The Impact Of Technology On The Civil War - 1455 Words

Technology has not only significantly improved daily life, but it has also changed warfare. In the 1860’s, controversies of the practice of slavery, westward expansion, and political authorities caused high tensions between the Northern Union and the Southern Confederacy. As the tensions built up, the Civil War began on April 12th, 1861 after the secession of the Southern states. Determining the independence of the Confederacy and the fate of the Union, the Civil War was a period of major technological transformation. In 1865, the Union officially won the Civil War with advantages such as industrialization, a larger population, and most importantly, technological innovations. Advancement in technology, such as the telegraph, railroads, and†¦show more content†¦The telegraph system was so commonly used and popular that by 1862, the United States Military Telegraph Corps had over 1,200 operators, built more than 4,000 miles of telegraph wires, and transmitted a million messages between the battlefields (â€Å"Civil War Technology†). Taking advantage of the speed and availability of the telegraph, President â€Å"Lincoln used [it] to reinforce his strategic redirection away from the acquisition of real estate to the destruction of the enemy† in 1863 (Wheeler). For instance, he reminded General Joseph Hooker, who saw Confederacy’s northward movement as an advantage, that their â€Å"true objective point† was General Lee’s army (Wheeler). In other words, the telegraph system helped President Lincoln to understand the most recent situations both in the battlefield and in the commanders’ offices and allowed the North to quickly change its military tactics in response to any sudden news, contrary to the South (Wheeler). All in all, the telegraph system granted the Union communication benefits that the Confederates lacked, including direct mandates that prevented inactivity, meetings to plan specific strategies, and immediate news sources. These benefits allowed the Union to save time, outsmart, and advance its army before the Confederate army. Therefore, without the telegraph system, the Union would notShow MoreRelatedThe Impact Of Technology On The Civil War1369 Words   |  6 PagesTechnology has not only significantly improved daily life, but it has also changed warfare. In the 1860’s, controversies of the practice of slavery, westward expansion, and political authorities caused high tensions between the Northern Union and the Southern Confederacy. As the tensions built up, the Civil War began on April 12th, 1861 after the secession of the Southern states. Determining the independence of the Confederacy and the fate of the Union, the Civil War was a period of major technologicalRead MoreInfluences of Civil War Technology 1432 Words   |  6 PagesWar is something that everyone knows about. it is very prominent and chances are throughout the history of the world there is always someone effected by it during any point in time. Wars come and go leaving many good and bad things behind, whichever light it is looked at from, weaponry is always one of those things. War time is notorious for pushing technology to the edge, this including weaponry. There have been several wars that impacted future weaponry but the Civil War is on the farthest awayRead MoreWarfare During World War I1472 Words   |  6 Pagesthe Civil War and the start of World War I. Within those years numerous technological advancements took place. Many of those advancements directly impacted the warfare in the First World War. The Civil War, also referred to as the first modern war, gave way to an even more modernized style of warfare used during World War I. Much of this modernized technology of warfare had a great impact on how tactics and strategies were used throughout the First World War. Toward the beginning of the Civil WarRead MoreNew Tactics During The Civil War1537 Words   |  7 Pagestactics during the 1815-1866 time period with emphasis on the Civil War. Primarily, the invention of the steam engine and rifled artillery forged from iron would define a new tactical advantage for both Confederate and Union Armies. Furthermore, these two new inventions would also greatly increase the effects of speed, lethality, and mass at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels during the Civil War. Prior to the Civil War during the Napoleonic era, artillery was a smoothbore weapon systemRead MoreAmericas Development1272 Words   |  5 Pagesas compared to its political, social and economic status at the end of the Civil War. The Civil War is widely recognized as a major event in the countrys historical consciousness since it played a crucial role in determining what kind of nation the United States would be. This is mainly because it resolved two essential questions and concerns that were left undetermined by the Revolution of 1776-1783. First, the Civil War helped in determining whether America would be an inseparable nation with aRead MoreIntroduction Of The Policy Report Essay1461 Words   |  6 Pagesthe government to eliminate the Civil Examination. The reason I am writing this policy report is because I see it is necessary to still keep the exam system, but we surely need to change the exam system if we do not eliminate it. The old goal of the Civil Examination is to pi ck elites from population to work as government official and have a powerful impact on China’s social mobility, and the new goal of it will be accommodating science without eliminating the Civil Service Examination. However, IRead MoreModern Technology For The Civilian Use1380 Words   |  6 PagesLike it is in any war, there is often the competition for making sure that either sides comes up with better and more effective ways of defeating the opponent. This often leads to new inventions of doing different things so as to increase the efficiency with which they are able to perform different functions. The civil war was no different as it leads to different inventions that were aimed at making either side to be able to win the war. These innovations lasted long after the war and their effectsRead MoreA Brief Note On The American Civil War1521 Words   |  7 Pages101 19 April 2017 Civil War The American Civil War, that took place from 1861 to 1865, marked one of the most important changes in American history, it was fought between the Union and the Confederate States of America. A total of even southern states that left the Union to form their own country in order to protect the institution of slavery. The Civil War transformed the country’s economy, politics, women, African Americans, along with major breakthroughs in technology. The war increased northernRead MoreA New Battle Of The Civil War1396 Words   |  6 PagesA New War To Fight The Civil War was one of the most trying moments in American history. Two opinions trying to outweigh each other caused citizens to choose to be united under two different flags instead of one. Both sides, the Union and the Confederacy, have their own interpretation of how the war happened. For example, a citizen (although their identity is unknown) noted that â€Å"The civil war was a whole new type of warfare. Unfortunately, the only way one could learn how to fight in this new typeRead MorePost Civil War Businesses Influenced Politics and the Economy in America724 Words   |  3 PagesAfter the civil war, businesses began to become big, they grew significantly in size, number and mostly in influence. Different corporations and businesses grew so much that they had a big effect and so much power and control in America. the businesses began to influence the people of america, the politics and the economy in america. As these companies and businesses grew, some became really powerf ul which was a good and bad thing. In post-Civil War United States, big businesses and corporations

