Essay on The Student Loan Scam - 1878 Words

Every member of this class, this university, this collegiate atmosphere, has most likely accumulated debt to achieve higher education. I certainly had the feeling that entering into the University of Massachusetts as a freshmen this year would involve relatively little debt which I would pay off upon graduation–a simple affair in which I received an education for a fair price. Yet, looking even at the comparatively â€Å"small† expenditures I have to deal with, examples of educators, students, and parents all paint a portrait of the devastating and deceiving nature of debt involved in the collegiate system in this country. Systemically, culturally, and personally, the system of debt associated with virtually every modern college experience†¦show more content†¦Encompassing the fact that Albert Lord, Chief Executive of the largest student loan company in America, Sallie Mae, reported that in 2003 the company’s record profits were â€Å"attributable to pe nalties and fees collected from defaulted loans† and that â€Å"†¦Sallie Mae’s fee income increased by 228 percent between 2000 and 2005†, every imaginable factor of control now pervades the actions of student loan companies in modernity (Collinge 5). The faculties of student loan companies seem remarkably overpowered, yet even more so when viewed within the scope of an even more nefarious and shadowy condition: university-lender relativity and corruption. Over the course of the last few years, since the post-Reagan Era, the privatization of higher education has incontrovertibly represented the basic premise of the bottom line predication (The Pedagogy of Debt 157). This idea demonstrates itself in the â€Å"blurred lines† between corporate lenders and universities; a relationship which has been referred to as the â€Å"kick-backs† system within the mainstream media (Collinge 80-81). Effectively, universities promote specific company loans from a particular lender and in the process for lender exclusivity, the loans are repurchased by the lending companies and pay for the administrative fees associatedShow MoreRelatedThe Student Loan Scam Is An Interesting Book1320 Words   |  6 PagesThe Student Loan Scam is an interesting book that details all the information that people need to know about, the good and the bad. It is interesting and an easy read, but can be better understood through the use of theories. The theories we find in this book are Power Elite Theory, Karl Marx’s Surplus Populations, Monopoly Capitalism, the Education Industrial Complex, Anomie, and Labeling Theory. Power Elite Theory is one of the more predominate theories in The Student Loan Scam. This is seen mainlyRead MoreProfit Education Is A Higher Education University982 Words   |  4 Pagesprivate institutions who receives a profit. In the beginning of 2015, Corinthian College, a large for profit incorporation, was closed for lawsuits of fraudulent statistics of placement rates to jobs after graduating. Placement rates are the jobs that students have received through their degrees, and Corinthian Colleges would advertise the amount of graduates that have been hired in their field. The schools published around a ninety percent placement rate, but in truth, it was a zero percent placementRead MoreHome Purchase And Sales Research Paper1021 Words   |  5 Pagesmortgage issues that you face. If you are having difficulty paying your mortgage, I can help. There are steps I can take to assist you with keeping your home, delaying foreclosure, or selling your home via a short sale. Some options include: †¢ Using a loan modification defense †¢ Postponing foreclosure auctions †¢ Challenging bank foreclosures †¢ Using a predatory lending violation defense †¢ Rescinding unlawful foreclosures †¢ Assisting you in filing bankruptcy †¢ Placing restraining orders and injunctionsRead MoreThe Third Theory Is Monopoly Capitalism1433 Words   |  6 Pagesgovernment to make profits off of the loans that Sallie Mae received. They even offered nice vacations, parties, etc. When the government started to dish out money, they gave it to Sallie Mae and passed everything it wanted to help the business grow to a for-profit corporation. With access to congress and federal money, Sallie Mae grew bigger and bigger. They knocked out any competition that stood in their way, no matter if it was more beneficial to students than Sallie Mae. We see Karl Marx’s ideaRead MoreFour Views to the College Conspiracy Essay1067 Words   |  5 PagesMay of 2011 a video by the National Inflation Association (N.I.A) surfaced on YouTube gathering over two million views and opening the eyes of people to the American college system.   