Jews :: essays research papers

Jews "The enemy trapped the Jews in the city by building a wall around it. Foodstuffs could not be brought in: starvation and crowded conditions gave rise to disease, and epidemics spread among the populace. But surprisingly the Jews held on. Then the enemy massed troops outside the wall and brought out the latest in weaponry. They attacked, using fire to spread destruction. The Jews repelled the enemy a number of times. So savage was the resistance that the campaign to destroy the Jewish population took much longer and cost more troops than anticipated. Street by street the fighting raged with hand-to-hand combat between the heavily armed troops and the haggard defenders. Some Jews tried to escape through the sewers, but they were flushed out by fire. At the end the Jews had taken a heavy toll on their enemy but the city lay in smoking ruins. The remaining Jewish survivors were rounded up to be used as slave laborers or to be killed. What episode in Jewish history is depicted in this scenario? Most people would say this was the Warsaw Ghetto uprising against the Nazis in 1943. But in fact it was the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple in the year 70 The destruction of the Second temple and the attack on the Warsaw Ghetto, although separated by nearly two thousand years have and eerie sameness. The Germans sealed off the Warsaw's Jewish population with and eight-foot brick concrete wall. The Romans built a high earthen barricade around Jerusalem to make certain the Jews could not escape. Germans shot, on the spot Jews discovered outside the Warsaw Ghetto. The Romans crucified the Jews they found, placing crosses atop the hill to terrorize those watching from inside the city: as many as 500 were crucified in 1 day. The Germans tried to starve the Polish Jews into submission reducing their rations at first to 800 calories a day and later cutting off all food to the ghetto. The Romans used the tactic of siege to bring starvation in Jerusalem. In both episodes the actual fighting was in some ways similar. "Since the ghetto was impenetrable in frontal attack, General Stroop's forces set fire to the buildings with incendiary bombs and flame throwers" Titus's Roman legions used flaming torches of wood to set fire to the Temple and other buildings in the final battle. "Through the roar of the flames as they [the Romans] swept relentlessly on could be heard the groans of the falling†¦ the entire city seemed to be on fire. The Nazis not only killed but plundered Jews if their possessions; the Romans