Essay The Berdache of Early American Conquest - 3448 Words

The Berdache of Early American Conquest Methodological Introduction This paper attempts to link the facet of queer theory that explains gender and sexuality as culturally constructed identities, with the presence of the berdache in the New World at the time of the Spanish conquest. By analyzing the construction of gender and sexuality among the native peoples, in contrast to the ideologies of the Spanish, I found a clash arose which explained, in some sense, the incompatibility of the two cultures. The differences between the two cultures gender construction established support for the very unnatural or inessential nature of gender, sexuality, and the body as a means of self-identity. By realizing the issue of power and†¦show more content†¦The clash of gender identity existing between these two cultures led to misrepresentations of the natives by the Spaniards. It is also necessary, before diving into the concepts of this paper, that I elucidate the terms which I will be using, as they are easily confused. Gender, in the context of this paper will describe the sets of culturally prescribed behaviors, actions, and functions assigned to a particular sex. Sex, when used as an adjective, will refer to the biological or chromosomal physical identity which separates males from females. Sexuality, like gender, will be used to define individuals on the basis of their cultural/social role within society, but not as an unchangeable feature of a persons identity. It is important to distinguish the meaning of these terms because as they are commonly used, they are usually considered synonyms in some way. By separating and elucidating their meanings, I hope to further press the queer theorist argument that gender and identity within ones sexuality are deeply imbedded in social influences. The Berdache of Early American Conquest The Spanish encountered many things upon treading their first steps onto the soil of a new and mysterious continent. The natives were a group so foreign, the Spaniards questioned whether they were even human. This experience of contact, then conquest and colonization introduced