According to the producers of this video, College is the largest scam in US history! Is college a worth-while investment? Is it just a way for the government to stimulate the economy? Are college degrees really a necessity in performing on the job? All of these questions have been asked and answered with both yes andRead MoreThe Issue Towards Education And Education Reforms Needs Peoples Awareness Needs941 Words   |  4 Pagesthousands of dollars or take out loans that are putting them in debts for years which is absurd. Students from all over the nation forced to take out loans that put them in debt for most of their life. Low income students also do not have many options for education and cannot afford one. The cost of education will keep on getting higher and higher as time progresses and the next president and congress of the democratic party needs to focus on this problem for students that are in college and for theRead MoreApplicants With Questions982 Words   |  4 Pagesmultiple areas for students to find information to answer their questions or concerns. If the stu dent had questions concerning what to do before applying to college, there was a section that had information on how to choose a career or school, budgeting, how to be financially responsible, and etc. (U. S. Department of Education, n.d.-d). Under this section, there was also a link for other help options (U. S. Department of Education, n.d.-d). This area provided information where the student could find additionalRead MoreCollege and Tuition: Is it worth It?1153 Words   |  5 PagesIts sad the amount of students not going to collage based on tuition in the United States. Anymore, 47% of junior high and high school student’s parents feel they cant afford college for their kids anymore with the cost of tuition and it still increasing. I feel college tuition is way too high in the United States for most families in todays economy. Over half of the students going into college show some concern with how to pay for college. The amount of college graduate debt is rapidly increa singRead MoreCollege Graduates Suffering From Excessive Financial Burden As A Result Of Student Loan Debt1657 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Over the past decade, the total volume of outstanding student loan debt has tripled and is now over $1 trillion† (Jaquette and Hillman). This alarming trend illustrates the immediate need to address the issue of college graduates suffering from excessive financial burden as a result of student loan debt. According to Ozan Jaquette, Ph.D., assistant professor of higher education in the Department of Educational Policy and Practice, and Nick Hillman, Ph.D., assistant professor of Educational LeadershipRead MoreCollege Is Not For College1072 Words   |  5 Pagesstability. This stability comes from being payed more than high school graduates, in a case of emergency a highschool graduate isn’t as stable as the college graduate is. Many people argue that college is a waste of time and is just one of the largest scams ever. It is argued that college does not guarantee a job and could even keep you from getting one. A college degree could keep you from getting a job that a high school graduate could have. This is due to employers needing a worker to stay long term

Creative Writing A Short Story - 700 Words

Again, the dark laughter echoed in her head. Shit, shit, shit. She was so damn stupid, so bloody arrogant. In spite of the sunglasses she wore to lessen the risk of overstimulation to her senses, the lenses were no safeguards against the weighted stares of the people on the bus, and Tung wasn’t here acting as a buffer. She snapped. â€Å"Stop.† Gripping the top of the seat in front of her, she had to get off the bus. â€Å"S-stop the bus,† rising to her feet, she inched her way along the aisle as people shunted across seats to get as far away from her as possible. â€Å"Let me off here.† The door had barely opened and Kalyssa stepped down to the roadside and sucked in a deep breath. She breathed in a cloud of diesel as the bus pulled away and coughed.†¦show more content†¦Though the viper’s venom wasn’t toxic enough to kill her, it could knock her off her feet for a couple of days, worse, weaken her control over her soul harvester nature. And, she needed that like she needed a hit right between the eyes. After a minute-long standoff, the viper had the gall to crawl over the back of her shoulder like she was a damn bridge for its personal use and with a sidelong glance she watched it fade into the bamboo. Too close for her liking, she shuddered before making her way back to the road. Maybe, she was too hasty in ditching the bus as she looked at the long walk ahead. She stomped the worst of the mud off her leather boots and prepared for another plunge into the bamboo at the sound of another vehicle. Hesitating, the approaching car did not sound like any vehicle the monks owned. The car had seen better days, its once sunflower yellow paint job chipped and faded, and too many decades outdoors had seasoned the driver too, but at least when she flagged him down, he didn’t ignore her or speed away. She tried the door but the thing didn’t budge. â€Å"Use your muscles, girl. Give it a good tug,† the old man said. â€Å"No one use it, so no bother.