Near Failure at Nagasaki Essay

Mission was planned for August 11th but was changed to the 9th due to bad weather Primary target was Kokura and Nagasaki was secondary Bomb to be dropped was called Fat Man, a plutonium bomb more complex than the one dropped on Hiroshima 509th commander, Col. Paul W. Tibbets Jr. choose Maj. Charles W. Sweeney, commander of the 393rd Bomb Squadron to command the mission Six B-29s was sent to the mission Sweeney and Bock switched airplanes, with Sweeney flying Bockscar and Bock flying The Great Artiste Bockscar had problems with fuel; there was 7,250 gallons of fuel aboard and only 600 gallons in reserve tank The rendezvous point for the mission was Yakushima The airplanes were supposed to meet at 30,000ft instead of 8,000 due to bad weather conditions. The B29, observation airplane, named Big Stink, piloted by opkinsHHopHopkins, was circling at 39,000ft instead 30,000 Sweeney was at the rendezvous point at Kokura for 45 min instead 15 min and made multiple bombing runs Hopkins broke radio silence, to avoid detection, and radioed back to base after not being able to rendezvous with Sweeney The target was changed to Nagasaki due to complications at Kokura Beahan took the first clear sighting and confirmed the drop was possible The bomb was detonated at 1,890ft at 11:02am over Urakami Valley, which was not the original target in Nagasaki About 40,000 people were killed, compared to 80, 000 at Hiroshima Issues 1. Leadership And Discipline 2. Time Management 3. Respect And Cooperation Issue 1 Leadership And Discipline In order to run a successful mission the team must have a strong leader. Discipline and well-defined leadership can make or break a project, mission or business. In such endeavors there is the requirement that all members follow the plan as it was discussed and to not make any changes on their own which would negatively affect the success of the mission. There were various instances in this mission where lack of authority and deviation from the original plan caused delays in the execution of the plan. Furthermore when other team members assumed similar authority as the team commander there were problems executing basic parts of the plan as well as failure to adjust properly. Proposed Solutions Positives Negatives Tibbets should have settled Sweeney’s authority Less discord/questioning among team members May have taken more time to get mission together as there may have been objections Choose someone more qualified with combat and leadership experience to better execute the plan Someone, such as Ashworth, with prior experience would have more authority, be able to build strong team and made less mistakes Tibbets would have needed to take at least one other member on the Hiroshima run As team leader, enforce authority There would have been less discord and confusion as to what the commander wanted to do Some team members may not have liked the assertion of authority Chosen solution Tibbets should have assigned a more qualified commander to the team. The most eligible candidate would have been Ashworth. By having Ashworth, who had combat experience, take control over the mission there would have been less discord and better cooperation among the members of the team. Hopkins would have had more respect for Ashworth based primarily on seniority. The mission would have had fewer problems in execution if there were only one point of reference and decision-making. Backup plan In case Ashworth would not have worked out, Tibbets could have also implemented severe repercussions for any individuals failing to follow the plan and obey orders. Issue 2 Time Management Executing a plan, especially a time critical one, is essential for accomplishing that plan. No matter the mettle of the members, their accolades or accomplishments, failure to abide by the agreed upon plan and time limits can ultimately doom a well-planned mission to failure. Proposed Solutions Positives Negatives Sweeney should have made the decision to inform the crew when he discovered the fuel problem The crew may have thought more highly of Sweeney’s ability to lead. This would have also given them more time aloft There may have been more time spent fueling this delaying the mission even more. Sweeney should have left the original rendezvous point after 15 minutes The mission would have had more time to better plan for the drop on Nagasaki If everyone else decided to delay, Sweeney leaving early may not have made a difference Make sure that ALL team members understood and agreed to follow a specific plan, with minimal room for adjustments Hopkins and Ashworth would not have any room to second-guess Sweeney and would have been held responsible for deviations in the plan. The proper method of communication  would have to be chosen here in order to get the plan to execute smoothly Chosen solution The most important factor that could have improved the outcome of the mission was having Sweeney leave the rendezvous point on time. If Sweeney had left he would have had more time and fuel to accomplish the Nagasaki mission, possibly resulting in a drop on the exact target that was originally planned for Nagasaki. Backup plan In case Sweeney was not able to leave on time, then it should have been made clear that all directions in the mission should be followed as planned if the commander is unable to perform. In this case the mission should be abandoned if the strict time limits were not met. Additionally, they should not have armed the bomb until we were five minutes out from the drop location; thus giving the opportunity to abort and return with an unarmed bomb. Issue 3 Respect And Cooperation Ideally a commander or leader is assigned because of their proven ability to lead. They should not simply be appointed but should earn their qualifications. Tibbets chose Sweeney ahead of other, more worthy, candidates such as Ashworth and Hopkins. However we are sometimes placed in positions that we are not expecting yet we must be prepared to at least recognize the new opportunity. Proposed Solutions PositivesNegatives Sweeney should have discussed the mission with the team in more detail and asked for the cooperation. Sweeney would have had less friction with his team members and would have had better clarity for making decisions Ashworth and Hopkins may not have agreed to work under Sweeney in either case A higher ranked team leader should have been chosen There would be less concern or hierarchy and an overall less problematic mission. Team members may have felt that they were not trusted to execute the mission Sweeney’s team should have consisted of all members below his rank There would have been less questioning of Sweeney’s decisions The members may not have been as experienced as the crew which actually went on the mission Chosen Solution Sweeney should have discussed the mission in more detail with the other members. He had various opportunities from the fueling concern to the early breakfast as well as his encounter with Hopkins before the flight. He should have exerted his command and asked for the overall team’s cooperation in making the mission succeeds. If there was any one there who would not want to cooperate, or couldn’t work as Sweeney’s junior then they should have been replaced. Backup Plan If Sweeney would not have been able to rally his team members around him then a different commander should have been chosen. Sweeney showed many signs of not being confident in his command, or being too inclusive of other opinions. Someone who was more experienced and more capable of orchestrating the plan would have had less problems and a smoother mission.

