Done for A Level History
When Gorbachev came to power in 1985, he did so without a radical agenda. He recognised the need for economic reform but believed that they should be done within the existing system. This system was a failing one which had not improved since Stalin’s time and thus it can be argued that Gorbachev’s insistence to work in the confines of the existing structure was a factor in the breakup. He did, however, have much of the Central committee replaced with a younger generation. While this would allow young minds with fresh ideas, they were often inexperienced. Furthermore, even after the start of acceleration, Gorbachev continued to work within the traditional framework even though it was evident that it was not working and the economy was still failing; the Soviet budget deficit soared from 3 per cent of national income in 1985 to 14 per cent of national income by 1989 and money was increasingly worthless. He had the Twelfth Five year plans targets set considerably higher than the previous plans and did so against advice. By the summer of 1990 it was clear that there was a major crisis in the economy. While Gorbachev allied with Yeltsin to set up a team of reforming economists headed by the Stanislav Shatalin, he refused to accept their plan. The Shatalin plan was designed to carry out the transformation of the economy to a market based structure in 500 days as it was becoming increasingly clear that a command economy didn’t work. Gorbachev, along with Ryzhkov, refused to accept it because it changed the system and instead sought an unsuccessful compromise. Although Gorbachev himself would later go on to say “the old system tumbled down before the new one could begin functioning” it can be argued that he was the reason the new system failed to function.
On the other hand, one must look at the other factors in the causes of the breakup. Kenez states that “the changes that he started were ultimately uncontrolled and resulted in disintegration.” This is true and can be seen through perestoika. Gorbachev was working from over optimistic analysis that the national income was growing at 3 per cent a year. This, however, is and inaccurate statistic. In reality, it was perhaps a third of that. One could argue that Gorbachev did not know any better as he was provided with incorrect figures and was not fully aware of the situation. Inaccurate figures were also provided about the plans targets which would make the command economy appear to work. However, Gorbachev’s unrealistic targets are likely the reason incorrect figures were given as they simply could not be met. Several others opposed Gorbachev’s policy of perestoika. Middle ranking bureaucrats were obstructing change as they were comfortable in their positions. Managers of enterprises continued to work as they had always done as they too were comfortable with the way things were. Military chiefs disliked the idea of disarmament as it would mean a reduction in the army and thus their own personal empire. The reluctance of so many people to conform to perestoika is certainly a factor in the breakup.
To say that Gorbachev’s reluctance to commit himself fully to radical reform caused the breakup of the USSR is valid to a degree. He himself tried a radical reform through perestoika and glasnost yet opposed minor reforms and the radical reform of the Shatalin plan. However, the opposition he faced is also a major factor as reform would need the help of everyone concerned and many simply refused to change. Futhermore, it can be argued that the state of the economy, which had not improved over the years, was on a continual decline that would have caused the breakup of the USSR regardless.
Sunday, 2 March 2014
Wednesday, 26 February 2014
Why were the police unable to catch Jack the Ripper?
I did this for my GCSE History. Grade: A
The murders of Jack the Ripper took place in Whitechapel in 1888. They were the most gruesome murders London had ever seen but still, the Ripper remained uncaught. The police were unable to catch Jack the Ripper due to the area of Whitechapel, the unreliable witnesses, the racial tension of Whitechapel, the modus operandi of the killer and the inadequate police force. Due to the poorly lit streets of Whitechapel, the Ripper was able to work without being seen. This caused problems for the police as witness statements could not be truly reliable as they could have been mistaken about what they saw. The racist tension also made it difficult for the police to catch Jack the Ripper as there was a lot of fighting between the Jews and the people of Whitechapel. This also made witness statements unreliable because one person could easily be blaming another out of spite. These are the main reasons the police were unable to catch Jack the ripper but I believe the most important reason was because of the area of Whitechapel.
