Wrestling with Leadership free essay sample

Wrestling with Leadership It’s a funny feeling when your facing down a opponent on the wrestling mat or if you have a platoon of new cadets staring you down looking for direction. Either situation can make you or break you in a split second if your not careful or if you hesitate. But then again it can do either whether you want it to or not. So how do you handle a better wrestler or 20 kids yelling and screaming while all at the same time keeping your cool? I ask myself this question very frequently. Thankfully, I’m a strong-willed person and hate accepting defeat or failure. I always loved a challenge, it gave me a reason to better myself and help out others along the way. Then again it did always get me into a lot of trouble, like trying do parkour with a distant cousin of mine, which resulted into tears, scrapes, bruises, and a lengthy lecture by my grandmother. We will write a custom essay sample on Wrestling with Leadership or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I remember the first time I became a platoon sergeant for my company in JROTC. The day, what company, what platoon, I remember everything. Its makes you think differently when actually put in the position. I’d see the platoon sergeant giving commands and I would say â€Å"I could do that, its so easy.† Next thing I know I have the platoon in front of looking at me for the next command. Its kind of like staring down a herd of buffalo running towards you at full speed. Miraculously, I did surprisingly well and became permanent platoon sergeant the following year. Fast forward to junior and senior year. I am the First Sergeant, basically a platoon sergeant with more freedom, and one of the best in my battalion. You could say that my self confidence and discipline got a huge makeover over the course of four years. Being held in a uncomfortable and often painful position can ruin any person’s day. Well wrestling will do that to you my coach once said to me. I think I have him to thank for getting me into it. Its different than any other sport, just you and the kid on the other side of the mat. This sport really taught me responsibility and accountability because I can’t blame anyone if I lose. Its not like football were you can blame the guy next you. What ever happened landed squarely on my shoulders. Practicing mad me better physically but mentally it made me more humble and taught me not to judge one by how they look. It also showed me how much better I became losing every match freshman year to being 24-13 my junior year. Its truly amazing. In retrospect I wonder if I hadn’t done any of this, would I be sitting in jail with my cousin right now or somewhere else. Who knows and honestly, who cares. I exceeded everyone’s expectations and living up to my own my way. So how do I handle a better wrestler or 20 kids yelling and screaming while all at the same time keeping your cool. When I found out I’ll be sure tell you what it is.

