19 - The Romanovs and the Russian Revolution
The period between the Russian Revolution of February 1917, which resulted in the overthrow of the autocracy and the establishment of a provisional government, and the Bolshevik Revolution in October of that same year, offers an instructive example of revolutionary processes at work. During this interval, the fate of Nicholas II and his wife, Alexandra, was bound up in the struggle for power amongst competing political factions in Russia. Until his death, Nicholas was convinced that the Russian
18 - Sites of Memory, Sites of Mourning
As a result of World War I, Europe had a different understanding of war in the twentieth century than the United States. One of the most important ways in which the First World War was experienced on the continent and in Britain was through commemoration. By means of both mass-media technologies and older memorial forms, sites of memory offered opportunities for personal as well as political reconciliation with the unprecedented consequences of the war. The influence of these sites is still felt
15 - Imperialists and Boy Scouts
The boom in European colonial expansion in the second half of the nineteenth century, the so-called New Imperialism, can be seen to follow from three principle factors, in ascending order of importance: religious proselytizing, profit, and inter-imperial political strategy. With respect to the latter concern, the conflicts emerging from imperialism set the stage for World War I. Along with its military and industrial consequences, imperialism also entailed a large-scale cultural program dedicate
14 - Radicals
Socialism in the nineteenth century can be divided into two different strains of thought: reformist and revolutionary. While reformist socialists believed in changing the State through legal activity, such as voting, revolutionary socialists viewed such measures as ineffective and perhaps even complicit in maintaining the status quo. Along the spectrum of leftwing political thought, syndicalists and anarchists shared the conviction that the State could not be reformed from within. In some cases,
11 - Why no Revolution in 1848 in Britain
Revolutions occur when a critical mass of people come together to make specific demands upon their government. They invariably involve an increase in popular involvement in the political process. One of the central questions concerning 1848, a year in which almost every major European nation faced a revolutionary upsurge, is why England did not have its own revolution despite the existence of social tensions. Two principal reasons account for this fact: first, the success of reformist political
06 - Maximilien Robespierre and the French Revolution
Robespierre's ascetic personal life and severe philosophy of political engagement are attributed by some to his difficult childhood. As a revolutionary, one of his most significant insights was that the Revolution was threatened not only by France's military adversaries abroad, but also by domestic counter-revolutionaries. Under this latter heading were gathered two major groups, urban mercantilists and rural peasants. Relative strength of religious commitment is the major factor in explaining w
VU undergrads present research on presidential appointments
Two Vanderbilt undergraduates had the rare opportunity to present their research findings on the influence of patronage on presidential appointments and government performance at the 2010 Midwest Political Science Association Conference.
Listen: Implicit bias against Latinos affects all immigrants, Vanderbilt research shows
Research by political scientist Efren Perez offers insight into the intense opposition among many voters to passing any type of immigration reform. He conducted an original survey-experiment to demonstrate that the participants had an automatic negative attitude toward Latino immigrants that shaped their immigration judgments in general. Listen to That’s Vanderbilt with Efren Perez.
21H.907 Trials in History (MIT)
This seminar examines a number of famous trials in European and American history. It considers the salient issues (political, social, cultural) of several trials, the ways in which each trial was constructed and covered in public discussions at the time, the ways in which legal reasoning and storytelling interacted in each trial and in the later retellings of the trial, and the ways in which trials serve as both spectacle and a forum for moral and political reasoning. Students have an opportunit
World War I and the changing face of gender roles
In this lesson students will assess the political, economic, social, and cultural effects of the war on the women's movement.
Faith and Politics in a Diverse Society - Baroness Amos
Baroness Valarie Amos’s political career began in 1981 where she worked in Equal Opportunities, Training and Management Services until 1989. She was a co-founder of Amos Fraser Bernard, and director (1995-1998) where she advised the South African Government on public service reform, human rights and employment equality.
