The Australian and American Free

The Australian and American Freedom Rides Essay This essay briefly discusses the similarities and differences of the ‘Australian and American Freedom Rides’ history. Throughout the essay, there is a discussion on what the reasons were for the protest of the Freedom Rides. It also points out the duration of the protest and the major locations where they were held. The essay also shows the different reactions to the protest and the influential behaviour it results in. The American Freedom Rides were motivated by the ‘Journey of Reconciliation’ in 1947, â€Å"led by civil rights activists Bayard Rustin and George Houser†1. The Freedom Rides in America involved riding a bus opposing the segregation of black and whites riding together in buses2. Racial segregation was made illegal after the Boynton v. Virginia case, especially in major public places such as â€Å"restaurants and waiting rooms in terminal serving buses that crossed state lines†3 . After the case, the Freedom Riders defied racial segregation by seeing whether the Boynton v. Virginia case law was followed. The Australian Freedom Rides were inspired by the Freedom Rides of the ‘African American Civil Rights Movement. ’ The reason for the Freedom Rides in Australia (as in America) was to protest against the cruel behaviour of white people towards black people who were living in country towns4. The Freedom Rides in Australia also involved riding a bus just like America, into New South Wales country towns and protesting in sections where Aboriginal people were rejected; such as being â€Å"often refused service in shops, made to stand aside while others were served, confined to their own section in cinemas, banned from clubs and pubs, and excluded from public swimming pools†5. The Freedom Rides in America consisted of riding into â€Å"segregated southern United States†6, it started off at Washington D. C. , on May 4, 1961 and planned to reach New Orleans on May 17, â€Å"but they never reached New Orleans†7. The Freedom Rides passed through Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi, finished with a gathering in New Orleans, Louisiana8. The duration of the American Freedom Rides occurred mainly in May 1961. Unlike in America, the Freedom Rides in Australia took place later on the 12th February 19659; when the University of Sydney students rode into the â€Å"towns in northern New South Wales which contained large Aboriginal populations†10. One of the main towns mentioned was at Moree; where they protested in swimming pools, attracting a lot of violence. The Freedom Rides also passed through Wellington, Gulargambone, Lismore, Bowraville and Kempsey. The duration of the Australian Freedom Rides occurred mainly in February 1965. In America, the reaction to the protest was very intense. Throughout the protest, the Freedom Riders came across violence and the reaction of the protest was ruthless. While having to delay their journey to change a slashed tire, â€Å"one bus was firebombed and the Freedom Riders were beaten (by a white mob). The second bus was similarly attacked and the passengers beaten†. 11 In America, there was a Freedom Ride accompanied by the State Highway Patrol, taking their journey headed for Montgomery; but when â€Å"local police failed to protect them, they were again beaten†12. Similar to America, the Freedom Rides in Australia â€Å"gained publicity when the students were set upon by angry crowds and placed under police protection†13. The students pressed into the entrance of the Moree swimming pool, at the same time a furious crowd â€Å"booed and catcalled†14. The dilemma continued after â€Å"27 young men and women from Sydney University tried to escort six Aboriginal children into the baths†15. This was one of the reactions of the Freedom Riders drew attention towards, the segregation at local swimming pools. Both the American and Australian Freedom Rides protested against the segregation of black and white people; along with racial discrimination that black people experienced. Both of the Freedom Rides took place around the 1960s which was a time of great social and cultural significance. Both of the Freedom Rides resulted with violent behaviour and the general public becoming aggressive. In conclusion, the Freedom Rides were a memorable event in history which argued that racial discrimination should be banned and everyone in society should be accepted.

The Grammar Translation Method Community Language Learning English Language Essay

