. Already, we have digital watermarking, the protocols for content syndication, rights expression languages, etc. (Becker et al, 2003) But it is not straightforward because in the fast changing world we live in, implementation is still an obstacle as is the legal side, business models change, and

Overview Of Wilhelm II Foreign Policy

Overview Of Wilhelm II Foreign Policy Historiographical Debate: War Guilt Clause of Treaty of Versailles created popular perception that Germany was to blame for WWI. [You should beware such a determinist stance!: you must remember that Wilhelm II presided over 24 years of peace before war broke out in 1914.] In the 1920s and early 1930s, the general appeasement and conciliatory policies of the western powers modified this perception somewhat. Germany was seen, in this period, as having stumbled into war. However, by the late 1930s Hitlers aggression was making people re-think, again, the nature of German foreign policy, and the extent to which it was inherently expansionist and aggressive. In 1961 Fritz Fischer published his famous book (Germanys Aims in the First World War), which once again suggested that Germany bore prime responsibility for the outbreak of WWI, and that this had been systematically planned for since 1911. You must make some decision on this, after studying the evidence, as you will be expected to know about, and comment on, the Fischer debate. Wilhelms foreign policy can be subdivided/periodised into: End of the Bismarckian system 1890-1897 Emergence of Weltpolitik 1897-1907 Descent into war 1907-1914 End of the Bismarckian system: Lapse of reinsurance treaty with Russia Resulted in dual alliance between France and Russia 1894. This alliance between Russia and France was perhaps unavoidable. Caprivi had to make a strategic decision between Germanys alliance with Austria-Hungary and the Reinsurance Treaty with Russia. He therefore allowed the Reinsurance Treaty to lapse, which pushed France towards Russia anyway, resulting in the Franco Russian alliance of 1894. Attempts to foster a British alliance failed: first Navy law emerged 1897 antagonistic competition with British fleet 1897 Italy joined Austro-German alliance Concluding remarks: in 1897 Germany fairly safe. Alliances existed which excluded her and there was the potential risk of encirclement, but neither France nor Russia really wanted conflict with a formidable military power such as Germany: Russia couldnt afford it (pre-industrial) and France had imperial interests to protect. However, H Holger pointed out that where foreign policy lies in the hands of an individual there is always a risk that their personality will influence affairsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Bismarck had played chess, Wilhelm II played poker 2. Emergence of Weltpolitik 1897-1907 Fritz Fischer saw 1897 as a turning point in Germany foreign policy. This was mainly because of the increased role of the Kaisers men in politics: Tirpitz, Posadowsky, Bulow you have already met, plus Holstein at the Foreign Office and von Miquel, the Prussian Finance Minister. Term used by Bulow, Wilhelm II and Hollweg Not an easy term! Basically 2 forms: Economic imperialism. This was informal and was based on the expansion of trading markets rather than political control. Political expansion / lebensraum, either overseas or in Europe. Economic imperialism was favoured by industry, who wanted new markets for goods. Economic expansion had been pursued earlier in Wilhelms reign, for example, into the near East, which threatened Russian grain trading interests there, and prompted a Russian move towards France. There were some industrialists who favoured political expansion, because it would give them direct access to raw materials. However, most industrialists preferred mere access to markets which economic imperialism would generate. Political expansion was favoured by the Kaiser, certainly, then mainly by the mittelstand (lower middle class) and agricultural workers, who saw their decreasing economic status in Germany and wanted opportunity for emigration and new start. This sentiment was partly reflected in internal migration and was such internal colonization (mainly of eastern territories) was facilitated by the Settlement Commission and Expropriation Law of 1908 (this can be seen as extension of Bismarcks policies!), but greater horizons were desired. In fact, G Geiss has argued that weltopolitikà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦came into existence as a red herring of the ruling classes to distract the middle ruling classes from social and political problems at home. Obviously, the army also favoured political expansion, as this would in turn increase their role, status and influence on government. Germany had entered the Empire Race late. She had acquired overseas colonies in Africa by 1890 (Togoland, the Cameroons, East Africa). By 1899 she acquired Pacific islands of Samoa, the Carolines and Marianas, and a strip of the French Congo in 1911 as part of the Moroccan Crisis deal. However, none of these colonies were profitable. For example, South-West Africa didnt cover the costs of administration, even once diamonds were found in 1908. Informal empire was much more lucrative, e.g Latin America and south east Europe. Government, banks and businesses cooperated well, for example, in providing financial backing for the completion of a Baghdad to Berlin railway, which would open up access to the oil reserves of the Ottoman Empire. This cooperation of multiple interest groups is Fischers hallmark of Weltopolitik in action. Impact of