My Family and the Conservative Theory Essay Example for Free

My Family and the Conservative Theory Essay I believe that my family is a great example of the conservative theory. I was raised by both of my parents who have been married for over thirty years. There was myself and my two sisters that also comprised our household. We lived in Saudi Arabia growing up and are followers of Islam. My father, Mahdi was a geography teacher on the college level, from which he has since retired. My mother taught middle school science. My older sister has been married for over five years and has one three year old child. I am currently attending college and studying finance and my younger sister is attending college and studying accounting. Being part of the Muslim community is part of the conservative nature of my family. We choose to try and live our lives according to the five pillars of Islam. These are the beliefs that the religion was founded upon. The first pillar of Islam is that Allah is complete and supreme oneness and that Muhammad was the great prophet. This one pillar is the foundation for the way that my family chooses to live our lives. We choose to participate in a culture where we are governed by Allah a will to do what is good and morally just. The second pillar of Islam is the establishment of daily prayers. Daily prayers are very important in our culture. They are the communication that we have with Allah and the way that we are guided in how we are going to make decisions. As a follower of Islam we pray five times per day. The third pillar of Islam is concern for the needing. This includes being willing to sacrifice to help others who are less fortunate than we are. It is important in my culture to give to those who are needy and to help them as much as we possibly can. Islam teaches not being selfish and wanting worldly possessions but rather being selfless and always giving of oneself to others. This means that it has never been important to me or my family as to whether or not we are wearing a certain brand of clothing or whether or not we have certain processions. It is not important for us to try to keep up with mainstream society in an attempt to fit in as we believe that our riches are destined for another time and another place. We value saving and are conservative in our spending and shopping habits. The fourth pillar of Islam is self purification through fasting. Fasting is a big part of our beliefs and we are conservative in this area as well. We fast during the month of Ramadan from sun up until sun down. This is to teach us discipline. There is no stronger conservative value than discipline as when we are disciplined we are able to make decisions without feeling the pressure of the outside world. The fifth pillar of Islam is to make a pilgrimage to Mekkah. The pilgrimage to Mekkah is important as we are traveling to the divine spot where Muhammad heard the words of Allah that he used to write the Koran. One of the biggest differences in the Islamic culture that we are a part of in comparison to most other cultures of today is the beliefs that we are taught about dating. Muslim teachings teach us that we are not to date until we are in the confines of marriage. It is against our teachings to go out on dates or to have premarital sex as these behaviors are considered worldly and a poisoning of ourselves and we are to be a temple to Allah. In our culture we start a dua when we want to start dating. This means that we ask Allah to send us a mate with whom we will make a good match with. We believe that Allah’s divine wisdom will allow us to meet our perfect match. I believe that a man and woman are created to be able to find the one perfect match for you who will give you spiritual unity and peace. When someone in my family is looking for a partner with whom to share their life with, the whole family becomes involved. It is still important to find someone who we are going to connect with and get along with and having a person chosen for us is not a way of controlling who we date but rather a way of keeping us from making the mistake of bad relationships and having to suffer through the pain of heartache. The overall idea is that by keeping ourselves pure and clean and not being in a physical relationship with anyone we are able to find a partner who truly is the best match for us emotionally. We also are able to find the one true partner that Allah has created for us by not letting physical attraction or other decisions get in our way. We remain pure for those who we are going to marry and yes this does mean that we do not believe in premarital sexual intercourse or sexual relationships in any way. My family is very conservative in the area of dating as both my sister and her husband and my mother and father are part of marriages that were arranged. My family also does not believe in divorce. We believe that if you truly are with the person that Allah has placed you with then there is no reason for divorce from that person. Growing up following the practices of Islam has made me a much more conservative person than most of my peers. I believe that those who commit crimes should be punished to the full extent. One heated subject for today’s culture has been the idea of corporal punishment and I am in favor of this practice when it is used for the correct reasons and within the realms of the law. I feel that this is the conservative approach on this topic, following the adage if you â€Å"can’t do the time then don’t do the crime. † I also am against abortion which is another topic of heated debate today. Abortion is something that is not allowed through the practices of Islam and something that would never be okay for me or anyone in my family. Homosexuality