Digital Commons Network^™

Agitprop In Soviet Russia, Kevin Brown

Constructing the Past

Throughout the Soviet Union, propaganda could be seen everywhere - from art galleries to movies to street comers, Russian culture was flooded with pro-Bolshevik sentiments. Agitprop theatre, unlike other propaganda that was inaccessible to the working class, effectively appealed to and indoctrinated Russia's lower class citizens.

Triumph Of Light Or A Beacon Of Hope: A Modernist Reevaluation Of The Enlightenment, Mallika Kavadi

Constructing the Past

Between 1900 and 1907, Gustav Klimt produced Philosophy, Medicine, and Jurisprudence, three paintings that caused a major controversy in academic circles of Vienna. Representing Modernist thought that had evolved as a progression of the Enlightenment tradition, these paintings, especially Philosophy and Medicine, are philosophical works that correctly interpret and comment upon the role of Philosophy and Medicine as professed by the Enlightenment thinkers.

Frank Lloyd Wright And Francis Wilde Little, Elizabeth G. Muir

Constructing the Past

Frank Lloyd Wright is held to be one of the greatest American architects, one who forever changed the norms of architecture with his genius. With such a prestigious reputation, it is difficult to imagine Wright bowing down to his client's wants and needs during the building of a home. But when I decided to analyze the relationship between Wright and his client Francis Wilde Little, I was surprised to find that Wright did just that. Wright not only bowed to Little's needs, he actively had to change multiple aspects of his plan to suit Little's desires. In this paper, I …

The Futurist Movement In Russia: Futurism's Role In The Work Of Composer Alexander Mosolov, Tia L. Sprengel

Constructing the Past

Since the beginning of the twentieth century, Russia has been known for its tumultuous political, social, and economic climates. Coups, revolutions, and uprisings were so commonplace that "the man on the street seemed to feel that it made no difference who was in charge, since things were so bad they could not possibly get any worse." While this volatility may have been a nuisance to the common man, it was both a blessing and a curse for Russian artists. While it sometimes encouraged them to explore different modes of artistic expression, it also often resulted in the brutal repression of …

Hitler, Himmler, And Christianity In The Early Third Reich, Christopher Tatara

Constructing the Past

With the rise of the National Socialist movement, Germany became a hostile environment to many minority groups. Communists, homosexuals, and the Jewish community were all targets of the Nazi Party's aggressive rhetoric and physical assaults, but these actions have often overshadowed the Nazi's persecution of larger majority groups. German Christian communities, both Catholic and Protestant, would eventually be repressed by the Nazi government as well. Why did the Nazis do this? What shaped the Nazi Party's Christianity policy into one of hate and suppression? Both Adolf Hitler's and Heinrich Himmler's personal views on Christianity formed the basis of the Nazi …

The Pervasive Politics Of Sir Francis Bacon: An Examination Of The Trial Of Sir Walter Raleigh, Kenneth J. Tymick

Constructing the Past

Sir Francis Bacon was a corrupt political pedant, a shameless puppet for James I, and an incorrigible opportunist. He was a frustrated man bedraggled in matters of morals, a bold and blatant self-promoter, and his conscience was perpetually drenched in the swamp of his own financial destitution. Although he remained one of the most brilliant scientific minds in England during the seventeenth-century, during his life Bacon was verily detested by his contemporaries. To achieve his lofty ambitions as advisor,judge, and ultimately Lord Chancellor to the King, Bacon would betray friend and benefactor, publicly and privately, without remorse. He would never …

The Morality Of An American Infidel, Ryan M. Winter

Constructing the Past

Never in American history has an outspoken freethinker gained so much widespread attention as Robert Green Ingersoll. One of the greatest orators in American history, Ingersoll traveled across the country entrancing audiences with his astonishing speaking skills, quick wit, and genuine concern for humanity. Despite the religiosity of his audiences, Ingersoll's ability as an orator allowed him to speak freely about his nonbelief at a time when it was usually dangerous to do so. Some Christians like to think they have a monopoly on virtue and that nonbelievers must be tempted by sin, so Ingersoll debunked this misconception with logic …

Religion And The Maintenance Of Hierarchy In Murder Pamhplets In Renaissance England, Jennifer Black

Constructing the Past

In early modern England, common people often received news of current events through cheaply printed and widely distributed pamphlets. The more interesting of these pamphlets were entirely devoted to relating stories of recent crimes, especially murders.

While at first reading [one such] pamphlet appears to be a simple news tabloid, it is, under the surface, much more. Murder pamphlets such as A Briefe Discourse served as messages to the public, instilling religious morals and the importance of maintaining the Great Chain of Being.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt And The New Deal: A Product Of Many Minds, Emma Florio

Constructing the Past

Franklin Delano Roosevelt looms large in American history as the man who led his country through the Great Depression and a World War. His dominance of the presidency and in American citizens' hearts and minds before and after he died make his personal and political impact in the Great Depression seem perhaps greater than they were. Certainly, he held great sway over the American people and can claim major responsibility for the New Deal and its policies but he was not the sole contributor, and certainly not to the values of the time. While Roosevelt may have instigated many of …

Ireland: Savior Of Civilization?, Patrick J. Burke

Constructing the Past

One of the most important aspects of early medieval Ireland is the advent of Christianity on the island, accompanied by education and literacy. As an island removed from the Roman Empire, Ireland developed uniquely from the rest of western continental and insular Europe. Amongst those developments was that Ireland did not have a literary tradition, or more specifically a Latin literary tradition, until Christianity was introduced to the Irish. Once introduced to the island through Christianity, however, the early Irish mastered the language with astonishing pace.

The Practicality Of Slavery In Latin America, Amy Werner

Constructing the Past

Christopher Schmidt-Nowara's book, Slavery, Freedom, and Abolition in Latin America and the Atlantic World, addresses the fact that Latin America has always been a place of great struggles and triumphs. While inconsistency and danger have always had a stronghold in this place, serious traditions have developed as well. Slavery is one of the most apparent examples of this; an analysis of how it functioned is highly revealing of the historical past. Without it, the development of Latin America would have been far less productive. It was an economic gold mine that was integrated into society and that was why …