imperialism: Required an increase in military strength to pursue. The role of the army in foreign policy has been much debated. Porter and Armour argue that it would not be too much of an exaggeration to say that the army in Wilhelmine Germany was a state within a state G Craig also shares this view. Must remember that there was no German Army, except in war time. There existed four armies of Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony and Wurttemberg, Prussian was the biggest. However, since 1874 the Army budget only reviewed by Reichstag every 7 years Septennat. After 1893, increased to once every 5 years. Army therefore financially independent. Plus, since 1883, the Army had direct access to Emperor. The Kaiser was personally very militaristic and had natural sympathy for the armys aims. The international situation was increasingly tense: ancient hostility of France exacerbated by imperial competition, the growing threat of Russia, brought about by economic competition. This gave the army an additional reason to push for expansion. In addition, the army chiefs sold the army to Wilhelm as the last stronghold against socialism and revolution. The status of the army as above the law was proven by the Zabern incident. Although Hollweg received rough treatment from the Reichstag over the incident, no action was taken against the army officers involved. In fact, there was widespread sympathy for the army! M Kitchen goes so far as to argue that the army was one of the most popular institutions in the Second Reich. This is possibly linked to the fact that the unification of Germany was largely owed to the Army, who had created the state without defeat and was seen to be able to defend it in similar fashion. Nevertheless, Germanys army not significantly increased until army laws 1912-13 This was because: -army officers mainly Junker aristocrats didnt want increased middle-class element in officer class which would have been inevitable result of expansion in armed forces -the army didnt have the ability to train a larger army effectively. Descent into war 1907-1914 You could be forgiven for thinking that was must have been inevitable, if strategies to cope with a two front war had been developing since the late 1890s (even though Schleiffens plan wasnt made public till 1905). However, the situation in 1900 was not entirely unstable. Yes, Russia was growing in strength and in hostility to Germany, as a result of economic competition in the near east. Certainly, Britain and France were becoming concerned about Germanys Imperial ambitions. Yet, in 1900, even though Russia and France were allies since 1894, this threat was balanced by the counterweight of British neutrality. In addition, none of these powers were interested in war if it could be avoided Russia didnt have the might, and Britain and France had priorities elsewhere. So, why did war break out in 1914 and why has Germany often been held responsible? It could be argued that the biggest miscalculation in German policy was Tirpitz risk theory. He thought that if Germany built a navy to rival Britain, Britain would be intimidated and would seek an alliance with Germany. Bulows views compounded this miscalculation. He believed that a conflict between Britain and Russia was inevitable (?!). He preferred to side with the Russians, but only once he was sure they would win. So, for Bulow, building a navy to rival Britains would help Germany maintain a free hand where they could preserve good relations with both nations and await the outcome, which would be Britains defeat, at which point having a powerful navy would enable Germany to supplant Britain as the major world power! The reality of Britains reaction was the opposite to what Tirpitz and Bulow anticipated. The Navy Laws of 1898 and 1900 made Britain nervous and hostile. As a result, she sought alliance with France and Russia instead. In 1904 the Entente Cordiale was signed by Britain and France. In 1905 the German attempt to undermine Anglo-French relations by provoking the first Moroccan crisis backfired. Spain had granted France a virtual protectorate in Morocco. In direct challenge, the Kaiser landed in Morocco in 1905. It seems likely that the Kaiser wanted to test the Entente, to see if Britain, in particular, would support Frances claim. She did. The attempt to divide France and Britain had failed spectacularly. The resulting Algericas conference, called to resolve the crisis, was a diplomatic failure for Germany in 1906; Germany was forced to accept a French protectorate in Morroco. In addition, Bulows attempt to divide Britain and Russia also failed. Bulow attempted to stir up trouble between Britain (Japans ally since 1902) and Russia during the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-5. Both parties were annoyed. By 1907 Russia and Britain had joined a Triple Entente with their mutual ally, France. Moreover, Britain made it clear that she was not prepared to allow Germany to dominate the seas, and entered a naval race. Even Bulow, in 1908, voiced his reservations with existing policy and suggested that Britain may be able to blockade the German navy in her harbours, should conflict arise. This would render Germanys expensive navy useless. Bulow further suggested to Tirpitz that it may be worth investing rather in improving coastal fortifications and creating a strong submarine fleet. Tirpitz disagreed. It is interesting to speculate on how differently the first world war would have turned out had investment been made along the lines Bulow suggested! Yet, even at this point, Europe was still about 7 years away from