We Were Soldiers vs. Platoon - 1075 Words

We Were Soldiers vs. Platoon After watching both of these films I noticed how combat was portrayed in the movie Platoon was different from the movie we were soldiers In the movie we were soldiers it was portrayed around several different officers it was focused on them and how they carried out their mission and how they took care of their men also they showed how on a platoon level and squad level were able to follow the battalion commander on the battlefield some example of the officers such as Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore, Sergeant Major Basil L. Plumley EST. However you tend to lose track of the different officers such as Lt. Herrick that charged up the hill and leads his platoon after a scout and then got himself†¦show more content†¦Ahn is every bit as quick-thinking as Moore and shares his ability to anticipate the other sides actions. Pepper’s character is particularly important; he mirrors many of those in the audience as he enters bright-eyed but is quickly shocked and horrified by the carnage he witnesses first-hand and ultimately feels too overwhelmed to believe he can ever do justice to Moore and his men. It is also significant that Colonel Ahn is never demonized; we see both he and Moore praying, we see both murmuring encouragement to their wounded and weary men, and in one scene they both gaze thoughtfully up at the moon. In the movie Platoon there are three principal characters are Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen), the young college dropout, whos the films hesitant mouthpiece, and the two sergeants who have effectively split the platoon between them. They are Barnes (Tom Berenger), a seriously out-of-control, life-sized, clay-footed version of the fighting machine Sylvester Stallone glorifies in Rambo, and Elias (Willem Dafoe), a man no less tough than Barnes, but whose tours of duty have transformed him into a soft-spoken, almost embarrassed prophet of doom. Platoon is semi-autobiographical. Stone, who served as anShow MoreRelatedThe Infantry Soldier Is The Heart Of The Fight1566 Words   |  7 PagesSustaining the Infantry Squad A White Paper MSG Jeromy White United States Army Sergeants Major Academy Class 67 SGM Johnson / Mrs. Walker 18 November 2016 Introduction: The Infantry Soldier is the heart of the fight. Sustaining the heartbeat during combat can be a tricky task. The Infantry Soldier is capable of self-sustaining for 48-72 hours; however, it comes at a price. The price is the physical toll on the Soldier’s body. 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How Was Sparta Governed Free Essays

How was Sparta governed? The Spartan Government Ancient Spartan government was a complex system of intertwined elements, which affected the power control. In many ways, ancient Sparta was a communist state, with the lack of luxuries, other Grecian states enjoyed and the strict control for equality but was complicated with the almost religious need for a democratic vote. Sparta had three levels of government; the Kings’, the Gerousia, the Ephors and the Ekklesia, each having their own requirements, limitations and powers. We will write a custom essay sample on How Was Sparta Governed or any similar topic only for you Order Now The Spartan monarchy consisted of 2 kings which governed over Sparta. Unlike other Grecian kings, Spartan Kings had very little power and did not have an autocratic rule over day-to-day life. A Spartan kings’ duties were classified as religious, military, judicial roles. As the head figure of religion in Sparta, the kings were the priests of Zeus, Lacedaemonis and Zeus Uranius. The kings’ family would also worship these gods. As a monthly ritual, the kings were expected to make an animal sacrifice to the god Apollo, as to maintain the pleasure of the gods. This was similar to the sacrifice he would make prior to going to war. As a part of his religious role, the king would appoint two Pythioi who would travel back and forth to consult with the oracle (a possessed priestess whom was said to speak the words of the Gods) at Delphi. During a time of war, only one king would be sent with the battalions, and would be the supreme commander of the army. In the field of battle, the king would have ultimate power over his troops, including the life or death of his army. During the course of the war, the king would have a personal bodyguard of 100 men. Being a part of the royal bodyguard was considered to be one of the greatest honours. Amongst this body guard, 2 members of the Ephor’s would be in attendance, and keep an eye on his activities. They would record any failure or misconduct during a military campaign and could lead to the recall of the army, or punishment of the king. As stated above, the Kings’ power was strictly limited, which is seen in his judicial role. The king was responsible for all matters pertaining to public highways (e. g. the repairs, conflicts, etc). He was responsible for all legal matters in regards to the adoption of children and the power to decide upon the marriage partner of an heiress whose father died. Despite the extremities of limits the kings’ faced he had