† Kalyssa wrenched the door open and slid into the front passenger seat. After several tries to close the door, Kalyssa was ready to kick it off its hinges. â€Å"You damage, you buy,† the old man said. She turned her head slowly toward the man.Show MoreRelatedCreative Writing : A Short Story1020 Words   |  5 PagesThe girls sat seperated in two stark, cold rooms. Each of the girls was sat at a table with a clear plastic cup of water sitting at arm’s length from them, both cups untouched. How could they drink when their best friend was no where to be seen? They had been having an innocent night of fun at Mercedes’ house three weeks ago, the first of many planned for the spring break, watching movies on Netflix and eating a pizza they ordered. The night was full of rambling about how classes were, drama floatingRead MoreShort Story : Creative Writing1550 Words   |  7 PagesIn the woods when the sun was just starting to set, there was a van driving on a long-abandoned road, behind the wheel of said van was a tired looking girl who seemed to be about 19. She took a sip of the long cold coffee, and turned to the turquoise haired girl sitting next to her. Hey uhhhh Cas, Cassie? Where are we? Noting the headphones, she stopped the car and turned around to inquire of the two boys in the back, Kenny, Timmy, do either of you have an idea where we are? It seems like weveRead MoreCreative Writing : A Short Story1281 Words   |  6 PagesSMACK! I was on my back, peering up at Josh as he laid on top me. â€Å"Gotc....† He begins to say but stopped. The look of victory slowly vanished from his face at the realization of how little space was between us. I could feel his heart hammering in his chest or maybe it was mine. Because, Josh was now searching my eyes as if he was looking for an answer to a question. His lips were only inches from mine and I could feel the heat coming off of them. Everything inside of me screamed to move awayRead MoreShort Story : Creative Writing865 Words   |  4 Pages Brrring! Brrring! Brrring! Brrring! â€Å"What is someone doing calling at 2am† whispers Dave groggily as he wipes his eyes and p icks up the phone. Yawning, somehow he manages to make something comprehendible come out of his mouth, â€Å"Hello? This is Dave speaking.† â€Å"Dave! This is Joe†¦ your old roommate from college. How are you doing?† â€Å"I am doing fine.† says Dave thinking and thinking about who Joe is when suddenly he remembers. At that moment he groans but manages to put out a polite response,Read MoreCreative Writing : A Short Story1037 Words   |  5 PagesThere she goes again. Mother can’t ever mind her own business, Seriously will it kill her to just leave her thoughts to herself. Little Mike came up tugging at her sleeve, his soft little fingers grasping at the cloth, a pull then another. â€Å"Yes sweetheart.† Mike looked at her, his finger pointed forwards, just at the edge of my vision. â€Å"It’s our turn now mommy.† She looked up; Mike quickly ran forward. â€Å"Woah slow down buddy, you can’t walk away by yourself.† Mike came to a sudden stop;he turned toRead MoreCreative Writing : A Short Story1102 Words   |  5 PagesWhen their parents entered their room, Charlie watched as Maggie walked to the window and kept her back to them. They could al l tell she was upset about something. Looking at Elliot, she pushed herself up further in the bed, as Callum grabbed Ian and took a seat on the chair next to her. Ben clasped his hands in front of him as he took a deep breath. â€Å"Ive been asked to stay here in order to help Rachel on her work supplying the Republic with power. I plan on asking Miles to let all of you andRead MoreCreative Writing : A Short Story1583 Words   |  7 Pagesforbid, if you don’t find it within two seconds, then youre most definitely an incompetent driver. Almost needless to say, Jason didn’t follow in the outlier’s footsteps, and he aced the questionnaire. Though he did take note that his examiner was creative with her questions. She was probably was deeply saddened that there wasn’t a convoluted touch screen to inquire about, Jason thought to himself. Finally all the formalities were complete, consequently, he took a second to get himself mentally, andRead MoreCreative Writing : A Short Story1440 Words   |  6 PagesPayday arrived for both me and Patsy, giving us the opportunity to attend the luxurious cinema and a wider variety of movies. As we stand before the array of movie posters, deciding between an action or comedy, somehow, how conversation shifts over to John. â€Å"He was so excited about the other night,† says Patsy. I abandon the posters and give her a questioning look. â€Å"About what?† â€Å"Well, first of all spending the evening with you, and then because you hugged him the way you did.† She taps her fingerRead MoreCreative Writing : A Short Story1615 Words   |  7 Pagestown to barter, we’ll ask around.† Shocked that her husband knows about Miles tattoo on her arm, Rachel clings to him in the silence, her mind racing at the possible implications. XXX Rachel sits stunned at the table, listening to Ben relay the story that he’s heard over and over in the village nearest to the house they’ve decided to ride out the winter in. â€Å"Soul Marks? How is that possible? These are just replicas of tattoos,† she replies with a disbelieving shake of her head. Ben shruggedRead MoreCreative Writing : A Short Story1722 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Pardon me, but just how are you going to keep people from learning your name? Even if you use an assumed name, they’ll still recognize you elsewhere.† He slumped in his chair. â€Å"I guess I won’t be able to work with you then, sir. I don’t want the notoriety that could come.† The owner winced. â€Å"Tell you what, son, I’ll talk with some of the others and see if we can’t figure something out. If anything changes, you’ll be called right away. Sound good?† â€Å"Yes sir.† Blake left the stuffy office and

