Soviet Union Demonstrated Stunning Industrial Growth
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During the Stalin years, the Soviet Union demonstrated stunning industrial growth. How was this achieved?
Russia under Stalin was a country that had just undergone extensive social and political change in an abrupt and intense manner, going from one extreme of governance – absolute monarchy - to another, communism. This violent shift in Russia’s societal infrastructure had created a major lack of movement and evolution in Russian industry, and Russia was lagging behind the rest of Europe in manners of trading, production and technology. Lenin had fostered a dream of having the entirety of Russia lit up by electricity and modern means of communication in ten years. However, this was not just a dream of an advanced society: Lenin was sure that without this lurch forward to meet and contend with the competition of other countries, they would not last, and this was echoed by Stalin when he came into power; “We are fifty of a hundred years behind the advanced countries. We must make good this lag in ten years. Either we accomplish this or we will be crushed.” After Lenin’s death, Stalin as the figurehead of communism and leadership in Russia now faced meet the promises of an untested system – a free, functioning Russia as spearhead of the communist movement.
In its first few years of communism, Russia had relatively achieved the goals that Lenin and his Bolsheviks had promised to the people; peace, land and bread. The people had their peace, and land was theirs, and there
Riseman’s analysis presents the other side of life in the Consumer Republic. At a societal level, the GDP was shooting up at record speed, massive public projects like the highway system improved American infrastructure, and American influence all around the world was rising. Yet to the individual citizen or family, the realities of an increasingly materialistic society brought new questions that often had disillusioning answers. Works such as the film “Rebel Without a Cause” and Arthur Miller’s
Chapter 1: The Invention of Writing
- From the early Paleolithic to the Neolithic period (35,000 BC to 4,000 BC),
early Africans and Europeans left paintings in caves, including the
Lascaux caves in Southern France.
- Early pictures were made for survival and for utilitarian and ritualistic
purposes.
- Petroglyphs are carved or scratched signs on rock.
- These images became symbols for what would be the first spokenlanguage.
- Cuneiform – Wedged shaped writing, created in 3000BC. Started
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FINANCIAL MARKETS AND INSTITUTIONS
A Strong Financial System Is Necessary for a Growing and Prosperous Economy
Financial managers and investors don’t operate in a vacuum—they make decisions within a large and complex financial environment. This environment includes financial markets and institutions, tax and regulatory policies, and the state of the economy. The environment both determines the available financial