Mein Kampf the Book Written by Adolf Hitler

Mein Kampf the Book Written by Adolf Hitler By 1925, 35-year-old Adolf Hitler was already a war veteran, leader of a political party, orchestrator of a failed coup, and a prisoner in a German prison. In July 1925, he also became a published book author with the release of the first volume of his work,  Mein Kampf (My Struggle). The book, whose first volume was largely written during his eight-month imprisonment for his leadership in the failed coup, is a rambling discourse on Hitler’s ideology and goals for the future German state.  The second volume was published in December 1926 (however, the books themselves were printed with a 1927 publication date). The text initially suffered from slow sales but, like its author would soon become a fixture in German society. Hitler’s Early Years in the Nazi Party At the end of World War I, Hitler, like so many other German veterans, found himself unemployed. So when he was offered a position to work as an informant for the newly established Weimar government, he seized the opportunity. Hitlers duties were simple; he was to attend the meetings of newly formed political organizations and report upon their activities to government officials who were monitoring these parties. One of the parties, the German Workers’ Party (DAP), captivated Hitler so much during his attendance that the following spring he left his government position and decided to dedicate himself to the DAP. That same year (1920), the party changed its name to the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP), or Nazi Party. Hitler quickly gained renown as a powerful speaker. Within the party’s early years, Hitler is credited with helping the party greatly increase membership through his powerful speeches against the government and the Treaty of Versailles.  Hitler is also credited with helping to design the main tenets of the party’s platform. In July 1921, a shake-up occurred within the party and Hitler found himself in the position to replace party co-founder Anton Drexler as the chairperson of the Nazi Party. Hitler's Failed Coup: The Beer Hall Putsch In the fall of 1923, Hitler decided it was time to seize upon the public’s discontent with the Weimar government and organize a putsch (coup) against both the Bavarian state government and the German federal government. With assistance from the SA, SA leader Ernst Roehm, Herman Gà ¶ring, and famous World War I General Erich von Ludendorff, Hitler and Nazi Party members stormed a Munich beer hall where members of the local Bavarian government were gathered for an event. Hitler and his men quickly brought the event to a standstill by setting up machine guns at the entrances and falsely announcing that the Nazis had seized both the Bavarian state government and the German federal government. After a short period of perceived success, several missteps led to the putsch quickly falling apart. After being shot at in the street by the German military, Hitler fled and hid for two days in the attic of a party supporter. He was then caught, arrested, and placed in Landsberg prison to await his trial for his role in the attempted Beer Hall Putsch. On Trial for Treason In March 1924, Hitler and the other leaders of the putsch were put on trial for high treason. Hitler, himself, faced possible deportation from Germany (due to his status as a non-citizen) or a life sentence in prison. He took advantage of the media coverage of the trial to paint himself as an ardent supporter of the German people and the German state, wearing his Iron Cross for Bravery in WWI and speaking out against the â€Å"injustices† perpetrated by the Weimar government and their collusion with the Treaty of Versailles. Instead of projecting himself as a man guilty of treason, Hitler came across during his 24-day trial as an individual who had the best interests of Germany in mind. He was sentenced to five years in Landsberg prison but would serve only eight months. The others on trial received lesser sentences and some were released without any penalty. The Writing of Mein Kampf Life in Landsberg prison was far from difficult for Hitler. He was permitted to walk freely throughout the grounds, wear his own clothing, and entertain visitors as he chose. He was also permitted to mingle with other prisoners, including his personal secretary, Rudolf Hess, who was imprisoned for his own part in the failed putsch. During their time together in Landsberg, Hess served as Hitler’s personal typist while Hitler dictated some of the work that would become known as the  first volume of Mein Kampf. Hitler decided to write Mein Kampf for a two-fold purpose: to share his ideology with his followers and also to help recoup some of the legal expenses from his trial. Interestingly, Hitler originally proposed the title, Four-and-a-Half Years of Struggle Against Lies, Stupidity, and Cowardice; it was his publisher who shortened it to My Struggle or Mein Kampf. Volume 1 The first volume of Mein Kampf, subtitled â€Å"Eine Abrechnung† or â€Å"A Reckoning,† was written mostly during Hitler’s stay in Landsberg and ultimately consisted of 12 chapters when it was published in July 1925. This first volume covered Hitler’s childhood through the initial development of the Nazi Party. Although many of the book’s readers thought it would be autobiographical in nature, the text itself only uses Hitler’s life events as a springboard for long-winded diatribes against those he viewed as inferior, particularly the Jewish people. Hitler also frequently wrote against the political scourges of Communism, which he purported was directly linked to the Jews, whom he believed were attempting to take over the world. Hitler also wrote that the present German government and its democracy was failing the German people and that his plan to remove the German parliament and instate the Nazi Party as the leadership would save Germany from future ruin. Volume 2 Volume two of Mein Kampf, subtitled â€Å"Die Nationalsozialistische Bewegung,† or â€Å"The National Socialist Movement,† consisted of 15 chapters and was published in December 1926. This volume was intended to cover how the Nazi Party was founded; however, it was more of a rambling discourse of Hitler’s political ideology. In this second volume, Hitler laid out his goals for future German success. Crucial to the success of Germany, Hitler believed, was gaining more â€Å"living space†. He wrote that this gain should be made by first spreading the German empire to the East, into the land of the inferior Slavic peoples who should be enslaved and their natural resources confiscated for the better, more racially pure, German people. Hitler also discussed the methods he would employ to gain the support of the German populace, including a massive propaganda campaign and the rebuilding of the German military. Reception for Mein Kampf The initial reception for Mein Kampf was not particularly impressive; the book sold roughly 10,000 copies in its first year. Most of the book’s initial purchasers were either Nazi Party faithful or members of the general public who were wrongly anticipating a scandalous autobiography. By the time Hitler became Chancellor in 1933, approximately 250,000 copies of the book’s two volumes had been sold. Hitler’s ascension to the chancellorship breathed new life into sales of Mein Kampf. For the first time, in 1933, sales of the full edition eclipsed the one million mark. Several special editions were also created and distributed to the German people. For instance, it became customary for every newlywed couple in Germany to receive a special newlywed’s edition of the work. By 1939, 5.2 million copies had been sold. At the outset of World War II, additional copies were distributed to each soldier. Copies of the work were also customary gifts for other life milestones such as graduations and births of children. By the war’s end in 1945, the number of copies sold rose to 10 million. However, despite its popularity on the printing presses, most Germans would later admit that they had not read the 700-page, two-volume text to any great extent. Mein Kampf Today With Hitler’s suicide and the conclusion of World War II, the property rights of Mein Kampf went to the Bavarian state government (since Munich was Hitler’s last official address before the Nazi seizure of power). Leaders in the Allied-occupied portion of Germany, which contained Bavaria, worked with Bavarian authorities to institute a ban on the publication of Mein Kampf within Germany. Upheld by the reunified German government, that ban  continued until 2015. In 2015, the copyright on Mein Kampf expired and the work became part of the public domain, thus negating the ban. In an effort to prevent the book from further becoming a tool of neo-Nazi hatred, the Bavarian state government has begun a campaign to publish annotated editions in several languages with hopes that these educational editions will become more popular than editions published for other, less noble, purposes. Mein Kampf still remains one of the most widely published and known books in the world. This work of racial hatred was a blueprint for the plans of one of the most destructive governments in world history. Once a fixture in German society, there is hope that today it can serve as a learning tool to prevent such tragedies in future generations.