Lecture #1 Essays - Cold War, Global Politics, Free Essays

Lecture #1 Essays - Cold War, Global Politics, Free Essays Lecture #1 Introduction: What is the Third World? Nations Unaligned with Either NATO or the Warsaw Pact Won't work; could include Yugoslavia and even the People's Republic of China The Decolonizing World Won't work; must include Egypt, Thailand, and other nations that were never colonies The Developing World Won't work; misleading in terms of power dynamics and ethnocentric The Global South Won't work; could include Australia and New Zealandand Antarctica! The "Dominoes" "Domino theory" coined by Eisenhower in 1954, anticipated by Acheson at the inception of the Cold War Presents the world as a zero-sum game in which any gain for communism constitutes a loss for democracy and free enterprise Two Phenomena Define the Second Half of the Twentieth Century: the Cold War and the Ascent of the Third World The Third World profoundly shapes how the communist and capitalist hegemons compete This competition alters the domestic environment in Third World nations Parallel struggles: the civil rights movement in the United States and Third-World struggles for autonomy Unfolding of the Cold War Conflict begins in Europe but sees its first fireworks in Asia The Middle East becomes an important theater, for strategic and economic reasons The East-West clash comes to Latin America and Africa later, but still exerts tremendous pressure on how states in those regions develop Lecture #2 "Like Apples in a Barrel . . .": Origins of the Cold War I) The Irresolvable Question of Poland The United States wants a democratic Poland, with representatives of the Polish government in exile ["London Poles"] included views Poland as an outpost of European civilization against communists The Soviet Union wants a pro-Soviet Poland, run by the puppet "Lublin Poles" views Poland as the route through which Germany has attacked Stalin breaks his promises at Yalta, clamps down on Poland and the rest of Eastern Europe Early Cold War Crises Truman takes a hard line on Poland, but ultimately has to back down Conflicting agendas at Potsdam Soviets retreat from Iran and Turkey "Support Free Peoples": Truman Sounds the Alarm Britain can no longer provide aid to the anti-communist governments in Greece and Turkey; America is Britain's obvious successor Truman portrays the struggle as one of good versus evil Congress coughs up the money; makes an historic commitment the U.S. intervenes, during a time of general peace, in the affairs of people outside North and South America "Two Halves of the Same Walnut": Truman's Guns and Marshall's Butter Economy of Western Europe seems on the verge of collapse Marshall invites the Europeans to draw up their own plan U.S. Congress opposes the Marshall Plan; Republicans don't want to give Truman a foreign policy triumph in an election year or encourage socialist schemes in Europe "A Shock through the Civilized World": The Coup in Czechoslovakia Prompts the Senate to endorse the Marshall Plan Truman drastically expands the power and discretion of the CIA Foreign Policy Setbacks of 1949 The Soviets explode an atomic bomb China falls to the communists America's Twin Responses to the Soviet A-Bomb and the "Loss" of China Truman approves development of the H-Bomb National Security Document 68 (NSC-68) Advocates a quadrupling of U.S. military spending Assumes the worst of Soviet foreign policy Demands a global U.S. response to the Soviet threat So drastic in its implications that implementation appears unlikelyuntil the Korean War breaks out Lecture #3 "The Greece of the Far East": Korea Roots of the Conflict The United States and the Soviet Union eject the Japanese from Korea in 1945, divide the peninsula at the 38th Parallel The Cold War hardens, obliterating the possibility for Korean unification Kim Il-sung heads the communist People's Democratic Republic of Korea in the North Syngman Rhee heads the anti-communist Republic of Korea (ROK) in the South Civil war rages in Korea from 1945 to 1950long before America's "Korean War" starts Why do the North Koreans invade the South on June 25, 1950? The communists are encouraged by Truman's "Europe-first" strategy and neglect of South Korea Acheson's "defense perimeter" speech also gives Kim reason to assume that the U.S. will not assist the South Stalin gives his assent to the invasion North Korea nearly overruns the South within days; the "Free World" faces a major setback Truman's "Police Action": The Inception of the Imperial Presidency Truman does not consult with members of Congress before ordering air and naval forces to South Koreaor before committing American troops to the land mass of Asia Few in Congress object, but a fatal precedent has been set Although termed a U.N. "police action," the conflict