is also popular today and in the faith of Islam it is not allowed as it is considered a true sin. However it is also a sin to perform any type of sexual act outside of marriage as sexual acts are supposed to be for the purpose of creating a family. My family has not had children out of wedlock. My family has always worked hard to uphold themselves to the moral standards of Islam. Some of this has been difficult as I have always had to think of the moral debate to a subject and how I could justify my decision within my faith. I was raised to be respectful to my parents and could not have said some of those things that I have heard other students talk about saying to their parents. I have always been raised that without my parents I would not be anything and that I needed to uphold the utmost respect for them and their decisions in life. Even when I have disagreed with things that my parents have said, I will still give them the respect of listening to their decision without question. I have always known that my family was different from the other families that I have been witness to since moving to the US. Since we have always practiced Islam and since I grew up in Saudi Arabia I did not realize that we were so much more conservative than other families. Being a part of a conservative family has taught me many things, including that I have values and principals that I am not willing to let down for any reason. I want to follow the teachings of Allah and I want to preserve a culture that I feel reacts in a better way too many of the controversial issues of today. There are all kinds of issues that have to be dealt with on a regular basis when someone is growing up in today’s culture. In a way it is nice to not have to worry about some of these issues as they are behaviors that are not permitted by Islam therefore they are behaviors that I have never thought about being involved in. I do not date and I am a virgin and therefore I find that I am a part of a subgroup within the US culture that is unique in itself. Stating that I am simply conservative might be an understatement as I believe that Allah has better for me and that I should uphold myself to the highest moral standards in order to be able to please him and find my end reward later after this life has ended. I also believe that I have been taught unique values which have carried over into my conservative way of thinking. I was raised by both of my parents who are still married and I have watched my older sister attempt to have the same life that we did growing up. I am hopeful that one day Allah will speak and that I will find my mate and be able to fulfill my life as well.

Influence of Government Type on Policy Making

Influence of Government Type on Policy Making When a country has a democratic government, the process of implementing a law is extremely tedious compared to a monarchy.  In a monarchy,  the rulers word is law, and that law is enacted precisely when the ruler says it is, saving a great deal of time and work. However, the trade-off  is necessary,  especially in complex policy issues,  such as  foreign policy,  that relate  to war. When  entering conflict with  a  foreign nation,  it’s crucial for the survival of a nation. War is an extremely costly operation, one  that can cause substantial  financial damage to  a  nation. A democratic political system,  such as  in  the USA,  specifically prevents a nation  from  entering wars  for any defensive  or offensive  purpose  that is not publicly approved, because a mistake in such decision will impact the survival of a  nation. Even though there is a loss of efficiency, it ensures the survival of a nation. However, the main reason why extensive checks on policy is necessary,  is because we humans suffer from our own psychological bias.  In the book The Nudge, the author describes  Ã¢â‚¬Å"we human  can be manipulated by savvy architects of choice â€Å".  Referencing  that we human,  and  politicians  of course,  will sometimes makes incorrect decision or irrational decision based  on  psychological manipulation. A check and balance system  extensively  prevents that from happening in our government.  By making single sided and quick decisions virtually impossible from our policy making process. Despite the obvious loss  of  efficiency, this trade-off of speed for balance is essential. The framers of the American constitution knew well the results of absolute rule  and structured the nation they founded very specifically to avoid such tyranny. A somewhat clunky government is the unavoidable price of a multi-faceted government. In turn, public participation is encouraged under such a system, as people are made to feel that their efforts can make a difference, as opposed to the sense that a distant and unconcerned  monarch  will simply do as he  or she  likes regardless of public opinion and action. Using the United States as an example, the  president, head of the executive branch of government and holder of the ostensive title of â€Å"head of state,†Ã‚  has virtually no power to draft new legislation. In fact, his (or her) authority in this matter is entirely limited to effectively asking nicely for  Congress (which constitutes the legislative branch) to introduce the desired law. Political allies in the House of Representatives will certainly comply, but their opponents are sure to question and criticize the new law to within an inch of its life, insisting on amendments and modifications if they allow it to move forward at all. Assuming some agreement – often  taking a long time to  reach  and achieved only after the requisite rounds of political scheming and posturing – can be reached, essentially the entire process must be repeated in the Senate, where the unique balance of  senators may bring the bills future into question yet again. We can see that by allowing discussion and exchange between  the  Senate and  House,  the public participation in the political matter increases  as well. As each citizen  recognizes  that we elected our own policy makers,  every citizen makes a difference,  as opposed  to a monarch,  who often distances  him  or herself from the public when making public policy,  thus discouraging  public participation. One way to allow the public participation is  allowing public to form  special interest group to maintain their position in the government by lobbying  to  influence other people to support the organization’s position.  