In 1888, Whitechapel was a poorly lit and foggy area of London. Most alleyways and squares had no light at all. This would make the murders easy for the Ripper to commit as all of his victims were prostitutes who would take men into one of these dark alleyways. There were also many slaughterhouses in Whitechapel. This meant there were bloody streets and people could walk around covered in blood without catching anyone’s attention. This was one of the main problems for police while they were looking for Jack the Ripper. Racial tension was also common in Whitechapel as many Jews were living in the area at the time. This caused fights around Whitechapel as many of the residents didn’t want the Jews there. This caused even more problems for the police as this tension made witnesses unreliable. The public would commonly claim that Jack the Ripper was a Jew. The police then had to waste time investigating these allegations to see if there was any truth to them. However, the statement that Jack the Ripper was a Jew is unreliable as many people would make this claim to spite the Jews in the area. The cobbled streets also made it difficult for the police to catch Jack the Ripper as footsteps would have been easily heard. This meant that people walking down the street and the horse pulled carriages on the street created a lot of noise. This noise would have blocked out any screams the victims could have made.
The 1888 police force was another reason the Ripper was able to remain uncaught. The two police forces – the City of London police and the Metropolitan police – found it difficult to co-operate with one another. Both wanted the glory of catching Jack the Ripper. In order to do this, both police forces would keep vital information from each other and officers were ordered to keep any information to themselves until they could tell the police force they worked for. Due to this lack of co-operation, the Ripper managed to evade both the City of London police and the Metropolitan police. This wasn’t the only reason the police failed to catch Jack the Ripper. The dark and foggy alleyways and streets of Whitechapel made it difficult for the police to catch Jack the Ripper red handed. This was a problem because, before forensic evidence, the only way to prove someone committed the crime was to catch them in the act or get them to confess. The police were also bombarded with letters from people claiming to be Jack the Ripper and witness statements that may have been very unreliable. Not only this, there were many riots in Whitechapel due to the racial tension in the area. While dealing with the riots, police were not giving their full attention to the murders of Jack the Ripper. The police would also destroy valuable evidence. On the night of the double event, a message was found in Goulston Street near the site of the Eddowes murder. The message read “the juwes are the men that will not be blamed for nothing.” However, Sir Charles Warren ordered his men to wipe it off of the wall before it was seen by the public. This was a mistake as, properly recorded; this piece of evidence would have been a vital clue that could have lead to the capture of Jack the Ripper.
The modus operandi of the Ripper links back to the area of Whitechapel and the inadequate police force. It caused many problems for the police. This was because all of his victims were prostitutes and would take men into the dimly lit areas of Whitechapel. This meant that they were out of sight of the police. The Ripper would then strangle them until they were unconscious or dead preventing them from screaming. He worked quickly and at night making it difficult for the police to catch him red handed. Due to the darkness, witnesses who may have seen him cannot be trusted and due to the racial tension, the police were busy trying to control riots in the area. This meant the Ripper would have time to kill his victim and escape without being seen by nearby police. The Ripper would also lie his victims on the ground, stay at the right side of the body and reach over and cut their throats from the left. This meant the blood would flow away from him and he would remain unstained by the blood. Even if he had got blood on himself he could still walk down the street unnoticed. This was because of the many slaughterhouses in the area. Because of these slaughterhouses, it was common to see people walk down the street covered in blood. Therefore, even covered in blood, the Ripper would still blend in with the crowd.
In 1888, many Jews lived in the Whitechapel area. This caused a strong racial tension in the area which was made worse by the Ripper murders. Many Jews were wrongly accused of being Jack the Ripper in the hope of getting rid of them. This led to many witnesses claiming that Jack the Ripper was a Jew. This caused problems for the police as these accusations led to riots in the area. The press didn’t help the situation. They made it worse by claiming that Aaron Kosminski, a poor polish Jew, was identified as Jack the Ripper. This led to an uproar in the Jewish community and even more riots and fires happened in Whitechapel. This caused problems for the police because, as they were dealing with these riots and fires, Jack the Ripper had the perfect opportunity to move around Whitechapel without being noticed by police.
Witness statements surrounding the case ranged from being trustworthy to completely unreliable. Many of the witnesses gave statements in the hope of getting someone in particular arrested while others were more interested in the capture of the Ripper. Many witnesses were claiming Jack the Ripper was a Jew due to the unpopularity of the Jews and the racist tension that existed in Whitechapel at the time. Others couldn’t be trusted due to the dimly lit streets and police thought they could have been mistaken in what they saw. However, the police took peoples words and followed up some of the leads. Unfortunately many of these leads were false and wasted the time of the police. This meant that Jack the Ripper was free to kill while the police investigated. Many of the witnesses may have been acting to spite somebody and claiming that they were Jack the Ripper as revenge. Due to the unreliable witnesses, Jack the Ripper continued to evade the police.