Australian dollar free essay sample

A fall in the value of the Australian dollar (AUD) against the U. S. dollar (USD) benefit Billabong in two folds, strengthened price competitiveness and translation advantage. Firstly, the Americas segment accounts for about 50% of Billabong’s sales revenue in 2008 and 2009. (Appx. 1) In case of depreciation of AUD against USD, the price of imported surfwear to the U. S. in terms of USD will decrease. The US importers demand more for Billabong’s products. The sales increases from the strengthened price competitiveness. Secondly, when Billabong received payment from the importers, it will translated back into AUD for use in Australia. As AUD depreciate, the receipt in USD can be translated into more AUD than before, bringing increase in sales revenues. The effect of 35. 6% fall in value of AUD in the second half 2008 was reflected in the interim report ended December 2009, with sales revenues in the Americas increased by 33. 9% (to 385 million). (Appx. 2) b) One can predict the future exchange rate by using forward exchange rate. In times of financial crisis, the forward exchange rate is not a good predictor because the market is inefficient. In an inefficient market, Fundamental approach can be used for forecasting, based on economic theories and analysis of variables. But it is not effective in predicting the short-term fluctuations in exchange rates, nor is it comprehensive as there would always be variables that would not be expected. Another approach could be using technical analysis to determine the trend of a currency by analyzing historical data. This approach is suspected to be a crystal ball because there is no theoretical rationale. The financial crisis have caused unanticipated fluctuations in the value of Australian dollar. Press forecast for the exchange rates forecasts of 2009 in the late 2008 were towards continual depreciation. It was 67. 83 US cents on Christmas Eve 2008. The Australian Associated Press (AAP) predicted it would be 61 US cents in the mid-2009, and the French bank BNP Paribus also said the lowest point of AUD would be 47 US cents in June 2009. (Appx. 3) The prediction was based on the slowing growth of Asian market and loss of investors and consumers’ confidence. It is a surprise to everyone when the AUD appreciated. The drivers of the appreciation i. e. debt crisis in the U. S. and fast recovery of demand from Asia, are unexpected. Impacts of the financial crisis are sophisticated and their effects on the foreign exchange market cannot be forecasted by any approach. In order to better protect itself against the unanticipated appreciation, Billabong is suggested to hedge the foreign exchange risk by forward exchange rate contract. Billabong loss from translation of USD to AUD in case of AUD appreciation. By forming forward exchange contract with forward exchange dealer, the receipt of USD in the future can be translated at an agreed rate, i. e. the forward exchange rate. Suppose a debt of USD 1 million was to be received on 1 May 2009. Suppose 180-day forward exchange rate on 1 Feb 2009 is USD/AUD= 1:1. 44 (AUD 1. 44 million). If the company made a forward contract at that time, the loss from translation would have be reduced by AUD 70,000. This would be a great deal for Billabong since the majority of its sales revenues are in USD, especially for the transaction with long credit period. c) Although there was an appreciation of AUD, the sales revenues in the Americas segment in 2010/11 increased. The increase mainly came from the acquisition of West 49 in Canada and RVCA brand in the United States. But the increase in value of AUD still brought a translation disadvantage in the reported results. With 1 cent increase in the average monthly rate for the AUD against the USD, the net profit after tax (NPAT) would decrease by 0. 3%. Together with appreciation against EURO, sales revenues and NPAT were reduced by AUD123 million and AUD18 million respectively because of the exchange rate effect. (Appx. 4) To limit Billabong’s long-term economic exposure to the changes in exchange rate, diversification of production and diversification of market could be applied. Billabong may diversify its production by foreign direct investments in the U.S. e. g. set up local production plants. In case of appreciation in AUD against USD, the price competitiveness of products would not be weakened as compared with local products. Flexible sourcing could be applied to allow switch of production from one country to another. Learning from Stanley Black Decker, Billabong could reduce its import to the U. S. and export more from the U. S. production plant to other countries when USD depreciate against other currencies. This help to create long-term economic competitiveness in the U. S. market. For diversification of market, a more balanced market distribution is recommended. The current position of Billabong is highly dependent on the Americas segment with almost half of the revenues. If the situation continues, trading in other segments cannot help if the Americas segment fails. Revenues when diversify in different currencies could be better secured from the economic exposure of exchange rate risk. Smith, P. (2011, Aug 23). The domestic currency also risks falling to a new all time low, particularly if the pace of growth in regional Asia countries and China slows more rapidly than expected, delaying a recovery in Australia. The Australian dollar was trading around 67. 