The Grammar Translation Method Community Language Learning English Language Essay We have learnt about different teaching approaches during the lecture. The examples of approaches are the direct method, grammar translation method, the silent way, community language learning, communicative language teaching, total physical response and many more. I have chosen the grammar translation method and community language learning as for this report. According to Random House Unabridged Dictionary, grammar translation method means a traditional technique of foreign-language teaching based on explicit instruction in the grammatical analysis of the target language and translation of sentences from the native language into the target language and vice versa. Community language learning means a method of teaching a foreign language that uses small groups and other ways of reducing students anxiety. There are advantages and disadvantages of both approaches. Both approaches are also relevant to use in the current Malaysian Education system. Generally, the grammar translation is derived from traditional approaches to the teaching of Latin and Greek in the nineteenth century (Barb, 2010). Even though the method has been used a long time ago, this method is still useful to our current education system. According to Richard and Rogers, 2002 (as cited in Barb, 2010), the grammar translation method is a way of studying a language that approaches the language first thought detailed analysis of its grammar rules, followed by the application of this knowledge through the task of translating sentences and text into and out of the target language. The first advantage is that grammar rule is taught deductively. This means that the pupils are taught about the grammar rule and then they have to apply to the new examples. It is important for the pupils to learn about the grammar rule of the language. This will make them use and apply the language better. They can lessen their mistake when they know about the grammar rule. They also wi ll be able to explain about the grammar rule of certain words when they have the knowledge. Next, translation is the easiest and shortest way to understand English. This is because most primary school children do not familiar with this language. They can only understand their mother tongue. So, by teaching English using the mother tongue, the pupils manage to catch up with their study better. Translation is needed to teach the children. The usage of mother tongue is very important for the pupils in learning English in the early year. This is to make them understand better. For example, if we talk using English during lesson, the pupils may not be able to understand a single thing during the lesson. By using the mother tongue during the lesson, the pupils also do not have any problem in understanding and responding to the teacher. So, there is interaction happen in the classroom. The communication between the pupils and the teacher does not cause any problem. Translation is very important element in learning English for these children. The other advantage is the pupils have been introduced to the literature texts during the early years of their study. It is a good sign that the pupils learn about literature during the lesson. When they have learnt about the literature texts, they manage to interpret the literary passages well based on their experience during the learning process in the class. They can show their understanding in literature by managing to interpret the literary texts. There are also disadvantages of this method. The first disadvantage is less participation from the pupils. This method is teacher-oriented. The teacher has the full authority to control the class. So, the inputs of the learning are given by the teacher from the beginning of the lesson until the end. The pupils job in the class is to hear to the teachers instruction without questioning anything. They are like silent learners. There is no discussion or sharing opinion occurs during the lesson. As a result, the pupils cognitive skill and critical and creative thinking will not develop. Not only that, the teacher also is the one to decide whether the pupils answers are correct or not. If the pupils do not manage to get the correct answers, the teacher will give the correct answers to the pupils. The teacher does not even try to give the pupils another chance to answer to the questions. They will not become autonomous learner. This is one of the teacher-centred methods in the learning pro cess. These skills are required for the pupils to develop so that they will be able to understand their learning better and manage to do well in their study. Not only that, the other disadvantage is little or no attention given to the speaking skill. According to Brown (2001), it does virtually nothing to enhance a students communication ability in the language. This is because they only do the reading and writing during the class. The pupils are not exposed to any other skills in learning like listening, speaking and writing. These skills are vital for the pupils in their learning. By learning a lesson with these skills, they will be able to understand the lesson and manage to complete all the works given by the teacher. If this situation continuously happens, it will promote to the boredom to the pupils. This is because they keep on doing the same thing during the lesson. Primary school children always like to have fun and doing fun things. When they are doing the same thing durin g the lesson, the tendency for them to withdraw from the lesson is higher. As a result, the lesson process will not progress well. The disturbance that occurs will interrupt the learning process. They will also disrupt other students who wanted to learn. Besides that, the teaching using this method is against the natural way of learning a language. The natural order of learning a language is listening, speaking, reading and writing (Purwarno Hadinata, 2006). Through this method the pupils are to ask to read texts and literature texts during the lesson. This method is unnatural method. Even though the primary school children want to learn about their mother tongue language while they were young, they still have to listen to the other peoples words before they can speak out the words. It is hard for them to learn about English which is not their mother tongue through reading. They will not understand the sentences or words through reading. The last disadvantage of grammatical translation method is much vocabulary is taught in the form of lists of isolated words. The teacher gives the meaning of single words instead of the meaning of the sentences or phrases. For example, the teacher gives the meaning of the word happy in the mother ton gue. The pupils only know the meaning of the word happy. There are also other words that related to the word happy like happiness, happily and many more. When reading sentences that have the word happiness, the pupils may become confused. This is because they only know the meaning of the word happy. This method is relevant for the rural area pupils. This is because using this method; the teacher does not has to use any high-tech teaching aids. High-tech teaching aids such as LCD (liquid crystal display) projector can be quite bothersome sometimes. The teacher just has to use the textbooks as the main resource in the classroom. Furthermore, in rural area, the high-tech teaching aids are rarely found there. Sometimes, the electricity resource is not enough for them. There are some places in rural areas that do not have water and electricity resources. So, textbooks are the important resources in the classroom. Other than that, the target language is translated into the mother tongue. So, the rural area pupils will be able to understand English well when the words are translated. This is because many of them do not capable in understand and using English. They are not exposed to this language since they were little. When they entered school, they have to learn about this language a s a second language and they are very new to this language. Translation using the mother tongue is very essential for them. This can build their interest towards the language. Even though they find it hard learning English for the first time, as the time goes by the interest towards the English language