2011-02-28

Industrialization


Industrialization has changed people’s lives greatly. The changes brought people not only convenience but also bad consequences. There has been a heated debate on whether the impact is positive or negative. Some say that life was better before industrialization because life was simpler. Others think people are healthier, happier and have more freedom today. It is true that life was simpler before, but the living conditions people now have is much more convenient.  
First of all, some argue that people lived in a more natural and non-polluted environment, so they were healthier. Nevertheless, they were not aware of their health issues. Very little was discovered in the field of medicine. For instance, they used herbs to cure diseases, which was often not effective enough. Furthermore, the food they ate was mostly preserved with a lot of salt or sugar because they did not have enough technology such as refrigerators to preserve the food properly. The environment before the industrialization might have been cleaner, yet the lifestyle people had influences  their healt even more than the pollution nowadays.
Moreover, many people think that nowadays people suffer from  stress more often than those before the industrialization. In fact, before the industrialization, the big divide between social classes caused more mental and physical pressure. The lowest class had predetermined burdens. Some people were born as slaves, having to suffer from extremely heavy work and unequal life conditions. It was difficult, and mostly impossible for the lower classes to ever live a decent life. Who could live without stress under that environment?
Lastly, people debate that people before the industrialization acquired more freedom. Nonetheless, the social classes they had restrained people’s behaviour, composing social norms on them. One example was racial and sexual discriminations; such discriminations are greatly reduced nowadays. People are free from being discriminated. In addition to  mental freedom, people now have physical freedom. Thanks to technology, transportation is more convenient so that people are able to travel around the world. Without the repress of discrimination and the improvements in technology, we have more freedom these days.
The industrialization have changed the society completely. It surely has positive impacts on contemporary human beings. Tremendous improvements on people’s physical health, mental health and freedom had lead human being to better lifestyles.

2011-02-02

French Revolution Essay

“Omelettes are not made without breaking eggs,” Maximilien Robespierre, the leader of the radical Jacobins quoted during the French Revolution. The eggs sure did break for France; however, the omelette they made wasn’t successful “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” was the biggest motto and which was also the three major goals of the French Revolution. How can the French Revolution be considered a success if it did not establish its goals?
Their first goal was to establish liberty. In order to do that, people must understand that men had natural, inalienable and sacred rights. It is thought that the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen was one of the basic charters to human liberty. Through the French Revolution, the declaration of rights was made three times; however; it had been omitted in 1799. The freedom that France had once earned had vanished. Also, although the France had accomplished liberty in its nation, the freedom was only available for citizens (only men could become a citizen). Women’s freedom at that time was neglected.
As ironic as it seems, the second goal of the revolution was equality. First of all, people at that time did not seem to have any concern about women’s rights. The Declaration of Rights was only declared for men. Secondly, the rule of freedom made by Robespierre was replaced with the directory, which was controlled by the middle class. The execution of Robespierre was a relief to most of France, but it also led worse ruling and system. With the new government taking place, the rules were changed. It indicated a return of special privileges to the people who had power, money or property.  Only the middle class up could vote and have property.  The title “citizen” had disappeared, meaning the days of equality were over.
During the Revolution, Robespierre was the creator of the guillotine. He had prosecuted many, and had also established many laws to accuse and kill the people, for instance, the Law of Suspects. Due to that matter, Neighbors and friends accused each other; the whole society was full of terror. That time was known as the Reign of Terror, led by Robespierre who ironically was once against all the bloodshed. The revolution made France nothing like a brotherhood; it wasn’t even close to achieving its goal of fraternity.
The well known and most important motto of the French Revolution was its goals; nevertheless, at the end, it did not reach any of them. A hundred years after the Revolution, France finally became a nation that had freedom. However, the French Revolution itself was a failure.