These interest groups  often testify in legislative hearings,  donate to  political candidates  (Www.opensecret.org),  and donate money to candidate or organization to lobby  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  politicians.   When special interest effects certain elite groups, the candidate of the elite group can spread their ideas to the  public  at large,  which results in  a  change  in  public opinion, thus ensuring their ideas and objective are in place in the society. Special interest group  are  formed  by groups of individuals,  and  the group’s ability to drawn in large  numbers  of citizens directly impacts the quality of policy,  because when implementing a policy, to satisfy its members,  the policy drafting procedure must ensure a common understanding of the law, must be readable (not overly complex),  and it must  achieve  the group’s social, political,  and legal objectives,  which are the criteria of a good-quality policy.  Reading) ( Think tanks are a wide range of institution that provides public policy research, advice,and analysis, while operating independently. They are non-profit  and  operate  independently  from political partiesand government. Their main goal is to help government officials  understand and make rational decisions  on different issues.  They support policy developments by  conducting research on  complex issues  with their expertise and present their extensive findings to  government officials,  such as congress and other officials. Think tanks  act  as  an intermediary  between knowledge and politicians. However, think tanks approach different issues differently. A scientific approach requires extensive testing  of  theories about the policy effects. A professional approach requires analysis of the  opportunity cost of different alternatives. And lastly a political approach requires support of  the  left or right-wing party. Although the description above summarizes different approaches  for different think tanks, the underlying  simultaneous approach requires think tanks to understand complex issues and to provide research and advice to  funders  or  political leaders  and together draft a quality policy that can reach different objective. To explain the difference between political vs economic model we can look at democracy vs communism.  To begin with, democracy is entirely a political model. In  the American sense, democracy is no economic model. It is a system in which the people at large vote upon voluntary candidates who have asked to serve as representatives in a variety of capacities, and once winning election, to decide policy as they see fit. As this structure the  administration of the country, with no necessary commentary upon economics, it is a political model. By contrast, communism is an economic model, though its nature does tend to favour a political structure. Communism is an extreme flavour of socialism that emphasizes the dignity of the common worker, who is credited with building and maintaining all human societies. As such, communism purports to establish an economy free of financial inequality, in which the workers – constituting most of the population – are all equal social partners. It is in this manner that communism can be mistaken for a political model, as such tight controls on societal resources all but require a strong centralized government to oversee distribution. But this is a consequence of communisms economic ideal, rather than a prescription. Communism is an economic model. Again, an economic model as rigid as communism tends to demand a powerful government, but ultimately it is a nations political model – not its economic model – that determines the selection of policies. This is only sensible, as policy should be set by a nations leaders – even if, as in the U.S.A  example above, those leaders are none but the people themselves – and not by directly by economic factors. I believe economic model should dictate policy making, because  economic model is  a much effective and less costly  way to  drive changes in the country.  When  we look at the  example of increase  alcohol tax  led to decrease in alcohol purchase.  We can see that economic policy  clearly influences human behaviour. Not only it decreases drunk driving accidents, it increases  productivity  and health gains. In the past we have seen example of political models in place to ban alcohol  (18th  amendment), not only it did not decrease  incentive to purchase  alcohol, it increase power, corruption within a nation  which  cause  more  social damage to a  nation.  Economic model has proven itself as the best model to drive changes in a country  and human behaviour. References Keilman, John. Higher Booze Tax a Lifesaver?  Chicago Tribune. Web. 1 Oct. 2014. Top Donor Profiles.  Center for Responsive Politics. 1 Jan. 2013. Web. 1 Oct. 2014. www.opensecrets.org>.Thaler, Richard H., and Cass R. Sunstein.  Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness. New Haven, Conn.: Yale UP, 2008. Print.

