History Papers: History Essays, Term Papers on History, History Research Paper Help

The trial and execution of King Louis XVI, or “Louis the Last,” was a major event in the French Revolution. Louis’ monarchy was ended by the revolution on August 10, 1792 when the people stormed the royal palace of the Tuileries after he broke his promises to abide by the new constitution.

The Convention Assembly put the king on trial for treason and he met the guillotine on January 21, 1793. A common historical view of Louis is as a tragic figure or martyr. He is widely remembered as merely a man who arrived at the wrong place at the wrong time. Many overlook the fact that this king committed treasonous acts against the country and people he ruled. Louis XVI was a trader and his punishment was fitting.

Louis Capet ascended the throne at age twenty and ruled France for nearly twenty years. The country was nearly bankrupt when he came to power in 1774. Compounding matters, there was a terrible crop failure in 1778, driving the price of bread and other foods sky-high. Combined with other factors, these events marked the beginning of the French Revolution, and ultimately the demise of the king. It is unquestionable that Louis’ reign came at an inopportune time. Read more…

For 29 years, United Indians of All Tribes Foundation (UIATF) has been solving many of the problems Seattle’s Urban Indians face by providing a unique range of comprehensive educational, health and human services that improve their social and economic welfare. The organization was founded in 1970 by a small group of Northwest Native Americans and their supporters, who engaged in an occupation of Fort Lawton. Their goal was to reclaim a land base for Urban Indians living in and around Seattle.

As a result of this peaceful protest, UIATF negotiated a 99-year perpetual lease for 20 acres within what is now known as Discovery Park on which to build an Indian cultural and educational center. The first phase included the construction of Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center, which currently houses UIATF’s administrative offices, Head start and Kindergarten classrooms, and the Sacred Circle Gallery of Native American Art. Read more…

Rasputin, the image alone is pretty horrifying, creepy. This man was able to do the impossible, social escalating isn’t very common or easy, especially amidst royal blue blood. The rural man who was Gregory Rasputin: no education, no money and no faith; known only as a pervert, criminal and drunken behavior. Born in January of 1869, in Siberia to poverty stricken conditions which explains his ambition. Was he evil? Was he a miracle worker? Was his ambition that brought him to manipulate?

He spent his teenage years as a rebel, mainly finding ways to have a good time. He was known to have sexual intercourse with several women, consuming several drugs, not to mention the alcohol. You can say he like the shock affect it gave the people in the rural village. He did the equivalent to what Marilyn Manson does now, worshipped by many and feared by most. Read more…

Being indispensable has lofty connotations. Some might say that it is the highest prestige and most generous compliment. A statement that includes one’s indispensability lends itself to be scrutinized by skeptics and researched by historians. By boldly concluding that George Washington was absolutely necessary, essential, and irreplaceable, James Flexner proposed an interesting question: Could the young republic of the United States have survived with similar success had Washington not been the original executor? Throughout his political career, Washington continued to prove himself to be one of the most courageous, knowledgeable, qualified, and mature leaders in U.S., if not world, history. If the definition of indispensable is irreplaceable, than George Washington was truly an indispensable man.

The main quality that Washington possessed that made him and his term in office so distinct and essential to the early republic was his powerful mentality that he was going to make the new government work, no matter what. He was not interested in personal gain and was not motivated by a selfish agenda. He never saw the position as a soapbox for his own views, but rather a podium for the Constitution. Washington purposefully surrounded himself with some of the best minds that this country had to offer. He certainly was also well aware of the fact that his cabinet members’ political views contrasted sharply. Read more…

Hiroshima is a true story about the lives of survivors after the dropping of the first atomic bomb in Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945. It was written by John Hersey, who was born in China to missionaries, but spent most of his life in the United States. As a Journalist during World War II, he was assigned to cover China and Japan, when someone asked him write about the effects of the atomic bomb on the people in Japan. It was from that idea that he ended up writing the now famous book, Hiroshima.

Hiroshima discusses the individual lives of six specific survivors of the atomic bomb. It does not go into the exact details or the facts about the bombing, rather it talks more about how lives were change because of the atomic bomb. The book goes in depth into the lives of a regular clerk, a doctor, a widow with children, a missionary priest, a young surgeon and a Methodist pastor. Read more…

The main objective behind the United States’ involvement in Vietnam was to contain the spread of communism in Southeast Asia. It was in the 1950’s when the United States began to send troops to Vietnam, during the following 25-year period, the ensuing war would create some of the strongest tensions in US history. Almost 3 million US men and women were sent thousands of miles to fight for what was a questionable cause.

