There is nothing new under the sun

There is nothing new under the sun How far do you agree with this statement? Has mankind learned from history or do governments, businesses and individuals go on making the same political, economic and social misjudgments through the ages?
Description of assignment

Essay title: There is Nothing New Under the Sun

In the Book of Ecclesiastes King Solomon writes There is nothing new under the sun How far do you agree with this statement? Has mankind learned from history or do governments, businesses and individuals go on making the same political, economic and social misjudgments through the ages?

In support of your argument, your assignment should provide examples from three different periods of history and there should be a clear theme political systems, business failures, social problems etc. This will enable you to maintain focus and build a cohesive argument.

Additional guidance on subject selection and essay structure will be provided during the teaching sessions and students are invited to submit a short outline of their ideas via e-mail to the tutor prior to commencement.

Special care should be paid to in-text referencing. Harvard-style citations must be provided for anything which is not your own words or opinion.

c) Format and timing:

3000 words (not including cover page, contents page. bibliography and appendix

TOPICS SESSION BY SESSION
The Origins of Trade

Starting with the Caveman. How and why we trade, the principle of Comparative Advantage applied to individuals and nations.
Out of the Dark Ages

Ancient trading empires, seigneurialism, feudalism, the move to money, the Black Death.
The Industrial Revolution

The importance of transport, Adam Smith, steam power, Watt & Brunel, the growth of railways.
Trade Unions & Social Conscience

Slums & workhouses, child labour, votes for women, collective bargaining, dockers & miners.
The Rise of Imperialism

Motives for growth, South Sea Bubble, slavery, the convict system, American War of Independence, the scramble for Africa, the Victorian Age.

The First World War

Background & causes, the role of industry, sea power, enter the Americans, the human cost, social changes and the status of women.

The Second World War

The Great Depression, rise of Fascism, the ‘Final Solution’, technology and the war in the air, Pearl Harbour, Hiroshima, Yalta & the Cold War.

Command & Demand Economies

Mercantilism, Physiocracy, Marginal Utility, Marxism, Keynesian economics, Monetarism. What works today and why!
Privatisation & ‘Big Bang’

Thatcherism, Reaganomics, ‘Black Monday’, Major, Clinton & Blair, Gorbachev & Yeltsin, White Collar Crime.
Money, Money, Money#1

From Cows as Currency to the emergence of modern banking, we look at the role of money in meeting the trading needs of nations.

Money, Money, Money#2

Bringing the picture up to date with further evidence of the role of money in lubricating the wheels of power.
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