Acid Rain 8 :: essays research papers

Acid Rain is a type of air pollution, which is formed when oxides of sulfur and nitrogen combine with atmospheric moisture to yield sulfuric and nitric acids, which may then be carried long distances from a source before they are deposited by rain. This pollution may also take the form of snow, fog, or a dry form of precipitation. Acid rain is currently a subject of great controversy because of widespread environmental damage, for which it has been blamed, including eroding structures, injuring crops and forests, and threatening or depleting life in freshwater lakes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The problem of acid rain originated during the Industrial Revolution, and has been growing ever since. The severity of its effects has long been recognized in local settings, exemplified by the spells of acid smog in heavily industrialized areas. The widespread destructiveness of acid rain, however, has become evident only in recent decades. One large area that has been studied extensively is northern Europe. In 1984, for example, environmental reports indicated that almost half the trees in Germany’s Black Forest had been damaged by acid rain. This form of pollution has also particularly affected the northeastern United States and eastern Canada.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Industrial emissions have been blamed as the major cause of acid rain. Because the chemical reactions involved in the production of acid rain in the atmosphere are complex and as yet little understood, industries have tended to challenge such assessments and to stress the need for further studies; and because of the cost of pollution reduction, governments have tended to support this attitude. Studies released by the U.S. government in the early 1980s, however, strongly implicated industries as the main source of acid rain in the eastern United States and Canada. In 1988, as part of the United Nations-sponsored long-range Transboundary Air Pollution Agreement, the United States and 24 other nations ratified a protocol freezing the rate of nitrogen oxide emissions at 1987 levels. The 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act of 1967 put in place regulations to reduce the release of sulfur dioxide from power plants to 10 million tons per year by January 1, 2000.

the million dollar blank-note (mark twain) :: essays research papers

Dear Son   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I know you are probably wondering what this letters concerning but I anted you to know how I came to be the man you look upon as your father. You should know that in many cases money is brought upon a man through inheritance, luck, or hard work. In my case however money was brought onto me because of the hard-worker I once was. It was not to long ago that I was just an ordinary man living in San Francisco as a mining brokers clerk. In the eyes of others I was a respectable young man, clean-cut, and very intelligent, all the qualities to go fortune. However in my eyes I looked past all those qualities and just say a lonesome m morning shift that Saturday, I decided to enjoy the rest of my day with a sail through the bay, like always however this time I had ventured to far and was carried out to sea by the current. I was stuck in the middle of nowhere with all hope lost until a ship picked me up from sea. The ship was bound for London and since I had no cash on me I had to work my passage there as a sailor. When I finally reached London I was a mess. My clothes where all torn and ragged, and I had only a dollar in my pocket. I survived the first day with the single dollar but when day two had arrived I was need for food and shelter however that same day my luck was beginning to change. I was walking on the streets in search for any food I could retrieve when a man called out to me through a window. I stepped inside the house where the man had called me from and was escorted into an enormous room, which was occupied, by a group of elderly old men. Now before I continue I need to stop and explain to you some minor details that weren’t given to me before. The Bank of England once issued two million dollar bank-notes. The notes were to be used for some public transaction with a foreign country. At the time on had been used while the other note still remained in the vaults of the bank. Well earlier that day before I came into the picture two of the brothers from the elderly group were having a great arugment on the second note.