American History Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

American History - Research Paper Example Clayton Holbert’s mother and grandmother were freed in this way but later captured by â€Å"what they called ‘nigger traders’† and sold them back into slavery (p. 287). The Holbert family experienced the end of slavery like so many others: they were free, but had no way to earn a living, no place to go, and no education. The Holberts stayed on with their former master and eventually bought a small farm nearby (pp. 288-289). The concept of freedom for these families only meant that they were no longer owned by someone; they continued to live their lives in familiar places doing what they had always done. Looking back on their slavery experiences, both Holmes and Holbert remember their former lives with some nostalgia. Clayton Holbert comments, â€Å"People were more friendly than they are now. They have almost lost respect for each other† (p. 286). Joseph Holmes comments, â€Å"in dose days white folks wuz white folks an black folks wuz black folks† (p. 7). Admittedly, both of them were children at the end of the Civil War, and both had lived a vast majority of their years as free men. The difficulties and hard living which happened to them and their families after the war affected how they felt about slavery, and when white people and black people mixed together freely the black people were exposed to many more hateful whites than when they were segregated. Reading these interviews gives us an interesting perspective on what freed slaves felt and thought, both about their freedom and about their lives afterward. Everybody remembers their lives through the filters of time. These two men did not remember being mistreated by their masters, and so they have few bad memories of their former lives. For them the transition from slavery to freedom made little difference in how they eventually led their

Book review of The Holocaust in History by Michael R Marrus Essay

Book review of The Holocaust in History by Michael R Marrus - Essay Example The Holocaust in History is a book that affiliates to a broad historical perspective, which deserves a good and exhaustive reading by the students of history, if not by the lay people. Its goes without saying that Marrus did resort to an exhaustive research and documentation, to come out with this immaculately contrived introduction as to how the historians tend to write about the Holocaust. The approach of Marrus tends to emphatically highlight the need for demystifying the Holocaust, so that it may be studied as an event in the contemporary Western history. Hence in this book, Marrus has systematically summarized the available authoritative historical writings pertaining to the salient aspects of the Holocaust that are, the pivotal position and scope of anti-Semitism in Nazism, the role played by the Jewish resistance, Jewish leadership and bystanders, and collaborators. To put it simply, The Holocaust in History has less to do with the history of the Holocaust and is more about th e historiography of the Holocaust. In The Holocaust in History Marrus does delve on the centrality of anti-Semitism to Nazism, but not in a very polarized perspective as preferred by many other historians. In the preface to this well written book, Marrus classifies the literature pertaining to Holocaust in two categories, one comprising of works drafted â€Å"as witness, or in commemoration, or as a sombre warning to future generations†; and the other that were meant to be â€Å"the modes of discourse, the scholarly techniques, and the kind of analysis used for all other historical issues.† Marrus’ work, The Holocaust in History primarily focuses on the second type of literature. In this book, Marrus primarily seems to be engrossed in the task of analyzing what the other historians have so far researched and written about the facts pertaining to the Holocaust, to dig out and analyze the details of what actually happened and how it happened, and to delve on the s alient causes behind the Holocaust. Though it may certainly surprise the contemporary students and teachers of history, yet, it is a fact that significant parts of the literature that Marrus relied on while writing The Holocaust in History, ascribes to 60s or later times. This is so because Marrus believes that in the aftermath of the Holocaust, either there was a scant interest in the Holocaust, or much historical writing, scholarship and documentation about Holocaust was â€Å"ghettoized† and not balanced. It was only in the early 60s or later that the Holocaust as a topic of historical interest experienced a turning point. According to Marrus, the Holocaust claimed the lives of six million Jews, yet to limit the scope and magnitude of Holocaust to the Jewish sufferers would be an immense historical travesty (p.8). To arrive at a total and realistic relevance of the Holocaust, the historians also need to take into account the six million non-Jewish sufferers who also had to bear with the tyranny and consequences of the Holocaust (Marrus p.9). The Holocaust also claimed the lives of millions of Gypsies, Russian POWs, Spanish Republicans, Poles, Czechs, French and homosexuals (Fischel p.38). Though, it is different that the Eastern victims of the Holocaust received a different treatment as compared to the victims from the Western Europe, both from the historians and the Western political leadership. While unravelling

