American history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

American history - Essay Example The temperance movement was a culmination of growing religious and moral sentiments in the North. The main goal of the temperance movement according to Blocker, Tyrrell and Fahey was â€Å"to define and control alcohol consumption† (40). During the colonial era drinking was socially acceptable but in the nineteenth century it was found to be no longer respectable as it viewed as the cause of social evils. Alcoholism was often associated with evils such as domestic violence, poverty, crime, prostitution and poor health and as such needed to be regulated. The aim was not to ban drinking and eliminate the production of alcohol but to moderate its use as it was affecting the economic development. Later in the nineteenth century, the movement advocated for abstinence from drinking alcoholic beverages and this goal was achieved in 1920 when â€Å"manufacture, sale and transport of alcoholic beverages in the US and its possessions† was prohibited nationwide through the eightee nth Amendment to the US constitution (Blocker et al. 42). The first national organization responsible for temperance efforts was the American Temperance Society (ATS) founded in 1826. Women also played a great role in pushing for temperance reforms as they had moral influence. They did this through Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) formed in 1874. Another organization that played crucial role in pushing for legislative agenda was the Anti-Saloon League of America (ASLA). It saw the passing of eighteenth Amendment although it was repealed in 1833. The Educational Reform movement was also prominent during this period. Education was viewed as the cause and solution of many problems in the society hence it was geared to solving current problems of each epoch. Reformers like John Dewey believed that the society could only be reformed through education reforms (Horn 42). According to Berube (99) and Horn (41-55) there were

Economic, political and technological factors that have turned China Assignment

Economic, political and technological factors that have turned China into a fast emerging economy - Assignment Example The rapid economic development has been made possible by large foreign direct investments, rise in productivity, political reforms and technological advancements (Lampton, 2008). Owing to these transformations, there has been a sharp rise in China’s economic growth, where national poverty figures moved from being more than 65 % to below 10 % within three decades, wherein nearly 500 million people were removed from below poverty level and the country managed to meet a majority of their Millennium Development Goals (World Bank, 2012, p. 4). While rate of growth varied across the country, the growth was sharp in almost all parts and the 31 provinces that came under mainland China (if considered to be independent economies) were seen as a part of the world’s 32 most rapidly growing economies (World Bank, 2012, p.4). Owing to the sharp economic growth, currently â€Å"2 of the world’s top 10 banks are now Chinese; 261 Chinese companies are on the Global Fortune 500 l ist; and China is home to the world’s second-largest highway network, the world’s 3 longest sea bridges, and 6 of the world’s 10 largest container ports. The country has also made large strides in health, education, science, and technology† (World Bank, 2012, p.4). Various factors lie behind China’s strong socio-economic growth, which includes various economic, political and technological factors. ... Rapid economic growth is evinced by a country’s economic figures, such as trade volumes, foreign reserves, higher gross domestic product (GDP), and GDP per capita. Thus, a fast emerging economic growth translates into increasing financial gains for foreign investors that in turn brings in more foreign investment into a country, which supports rapid economic growth. In order to attract more foreign investors, countries aim at framing effective macroeconomic policies that are open to global trade. Emerging Market Economies tend to be more open to global trade with business models that are export oriented, and these models later serve to variegate the products and services exported by the country. Economic experts contend that diversification and integration of national economy into the global economy help in decreasing after-effects of sharp fluctuations within global prices or economic crises, thus bringing stability for the country that in turn attracts more foreign investors (Williams, 2011). In the context of framing sound macroeconomic policies that influence wider aspects of a country’s economy, it can be suggested that effective policies help in stabilizing cash flows, which keep foreign investments safe. Sound macroeconomic policies include liberalisation of national banks, privatisation of public enterprises, and opening up of stock markets in order to give easy accessed to foreign investors, decrease in external debt and framing sound monetary and fiscal policies. Since the start of economic reforms during late 1970s, China has slowly turned into one of the fastest-emerging economies of the world. A look at China’s economy reveals that starting from