Crime and Punishment Quotes :: essays research papers

1. â€Å"†¦all is in a man's hands and he lets it all slip from cowardice, that's an axiom. It would be interesting to know what it is men are most afraid of.† –Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  By saying this Raskolnikov suggests that men are capable of doing whatever they wish, and the only thing that holds them back are their fears. Because of this Raskolnikov wonders what man’s greatest fear is, and with that comes the one thing that no man is capable of doing. 2. â€Å"†¦for though Pyotr Petrovitch has been so kind as to undertake part of the expenses of the journey, that is to say, he has taken upon himself the conveyance of our bags and big trunks.† -Pulcheria Alexandrovna Raskolnikov   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This is a passage from the letter that Rodion’s mother sent to him, his mother is telling him that Dounia’s fiancà © has taken care of the traveling expenses for Dounia and her mother to St. Petersburg. 3. â€Å"I see that I want nothing. Do you hear? Nothing at all . . . no one's services . . . no one's sympathy. I am by myself . . . alone. Come, that's enough. Leave me alone.† - Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After burying the goods he stole from the pawn broker, Raskolnikov is walking around and decides to visit his friend Razumihin. At first it is almost as if Raskolnikov planned on asking his friend for advice about what he should do about the murders he committed. However, he becomes very nervous and leaves his friend’s home as quickly as possible. 4. â€Å"Life is real! haven't I lived just now? My life has not yet died with that old woman! The Kingdom of Heaven to her--and now enough, madam, leave me in peace! Now for the reign of reason and light . . . and of will, and of strength!† –Raskolnikov   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Through speaking with Marmeladov’s daughter, Polenka, Raskolnikov realizes that life is worth living, and that it can still hold an important meaning. This sheds light on the fact that Raskolnikov realizes that even if a person is not capable of doing good, their life should not be ended. 5. â€Å"Ordinary men have to live in submission, have no right to transgress the law, because, don't you see, they are ordinary. But extraordinary men have a right to commit any crime and to transgress the law in any way, just because they are extraordinary.

CA Technologies: Bringing the Cloud to Earth Essay

CA Technologies wanted to be viewed as the leader of their business sector, offering quality service while keeping their organization aligned and thriving in a strong corporate culture. However, the leaders of the organization did not agree on how the organization should achieve these goals nor were they confident that their business structure could sustain them. Overall, CA Technologies financial performance is viewed as stable and growing. The organization had shown growth in revenue, income from continued operations and stock holders equity between March 2007 and March 2011. Furthermore, the company had grown their assets and reduced their long term debt during the same time frame (Annual Report). CA Technologies focus was/is creating solutions to contribute to their customers businesses and support them in a challenging IT environment (p2). Their main customer focus was 1000 of the Fortune 2000 organizations that were $2 billion businesses and above. None-the-less as their product line changed so did their customer base, to $300 million to $2 billion sized companies (p1,13). Their customer base is international consisting of companies from the United States, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Their consumers come from various industries including banks, insurance companies, financial services, governments, manufactures, technology companies, retailers, educational institutes and health care providers. Their product line consists of service management and assurance, mainframe, project and portfolio management, security, virtualization and automation, and cloud computing (Annual Report). CA Technologies chooses to go to market through their own sales and marketing team and by leveraging partners. They have selected strategic partners to help them enter into new markets, grow their product awareness and integrate different technologies. At the same time they have their own direct sales team to create rapport with customers and to use initial consumer’s feedback to cannibalize on new opportunities (Annual Report). It is imperative that they use multiple ways to go to market because this is a highly competitive industry. At one point the organization’s â€Å"merger and acquisitions team had about 250 to 300 companies on their radar at one time† and in nine months they had acquired nine organizations and within twelve months they had invested close to $1 billion in acquisitions (p11). Some of these organizations are going to be commentators and others are direct competition, none-the-less there is a lot of competition. Furthermore, this market is not saturated as it is changing every day and has potential for new entrants. When the focus is on cloud technology and not their full portfolio, calling