Subculture III Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Subculture III - Essay Example Heroes Camp has been such a subculture that has considerable influence upon the lives of the deprived children of the South Bend region of Indiana. The management and the officials of the Heroes Camp have been crucial for the purpose of enlightenment of the mind, body, and soul of those children and transform their lives for the greater good of the God and society. Heroes Camp has been an influential subculture for the ‘at – risk’ youth of the region of South Bend of Indiana. The most important aspect of this subculture has been that it has been helping the members to get involved in the long-term relationship of love and mutual respect. The present facility of the Heroes Camp has an area of more than 20,000 square feet of area that includes the food bank, at least three basketball courts, kitchen, offices and the laundry area. The further description of the Heroes Camp suggests it to be a, â€Å"an organization that trains youth with activities that offer hope, life skills, and loving relationships. This outreach has an extraordinary component that specializes in servicing the overlooked and disadvantaged youth who are challenged by lives circumstances. Heroes Camp purposes to provide a solid foundation for the progressive development of spirit, soul, and body with an end goal of holistic growth so that youth have the oppo rtunity to build stable productive lives and become leaders†. The most important factor for the success and the prosperity of the sub – culture (Heroes Camp) has been the highly experienced and influential management. The ministry is headed by Pat Magley and B J Magley, the co-founders and the directors. The organization was founded by them in 1989 and Pat has been working full – time for the ministry since 1990 as he left his job with Berkheimer.

Class Politics in the United States :: Politics Political Essays

A distinctive feature of US politics, in comparison with most other industrialized nations in the world, is its virtual lack of class-based politics. President George W. Bush, for instance, has said that class is for ‘European democracies or something else—it isn’t for the United States of America. We are not going to be divided by class’ (cited in Harrigan, 2000: 6). And this seems to be the general attitude that pervades all of American society, to the extent where militating on the basis of class could even be seen as culturally abhorrent. It is a fact that in the 1990s, trade union membership accounted for only 15 percent of all wage and salary workers, down from 25 percent in 1975. This is despite 30 percent of all workers still employed in blue-collar jobs as of 1996 (McKay, 2001: 226; Vanneman and Cannon, 1987: 5). Between the two major political parties, the Democrats and the Republicans, there are only relatively minor ideological differences, with the former leaning slightly more to the ‘liberal’ side, while the later are more ‘conservative’, though neither articulates anything near resembling class politics. This has led to much speculation among scholars as to why this could be the case. A number of reasons have been posed, including: 1. America is mainly a middle class society, with an individualistic culture; high levels of social mobility; and equality of opportunity, which are prized over collective action. 2. America does not have a feudal past, from which class cleavages can be drawn. 3. America is the richest industrialized nation in the world, and therefore has an overall higher standard of living, which minimizes any potential for class action. 4. The American working class is divided sharply along ethnic and racial lines. 5. The American two-party system makes it difficult for radical political parties to develop. However, despite this lack of class politics, the US continues to experience some of the most exacerbated income and wealth inequalities in the industrialized world, with the gap between the rich and the poor growing over the past thirty years. In addition, the proportion of the population living in poverty, according to official figures, is at around 14-16 percent (McKay, op. cit. :27). This raises the question as to the nature of class in the United States, and as to how the US class structure (if one exists) is reflected in mainstream politics.