83 US cents on Christmas eve 2008, down 23 per cent from the local close on December 31, 2007, of 88. 18 US cents. It was also down 31 per cent from its 25-year high peak of 98. 49 US cents touched in July, 2008, setting the scene for the currencys weakest start to a new calendar year since 2003. The Australian dollar is forecast to be around 61 US cents by mid-2009 before rising to 69 US cents by year end, according to the median of eight currency strategists forecasts gathered by AAP. But some also see the unit dipping to an all time low of 47 US cents in the first half of 2009 and peaking at 75 US cents in the second half. The wide trading range forcast for the new year suggests there will be on-going volatility in the foreign exchange market, as an economic slowdown in Asia, a possible recession or at least very slow growth in Australia, low commodity exports and any further bad global economic news weigh on the minds of traders. In 2008, the Australian dollar experienced its most turbulent trading year since the introduction of decimal currency four decades previously as the global financial crisis began to debt the local economy and consumer confidence. A year ago, currency strategists polled by AAP expected the Australian dollar to end 2008 at 89 US cents. But the currency now looks set to finish 2008 well below 70 US cents. By the middle of 2009, even the most optimistic currency stragists expect to see the Australian dollar trading below its 25-year, post-float average of 72 US cents. Come Christmas 2009, the Australian dollar is expected to have recovered, albeit modestly, to 69 US cents as a possible growth rebound in China restores demand for key Australias commodity exports. Strategists were divided on whether government stimulus packages being instituted around the world will restore financial market confidence, and therefore demand for risk-appetite currencies like the Australian dollar. The most bearish strategists, at French bank BNP Paribas, expect the Australian dollar to hit an all-time low of 47 US cents by June 2009, its weaker point since. Parabas senior currency strategist Sharada Selvanathan said slowing Asian economies will hamper demand for the Australian currency and threaten the nations terms of trade, the ratio of export to import prices. I dont think weve seen the bottom in the Australian dollar, she said from Hong Kong. Asia is slowing and were going to see weak numbers come out of Asia thats crucial to Australias external sector, the terms of trade and the Australian dollar. Australias resources states are going to get hit. As we see weakness come through, in terms of investment and consumption, thats going to have a bigger impact on the economy. I still think we havent come to the middle of the slowing cycle in Asia we have more to go. Westpac chief currency strategist Robert Rennie is more optimistic. He believes a rebound in China will drive a recovery in commodity prices and help the Australian dollar finish 2009 at 69 US cents. As China looks after China, youll see the Australian economy and commodity prices benefit to a certain extent, he said. That will see the Australian dollar move higher. Chief market analyst with online currency trader Easy Forex, Mike Malpede, expects the Australian dollar to fall to 58 US cents by June, as falling export sales lead to a widening in the current account deficit. Lower export sales will contribute to further widening of Australias current account deficit through first half of 2009, he said. Australias current account deficit may top six per cent of gross domestic product by mid-2009. China, one of Australias biggest trading partner and a major buyer of its commodities, is expected to grow at a slower pace in 2009 while other key export markets, such as Japan and the US, cope with recessions in their economies. JPMorgan economist Helen Kevans said the Australian economy also risks falling into recession, which could push the Australian dollar down to 57 US cents by the end of the first quarter of 2009. But Ms Kevans said the currency would climb back to 66 US cents by the end of 2009 as the federal governments $10.4 billion fiscal stimulus package helps to kickstart an economic recovery. When that confidence does resume, we see a pick up in the second half of next year and that appetite for the Australian dollar and high risk will start to pick up, she said. ANZ senior currency strategist Tony Morriss disagrees, saying the fiscal stimulus package will take longer to work, which means the Australian dollar could to dip to 58 US cents and fall further to 54 US cents by the end of 2009. The risks are well see a protracted downturn, he said. The US dollar will remain strong next year, global growth will remain weak and the Aussie will remain under pressure. For the Aussie, the