cloud technology highly competitive is an understatement. To display how competitive the industry is there is an online newspaper called â€Å"CloudTimes† that has a list of the top 100 Cloud Computing Companies (Martin Tantow). The CRN (online technology cite) goes as far as listing the coolest cloud computing vendors by their business category (CRN). There are several other articles such as â€Å"The Top 150 Players in Cloud Computing†, â€Å"85 Cloud Computing Vendors Shaping the Emerging Cloud† and more (Ray DePena). The buyers have a great deal of bargaining power. With so many organizations offering cloud services and offering to customize their services for customers business needs, there is a lot of competition. The CRN breaks down Coolest Cloud† companies by the top 20 in each cloud specialization. These specializations are: Platform and Development, Infrastructure Vendors, Security, Storage and Data Center, Applications and Software (Mark Tantow). CA Technologies was listed under â€Å"Coolest Cloud† top 20 for security. This specialization may give them a leg up especially in the Security market. On the other hand, if an organization is looking for a generalized cloud function, this may discourage that organization from choosing CA technologies. The suppliers in this situation are the employees and they have an immense amount of bargaining power. With there being hundreds of Cloud companies currently, more starting and existing companies expanding their cloud products, the job market is large. Microsoft alone has reported they will create 14 million jobs from 2011- 2015 due to public and private cloud computing (John Callaham). CA Technologies has 13,400 employees, 4,000 are in sales and marketing and 4,400 employees are in product development (Annual Report). Selling, marketing and product development are the rolls that will be created and that other companies are looking to fill. If not all employees, nearly two thirds of the organization’s employees have a great deal of bargaining power due to the expansion and demand for experienced workers in this field. There are several substitutes to cloud computing and most of them are what organizations were using prior to cloud computing. Some of these substitutes are main frames, networks, and email. The plus is CA Technologies already offers the substitute services. There are many commentators to cloud computing right now that we use every day, for example Microsoft is a complementor to Google.Docs. A company that offers the cloud also has the power to decide what complementors are going to work with their cloud, some of these complementors can be calendars, emails, word processors and many other every day applications. On the Treacy and Wiersema 3-D Chart the organization would fall under the product differentiation and customer responsiveness category. Even though the organization would like to see themselves in the middle of these two categories, realistically, they were not, when this article was written. The case states the organization was functioning vertically in all divisions, which made it difficult to focus on the customer and created inefficiencies in development (p10). With this being said, they would fall closer to the axis between the two categories on this chart. Before the reorganization, the business strategy, organization strategy and information’s strategy were not aligned. The organization was running like a manufacturing company, internally focused (p11). The mission of the organization that can be gathered from the case is that the organization wants to offer superior customer service, to create the most innovative and leading technology in an effective manner and sustain a thriving corporate culture. However, this mission was not achievable because they went to market vertically and that is not what their customers needed. The different structures of the organization worked independently which meant many inefficiencies and repetition in development (p11). The organization was not set up to reach the business needs of superior customer service and creating innovative leading technology effectively. Furthermore, the information strategy was unattainable due to the organization strategy. In the moment of truth the organization decided to reorganize. They created five focus areas to focus the information strategy and product development. Furthermore, they split the organization into 3 main categories which focused on customers, go to market and innovation. The new strategy helped align the business, organization, and information strategy. On the strategic grid, CA Technologies was acting like a factory. They were not prepared to make changes that would be necessary for future success such as creating a prosperous cloud system. They were working on their already existing product line and even showing signs of complacency with that product line. However, once they began reorganizing to a new strategy their organization went into the turnaround phase, splitting the business into a customer innovation focused. This is where they began working on getting the proper structure to create a sustainable business in the cloud revolution. On the grid, the organization would fall in the top turnaround stage close to strategic. Their