Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Louis Xiv, the Sun King free essay sample

Sun King Historians over three centuries have both defended and criticized Louis XIV’s controversial reign. Many people hailed him as a great king; supreme as the sun he deemed his emblem. A great king is an unselfish one who is able to consider the people’s interest before their own. This is a direct contrast to how Louis XIV ruled France, but he still accomplished a remarkable amount for France. Even with his selfish agenda and lavish spending, it is without question that Louis still remains the most excellent and most powerful absolute monarch in European history. He is the epitome of an absolute monarch. Having so much authority making a few mistakes was inevitable. But in his successes, France was altered for the better, permanently. Louis challenged the status quo by doing what had never been attempted. His bold choices changed the lifestyle and attitude of Europe, by creating one of the most dynamic monarchies in history. We will write a custom essay sample on Louis Xiv, the Sun King or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Although some may question his effectiveness, under Louis XIV’s reign France achieved political, militarily, and cultural dominance. In regards to politics, Louis’ attitude can be summarized in one infamous statement: Â  LEtat, cest moi (I am state). In other words, he possessed total control over his people, as an absolute monarch. He often referred to himself as the Sun King; strategically coming up with such a name because the world revolves around the sun, as he wanted the people to revolve around him. His egotistical thinking earned him a few harsh critics but his dominance remained unquestioned. When in rule, he made it clear that his word was law. This was an effective approach for him. Through his absolute monarchy he was able to accomplish much for France, specifically in the early years of his reign. The Sun King even managed to strip parliament of their traditional power to obstruct legislation. Implementing the idea; once more, that he was absolute ruler of all things. When Louis came to power, France was disheveled nobles were asking for extensions of power, in which they did not need. He put an end to this debacle; in a time of separation, he sought to unify his people and he was able to do so. After centralizing government and gaining total control of reign, his efforts were focused on cutting deficit and promoting industrial growth. With the help of his alter ego, Jean Baptiste Colbert, they brought order out of chaos associated with the royal fiscal administration. Colbert possessed the interest in the people’s ideals that the king lacked; this helped him better advice the king in his political reforms. By enforcing such reforms he pushed France towards a more stable government. Louis XIV made his most substantial impact in the realm of militarism. The foreign policy of prestige was mainly concerned with strengthening the military. The king made such astute claims that needed a strong military to defend his word. During his reign, he took the initiative to build a massive army, which grew to be more powerful than ever. Military reforms vastly increased France’s power. By the late 1660’s, France was the most powerful state in Europe. The army’s destructiveness assisted in reaching his main goal: to extend France to its natural borders. His adoration for power led to a series of wars that lasted many years- The four distinct conflicts that characterized his military excursions were: War with Spain, the Dutch war, the war of Palatinate, and the war of Spanish succession. Unfortunately, his desire for expansion gained him a few enemies. The enemies being the countries he was trying to conquer. Even some of his people were underwhelmed with his efforts, having to pay for such reforms in heavy taxes. Overall, his military reforms helped France sustain a stronger army than ever. With such an astute commander, the French military was certainly a force to be reckoned with. Just as Louis’ wars dominated political history in the late1600’s, his palace at Versailles dominated European culture. The age of Louis saw a flourishing of culture throughout Europe. As an absolute monarch, he assumed total control over everything, and culture was no exception. The state was able to manipulate cultural developments and take them to unprecedented heights. His influence on culture contributed to the prestige of France (). The Sun King also aided in the blossoming of art and architecture. The great king created many programs and institutes to infuse more of the arts into French culture. Louis’ patronage for the arts was concentrated on Versailles, a palace that is an unforgettable symbol of his power and influence on Europe. Versailles was one of the most beautiful achievements of eighteenth-century French art (). There was a shift from articulate paintings to posters, but the idea remained the same, to commemorate his power. The motives in supporting art were simple: to pass the glamour and glory of his century to the generations to come. Louis XIV served the longest reign in European history. His time in power saw achievements that seemed unattainable for France, in the time before him. The age of Louis XIV was essential to European history for a manifold of reasons. First, his reign saw the triumph of absolutism, not only in France, but also in continental Europe. His creation of Versailles was an extravagant denotation for other European leaders to follow. Second, Louis’ wars proved the system of Balance of power to be an effective method. French aggression was contained and it became the norm. Most importantly, Louis’ reign established France as the dominant power in Europe. However, his legacy was not all positive; his lavish spending habits left his successors a huge debt. While conditions in France were well during his rule, the problems caused by his decisions would help ignite the French Revolution in 1789. With that being said, Louis’ achievements deemed him one of the greatest monarchs in history. It is unfortunate that so many historians focus only on debt and military failures, and not what he was able to do for France, when they desperately needed change.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Straight-Tusked Elephant - Facts and Figures