will be developed. Since this method is teacher-centred, the pupils can depend on the teacher to learn English. They have no one to teach them English at house compared to the pupils who live in the urban area. The other approach is community language learning. This method is also known as counselling-learning. Basically, community language learning is based on the student-centred. The pupils will become autonomous learners. In this method, teacher acts as the counsellor while the pupils as the clients. The pupils are asked to sit in a close group of six to ten persons. They have talk about anything they like and the teacher has to be outside the circle. The pupils also have the chance to choose their own topic. They are given the time to brainstorm the ideas. The most important thing is their discussion will be recorded. Besides that, during the discussion, the pupils can also talk using their mother tongue and the teacher will translate for them the actual sentences. At this point, the pupils are responsible for their own learning. They have to be more confident to have the conversation among the members in the group. The recorded conversation will be shown to the pupils in order to impro ve their abilities in the English language. Even though this is student-centred approach, the teacher plays a vital role in this method. Teacher plays the role as he facilitator and guider for the pupils during their learning process. The second advantage is it will boost the pupils speaking and listening skills. When the pupils use this method for the first time, they may feel a bit of awkwardness during the conversation. When they are used to this method, the feeling of awkwardness will disappear. They will find this method enjoyable and fun. This is because the topic is not specific by the teacher. The pupils have the freedom to choose the topic for themselves. Thus, their speaking and listening skills will be improved. They will be able to use the language without any worry. They are not afraid to make mistakes when speaking. As a result, they have the confident in using the language. The other advantage of this method is encourage teachers to see their students as whole persons, where their feelings, intellect, interpersonal relationships, protective reactions, and desired to learn are addressed and balanced (English Raven Educational Services 2007). This method is also a part of humanistic approach in the language learning. This is because it will help the teacher to understand their pupils emotions or feelings. When the teacher is able to understand the pupils feelings, the teacher will be able to help them in their learning. It also encourages the teacher to know more about their pupils. So, the teacher is capable to fulfil the pupils needs in their learning. The pupils learning process will run smoothly. The last advantage is it will enhance the relationship between teacher and pupils. According to Joyce, Calhoun and Hopkins (2002), this model emphasizes the partnership between students and teachers. The teacher will help the pupils to translate the sentences that the pupils produced in their mother tongue. This is because the pupils will seek for their teachers help whenever they need the help. So, the teacher will always ready to help the pupils outside the circle. The relationship between the teacher and pupils will become closer. It can also decrease the pupils anxiety while doing the conversation in the group. This is because they manage to build trust among themselves. They are able to support each other during the conversation. Teacher can also help the pupils to overcome their negative feeling towards English by turning them into positive energy to further their learning. Teacher can encourage the pupils to speak English. The teacher can also praise the pupils when they manage to speak English during the conversation. This will motivate them to learn about English. In the class, teacher is responsible to correct the pupils when they make mistakes. Teacher should be able to comfort the pupils during the conversation. Then, the fe ar of learning English by the pupils will disappear slowly. There are also disadvantages in this method. Firstly, this method is time consuming. A lot of time is needed for this method to be progressed successfully. The teacher should be more patient while using this method. The teacher has to give more time for the pupils on their learning process. Sometimes, the learning process will be delayed. In addition, not all pupils will be able to participate in the conversation at a time. Only a few pupils will be participating. The teacher has to follow the time that has been allocated during the lesson. If the learning process has delayed, the teacher has to find some other time to continue with the session. If this method requires a lot of time, the pupils will feel bored when they do not capable to acquire the language. This will lead to frustration to the pupils. Thus, they will lose the interest in learning English as the second language and tend to withdraw themselves from the conversation. Furthermore, it is very hard for the teacher to tra nslate certain sentences for the pupils. This is because there are some classes which have multiracial pupils. They also use different mother tongue language. So, the teacher will find it hard for them. The teacher may not be able to understand every pupil in the class. There are also a few teachers that are not really capable in using the English language. As they continue using this method; it will also lead to frustration to the teachers. The teacher may not be able to help the pupils in their English. So, in order for the teacher to be able to help the pupils, the teacher should be fluent in the mother tongue language and also English. Other than that, some of the pupils do not have the confidence is speaking in English. So they may use a lot of mother tongue in the conversation. This will not improve their English as second language. They are afraid to try to speak in English. They will feel embarrass when their friends laugh at them if they make mistakes. Some pupils may feel rather passive and will not volunteer to speak anything. This is because they have to depend on themselves during the conversation. The teacher will serve as a facilitator and will monitor them during the conversation. They will also feel embarrass when they hear the recorded tape. Some of the pupils may not be able to speak fluently when they know that they are being recorded. They will lose the feeling of security learning English. Even though this method is non-threatening, some of the pupils may find this method threatening. This is when they are not capable to acquire the target language. They may have low self-esteem in using the langu age. The tendency for them not to speak in English during the conversation may be higher. This is because they have to be responsible for their own learning. They have to depend on themselves and the other members in the group. When they are not able to speak using the target language, they will have the feeling of frustration in themselves. This approach is relevant to the secondary school and tertiary level education. This is because this is student-centred approach. They should be able to be responsible towards their learning. They are able to think about the thing that will benefit them. By using this method in learning, the students will be able to become autonomous learner. This is because the current Malaysian education system encourages the students to find their own way of learning. They should not depend on the lecturers that teach them. They have to find other alternatives in their learning. So, by using this method, the students will be able to achieve the aspiration of the current education system. They will also enhance their speaking and listening skills. The order of learning a language is by learning listening and speaking skills first. If they are able to listen to teacher well, they will be able to speak English well. Hence, they will have the confidence in using the target language everywhere. In conclusion, both methods have their own advantages and disadvantages. It depends on how it is being used in the school. In order to make this method successful in the class, teacher and the administration of the school play an essential role.