war! Germany could have neutralized Britain had she removed the threat of a naval race and limited her Imperial ambitions. Yet Bulow persisted in his policy. The naval laws of 1906 and 1908 prompted Britain to build the Dreadnought a battleship more powerful than anything the Germans held! Germany then supported the Austrian annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1908, which only served to anger Russia, to de-stabilise the Balkans and, at the least, to irritate Britain and France on Russias behalf. The appointment of Hollweg in 1909 was a possibility for rapprochement. He actively sought an Anglo-German alliance. However, the Kaiser, Tirpitz and the army continually thwarted him. In addition, Tirpitzs propaganda techniques had created such popular support for naval expansion that it became impossible for Hollweg to back down from this policy without losing public support, particularly given the stalemate that existed in the Reichstag. In 1911 France contravened the Algeciras agreement and Germany was awarded a strip of the French Congo in compensation. But this further damaged Anglo-German relations, as Britain came to the support of France against what she saw as German bullying. The alliances were crystallizing into military camps. The Balkan wars of 1912-13 were a further de-stabilising influence, as the crumbling Ottoman Empire created a power vacuum in the region, which brought Austrian and Russian interests (and, therefore, those of their allies) into direct conflict. The Kaiser called a war council in 1912, resulting in an increase in the size of the army in a law of 1913. However, no real war planning was in evidence. In addition, Edward Grey, the British Foreign Secretary, was still pushing peace talks as late as 1914 (although this doesnt necessarily imply similar German desire for rapprochement!). Was Germany foreign policy the result of domestic policy? This is sometimes called social imperialism where expansion is the result of an attempt to distract people from problems at home. VR Berghahn argues that Germanys foreign policy was dictated by rapid industrialisation If one considers sammlungspolitik the alliance of steel and rye (industry and agriculture) from 1897 in their joint bid to crush socialism, one can perhaps see that domestic issues were perhaps pressing enough to warrant distraction! However, this is a somewhat simplistic argument and you should offer a variety of alternative causes for Germanys foreign policy such as -the power of the army -Wilhelms personality -industrial interests (in their own right, rather than as a challenge to socialism) -competitive imperial climate of the time -recent unification set militaristic tone for nation and also encouraged expansion as means of further consolidating status of nation in Europe -anything else you can think of! So, was Germany set on war in 1914? 4 interpretations: Germany deliberately unleashed war for continental and even world hegemony Fischer (not born out by the evidence) Hollweg provoked a diplomatic crisis which he knew might lead to war, because he was more afraid of Germanys isolation than he was of war. (unlikely, not really much evidence that anyone was concerned about isolation, even after the Moroccan crises) All nations were equally responsible for the outbreak of war (wishy-washy, fence-sitting argument avoid) War wasnt planned or pre-determined, but was an acceptable option as the German government expected war to be both short-lived and winnable (very plausible the Kaiser was influenced by the armys advice, the army believed they could win as they had a great track record and a now expanded force, and the chaotic nature of the Wilhelmine government meant that Hollwegs moderating influence would not be heard)) Porter and Armour argue that the German government, by 1914, was looking for a chance to break out of encirclement, confident of its strength and determined to seize on the first suitable pretext for demonstrating this Hollweg continually maintained that German expansion required agreement with Britain and that, if he could pick on Russia over an issue which didnt involve British interests, he would be successful, and war would be avoided. The assassination of France Ferdinand provided just such an opportunity. Russia came to the aid of Serbia against an unjustifiable Austrian ultimatum. It is true that Germany was secretly complicit with Austria in drafting the terms of the ultimatum. This could be seen as deliberate provocation of war. The terms of the Triple Alliance allowed Germany to see Russian mobilization as a threat to Austria, and therefore an occasion to defend her. The Schlieffen Plan, with its necessary killer blow to France to be delivered first, required speed. Thus once Russian mobilization began, war in Europe was inevitable. On 1 August Germany declared war on Russia. On 3rd August Germany declared war on France. On 4 August Britain reacted to the violation of Belgian neutrality and declared war on Germany. So, it seems that war in 1914 was really little more than a ludicrous miscalculation on the part of Germany. Agree or disagree? The choice, as ever, is yours! Timeline of Foreign Policy, 1890-1914 1890 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Bismarck is dismissed. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Germany refuses to renew the Re-insurance Treaty with Russia, who therefore starts to look to France for friendship. 1891 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Franco-Russian Entente: Germany anticipates a war on two fronts and draws up the Schlieffen Plan. Looks to Britain for an alliance. 