The Difference Between Formal and Informal Imperialism
With the course of history, some nations have grown strong; others have grown weak. And, in a social Darwinian sense, the “fittest” nations have survived and consumed the others. But that domination never lasts forever. As history shows, every empire eventually falls. Like dogs, they grow old, become weak, and then die.
A Very Small Price
Today, some people seem to have borderline sympathy for Hitler, seeing him as a deliverer to the German people following the impossibly high reparations imposed on them post-WWI. However, sympathy for the German people can become seriously misplaced when it evolves into sympathy for Hitler and his policies. After all, there is a tremendous difference…
Lenin, the Bolshevik Revolution, and the Soviet Union
Discontent was growing in Russia, and poverty and the Tsar’s incompetence only worsened the issue. A parliament, the Duma, was established in 1905 to Westernize Russia and make it more democratic. Still, Tsar Nicholas II held absolute de facto control over the Russian government. The heavy cost of WW1 continued to mount pressures domestically as…
Woodrow Wilson and WW1 Bias
With WW1 raging across Europe, the United States claimed neutrality, but the Wilson administration was far from neutral. Throughout the war, the U.S. (justly) demonized Germany for breaking international law but ignored Great Britain’s violations. This double standard continued beyond just the battlefield and onto the negotiating table. In an effort to weaken the German…
The Coming of WW1
On the eve of WW1, the European balance of power was changing. It was no longer the era immediately after the Congress of Vienna in 1815, and the same men who controlled foreign affairs in the post-Napoleonic world were a dying breed. The spreading nationalism of the Romantic period took hold of European powers, causing…
Modernism: Creation Through the Eyes of Apostate Men
Modernism is best understood through comparison with its two predecessors, Romanticism and Neoclassicism. The Neoclassical era began in the 18th century and emphasized the importance of the Greco-Roman ideals of logic and order, combined with the proper decorum of Europe and the Renaissance’s idea of effortlessness, i.e., sprezzatura. But by the 19th century, the Neoclassical…
The German Kulturkampf
In short, the German Kulturkamp of the 1870s was a cultural schism between the Catholic Church and the State within the Prussian-dominated territories in Western Europe. With the rise of nationalism and imperialism across the West, nations looked skeptically towards foreign influences. To Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, arguably the most powerful man in Prussia, the…
German Unification
If anything, it was the idea of personal superiority that consumed Prussian thought during the late-19th century, and Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898) was the foremost follower of Prussian nationalism. Throughout his political career, all of his actions seemed to stem from a universal hatred of all things Austrian and a personal belief that Prussia stood…
Italian Unification
Italian Unification With a revolutionary fervor spreading across Western Europe in 1848, the Italian states found themselves in a precarious situation. All of the Western powers had hoped to retain centralized control around the monarchies through the Congress of Vienna, but the West’s impassioned voices could not be silenced. During this period, Guiseppe Mazzini gained…
Shattering Marxism
If the capitalist West wishes to vanquish any legacy of Karl Marx, it must attack the foundation he built on. If his underlying assumptions are thwarted, the entire socialist dogma will crumble. But that will only happen if socialism is recognized as not only impractical but also deeply immoral and if its foundation is shattered.
Marxism as Anti-Christian
[Author’s note: Originally, these Marxist essays were written as one long essay. However, my research went into far more depth than I anticipated, resulting in an essay far longer than I planned. Because the section on Christianity became so long and deviated somewhat from my original thought, I broke it off into its own essay.]…
The Revolutions of 1848
France With the dawn of Louis Philippe’s reign, France would go on to experience economic prosperity unseen since the days before the French Revolution. However, the citizens were still fervently waiting for governmental reform, and the revolutionary spirit still gripped the nation tightly. While Louis Philippe’s moderate rule may have appeased Americans, the revolution-struck French…
The July Revolution of 1830
With the death of his reigning brother, Charles X was crowned the king of France in 1824. However, his reign would hardly prevent further revolutions as the delegates in Vienna expected. By 1830, the popularly elected Chamber of Deputies passed a verdict of no confidence in the King.
Neoclassical and Romantic Eras
Asher K. Sisneros Thomas E. Woods, Jr. Western Civilization Since 1493 December 23, 2024 The Neoclassical and Romantic eras were two distinct, contrasting artistic periods that covered literature, poetry, music, and architecture. “Noble simplicity” encapsulates the attitude of the Neoclassical era. Rather than embrace the grandeur of the Baroque period, the Neoclassics sought to beautify…
What is Classical Liberalism?
What is classical liberalism? Although associated with laissez-faire economics and skepticism towards government-run welfare programs, that is not the historic classical liberalism of Benjamin Constant and Frederic Bastiat. True, classical liberals believe in the free-market economy, disdain central banking, wish to limit taxes and governmental regulations, and advocate for peace and free trade over imperialism…
Rebels and Humanists
There are men among the ranks of the revolutionaries who style themselves as the “sons of Liberty,” fighting for the rights of all Englishmen. Yet liberty from the King is slavery to Congress. Thus I ask the reader, which master will be less tyrannical: the king who sits across an ocean or the mob who…
The Source of Western Prosperity
Asher K. Sisneros Thomas E. Woods, Jr. Western Civilization From 1493 November 26, 2024 Western civilization experienced a unique level of prosperity compared to the rest of the world, and the Industrial Revolution only widened the gap. Asia took longer to match the West and only caught up through emulation. To this date, Africa has…
The Abolition of Slavery
Slavery existed as an institution for thousands of years, but the West made a miracle happen, and one of the world’s oldest institutions was crumbled. But this was only possible because of a change in ideology.
The Industrial Revolution
A. K. Sisneros Prof. Thomas E. Woods Jr. Western Civilization Since 1493 November 19, 2024 The Industrial Revolution was a momentous period of innovation through the 19th century. Manufacturing processes were refined, and mechanical innovations made harvesting raw materials more efficient. Throughout recorded history, innovation has been linear and incredibly slow. But the Industrial Revolution…
The Sin of the French Revolution
Asher K. Sisneros Prof. Thomas E. Woods, Jr. Western Civilization Since 1493 November 11, 2024 After the success of the American Revolution, a movement erupted in France to rebuild society and create a new social order. The French Revolution was a radical movement, largely inspired by the Enlightenment. The revolutionaries in France fancied themselves as…
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