recovery is more in 2010 than 2009. Commonwealth Bank currency strategist Joseph Capurso expects the Australian dollar to climb up to 75 US cents by year end, as global interest rate cuts give traders more confidence about a return to worldwide economic growth. There are lots of dire headlines but central banks and governments have done an awful lot that will get people to change their views on the world economy, he said. His view is supported by investment house State Street Global Markets, which as recently as October predicted the Australian dollar could in a worse case scenario sink to 40 US cents in 2009. Macro-economic strategist with the asset management group, Dwyfor Evans, said the Australian dollar was more likely to finish the 2009 first half at 62 US cents. The Hong Kong-based strategist then expects the Australian dollar to climb to 70 US cents by the end of 2009 as rate cuts around the world go to work. Most central banks have cut aggressively and this should filter through in the second half of the year assuming credit markets become more normal, he said. Citigroup managing director of economics Stephen Halmarick said an easing of the global financial crisis should help the Australian dollar climb back to 68 US cents by Christmas 2009. The volatility will remain extreme, he said. The difference between 68, 70 and 75 US cents could be a day or two of trading. But in our six to 12-month view, we have the Aussie dollar higher on the expectation were maybe past the worst of the financial crisis. What a difference a year makes. Just six months ago, currency experts were predicting the Australian dollar to reach parity with the US dollar for the first time since the days of a fixed exchange rate. But as the global financial crisis intensified, the Australian dollar fell, hitting a five and a half year low of 60. 12 US cents in late October as traders dumped commodities-driven currencies such as the Australian dollar, the South African rand and the Brazilian real. But BNP Paribas Ms Selvanathan says heightened risk appetite will be supportive of the US dollar in 2009, weakening the Australian unit in turn, as US investors shy away from investing abroad. Japanese investors are also expected to keep selling the Australian dollar in exchange for the low-yielding Japanese yen, which could also limit any Australian dollar rally. State Streets Mr Evans says the Australian dollars fortunes will hinge on China boosting its demand for commodities. Im not going to say 80 US cents until we see a recovery in China and Asia, he said.

Revolution Of 1917 Essay Example For Students

Revolution Of 1917 Essay Towards the end of nineteenth century, and the beginning of the twentieth century, most of Europe was going through a great deal of changes, many new ideas were introduced, causing people to dream of a better life, and more economic stability. Nowhere was this factor as true as in Imperial Russia. â€Å"The basic dilemma facing Alexander II, Alexander III, and Nicholas II was that it was impossible to ignore the demands either of external military security or of internal political stability and that these demands pulled hard in opposite directions. This helps to explain why the policies and governments of the last three Romanov monarchs often seemed crisis-ridded and at cross purposes.† The statement mentioned above basically describes the nature of the events which had taken place during the sixty-two years that separated the succession of Alexander II in 1855, and the fall of the monarchy in 1917. Also when we go deeper into the above mentioned situation, we need to note tha t Nicholas II inherited his Empire at a time when there was much agitation going on among the world powers, partially due to the fact that there was an extremely harsh competition going on throughout the world for territory and political influence. After taking all that into consideration, we also have the fact that Nicholas II was very unprepared to rule his country at the time when he ascended the throne, for the most part because of the unexpected passing away of his father, Alexander III. Then there are constant financial difficulties that Russia faced, mainly, that there wasn’t enough money for everyone. That caused the lives of the â€Å"ordinary people† to be generally classified as poverty stricken. Now to add to the above mentioned situation, factor in: the increasing number of educated people, the rapid industrialization of the country, the constant repression of the government, the Empire’s rapid population growth, the spread of nationalist ideas in a country whose population consists of many different ethnic regions, failure to act assertively on the part of the tsarism, and what we have is a country that is marching straight towards revolution. Yet as always, some factors played a much larger role in stimulating the growth, and then later triggering, the Revolution of 1917. From reading the two assigned texts I came to conclude that the key fundamental roles were: the Russian Worker, the governments’ inability to function as a unitary whole, and lastly World War I. One of the major forces that was responsible for laying the foundation to the Revolution of 1917, was the Russian worker. Russian