privileges which were considered as a ‘luxury’ in terms of Spartan society, such as the kings’ being supported at the expense of the state. They would also receive minor honours such as the best seats at religious festivals. During mealtimes, the kings were given the first seats at a banquet and were served first at the Syssitia. During the Syssition the kings would also receive double portions of a meal. Another privilege of the kings, following a successful war campaign, the king (who went to war) would be given a percentage of the spoils of victory. The kings could also receive the skins of any animal that had been sacrificed in a religious ceremony. At the event of a king’s death, all public business would be ceased for a 10 day period, where civilians would wear mourning clothing. During his funeral, the king’s reign would be lauded as being greater than any other previous king. Herodotus describes the role of the kings in The Histories in Book VI (6) as â€Å"The prerogatives of the Spartan kings are these: two priesthoods, of Zeus Lakedaemon†¦ and the power of declaring war on whom they please†. The kings’ role in governing Sparta was more of figure of status, that maintaining any real power outside the battlefields of war. Following the Kings’ power, were the Gerousia. The Gerousia was a group of 28 members (a total of 30, with addition of the kings’). The requirements to join the Gerousia was to be a man sixty years or older, and considered to be too old for warfare. Aristotle describes the Gerousia as â€Å"it might be debated whether they should be continued judges for life and so determine matters of the greatest importance, since the mind has its old age as well as the body†. Being a member of this particular government was considered to be prestigious and ensured the high status of the Spartiate as the position carried on until the death of the individual. The Gerousia was a body whose position it was to prepare and debate bills, which were then passed on to the lower levels of government. Their other main function was to be the head court of justice, and would decide upon treasonous crimes by the citizens. Unlike the kings’ powers having limitations, the Gerousia’s only main limitation was that although it was the court of Justice, it was the Ephors who were the Supreme court of Appeal. From this, the Gerousia is deemed a powerful level of government. The Ephors were next in power, below the Gerousia, but considered one of the most powerful bodies of government. The Ephors were a body of 5 men aged 30 and above who had full Spartiate citizenship. These men were supposedly representatives for every village in Sparta. The roles of the Ephors were monitoring the kings’, interactions with the Ekklesia, controlled the education and the Krypteia. As a part of the Ephors, or Ephorate, the citizen had an enormous power over the king. As such, they could monitor the king in his own home, 2 members would join a king should warfare occur and bring could bring him to an account, should he fail to have a successful war campaign. During a time of war, it was also the responsibility of the Ephors to organise the mobilisation of the army. A failure could lead him to defend himself in front of a court of Gerousia and Ephorate members, whose role it was to be the deciders of a king’s fate if prosecuted for wrong-doing. The Ephors were also the supreme court and supreme court of appeal in Sparta, allowing them significant power over the Spartiates, Inferiors and Helots. In As an Ephor, a Spartiate held much control over the laws in which Sparta was governed. They could introduce legislation, which, without the permission of the Ephors, foreign envoys could not enter into Sparta. They could also create laws for foreign policies and control when meetings of the Ekklesia and Gerousia took place. They would oversee and preside over the meetings, introduce legislation and check on the numerous magistrates in Sparta. Ephorates had the power to control the Krypteia, a secret police for Spartiate boys aged 19 – 24 whose objective was to hunt and kill Helots. The Ephors also had the power to allocate Helots to Spartiate families, who would work domestic jobs for them as serfs. The Ephors also controlled the run the Agoge, or Spartan education system. This was a complex system where boys were sent out at the age of 7 until approximately 20 to learn to be warriors. Similar to the Gerousia, the Ephors had limitations to their powers. This included that their time in office was a single year and after that single term, they could not become an Ephor again. After their term in office, the Spartiate would revert to a citizen and it was said that if an Ephor behaved badly during his time in office, he could be trialled for his misdoings. Aristotle provides information on the Ephors stating; â€Å"†¦ he Ephorate†¦ has supreme authority in the most important matters†, which adds to the belief that the Ephors being a key part in government and the running of Sparta. The Ekklesia or as referred to in older books as the Apella, was the assembly of the Spartiate males, who were involved in Spartan politics. Any Spartiate male over the age of 30 who