Contradictions of Character in George Bernard Shaws Pygmalion Essay

â€Å"Manners are the happy way of doing things† according to Ralph Waldo Emerson.   According to Emerson people use manners as a front to make themselves look better.   Inherently, this will lead to a contradiction of the front and the reality.   One such man who is most concerned with manners is the protagonist of Shaw’s Pygmalion, Professor Henry Higgins.   Higgins is a man who displays contradictions within his character.   He is in the business of teaching proper manners, although lacks them himself.   In addition, Higgins is an intelligent man, and yet he is ignorant of the feelings of those around him.   Another apparent contradiction is that Higgins’ outer charm serves to hide his bullying nature. He manipulates Eliza and others around him to serve his own purposes, without any regard for her feelings.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Higgins, a teacher of proprietary manners, lacks those very manners which others pay to learn from him.   Ironically, Higgins believes that he is the greatest teacher of manners.   He announces that in â€Å"three months [he] could pass [Eliza] off as a duchess.†Ã‚   Higgins thinks that he can take any lower class girl and pass her off as a duchess.   He truly believes that he is capable of transforming Eliza.   Once the teaching begins, Higgins shows no respect for others in his life.   When he goes to see his mother, she reminds him that â€Å"[he] promised not to come on† her days when she is having guests.   He ignores this promise to his mother because he believes that his newest experiment is more important than his mother’s insignificant visitors are.  Ã‚  Ã‚   This behavior continues throughout the ... ...ulative experiments on life.   Higgins tries to use his charm to manipulate people into giving him what he wants, but when this tactic fails he resorts to brute force and abuse.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is amazing that a man with such great qualities and characteristics can also have the bad qualities that are opposite of those great ones.   How these traits can coexist in one person does not make sense.   One of the traits must be a false front.   This is the nature of the world.   When two opposites come together in the same place and do not alter each other, then one of them is kept up as a faà §ade.   At any moment in time this faà §ade can move or crack and the true nature of the person will come to light.   People who display too many contradictions in character are usually true hypocrites.

