The Role of Germany in European Affairs between 1862 and 1900 Essay

The Role of Germany in European Affairs between 1862 and 1900 - Essay Example The destabilization in Europe took place mainly because of the several conflicts between the neighboring European countries. The Franco Prussian War which began in 1970 and ended the following year is very significant when it comes to analyzing the role of Germany in European affairs between 1862 and 1900. The Prussians wanted to suppress the weaker states and wanted a new German state. Chancellor Otto von Bismarck spearheaded three really important wars, Denmark, Austria were comprehensively defeated by the Prussians in 1864. The big moment for the Prussians came in the year 1871 when they managed to defeat France. The Prussians were so powerful that the French army just could not contain them; the French were defeated and not only defeated but also humiliated. This was how a unified Germany came into being. Germany would not have been the same had the Prussians not attacked Austria, Denmark and France in 1864 and 1871 respectively. Otto von Bismarck once very famously said â€Å"T he great questions of the day will not be settled by means of speeches and majority decisions but by iron and blood.† (Otto von Bismarck)   The unification of Germany was complete; Austria was not included in the unification. The French were comprehensively beaten and this called for revenge. The French were desperate to avenge their defeat. France had also lost territory during war and they were also made to pay a whopping compensation by the Prussians. The revanche movement kicked started in France, it was a political movement with an agenda of putting the newly unified country in its place. Ogden Nash once said â€Å"Now, anybody whom a  German  hates, He presently exterminates, But he who exterminates a French Is never safe from Gallic revenge, But he who gets even with a  German  Is obliterated like a vermin† (German Quotes) Germany wanted to further strengthen itself and in an endeavor to do so it started locking horns with established colonial powers. G ermany and Britain were at loggerheads in the year 1896. German Kaiser ridiculed the Jameson Raid and the same offended the British beyond the wildest of one’s imagination. A telegram was sent by Germany which was somehow intercepted by the British media and this caused wild uproar in Britain. The British took to the streets to protest against the German authorities who wrote the telegram. Weltpolitik was one of Germany’s policies; even this policy was largely responsible for creating a huge drift between the Germans and the British. Robert MacDonald once very famously said â€Å"One  German  makes a philosopher, two a public meeting, three a war.† (German Quotes) The first naval law by Germany was passed by Admiral von Tirpitz, he wanted Germany to have a really strong Navy. â€Å"The son of a civil servant, Tirpitz signed up with the Prussian Navy in 1865 as a midshipman, attending the Kiel Naval School; he subsequently received his commission in 1869.   Tirpitz went on to serve as commander of a torpedo flotilla and subsequently inspector general of the torpedo fleet, during which time he developed a keen interest in the potentialities of submarines in wartime.† (First World War) There were 17 naval ships built by Germany in seven years, these developments made caused panic and shockwaves in Britain. Britain knew that it had to do something to combat

The identities shaped by online games -- World of Warcraft Dissertation

The identities shaped by online games -- World of Warcraft - Dissertation Example The emergence of online identities is not a completely new concept. People have been creating public identities with the purpose of achieving goals throughout human existence (Wallen 1998, p. 52). However, the nature of the online persona is somewhat unique in that it is done with the intention of representing an ‘otherness’ through character and skills that would not be possible in the real world. Exploring the nature of this creation provides for a greater understanding of the concept of identity. Watslawik and Born (2007, p. 2) state that â€Å"ego psychoanalytical theory places the individual within a more or less nurturing social context, as contrast with the more confrontive view of classical theory wherein the individual is seen more as contesting society†. The nature of human interaction, according to Erikson’s theory, is in finding communities in which nurture is the primary benefit. While an individual seeks a community in which shared values and beliefs are experienced, or in the case of game play, shared goals, eventually it is the sense of nurture that is built that will provide the attraction to a community (Watslawik and Born 2007). The following literature review will focus on the identity as it is positioned in an online environment as a created and semi-controlled entity. This will be discussed through the created and controlled aspect, as well as how that control is not complete as the social dynamic and the real life characteristics begin to come through to the online identity. Avatar as it Becomes Part of the Community Individual and the Avatar The nature of identity is the result of a tension between conformity and individuality. In seeking to find an identity, the individual must find a position between these two oppositional forces in order to find both acceptance and individuation. This phenomenon creates an internal conflict within which the individual seeks to find a sense of self and the acceptance of self by the community (Jackson 1984, p. 203). Through following group norms, the individual seeks to find positive interaction within the context of group identification and personal differentiation. The sense of self is defined through social identities that are evolved through group behaviours and attitudes, with the individual identity evolving through perceptions and evaluations of social situations (Korostelina 2007, p. 36). Human existence has been framed through the formation of identity within the concept of race. According to Smedley (1998), the concept of race as an identifying factor has only emerged since the 17th century. Before that time culture and kinship were the ways in which people were grouped. Where in the past, occupation and city of origin identified an individual in a ethnic way, the idea of physical differences having the power to inform the identity is relatively new. In the game of World of Warcraft, actual species differences are developed in which race become s a very important aspect of the identity of the character (Hammer and Kellner 2009, p. 597). In choosing a race, the player makes the initial step towards creating an association within the game. However,