management is learning new ways to go to market and handle customers and at the same time the business is going to be shaped by their future innovation. Overall, I do not believe that the organization had a choice whether or not to embrace the cloud. By 2011, they had already entered into the market and were seen as leaders in their already existing technology systems. If they backed out at this point, they may be viewed as not willing to move forward with the direction of future technologies. Furthermore, the market is fast and highly competitive, but CA Technologies has an advantage due to their rapport with already existing customers and their seniority in the industry. The cloud made the organization re-evaluate their strategy and now they will be a stronger organization in all categories due to their reorganization. The cloud is not going anywhere; however their legacy way of thinking would not be relevant if they did not move forward with cloud innovation. Bibliography Callaham, John. â€Å"Microsoft: 14 Million Jobs to Be Made via Cloud Computing.† Neowin.net. 5 Mar. 2012. Web. 21 Sept. 2012. . CA Technologies. Annual Report. One Goal Our Customer Success. Islandia, NY: CA Technologies, 3/2011. Annual Reports-CA Technologies. http://investor.ca.com/annuals.cfm CRN Staff. â€Å"The 100 Coolest Cloud Computing Vendors Of 2012.† CRN. 12 Mar. 2012. Web. 21 Sept. 2012. . DePena, Ray. â€Å"90 Cloud Computing Companies to Watch In 2011.† Business Innovations. 1 Jan. 2011. Web. 21 Sept. 2012. . Tantow, Martin. â€Å"CloudTimes Top 100 Cloud Computing Companies.† Top 100 Cloud Computing Companies. 24 Apr. 2012. Web. 21 Sept. 2012. .

British Rule in India to the French One in Algeria Essay

Critically Compare the British Rule in India to the French one in Algeria. Throughout the nineteenth century, the rivalling countries of Britain and France were both looking to expand into different continents and build a successful empire. There are many reasons for this thirst for expansion, including economic growth and territorial gains. According to Gildea the emergence of non-European countries such as United States and Japan as great powers fuelled the nationalistic appetite for the extension of borders and influence. The British rule in India; later coined the ‘British Raj’, began in 1858 and although coming under much strain in periods throughout, lasted until 1947 when they were finally given their independence. The French rule in Algeria spanned from 1830 to 1962 following the conclusion of the Algerian War and the signing of the Evian agreements. It is clear when examining both the rules of Great Britain in India and France in Algeria that there were signific ant differences in the ways the two countries were ran. The French used military might to control the population and quell any uprisings; one instigator of such revolts was Abd al-Kader. These heavy handed tactics seemed to be less successful when compared to how the British reacted to Indian violence. Great Britain decided to grant concessions when faced by fierce opposition limiting the amount turmoil and essentially making it easier to diplomatically push western ideas upon them. France’s colonisation of Algeria was not the first time that they had tried to expand their borders and compete on a world stage with the other world powers, infact before looking to Africa France had the second largest empire in the world, second only to Great Britain. In 1605 France had secured a territory in what is now Nova Scotia in Canada. Throughout the 17th century they had been highly successful in adding much of the North American continent, also the West Indies. However after a string of conflicts such the ‘Seven Years War (1756-1763)’ and the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815) the other world powers had been successful in annexing these territories from France. The end of what has been labelled the ‘First French Empire’ was now coming to an end. In 1830 during a meeting between the French ambassador and the Algerian Dey regarding loans and trade the Dey struck the French ambassador with a fly whip. This act is said to be the final trigger cause which lead to the French occupation. However it is a wider known fact that there was a distinct lack of political support for the new monarchy and this act of war would help stir up national pride and increase confidence. Whilst appearing on the front of it a petty reason for declaring war on a country and occupying it for 132 years, there are other motives behind the bold political decision to initiate a ‘Second French Empire’. Algeria was seen to be of high strategic significance as it offered a springboard into the rest of Africa, including such nations as Tunisia, Libya and Niger. Gildea agrees with this argument noting â€Å"Algeria, which it [France] occupied in 1830, was the cornerstone of her Mediterranean and African ambitions†. Therefore, by occupying Algeria and furthermore Congo and Niger in 1880 they had secured themselves once more as a successful Empire capable of competing in the world stage. In 1869 the Suez Canal was officially opened for traffic, this narrow strip of water dissecting what is now Saudi Arabia on one side and Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia, offered