I have written about the five main points of why the police were not able to capture Jack the Ripper. I believe the main reason was the area of Whitechapel itself. I think this because, although there was no forensic evidence in 1888, the police still did everything in their power the stop Jack the Ripper. Even though the unreliable witnesses, racial tension of Whitechapel, the modus operandi of Jack the Ripper and the lack of co-operation between the two police forces were a hindrance to the case, I still believe the main reason the Ripper avoided capture was due to the dark and dimly lit streets and alleyways of Whitechapel. These streets would have provided the perfect cover for the Ripper as he murdered his victims. This is why the police were unable to catch Jack the Ripper
Describe Law and Order in the late 19th century
I did this for my GCSE History. Grade: A
In the late 19th century many people were moving from the countryside to London in search of jobs. This meant that the population of London increased greatly and the number of crimes committed in London also rose. This meant that law and order in London had to change. At the beginning of the 19thcentury, order was kept by the Justices of Peace. This was an effective system. However, in 1829, the Metropolitan police were set up as the Justices of Peace had trouble keeping the peace due to the increase of people living in London. Punishments began to change during the late 19th century as public executions started to encourage crime and by the end of the 19th century a more modern system was introduced and criminals were sent to prison rather than executed.
During the late 19th century people began committing crimes such as pick pocketing and garrotting so that they had money to buy food. Because of the industrial revolution, many people had moved to London in search of jobs. However, there were not enough jobs for anyone and many people were left with nothing but petty theft as an option. Pickpockets also had greater opportunities to work as the streets became overcrowded. As well as pickpockets there were also garrotters. Garrotting is a more serious version of pick pocketing. A garrotter would half strangle his victim to death before robbing them. Some people chose garrotting to pick pocketing because the punishment was exactly the same and because there would be less chance of getting caught. The problem with having the same punishment for both crimes was that people would more likely chose the more serious crime as there was less chance of being caught. If the punishment for pick pocketing was less severe they may have committed an act of pick pocketing rather than garrotting.
Before the 19th century and during the beginning of the 19th century, law and order was kept by the Justices of Peace (J.P.s). The Justices of Peace were chosen by the king and they were helped by constables and watchmen. This system was effective but by the middle of the 19th century the population began to grow. Soon there were not enough people to keep law and order. The “Bow street runners” were set up to help. Whenever there was a serious problem, the army was called in to help. However, if the army was called in, things could easily get out of control. If the army couldn’t control the problem things would get violent and many people would be killed by the army. By the late 19thcentury the government realised that the system of law and order had to change.
Because of the rise in population the J.P.s couldn’t keep control of London anymore. Whenever the army was called in, things always got violent. This is why the Metropolitan police were set up in 1829. It was set up by Robert Peel who believed that the system in use at that time was inefficient. In the Metropolitan police there were 17 divisions each with 4 inspectors and 144 constables. The Metropolitan police were the first major reform of law enforcement in the 19th century and nothing like this had been tried before. The police officers were soon referred to as “bobbies” or “peelers” after Robert Peel. Their job was to roam the streets of London to keep them safe. The responsibilities of the Metropolitan police were to keep the peace in London and deal with any problems without the army being called in. As it got harder for the officers, departments were set up within the Metropolitan police to help keep the peace. In 1842, the detective department was created which was followed by the National Criminal record in 1869, the Criminal investigation department in 1877 and Special Branch in 1883. However, despite the departments within the Metropolitan police, the officers on duty still faced problems. The main problem was the fact that officers were only armed with a truncheon which left them open to vicious attacks from criminals. Many officers were forced to leave due to drunkenness and, because they were disliked, many officers suffered attacks from people. However, despite these problems, the Metropolitan police were effective at keeping law and order during the late 19th century.