Several Acts and Codes of Education During the Victorian Period

Education during the Victorian Period progressed due to several acts and codes over the years. Voluntary schools, which the Church provided, were founded by the Anglican National Society after the grant of 1833 was proposed. The grant went to religious bodies, which were used to build schools. It was the first acceptance by the government to provide the poor with an education. The grant increased to 30,000 pounds in 1839 and then to 100,000 pounds in 1846. These voluntary schools were paid for by private subscription and were spread out over the country. Gladstone†s Bill of 1870 was the work of W.E. Forster, who was an ardent churchman of Quaker origin. The bill doubled the State Grant to church schools and to Roman Catholic schools so they could become a permanent part of the new educational system. There were seven elite boarding schools that were defined as â€Å"Public Schools† in the 1860†³s by the educational Clarendon commission. They were Eton, Harrow, Westminster, Rugby, Winchester, Charterhouse, and Shrewsbury. They were maintained by private funding and received no profits. The Code of 1890 made it possible to maintain evening continuation schools, which we think are night schools. The new schools were known as Board Schools and they were paid for by local rates, or by the local school boards. Church teaching continued in all national schools. Before this, all the churches had to provide the education. The Roman Catholics and the Anglicans wouldn†t let their children go to these schools, though. They felt that these schools did not adequately teach their religious ideas. Board schools were introduced and the Roman Catholics and the Anglicans agreed that these schools satisfied all their educational needs. The acts of 1876 and 1880 made attendance in schools necessary. During the first few years of Queen Victoria†s reign, 30-50% of the children went to school. The most common schools were Sunday schools. They went there if they weren†t working and while there they learned how to â€Å"read† the Bible. Its primary function was to fit people for their place in the social order. From 1870-1890 the average school attendance rose from 1.25 million to 4.5 million and the money spent on each child was doubled. After the New County Council was established, an effective step towards a system of secondary education was taken Only 8% of male children received any secondary education. After the 1870†³s there were a growing number of girls† public schools. They used older children to teach the younger and the education took place in one large room. This made it possible to have fewer teachers and to have lower building costs. With the passage of two acts, you had to go schools until you were 12 years of age and education was provided for the blind and deaf children. It wasn†t until 1899 and the establishment of the National Board of Education that free public education was available to all children in England. The emphasis on modernizing endowments, making scholarships competitive, providing a non-classical course of study as an alternative to the traditional one that emphasized Greek and Latin, establishing house systems, stressing school spirit, emphasizing muscular Christianity and games like football and cricket as means of improving character, became a model for other Victorian public schools. The whole education process was designed to mold students into young Christian gentlemen and ladies. Education During the Victorian Period Education during the Victorian Period progressed due to several acts and codes over the years. Voluntary schools, which the Church provided, were founded by the Anglican National Society after the grant of 1833 was proposed. The grant went to religious bodies, which were used to build schools. It was the first acceptance by the government to provide the poor with an education. The grant increased to 30,000 pounds in 1839 and then to 100,000 pounds in 1846. These voluntary schools were paid for by private subscription and were spread out over the country. Gladstone†s Bill of 1870 was the work of W.E. Forster, who was an ardent churchman of Quaker origin. The bill doubled the State Grant to church schools and to Roman Catholic schools so they could become a permanent part of the new educational system. There were seven elite boarding schools that were defined as â€Å"Public Schools† in the 1860†³s by the educational Clarendon commission. They were Eton, Harrow, Westminster, Rugby, Winchester, Charterhouse, and Shrewsbury. They were maintained by private funding and received no profits. The Code of 1890 made it possible to maintain evening continuation schools, which we think are night schools. The new schools were known as Board Schools and they were paid for by local rates, or by the local school boards. Church teaching continued in all national schools. Before this, all the churches had to provide the education. The Roman Catholics and the Anglicans wouldn†t let their children go to these schools, though. They felt that these schools did not adequately teach their religious ideas. Board schools were introduced and the Roman Catholics and the Anglicans agreed that these schools satisfied all their educational needs. The acts of 1876 and 1880 made attendance in schools necessary. During the first few years of Queen Victoria†s reign, 30-50% of the children went to school. The most common schools were Sunday schools. They went there if they weren†t working and while there they learned how to â€Å"read† the Bible. Its primary function was to fit people for their place in the social order. From 1870-1890 the average school attendance rose from 1.25 million to 4.5 million and the money spent on each child was doubled. After the New County Council was established, an effective step towards a system of secondary education was taken Only 8% of male children received any secondary education. After the 1870†³s there were a growing number of girls† public schools. They used older children to teach the younger and the education took place in one large room. This made it possible to have fewer teachers and to have lower building costs. With the passage of two acts, you had to go schools until you were 12 years of age and education was provided for the blind and deaf children. It wasn†t until 1899 and the establishment of the National Board of Education that free public education was available to all children in England. The emphasis on modernizing endowments, making scholarships competitive, providing a non-classical course of study as an alternative to the traditional one that emphasized Greek and Latin, establishing house systems, stressing school spirit, emphasizing muscular Christianity and games like football and cricket as means of improving character, became a model for other Victorian public schools. The whole education process was designed to mold students into young Christian gentlemen and ladies.