The Vietnam War created great controversy in the United States. The burning of draft cards, protests, and riots were all effects of Vietnam. In 1967 General William C. Westmoreland addressed the public attempting to gain support for the war along with ensuring Americans that it would soon be over. He described the war by breaking it up into phases. Optimistically he explained phases one and two were over and the final phase was just around the corner. The General felt vast progress had already been made. He viewed the enemy as a weakening opponent that would soon be able to be overcome. Though Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara had his own view on the war in Vietnam. A year after the General addressed the public Robert McNamara drafted a secret memorandum for President Lyndon B. Johnson about the current status of the war. McNamara gradually became skeptical about whether the war could be won by deploying more troops to South Vietnam and intensifying the bombing of North Vietnam. Overall he saw no short-term possibility of winning or even ending this war. Robert McNamara description of the war and where it was going was so different from General Westmoreland because McNamara memorandum was meant just for the president so he was able to be brutally honest. The General, due to the desire of policymakers, had to convince the American public of close and victorious win. Read more…

In 1879 two Georgian peasants conceived what would be USSR’s most cruel, power-hungry and diabolical ruler for 25 years, Josif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili. During his childhood he had to endure an abusive father, a bout with smallpox and a freak accident that resulted in an arm deformity. ‘Soso’ as he was referred to by his mother and classmates, trained to become a priest at Tbilisi Theological Seminary but was expelled for taking part in revolutionary activities and having organized a Marxist group . In 1903 he was drawn into the revolutionary circles of Vladimir Lenin’s Bolshevik Party, the state’s first communist party. Lenin saw in Dzhugashvili, a man of action, a man who can get things done, unlike the brilliant orator known as Leon Trotsky and the many other intellectuals already in the movement. He distributed illegal literature, organized workers and even robbed a bank to support his cause. In 1912 he adopted the name Stalin, which fittingly means “man of steel”, and in 1917 he became the editor for the Bolshevik newspaper, Pravda (Truth).

Meanwhile, in 1917, the Soviet Empire was in chaos after Tsar Nicholas II, apart of the Romanov rule for the past 300 years, sent assistance to the Allies against Germany in WWI that resulted in four million casualties. The remaining peasant soldiers resented dying for someone else’s cause and so began the revolution when Tsar Nicholas II abdicated. On Nov.7th, the Bolshevik faction seized government in what is known as a Coup D’?tat, a sudden overthrow of a government by a usually small group of persons in positions of authority . After overthrowing the provisional government, Lenin began to take charge and enforce a Marxist atheistic idea that states “religion is the opiate of the masses”. They eradicated religion from the Soviet Union by destroying churches and murdering priests.

Stalin made his mark in the bloody Civil War when he and the Bolshevik Reds went up against the counter-revolutionary Whites. He was given the title of Commissariat of Nationalities where he enforced the party lines on the field and in the sea and was leader of the warfare personalities. Read more…

Napoleon was a successful man in that he was able to increase the amount of control he had over
France yet at the same time meet the expectations of the revolutionary people. In the area of religion Napoleon had similar views as early revolutionists. Further he organized society through a chain of laws, which benefited France by giving order as well as performing purposes identical to those of the revolution. In his pursuit of power he was able to compromise between his wants and the revolutionary people’s wants. Napoleon was the son of the revolution because he followed a course which imitated that of the revolutions.

Napoleon followed the wishes of many religious believers of the revolution. During the late 1700’s many
Catholic peasants revolted against revolutionary thinking because the National Assembly issued the Civil
Constitution of the Clergy. It declared that all bishops and priests be elected by all citizens, including those who weren’t Catholics like Jews, Protestants and Atheists. Read more…

Emperor of China, is an incredible biography of the second emperor, K’ang-hsi (1661 – 1722), and his life as part of the last Chinese imperialistic dynasty, the Qing. Based on the writings of the emperor, court records and later secondary sources, the book follows the emperor through his struggles with opposition, Manchurian and Han nobility, his troubled relationships with his numerous sons, his old age, and his legacy. By reading K’ang-Hsi’s own words as he writes of such topics as hunting, invention, the Jesuits, government, and the introduction of Western science, we learn about different aspects of his life including the different values, beliefs, and roles. One value that is consistently evident throughout the book, and is a large part of who he is and what the emperor stands for, is his desire to be compassionate, or as defined by Merriam Webster Dictionary, sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it. This compassion is especially found in the second part of the book, entitled “Ruling,” which explores the Emperor’s world of action and common sense. The emperor’s strong sense of compassion and ren, or humaneness, comes from his studies of Confucianism. An example of this mercy and compassion especially, in his dealings with crime and the death penalty, is exemplified through this quote: “ I have been merciful where possible. For the ruler must always check carefully before executions, and leave room for the hope that men will get better if they are given the time.”