The Good Woman of Sezuan Essay Example For Students

The Good Woman of Sezuan Essay The newest production of The Good Woman of Sezuan in repertory at the Ensemble, starring Carmen-Maja Antoni, is a powerful mirror of Germanys current sociopolitical predicament. Brechts Sezuan has all too much in common with post-unification Berlin both are unpredictable environments where fear and uncertainty, as well as increasing unemployment and homelessness, are rife. In resident director Alejandro Quintanas production, the divided citizen Shen Te Shui Ta epitomizes the dilemma of todays East Germans, especially East Berliners. Brechts play has often been understood in terms of universal dichotomies   whether moral (good versus evil), philosophical (feeling versus reason), sexual (female versus male), or ideological (the political left versus the right). But after watching the East Berlin production, I found the dualism more pointedly reflective of the doubleness within Germany itself, and specifically the doubleness within East Germans who now must adjust to life in a unified country.In Berlin the split has been most acute. Besides living insularly in a divided country for 40 years, the Wall and the nearby forbidden West provided inhabitants with a constant reminder of their dividedness. Now the Wall may have fallen, but after two years the East Berliner remains separated from his Western counterpart, both culturally and psychologically. And, in spite of the disappearance of the GDR, a particularly East German mentality seems to have remained intact: East Germans are now also alienated from themselves. Because of this national and psychological split, East Berliners play a double role these days, striving to maintain their old identification with a familiar society even as they don a mask to protect themselves in a new, unfamiliar social system. Although many former East Germans fee 1 as if they have been colonized by their capitalist West German relatives (they live in the new states of the Federal Republic), they have had little choice but to capitulate. This resulted in positive gains like freedom to travel or a family business as well as long-term losses like a job or a house; but as one understands from Shen Te, it may also mean learning to be ruthless, self-serving or even unethical in order to survive.Shen Tes tobacco shop represents a chance for her to start a new life. In a symbolic gesture, she stresses the importance of becoming a new person by giving a cigarette to her first customer, the Unemployed Man. During the prologue we realize how he lost his job: Cursing the gods, he enters several times to throw piles of bound notebooks on stage, ostensibly citizen files kept by East Germanys secret police, the Stasi. In the real new Germany, many former Party functionaries and unofficial Stasi-informers the old gods have lost their jobs, but just as many still prosper.Brechts play has always provoked audiences with its dichotomy ethics and economics, but the Berliner Ensemble production goes further to generate striking parallels to current issues in Germany. Although Sezuans gods worry that their involvement in economics might be morally misunderstood, economics regulates the ethical code. Just as the Sezuan gods give Shen Te a monetary incentive to remain good, the ex-gods from the GDR distributed attractive awards, bonuses and privileges to loyal and good citizens of the state. And the new gods from Bonn used economics to lure the East Germans into the unification process.In production, the gods-as-bureaucrats are dressed in the stereotypical garb of spies: black trenchcoats, hats and briefcases. The Stasi? West German secret servicemen? The spectators obviously enjoy seeing the hypocritical higher ups caricatured. But as new Stasi-traitors are unmasked daily, the people of Berlin still may be emotionally too close to injuries inflicted by the secret police. Hefty applause follows the gods, comments about the contradiction between business and an honorable life. As Berliners seek to redefine their beliefs, the need for values like compassion conflicts with the cold materialism of the West.Heavy metal music punctuates the crucial first scenes Song of Smoke. Michael John LaChiusa: looking for love Essay Parodying the ancient convention of the deus ex machina, Brecht sends his gods back to the heavens without having restored order in Sezuan. In present-day Germany a bitter irony exists: a deus ex machina in the form of West Germany descended to play the role of mock savior. But this illusory liberation and Western welcome have caused enormous disappointment and problems. Not only is the breakneck pace of economic change and competition overwhelming, but the government that once assumed the role of guardian no longer exists. More new Germans see that they must take on individual responsibility for their freedom, even if it means coming to terms with accrued debts, a closed factory or deception. Those people who suffer unfair treatment by society may feel now that they have no choice but to behave basely in order to survive.This production of Good Woman cut Brechts epilogue, depriving the audience of a collective search for a solution. Instead, the bleak ending suggests that only a minority still believes in the so-called third way, an alternative form of socialism, which might have revived the decaying GDR. Dramaturg Jorg Mihan told me that the decision was both thematic and practical. The references to a I solution to Sezuan a new person new gods and new world ring hollow in 1992. It is clear that attempts to create a better world in the GDR failed. Recent polls in Berlin show that half of the Eastern respondents are bitter about the present economic situation. Such concern is shared by the Berliner Ensemble, whose financial fears are reflected in the endings allusions to potential bankruptcy.In Germanys new states the unification is likened to an annexation. The often insensitive attempts by West German politicians to remove all traces of the GDR intensify the alienation East Germans already feel. Whether they be changed street names, a decapitated Lenin statue or the disappearance of child-care centers, these steps invalidate a society that lasted 40 years. Yet each move made to negate aspects of the old regime only distinguishes more clearly what it meant to be an East German as opposed to a West German.I was surprised that many reviewers declared Good Woman irrelevant when it opened last spring. The production, they wrote, was neither daring nor political enough in its epilogue-less ending. Were the critics seeking a solution to Sezuan? Were they expecting historification to defamiliarize the setting enough so they could recognize its significance? Or could it be that even trained spectators did not have enough emotional distance from the unification to sense the productions resonance with the times?Rebecca Rovit is a theatre historian presently doing research in Germany about theatre under reunification. This article is the first in a series entitled After the Fall, reports from the countries where recent political change has affected the theatre. Future issues will feature essays about Russia, South Africa and Yugoslavia.