Louis Sullivan :: essays papers

Louis Sullivan Louis Sullivan was without a doubt one of the most influential figures in American architecture. He can be credited with lying the foundation of today’s modern skyscrapers. In addition, he has produced some of the most magnificent ornaments seen in 19th and 20th century, which adorned his buildings. On September 3, 1856, Louis Henri Sullivan was born in Boston, Massachusetts. His came from an Irish father and a French mother. Louis led a sheltered childhood as result of the civil war, and spent a good deal of time on his grandparents’ farm outside of the city. It is here that Sullivan developed an intense concept of nature, which would be apparent in his later work. By the age of twelve, Louis decided to pursue a career in architecture. Moses Wilson, one of Sullivan’s high school teachers, introduced him to the disciplines of silence, attention, and alertness, which are necessary components of the abilities to observe, reflect, and discriminate. These would serve to help him in his career pursuits. Asa Gray, a botanist from Harvard who lectured at his school, caught his interest in the morphology of plants. At the age of sixteen, he was admitted two years early to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Sullivan’s first employment came as a draftsman for the architectural firm Furness and Hewitt in Philadelphia, which he felt was best suited to his tastes. An economic panic resulted in his layoff from the firm and his relocation to Chicago. It was here that he went to work for Major William LeBaron Jenney. It was not long before Louis had acquainted himself with numerous other architects in the city; the most important of whom would turn out to be John Edelman. The summer of 1874 had Sullivan traveling overseas to the Ecole des Beaur Arts in Paris. After passing rigorous admissions tests, he studied geometric form from Monsieur Clopet. Next, Louis toured Italy to study its fine works of art. Sullivan returned to Chicago in 1875, where he worked several draftsman positions over the next five years. After this period, John Edelman introduced him to Dankmar Adler. The two formed a partnership in 1881 that would last fourteen years. Sullivan handled the design of their architecture, while Adler oversaw the engineering and acoustic areas of the firm. Louis had two main protegees over the course of his career.

Dworkins Wishful-Thinkers Constitution Essay -- Argumentative Persuas

Dworkin's Wishful-Thinkers Constitution ABSTRACT: Developing ideas first put forth in my Abortion Rights as Religious Freedom, I argue against Ronald Dworkin's liberal view of constitutional interpretation while rejecting the originalism of Justices Scalia and Bork. I champion the view that Justice Black presents in his dissent in Griswold v. Connecticut. INTRODUCTION In Life's Dominion Ronald Dworkin uses a liberal interpretation of the Constitution to defend constitutional rights to abortion and euthanasia. (1) According to Dworkin, the Constitution "lays down general, comprehensive moral standards that government must respect but ... leaves it to ... judges to decide what these standards mean in concrete circumstances" (p. 119). Any right can become constitutionally protected if five Supreme Court justices declare it so. As with Peter Pan, so with rights protected by the Constitution, believing makes it so. In this paper I explain and reject Dworkin's arguments for his view of constitutional interpretation. But with Dworkin, I reject the "originalism" of Justice Scalia and Robert Bork. I champion, instead, the moderate view that Justice Hugo Black presents in his dissent in Griswold v. Connecticut. (2) DWORKIN'S ARGUMENTS Dworkin notes that the Constitution's language, especially in several clauses of the Bill of Rights, is very abstract. The First Amendment says that Congress shall not infringe freedom of speech, shall not restrict freedom of religion, and shall not establish any religion. But it says nothing to help judges decide whether specific laws against pornography or flag burning offend freedom of speech [or] whether laws that ... forbid Native Americans to ingest peyote ... invade freedom of re... ...381 U.S. 479 (1965). (3) Lochner v. New York 198 U.S. 45 (1905). (4) Pierce v. Society of Sisters 268 U.S. 510 (1925). (5) Griswold v. Connecticut 381 U.S. 479, Harlan's concurring opinion at 500. (6) Casey v. Planned Parenthood 60 LW 4795 (June 30, 1992). (7) Griswold, at 522. (notes omitted) (8) Griswold, at 513. (9) Griswold, footnote 6 at 514. (10) Griswold, at 519. (11) Adamson v. California, 332 U.S. 46, 90-92 (1947)(Black dissenting). The inserted quote is from Federal Power Commission v Pipeline Co., 315 U. S. 575, 599, 601, n. 4. The entire passage is quoted in Griswold, at 525. (12) Peter S. Wenz, Abortion Rights as Religious Freedom (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1992). (13) See Wenz, pp. 163-167. (14) Calder v. Bull, 3 Dal. 386, 399; quoted in Griswold, at 525. (15) Griswold, at 519. (16) Griswold, at 501.