workers were underpaid, their living conditions, their lifestyles, their demands, and their problems were for the most part overlooked. And the already unstable situation among the millions of unsatisfied workers â€Å"was made far worse by the harsh conditions of exploitation most workers found in the factories. Throughout the period the situation remained almost unbearable for most workers. Wages were low, hours long, factories dangerous, living conditions squalid, discipline brutal†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Also there was little or no job security, employers had the power to hire and fire employees, without giving any explanation for their dismissal, and overall the whole system was designed in order to benefit the employer exclusively. This careless treatment on the part of the employers, was one of the major reasons for the unhappy situation that Russian workers had to endure. That caused them to get angry at the government, since it was the most visible target, and it was blamed for whatever problems one might have been faced with. That’s where the revolutionaries came into place and encouraged the worker to seek alternate means for the fulfillment of their needs. This point is confirmed by many analysts, and in particular made evident by the Bolsheviks, who claim that â€Å"these hard-core workers were the backbone of urban political and social unrest.† This not so large, yet quite turbulent sector of the population was often overlooked by Nicholas II, who was assured that the Russian peasants were the key to the survival of the monarchy. When indeed it was the peasant himself who was leaving his home in the village and becoming the urban worker. Animal Cruelty EssayDominic Lievens, author of Nicholas II: Twilight of the Empire, published his book at St. Martin’s Griffin, New York, NY in 1993. He is a political historian at the London School of Economics, and his specialty is imperial Russia: Russia’s Rulers Before the revolution. Some of his other works are: Aristocracy in Europe: 1815-1914, Russia’s Rulers under Old Regime, Nicholas II: Emperor of all the Russia’s, The Russian Empire and its Rivals, and, Russia and the Origins of the First World War. Lievens is a traditional historian, therefore his approach in writing this book, reflects that model in many aspects. Traditional historians mainly attribute the collapse of the Tsarist regime to World War I. They also believe that the country’s deteriorating was due to inadequate political organization. And that after the collapse of the tsarist regime, the rule was picked up by the Bolsheviks, who were the strongest political party during that time. In writing this book, Lievens, often uses a comparative approach, where he draws comparisons between Nicholas II, and other monarchs. Lieven also draws comparison between the fall of the Imperial Russia, and the collapse of the Communist Russia. He attempts to fit both regimes into a certain pattern where it could aid us in predicting the future, and possibly shine some light on many current and upcoming situations. He practices topical organization in his book, where he has one main topic Nicholas II, and then brakes it down into smaller topics, relating them back to Nicholas II. His main point throughout his book is that, during the reign of Nicholas II, the political instability, and the stagnant atmosphere throughout his constantly changing empire, made ruling very difficult and even impossible in certain aspects, therefore making the Revolution of 1917 inevitable. He also points out that one of the main reasons for Nicholas II’s inability to rule the empire wi th a firm grip, and without so many shifts between policies, is due to his father’s unexpected death, which cut Nicholas short of his training. The latter making him ascend the throne when he hardly knew anything about ruling a country, causing him to be susceptible to many different opinions. Christopher Read, author of From Tsar to Soviets: The Russian People and their Revolution, 1917-21, published his book at Oxford University Press, New York, NY, in 1996. He is a historian at the University of Warwick, UK, and he specializes in Russian Revolution, Russian intelligentsia 1900-1930, Communism, and cultural revolution. Some of his other publications include: Religion, Revolution and the Russian Intelligentsia (1979), and, Culture and Power in Revolutionary Russia (1990). He is a revisionist, which means that he pays more attention to the masses. Revisionists are mainly interested with what the ‘ordinary people’ believed in, and their social and economic history . Read could also be classified as a ‘post-revisionist’, which basically tells us that he is a type of historian who looks at the revolution as something that is in the past. Something which has gone, something that no longer has any importance. In writing this book, he uses thematic organization, which means that he carries a certain theme throughout this book, and branches out from it. His main point was that revolutions are not created by revolutionaries, but by the masses. That the Revolution of 1917 was not created by the Bolsheviks, and their party, but by regular people: peasants, factory workers, etc. History Essays