a significantly faster shipping route into the East. It also eradicated the need for trading ships to visit the perilous coastline of Cape Horn in South Africa where piracy was rife. This vital water passage was also utilised by the British in order to transport good to India. The East India Trading Company was founded in 1600 with the purpose of travelling to Asia in search of previously unsourced trading links. They operated under the authority of the British crown and even controlled a military force. They were responsible for directly trying to impose Western beliefs and cultures on India much too soon in the occupation and too forcefully. This lead to a largely hostile reception and in 1857 there was a large scale rebellion. The British had been religiously insensitive towards both the Hindu and Muslim populations. The British had issued new gunpowder cartridges which were believed to be greased using cow or pig fat. This practice would have been unacceptable by both the Hindu and Muslim sepoys, however it wasn’t just the Bengal Army who wished to be rid of the British; the Indian aristocracy had lost vast amounts of power and influence. Officials such as Sir Thomas Munro could see little use in â€Å"a parasitic land owning class† commenting on how preferential methods of governance would be village communities as â€Å"it fitted better with the europeanized and more efficient type of administration that had been built up during the nineteenth century† The British leant many lessons from the 1857 Rebellion, and as subsequently the British Raj was created. This is a far more sympathetic approach t o ruling over India. No longer did the British Government and the East India Trading Company underestimate the need to be culturally aware. This issue of religion and culture provides a distinction between the British methods in the India and the French methods in Algeria. In comparison the French continually used military force to repress uprisings. Abd al-Kader, as previously mentioned was an instigator of such uprisings, however after the French Army swelled in size it became possible for them to employ ‘scorched-earth’ tactics, ferociously supressing the local population, consequently al-Kader was forced to surrender in 1847 . In the late 19th Century France began emigrating large numbers of Europeans into Algeria, â€Å"By 1881 there were 300,000 Europeans (Half of them French) in an area of 2.5 million Arabs.†Another example of France trying to reduce Islamic culture comes from after the Second World War. Charles de Gaulle; the leader of the French provisional government offered to grant French citizenship to certain Algerian Muslims, however in doing so they would essential renounce their faith and religion. In India Britain used a ‘divide and rule’ policy in order to retain peace. Akhtar Sandhu suggests â€Å"the British adopted the policy to maintain harmony and peace. They valued unity and tranquillity in the British India.† These are the act of a â€Å"conqueror who decides to stay and rule†. It is clear that the British way of integrating Western culture within Indian society was more successful than the equivalent process involving the French in Algeria. This can be seen from the fact that within the upper classes of Indian society a new elite was being born. These people had respected professions, such as â€Å"lawyers, doctors, teachers, journalists and businessmen†, they had â€Å"established a Western life-style using the English language and English schools† Outside the upper class Great Britain had introduced Western technology to help improve the livelihood of the population. The introduction of railways and the improvement of irrigation methods had improved both industrial and agricultural efficiency. In Algeria the French also brought about Western civilisation to some extent, creating schools and building cities as well as constructing hospitals, however they spent 162 years with almost constant violence. Their eagerness to us military force to resolve issues lead to resentment from many Algerian nationals. In Conclusion, there were a number of similarities when looking at the resistance of the colonial occupation in both Algeria and India, however what differed is the reactions of the occupying country’s and how they learnt from their mistakes. The British at first tried to force Western ideals against the Hindu and Muslim Indians. However they quickly learnt that countering their revolts with over aggressive military action was counter-intuitive to their cause. Instead they began to offer concessions in order to appease the nationals. The policy of divide and rule ensured there would be minimal friction between the multiplicities of religious beliefs. In contrast the French confronted violent upheaval with similarly vicious tactics such as the policy of ‘scorched-earth’ instead of pacifying the African ideals. However, both the French and British Empires did to differing extents manage to integrate Western technologies such as railways and modern irrigation methods. In addition both occupations were valuable building blocks in which to expand their empires; France into Africa and Great Britain into Asia. 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