had retained his citizenship was eligible to sit in the assembly. The Ekklesia had the power for legislations, elections, warfare, kingships and Helots. When the Ephors presented legislations to the Ekklesia, the assembly had the right to vote on laws; and they could ratify treaties. The Ekklesia is also responsible for the elections of the Gerousia and Ephors, and deciding which king would go to war with the Army. Although it’s disputed, it was said from c. 700 BC onwards that the Ekklesia had the right to declare war on enemies. When the families of royal lineage disputed over the next monarch, it was the Ekklesia who would ultimately choose who would take the throne. Most disputes originated on the laws of succession, as a male son could not take the throne should he be born prior to his father succeeding the throne. Should that situation arise, it would be passed on to the next male heir. Other succession disputes originate from the lack of male heirs, in which case the throne would be passed on to the nephews of the late king. The Ekklesia was also responsible for the freeing of Helots, should they have done something extremely courageous on the battle front, to earn their freedom. The Ekklesia had many limitations to their power, as they could not offer amendments to any of the presented legislations. Their democratic votes for laws could be ignored by the higher levels of government (Ephors or Gerousia) or be contradicted by Rider to the Rhetra which was introduced by previous kings, Polydorus and Theopompous. Although the Ekklesia was one of the largest bodies of government in Sparta, it very limited in the influences it could make on Spartan society. Spartan government was a complex set of layers, which had many limitations to the amount of power each layer had. How to cite How Was Sparta Governed, Papers

Economy of the Ming Dynasty free essay sample

The  economy of the  Ming Dynasty  (1368-1644) of  China  was the largest in the world during that period. It is regarded as one of Chinas three  golden ages  (the other two being the  Han  and  Song  periods). The period was marked by the increasing political influence of the  merch ants, the gradual weakening of  imperial rule, and  technological  advances. Monetary system Despite issuing paper money in the early part of the dynasty, the Ming ended up using silver  as a  means of exchange  in their economy; this is due to the massive inflow of silver into the Ming economy throughout the dynasty. The amount of silver used by the Ming economy was extraordinary,both  coin  and  paper money  were used throughout the Ming dynasty. Manufactures Privatization Another key feature of the Ming manufacturing industry was  privatization. Unlike the Song, in which  state-owned enterprises  played a large role, the Ming reverted to the old laissez faire policies of the Han by privatizing the salt and tea industries. By the middle of the Ming Dynasty, powerful groups of wealthy merchants had replaced the state as the dominant movers behind Chinese industry. Emergence of wage labor The Ming government abolished the mandatory forced labor by peasants used in early dynasties and replaced it with wage labor. A new class of wage laborers sprung up where none had existed before. In Jingde alone, it was reported that there were no less than 300 pottery factories, all operated by wage laborers. Agriculture Early encouragement of agriculture under Hongwu Historians consider the Hongwu emperor to be a cruel but able ruler. From the start of his rule, he took great care to distribute land to small farmers. It seems to have been his policy to favor the poor, whom he tried to help to support themselves and their families. In order to recover from rule of the Mongols and the wars that followed them, the  Hongwu Emperor  enacted pro-agricultural policies. The state invested extensively in agricultural canals, reduced taxes on agriculture to 1/30 of the output, and later to 1. 5% of agricultural output. Ming farmers also introduced many innovations such as water-powered plows, and new agricultural methods such as crop rotation. This led to a massive agricultural surplus that became the basis of a market economy. The Hong Wu emperor paid special attention to the irrigation of farms all over the empire, and in 1394 a number of students from Kuo-tzu-chien were sent to all of the provinces to help develop irrigation systems. It is recorded that 40,987 ponds and dikes were dug. Emergence of commercial plantations The Ming saw the rise of commercial plantations who produced crops suitable to their regions. Tea, fruits, paint and other goods were produced on a massive scale by these agricultural plantations. Regional patterns of production established during this period continued into the Qing dynasty. The  Columbian exchange  brought crops such as  corn  with these foreign crops. During the Ming, specialized areas also popped up planting large numbers of cash crops that could be sold at markets. Large numbers of peasants abandoned the land to become artisans. The population of the Ming boomed; estimates for the population of the Ming range from 160 to 200 million. Rural markets during the Ming