During imperial China, the supreme ruler, or “Son of Heaven”, as he was known, played an integral part as the ruler of all the people in his kingdom, through the divine authority that he was thought to have, marking an incredible relationship between the ruler and Heaven, giving him incredible power and prestige. The emperor also acted as the priest of humanity, performing sacrifices to Heaven and Earth that would hopefully bring good luck to the Empire. In addition, the emperor’s word was law, and he often exercised the power of life and death over his subjects, with K’ang-hsi being one of the more compassionate of emperors, because of his strong association with Confucianism.
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Technology has greatly influenced the way battles have been fought. In the Roman times through to the Gulf war the way wars were fought, together with the advanced technology have completely changed every aspect of war. Roman Times, where they had an extremely basic level of technology compared to modern technology, changed the way tactics in war were fought.

In the Roman times, manpower and limited contact beyond the immediate surroundings made it completely different to the modern way of fighting wars. The Roman wars were mainly fought by auxiliary and legionary soldiers.

The Roman wars were fought on a more local basis between different Empires and in closer distances to each other. These wars were fought to gain power and to take over land occupied by local Warlords. Wars were fought on foot by infantry led by the local Warlords and his nominated leaders. There was more involvement by the leaders in the physical day to day combat of war to the more modern wars like the Gulf War. In modern times the leaders did not participate in the actual combat but more in the strategies.

These wars often went on for very long periods of time and over hundreds of years and were more controlled by a small number of leaders who held the power. In the Roman Times the numbers of Infantry was where the power lay. In the modern Wars like The Gulf War there was more strategy and technology, this was more important than actual army numbers.

One of the biggest differences in the Roman Times to the Gulf war is the equipment that was used. In Roman times each soldier carried a weapon such as a sword, dagger and a shield. They also carried spears, they were not used for killing people but they threw them at other peoples shields and it would get stuck making their shield useless. The way they moved was either on foot or horseback. By the time the Gulf war came on they rallied on guns, chemicals, ships, aircraft and bombs. They moved around much faster and covered more ground by ship or airplane.

Another way the advance in technology has altered the way battles have been fought is the introduction of fire power. In the Roman times they only had a very limited range of firepower such as a catapult, so they had to mostly rely on hand to hand combat skills, and they could only fight within a few metres. In modern times where there are rifles and firearms that can fire up to a few hundred metres you can engage an enemy at a much greater distance. The advancement in the technology on the airplanes capabilities is also of great significance in the later wars.

Roman soldiers had very limited protection from their enemy. They had shields, bodyarmour and a helmet that was made a particular shape to deflect blows from a sword(”The Roman Army”.). Today’s soldier has a uniform that protects him with armour, as well as camouflages him and allows more mobility. He also carries self aids such as bandages, water and even food. Today’s soldiers carry protection in the form of a gun, knife and small explosives and are trained for every emergency situation.

With the introduction of technology particularly in World War II there was more global military conflict that, in terms of lives lost and material destruction, was the most devasting war in history. It involved commitment of entire nation’s human and economic recourses which expanded the battlefields to include all of the enemies territory.
In the late stages of World War II, two radically new weapons were introduced. This technology has changed the techniques of war from then on to the Gulf War and Iraq conflict. The threat of chemicals and weapons on mass destruction will do doubt continue to change the ways of war in the future.

Today’s wars are also greatly influence by the advances in the technologies in communications. The ability to control what your soldiers are doing from a longer distance makes situations a lot easier to control. In the Roman times the only way of contact was by foot and face to face instructions. In modern times the soldiers can be fitted with small radios, mobile phones and computers. These make the planning and execution of battles a lot more effective and controlled. This makes the battle to be controlled from around the world whereas in Roman times control was in the immediate area of battle.

In conclusion it is clear that technology has had a dramatic effect to the way wars are fought and controlled. From changes in weapons to advances in uniform, to the use of man power to the modern day where armies rely on equipment, communication and strategies to win battles.
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