She was created a life peer in 1997 by Tony Blair. From 1998-2001 she was a government whip in the House of Lords. She was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Fo
Is ITV in Trouble? - Jim Godfrey
Jim Godfrey, ITV’s director of corporate affairs, is leaving in March after three years to set up his own PR agency. Godfrey, a former Labour special adviser, said he intended to specialise in political campaigns and branding with his new company, which will have ITV as its first client when it launches in July. He is a former special adviser to Patricia Hewlett when she was the trade and industry secretary. Before that he was director of communications for leading think-tank, the Institute fo
21H.001 How to Stage a Revolution (MIT)
21H.001, a HASS-D, CI course, explores fundamental questions about the causes and nature of revolutions. How do people overthrow their rulers? How do they establish new governments? Do radical upheavals require bloodshed, violence, or even terror? How have revolutionaries attempted to establish their ideals and realize their goals? We will look at a set of major political transformations throughout the world and across centuries to understand the meaning of revolution and evaluate its impact. By
21M.621 Theater and Cultural Diversity in the U.S. (MIT)
This course explores contemporary American theatrical expression as it may be organized around issues of gender and cultural identity. This exploration will include the analysis of performances, scripts, and video documentation, as well as the invention of original documents of theatrical expression. Class lectures and discussions will analyze samples of Native American, Chicano, African American, and Asian American theater, taking into consideration the historical and political context for the
The Middle Class Bent at Radio 4? - Mark Damazer
Mark (born 15th April 1955) is the controller of Radio 4 and BBC 7 in the United Kingdom. He trained at ITN in 1980. He joined the BBC World Service as a current affairs producer in 1981. From 1982-4, he worked at ITV on TV-am, returning to BBC News in 1984. He joined Newsnight as an editor in January 1986. In August 1988, he became deputy editor of the Nine O’Clock News, becoming editor in 1990. In 1994, he became Editor of Television News Programmes, then Head of (what became) Current Affai
Is ITV in Trouble? - Jim Godfrey
Jim Godfrey, ITV’s director of corporate affairs, is leaving in March after three years to set up his own PR agency. Godfrey, a former Labour special adviser, said he intended to specialise in political campaigns and branding with his new company, which will have ITV as its first client when it launches in July. He is a former special adviser to Patricia Hewlett when she was the trade and industry secretary. Before that he was director of communications for leading think-tank, the Institute fo
17.812J Collective Choice I (MIT)
This is an applied theory course covering topics in the political economy of democratic countries. This course examines political institutions from a rational choice perspective. The now burgeoning rational choice literature on legislatures, bureaucracies, courts, and elections constitutes the chief focus. Some focus will be placed on institutions from a comparative and/or international perspective.
Why all Governments Need Spin - Nicholas Jones
Nicholas Jones was for many years BBC political correspondent. His books include Sultans of Spin, The Control Freaks, Soundbites and Spin Doctors and Trading Information. He has been involved in the world of politics for more than 30 years as a journalist, most prominently as the BBC’s political correspondent and in uniquely qualified to talk about how politicians can manipulate the media.
In this Coventry Conversation, Nicholas discusses why spin is central to all governments, both Tory and
Is there a Crisis in World Journalism? Dr Suzanne Franks
Suzanne Franks is Director of Research at Kent University’s Centre for Journalism. At the start of her journalism career she worked with the BBC as a researcher on documentaries and then joined the Television Current Affairs department, producing programmes such as Newsnight, Watchdog, The Money Programme and Panorama. In the 1990s she started an independent production company, Sevenday Productions, which was awarded the first outside contract for the televising of Parliament. She was based in
The Election in Numbers - Roger Mortimer, MORI
Dr Roger Mortimore is Director of Political Analysis at Ipsos MORI. He was co-editor of the last two Political Communications studies of British general elections, and co-author of a number of other books on British elections.
Here he discusses statistics and polls undertaken throughout this years general election, including how the exit poll managed to predict the result so accurately. To see the slides from this presentation visit http://cutoday.wordpress.com/2010/05/14/election-results-just-