1894 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Franco-Russian Alliance confirms Germanys fears she now looks more to Britain. 1896 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Kruger Telegram: Germany tries to show Britain how isolated she is to frighten her into an alliance, but merely infuriates Britain. 1898 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ First Naval Law hopes to scare Britain into an alliance. Germany demands a high price for her friendship, reasoning that British alliances with France and Russia are unlikely due to their ancient enmity. Therefore Germany rejects Britains alliance propositions, thinking that they are too favourable to Britain. 1899 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The Fashoda incident aggravates Anglo-French Relations (or so Germany thinks). Encourages Germany to demand a still higher price. Britain feels isolated. 1900 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Second Naval Law attempts to frighten Britain and fails. 1901 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Anglo-German talks once again collapse. 1902 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Anglo-Japanese Treaty: France doesnt want to be drawn into a Russo-Japanese war (and therefore have to fight Britain) due to the Franco-Russian alliance, so she seeks agreement with Britain. Germany begins to feel uneasy. 1903 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Murzsteg Agreement: Austria-Hungary and Russia agree to maintain the status quo in the Balkans for 5 years. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Serbian pro-Habsburg monarchy overthrown in favour of a pro-Romanov one: signifies beginning of Austro-Hungarian enmity for Serbia. Austro-Russian relations remain tense. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Edward VII makes a triumphant visit to Paris. 1904 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Entente Cordiale: Alliance of friendship between France and Britain. Germany feels increasingly isolated and sees the chances of an Anglo-German alliance diminishing. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Dogger Bank incident after Russo-Japanese declared: Germany hopes it will aggravate Anglo-Russian relations, but France keeps them on good terms. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Defeat of Russia in the Russo-Japanese war. Russia turns back to the Balkans instead of the Far East for expansion and Britain no longer sees Russia as a threat and is therefore more willing to ally with her. 1905 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Germany sees this and arranges the Bjorko Treaty with Russia, but it is incompatible with Franco-Russian alliance and so is rejected. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Germany tries to split the Entente Cordiale in the Moroccan Crisis, but only succeeds in revealing the weaknesses of the Triple Alliance (as Italy deserts her), strengthening the Entente and bringing Britain and Russia closer as they are on the same side for once. Germany falls back even more on Austria-Hungary. 1907 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Anglo-Russian Entente confirms Germanys fears of being encircled and she relies even more on Austria-Hungary. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The Third Naval Law does little to worry Britain. 1908 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Daily Telegraph Article by Wilhelm fails to persuade Britain that Germany is friendly and that her naval building is purely defensive. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Young Turk Revolution makes Austria-Hungary eager to annex Bosnia before the Turks become too strong to resist. Henceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The Bosnian Crisis: Germanys virtual isolation forces her to support Austria-Hungary, which has the unpleasant side-effects of (a) making Austria-Hungary more aggressive (b) Increasing the Ententes enmity towards Germany. Russia is diplomatically defeated and is determined never to be again. Austria-Hungary becomes more cocky. Germanys support for Austria-Hungary now becomes certain. 1911 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Agadir Crisis: Shows how Germany was more eager to extend her influence than to improve her foreign relations. Once again her isolation and her unpopularity are brought home to her. 1912 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Balkan Wars make a strong Serbia: Austria-Hungary is determined to crush her before she gets too strong. 1913 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Britain, France, Russia and Germany all make military improvements. 1914 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Assassination of Franz Ferdinand gives Austria-Hungary an excuse to attack Serbia. Tasks: A. Research: If you are working as a group, divide the main events (highlighted in bold) between yourselves. Each person should research their event in more detail using any sources available to them, and then report back to the group with either a handout or a presentation. B. Analysis: (i) What was the main turning point in international relations between 1890-1914? Explain your answer. (i) To what extent can Wilhelm II be blamed for the outbreak of the First World War? F:AQA Germany Option GEra of Wilhelm IIRel between Wii Foreign and Domestic Policy SWK ex.pdf Discussion Identify When was Schlieffens war plan unveiled? 