The White Man's Burden

For the response paper, do you think that Kipling's idea of the overall situation was accurate, or could there have been a few over exaggerations?

Having the Right Reaction

Today in the documentary, there was a huge section on the Rebellion of Indians after the use of animal fat in their gun cartridges.  First, do you think that the use of the animal fat was the only thing that really drove away the Indians, or could there have been another overlooked problem.  Who do you think had the right to react the way they did, The Indians, or the British?  Third, is the reaction of either side necessary, what other ways could they have reacted?

Rise of the West

Now that we have learned a lot about the possible causes of the rise of the west, what do you think was truly the distinguishing factor that allowed Europe to conquer most of the world? Was it by accident or chance, or were there certain European values/innovations that made the "rise of the west" inevitable? For example, China had the largest navy in the world during the Ming Dynasty, but they stopped their voyages because they really weren't interested in conquering. Europeans colonized nations before they even knew what resources they could find there. In other words, do you think there were truly different European values/innovations that made Europe able to conquer the world, or could other cultures have spread their influence had they been granted the same luck as Europeans?

China Accomplishments vs. Europe's Industrialization

Based upon notes from the other day about the world systems theory, do you guys think that, overall, Europe's industrialization was better/more advanced than China's several accomplishments thus far (such as the Ming Voyages, capitalism, the planning for famine, or their stable government), or do you believe that China has always been "ahead" of Europe and its successes?

Europe's Colonization

Are you all okay with Europe brutally conquering, colonizing, and converting the Americas, Africa, and all those other places we talked about? Do you think that even though it was rough at the time, it all worked out for the better, or do you think it is inexcusable and everyone would have been better off if they hadn't done it? Also consider their conduct and attitude overall, especially after reading what they did to India in our homework for Monday.

Capitalism: Good or Bad?

This is kind of a broad question, but overall, do you guys think that capitalism is good/beneficial for the world, or do you agree with Marx's view of capitalism (a system that is not necessarily good for the people, but great for the economy, and a system where the equality is replaced with a strict hierarchy of constant oppression between the classes)?

"Invisible Hand"

After our reading in class and for homework, I noticed some similarities between Smith's and Marx's ideas of 'greater than us' forces at work and was wondering if you guys felt the same way.  They both believe in the power of peoples' self-interest as a moderator.  Do you think this is accurate? Do you think that it will regulate both the present day (economy) and the past (class struggle, people want the best)?

Debate Continued...

Since during the Jane Eyre debate Mrs. Stuart chose our sides for us, I am going to continue this debate on the blog, where you can choose whatever you believe is true.  So again I ask, do you think that the novel Jane Eyre can be considered rebellious?  Why or why not?