Ming agriculture was much changed from the earlier areas; firstly, gigantic areas, devoting and specializing in cash crops, sprung up to demand from the new market economy. Secondly, agricultural tools and carts, some water-powered, help to create a gigantic agricultural surplus which formed the basis of the rural economy. Besides rice, other crops were grown on a large scale. Although images of autarkic farmers who had no connection to the rest of China may have some merit for the earlier Han and Tang dynasties, this was certainly not the case for the Ming dynasty. During the Ming dynasty, the increase in population and the decrease in quality land made it necessary that farmers make a living off cash crops. Many of these markets appeared in the rural countryside, where goods were exchanged and bartered A second type of market that developed in China was the urban-rural type, in which rural goods were sold to urban dwellers. This was particular the case when landlords decided to reside in the cities, and use income coming from rural land holding to facilitate exchange in the cities. Another way this type of market was used was professional merchants who bought rural goods in large quantities. The third type of market was the national market which was developed during the Song dynasty but particularly enhanced during the Ming. This market involved not only the exchange described above, but also products produced directly for the market. Unlike earlier dynasties, many Ming peasants were no longer producing only products they needed; many of them produced products for the market, which then they sold at a profit Trade and investment In the early Ming, after the devastation of the war which expelled the Mongols, the  Hongwu Emperor  imposed severe restrictions on trade. Believing that agriculture was the basis of the economy, Hongwu favoured that industry over all else, including that of merchants. However, after his death, most of his policies were reversed by his successors. By the late Ming, the state was losing power to the very merchants which Hongwu had wanted to restrict. The Ming dynasty also engaged in a thriving trade with both Europe and Japan. The amount of silver flowing into the Ming dynasty was estimated by Joseph Needham at 300 million taels, which is equivalent to more than 190 billion dollars in todays money. In addition to silver, the Ming also imported many European firearms, in order to ensure the modernity of their weapons. Trade and commerce thrived in this liberalized economy, and was aided by the construction of  canals,  roads, and  bridges  by the Ming government. The Ming saw the rise of several merchant clans such as the Huai and Jin clans, who disposed of large amounts of wealth. The  gentry  and merchant classes started to fuse, and the merchants gained power at the expense of the state. Some merchants were reputed to have a treasure of 30 million taels. ]Overseas Trade The Ming engaged in much overseas trade. A respected sinologist, Joseph Needham believed that the amount of silver flowing into Ming China through trade amounted upwards to 300 million taels of silver. To put this into perspective, the Ming governments entire annual revenues were only 27 million taels, and the Ming had 31% of the worlds GDP. Initially, the Ming engaged in state-sanctioned overseas trade. This was best exemplified by the expeditions of  Zheng He, the eunuch admiral, who visited India, East Africa, and Indonesia seven times in massive fleets. However, like many other industries, the trade gave way to the merchants. By the 15th Century, the Ming had abolished the restriction on private overseas trade and Ming merchants prospered. Taxation Ming taxation was light. Taxes on agriculture were only 1/30 of agricultural produce, and were later reduced to 1/50 of produce. Taxes on commerce amounted to 1/30 of commerce also, but was later reduced to 1. 5%. These low taxes spurred trade, but severely weakened the state. With the coming of the  Little Ice Age  in the 17th century, the states low revenues and its inability to raise taxes caused massive deficits, and large numbers of Ming roops defected or rebelled because they had not been paid. Weakening of the state During the Ming, the controls imposed on the economy were gradually relaxed. State monopolies  on  salt  and iron ended as these and other industries were privatized. Taxes were reduced from the high levels under the Mongol  Yuan, and the Ming had one of the lowest tax rates (per person) in the world. The entire foreign trade, which was estimated at up to 300 million taels, provided the Ming with a tax of only about 40,000 taels a year. When the  Wanli Emperor  sought to increase the salt tax, his measures were opposed by violence and the eunuchs he send to collect the tax were beheaded by local officials. Sprouts of capitalism Investment and capital moved off the land and were poured into ventures. Continuing the trend from the Song, Ming investors poured large amounts of capital into ventures and reaped high profits. Many Chinese scholars believe the Ming was the dynasty in which the sprouts of capitalism emerged in China, only to be suppressed by the Qing.