Developmental psychology Essay

Up until a week ago I thought that the states ideas of â€Å"kindergarten readiness† were just political lip service, but last week my opinion changed. I was in the car listening to an interview on NPR (sadly I do not remember the woman’s name) about a new program called Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills, or WaKIDS. This year is the pilot season for this program. The interview was also on the up and coming mandate the child care workers, and preschool teacher have a Bachelor’s degree. This mandate will go into effect in 2013 in Washington State. The mission statement for WaKIDS is â€Å"The Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS) is a kindergarten process that: * Welcomes families into the Washington K-12 system as partners in their child’s education. * Gives kindergarten teachers information about the development of children in their classroom to help them teach every child—data about social/emotional, cognitive, language/literacy and physical development. * Align practices of early learning professionals and kindergarten teachers to support smooth transitions for children. * Offers a statewide snapshot of where children in Washington are in their development at the start of kindergarten, to help inform state-level decisions about policy and investments This program is designed to provide a smooth transition from pre-school to kindergarten and maintain positive development in each child. WaKIDS focuses on four main areas in child development they are physical, social/emotional, cognitive and language. The program aims to maintain a collaberation between child care provides, preschool, early education and policy makers in an effort to provide the best arena for children to develop. These collaborations are in person meetings when a child is transitioning from one â€Å"grade† to another. For example, preschool teachers will meet with kindergarten teacher and discuss each child progress or â€Å"standing† and needs. This aids the next teacher in keeping a positive flow to a child’s education, and it allows for the child to be more personally invested in their own success if they know that they teachers is also invested on a personal level. In the NPR interview the woman who was speaking; she owns a daycare facility,  said that she only hires people who have at least a Bachelor’s degree. This is also going to be state mandated by 2013 that every kindergarten teacher have at least a BA, and that there is a 1 to 2 or 1 to 3 ratio of BA holding workers in day cares. The interviewee talked about how she would prefer to hire only those who have college degrees, because they are â€Å"professionally† trained in child development area. I think this is an admirable desire, but it does narrow the employee field because not everyone who is committed to making children’s live better can afford to go to college. This provides material for a great debate, but for me, what it really does is take away from the development of children. Children thrive because they can use their ability to assimilate their surroundings, and the experiences there in. If only people who have college degrees are working with kids imagine how that lessens a child’s experience of life’s diversity. In conclusion, I fully support the desires by the Superintendent’s office to enrich the education standards of this state and heighten the educational level of our children; I am very leery about all the politics that accompany a program such as WaKIDS. I do believe that it is a step in the right direction, and if we as people who work toward the betterment of children will take the risk; we ought to look even further toward education. For example: the Friends school, or Montessori school, or even parochial school. Look at what works. Look into why they provide better education than public schools. And with the guide and more programs like WaKIDS I believe that we will achieve the goal of educating well and enriching our children.