1905 Name the historian most associated with the theory that Germanys planned aggression was primarily responsible for the outbreak of WWI Fritz Fischer In what years did Germany pass Army Laws? 1912-13 In what years did Germany pass Navy Laws? 1898 1900 Describe How was the Schlieffen plan supposed to work? -as soon as Russia mobilised, Germany to attack France. This was because Russia would take 6 weeks to fully mobilize and, if G could defeat F in that 6 week period, she could avoid war on 2 fronts. Attack on F would be through Belgium, in violation of Belgian neutrality protected by GB. G didnt think GB would get involved despite treaty, as GB only had small army and didnt really want to involve herself in European affairs. If G could defeat F quickly, may be no point in GB mobilizing. Also G didnt really see GBs army as much of a threat, so was risk worth taking. G to march round the rear of Paris and seize capital before F troops could return from Maginot line forts. Once capital secured, country defeated. Holding force could then be left and main G army returned to east to fight Russia. What was Tirpitz risk theory? -if Germany built a navy to rival Britain, Britain would be intimidated and would seek an alliance with Germany What is H Holgers quote on the difference between the FP of Bismarck and Wilhelm? Bismarck had played chess, Wilhelm II played poker How have Porter and Armour described the army in Wilhelms Germany? -state within a state Explain Why was the army so powerful? -financially independent sinceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ -had ear of Kaiser since.. -Kaisers personal interest in militarism -public support -since unification and also because Tirpitz Navy League (1898) created a propaganda campaign to mobilize public support Why did the size of the army not really increase until 1912-13? -army elites didnt want increase in middle-class presence -no facilities for training Why did Britains hostility towards Germany grow? -Tirpitz risk theory Navy Laws of 1898, 1900 -imperial competition -irritation at Germanys meddling during the Russo-Japanese war -Germanys support for A-Hs annexation of Bosnia 1908 Why was Hollweg unable to achieve an Anglo-German alliance? -thwarted by military interests -public support for militarization Why did Russia feel threatened by Germany?  ­-economic competition for grain markets in near east -German support for Austrian destabilization of/expansion into the Balkans Why is Wilhelms foreign policy in the years preceeding WWI such a hot topic for debate amongst historians? -because of the later aggression displayed by Hitler.in trying to understand the nazi regime, historians try to decide whether Hitler was an aberration or whether aggressive expansionism of Hitler part of a wider trend in German history. Why does Fischer see 1897 as a turning point in Germanys Foreign Policy? -Kaisers men in key positions How could the Morocco crisis of 1905 be seen as an attempt to challenge the Entente? The Kaisers direct challenge to French interests there was a deliberate attempt to see if GB would support French claim Analyse Was Weltpolitik a genuine threat to peace? How serious a threat was encirclement to Germany in the period 1904-1914? Was Germany seeking war in 1914?

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A couple of months ago, my company installed a system to record the phone calls of certain employees. They set the recorder to record only the employees who have outside contacts with customers, regulatory boards, or contract personnel. The company implemented this system to resolve conflicts, clarify positions, protect the integrity of the company’s contracts and verbal commitments, and provide for sales and customer service training. Naturally, this did not go over well with some of the employees who thought this was an invasion of their privacy. Some of the employees started using their cell phones or other company phones to make their personal calls. Others would complain to their coworkers and supervisors about the company’s disrespect for their privacy. I believe that employees should not be bothered by the fact the company is recording their phone calls because the phones are company property and employees are being paid to work. Employees seem to believe that their assigned phone is their phone and they can do with it as they please. It is a privilege to have a phone and employees seem to take their phones for granted. The company is paying for the phones and providing them to their employees for business purposes. It follows the same principles of the computer; employees should not browse certain types of web pages and the company can actually record Internet activity and other computer activity quite easily. Legally, nothing employees do on their phones is private and privacy is not implied. Employees also should not be making personal calls that are not appropriate. If an employee is talking about inappropriate subjects they should not be talking about it at work, period. If the employee does not want their conversations recorded, they should not have them at work. Employees could use their cell phones to negate the recording system, but people will know that they are on a personal call. They can also go to another desk to make their personal phone calls, but this would mean that they are not working. While at work, employees should be working on their assigned tasks. Of course, I am not saying that they should not be able to do some personal activities. Employees should be able to take breaks, gossip with coworkers, take care of personal business, and make personal phone calls, but these activities should be limited and should not disturb an employee’s performance.