Straight-Tusked Elephant - Facts and Figures Name: Straight-Tusked Elephant; also known as Palaeoloxodon and Elephas antiquus Habitat: Plains of western Europe Historical Epoch: Middle-Late Pleistocene (1 million-50,000 years ago) Size and Weight: About 12 feet tall and 2-3 tons Diet: Plants Distinguishing Characteristics: Large size; long, slightly curved tusks    About the Straight-Tusked Elephant Understanding the Straight-Tusked Elephant requires a quick primer in modern elephant classification. Living elephants are represented by two genera, Loxodonta and Elephas; the former comprises two species (Loxodonta africana and Loxodonta cyclotis) of African elephants, while the latter contains but a single species: Elephas maximus, the Asian elephant. Long story short, most paleontologists consider the Straight-Tusked Elephant to be an extinct species of Elephas, Elephas antiquus, though some assign it to its own genus, Palaeoloxodon antiquus. As if thats not confusing enough, this prehistoric relative of the Asian elephant was native to western Europe! Classification issues aside, the Straight-Tusked Elephant was one of the largest pachyderms of the Pleistocene epoch, standing 12 feet tall and weighing in the neighborhood of two to three tons. As you might expect given its name, this elephants most distinctive trait was its exceptionally long, slightly curving tusks, which it used along with its unusually long tongue and trunk to strip the leaves off trees. Judging by fossil remains, the Straight-Tusked Elephant roamed the European plains in smallish herds of a dozen or so individuals, and was eventually out-competed in its increasingly frigid ecosystem by the well-insulated Woolly Mammoth. (By the way, some experts believe it was the Straight-Tusked Elephant that spawned the Dwarf Elephants of the Mediterranean basin.)

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Smoking in Public Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Smoking in Public - Essay Example This paper tells that even though banning public smoking risks edging out restaurant and bar operators from business, it remains a viable option to curbing the problem. Second-hand smoke has the potential of causing cancer. Considered as a cancer-causing agent, ACS categorizes it as a known human carcinogen. The smoke from tobacco is said to contain over 7,000 chemical compounds, 250 of which are known to be harmful and more than 69 said to cause cancer (Schneider 201). It has been specifically linked to lung cancer. Other than cancer, second-hand smoke has been noted to cause other diseases. Notably, this behavior propagates heart disease. Thus, public smoking makes innocent people incur avoidable medical expenses and the associated psychological trauma having a loved one suffer from these diseases. It strains public resources that would have otherwise been used to adequately cater for other illnesses. Ultimately, it causes the death of many loved ones leaving many people distraught and perhaps without any other source of income. American Cancer Society documents an estimated 3,400 deaths and another 46,000 deaths related to lung cancer and heart disease respectively resulting from the exposure of adults to second-hand smoke. Who would want to be involuntarily subjected to such diseases that cause premature deaths? I consider those with the behavior of public smoking as murderers who swiftly kill innocent members of the public with their smoke. Just like murder is acceptable behavior, public smoking is also unacceptable. Public smoking is an inhumane behavior that subjects even children to a harsh environment. As people smoke in public, even children get exposed to the second-hand smoke without their knowledge. ACS documents a set of many deadly diseases that could result from children being exposed to second-hand smoke including leukemia and throat (pharynx), voice box (throlarynx), bladder, brain, stomach, breast and rectum cancers. Since childhood is a stag e of development where humans learn by copying, these children could also acquire smoking habits, particularly public smoking tendencies. Wakefield et al. (322) observe that childhood exposure to environmental tobacco smoke increases tolerance of such children to tobacco smoke and consequently sensitize such children to adopt active smoking in their teenage by reducing first cigarette noxious deterrence. Such children grow up to be established smokers in their teenage and adulthood. With the World Health Organization, the global leader in health matters, acknowledging the devastating economic costs of smoking, public smoking, therefore, condemns such children to a future of a devastated financial life. It could also lead to the acquisition of secondary antisocial behaviors such as theft. Therefore, public smoking is antisocial behavior that imparts antisocial behavior on children. It risks the life of the future generation, not only literally, but also behaviorally. With all these n egative effects of public smoking, banning the behavior would be beneficial to the society in general.Â