Japanese History Essay

The Taisho era, which occurred from 1912 to 1926, is part of Japan’s history. This era was regarded as the period of great righteousness. Emperor Taisho reigned during this time. This time was also considered as democratic compared to other eras after it which were characterized as chaotic and military- oriented. During the Taisho Period the new emperor’s health weakened. This prompted the shift of authority from the old oligarchic, which was ruled by â€Å"elder statesmen†, to the Diet, which was composed of democratic parties. This is why during this era, liberal movement which is knowned as the â€Å"Taisho Democracy† evolved in Japan. After the death of the Meiji Emperor, the Crown Prince Yoshihito took the thrown. This marks the beginning of the Taisho Period. The period begun with political crisis, this interfered with other political negotiations. Misunderstandings brought down the Seiyukai Party in the cabinet. The public was angry and demands to terminate the genro politics or the old oligarchic system. They were supported by another party, the Saionjai. New party, the Rikken Doshikai won against the Seiyukai Party in the House. After World War I, Japan experienced unparalleled prosperity. Japan participated in the peace treaty of Versailles during 1919. They were also part of the â€Å"Big Five† which was a new order recognized internationally. Members of â€Å"Big Five† are countries which have great military and industrial supremacy around the globe. Tokyo, Japan’s capital city received a permanent seat in the League of the Nations Council. Germany’s pacific colonies were also transferred to Japan as Germany loses its rights in Shandong. Truly Japan evolved as an international player in international politics after the war. In September 29, 1918, Hara â€Å"Japanese History† â€Å"page# 2† Takashi, which is from the Saionji Party, was the first ever commoner to become the Prime Minister. The Emperor in Japan will only be the head of the state and not of the government. Different economic and national crises came to him. The public were enchanted with increasing national debts and election laws. The public was disappointed – students, professors, labor movements, including journalists. They were inspired by different schools of thoughts whether communist, socialist or democratic. They conducted massive public demonstrations. After the elections the Seiyukai Party regained the majority. Both communist and socialist parties flourished. This probably made this era more democratic for the public can freely say what they want to the government without fear of military interventions. After sometime, parliamentary system was established. Hara was later on assassinated. After sometime, the Peace Preservation Law was passed. This prohibits any chage in the structure of politics. The disagreements in the Diet results to the introduction of Rikken Minseito – a newly formed coalition of the Seiyu Honto (Seiyukai) and the Kenseikai. This party is committed to promote world peace, democracy and the parliamentary system of government. End of the Era In 1926, Emperor Taisho died and Crown Prince Hirohito assumes the thrown. This ends the Taisho Period. The democratic system of government continued to flourish I Japan during 1920’s. But the next decade, military forces become dominant and the parliamentary system of government was not able to withstand it along with both fiscal and political crises. â€Å"Japanese History† â€Å"page# 3† World War II The Second World War occurred during 1939 to 1945. It is a war between the Allies and the Axis. The Allies was composed mainly by China, France, United Kingdom, Soviet Union and United States. On the other hand, Japan, Italy and Germany were the member of the Axis. After Japan prosper in the postwar and gain political power internationally, Western leaders assumed that Japan is capable of conquering and unite Asia through Emperor Hirohito. In 1937, Japan invaded China with the goal to expand its territory and use its resources. Japanese also invaded the French Indochina. After these invasions the Netherlands, United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, who has stakes in Japan’s colonies, move to prohibit the export of Japan to be shipped to other places. The Western countries ask China for loans in order to have secret military covers. With pressure against it, Japan has no choice but to free its colonies or to declare war to conquer territories. Japan opted to start a war in the Pacific and launch attacks on Malaya, Philippines, Thailand, Hong Kong and Hawaii. China has been under Japan for six years. Pearl Harbor Attack The Japanese military devised an attack in the Hawaii, specifically in Pearl Harbor. The attack was the initial phase of the Japanese in their war against US. The US embargo Japan because it is invading China. The embargo weakened Japan’s Military and economy. Japan wanted the embargo to be lifted by threatening the US for they know that the US does not have enough resources to launch a war. Pearl Harbor is the United States’ naval base and the location of the US’s Pacific Fleet. Japanese wanted to cripple US’s naval operations and attacked Pearl Harbor. The Japanese believed that destroying the US naval base would stop â€Å"Japanese History† â€Å"page# 4† US from fighting into war. The US military forces decoded Japanese code about the attack but it was too late. It was eight in the morning when Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. The attack left more than 3500 American dead. Eighteen ships were badly damaged including eight battleships of the Pacific Fleet. Almost 350 aircrafts were destroyed and more than a thousand people died when the USS Arizona Battleship sunk. On December 8, 1941, the US launched war against Japan. The US dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, then on Nagasaki. Later on, Japan Surrendered. References: Erickson, J. , and Dilks, D. (1994). Barbarossa: The Axis and the Allies. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Glantz, David M. (1991). From the Don to the Dnepr: Soviet Offensive Operations, December 1942 – August 1943. London: Cass. Haslam, J. (1992). The Soviet Union and the Threat from the East, 1933 – 41: Moscow, Tokyo, and the Prelude to the Pacific War. London: Macmillan. Harrison, M. ed. (1998). The Economics of World War II: Six Great Powers in International Comparison. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.