Public executions in London started in 1783. Many people would gather round to see a criminal’s death. However, during the late 19th century, crowds of 200,000 gathered to witness the executions. This meant that executions were an ideal place for prostitutes, armed robbers and pickpockets. People also began to see executions as inhumane and they were stopped in 1868 as they no longer acted as a criminal deterrent. After public executions stopped people were imprisoned instead. People saw this as a more humane punishment because prison meant that criminals could be reformed. In 1854, Lord Shaftesbury established the Prisoners Aid society which aimed to lend support for prisoners upon their release. More improvements were made later in the 19th century. In 1877, the prisons act put all British prisons under the control of the Home Secretary, in 1898 and 1899, the use of the crank handle and treadmill was banned and by 1900 the “modern and humane” system of imprisonment had been established.
In this essay I have described law and order in the late 19th century. I have discussed the system of law and order before the 19th century, the formation of the Metropolitan police, the jobs they did, the growth of the Metropolitan police and the development of prisons in the 19th century. In conclusion, throughout the 19th century, law and order improved throughout London as public executions were stopped and more officers were put on the streets. The system of punishment also improved and by the end of the 19th century, London had established a new and more efficient form of law and order.
Why did the Whitechapel murders attract so much attention?
I wrote this for my GCSE History. Grade: A
The murders of Jack the Ripper happened at a time when only 10% of crime was violent and murder was quite rare. Serial killings were unheard of so the murders of Jack the Ripper had a lot of people interested. Jack the Ripper still attracts attention today just as much as he did in 1888. The main reasons the case attracted so much attention in 1888 was because of the press, the mystery, the improved communications, the fact that it was murder and the fact that the murders highlighted many of society’s faults. I believe that the most important reason the case attracted so much attention was because of the influence of the press.
In 1888, the newspapers played a large part in attracting attention to the Jack the Ripper case. This was because they used graphic descriptions that were not necessarily true and the papers used pictures to illustrate their point. Journalists also knew that Jack the Ripper murdered prostitutes. By printing the stories of the murders they believed that they would sell more newspapers using the popular notion that “sex sells.” The newspapers were not only an influence in London. Due to the industrial revolution, a new rail system was formed around the country. This meant that newspapers could travel around the country informing more people of the murders. Newspapers also added to the sense of fear surrounding the case. The fact that this was a murder terrified people because murder was not common and the police were unable to deal with anything as severe as this. Newspapers also added to the sense of mystery as they printed the letters the Ripper sent to the police. This showed the public that Jack the Ripper was toying with the police. This added to the panic in Whitechapel as this showed that Jack the Ripper was not scared of the police. There was also the influence of the Penny Dreadfuls, magazines designed for the working class people of London. They were cheap and easily obtained. Because they were illustrations rather than words, many illiterate people could follow the case of Jack the Ripper in these comics. However, the illustrations were greatly exaggerated and made people believe that the murders were a little more gruesome then they actually were. This added to the panic that was already on the street. Newspapers, while following the case of Jack the Ripper, highlighted many of society’s faults. This was because the murders revealed many things about the east end of London such as prostitution, alcoholism, poverty and racism. This attracted the attention of the upper classes of London who were intrigued by the way the lower classes lived. All of this shows how the press helped the Whitechapel murders attract so much attention.
Another reason the Whitechapel murders attracted so much attention was because of the mystery surrounding the case. There was so much mystery because nobody knew who the Ripper was and everybody had a different theory about his identity. The fact that his letters were published by the press also added to the sense of mystery as it showed that he was not afraid of toying with the police. Now everyone was wondering who he was. The Ripper also took trophies from his victims and still avoided capture by the police. The mystery was soon spread around the country thanks to the new railway network and wireless telegram that were produced during the industrial revolution. The railway network meant that people could travel around the country with newspapers and spread the word about Jack the Ripper. The mystery also helped highlight society’s faults such as the disliked police force that failed to catch the Ripper. The fact that the Ripper was a serial killer also added to the sense of mystery as murder was uncommon and serial killings were virtually unheard of. London had never seen anything like this before and hadn’t known what to expect.
The fact that the Jack the Ripper case involved murder attracted attention to the case. This was because they happened at a time when only 10% of crime was murder and London had never seen a serial killer like this before. This scared the people of London and put panic into the streets. The police had no idea how to handle something this serious and, because of this, Jack the Ripper managed to evade capture several times. This added to the mystery and the unprepared police force was highlighted in the newspapers as one of society’s faults. Because of the new rail system, the news of the murders swept north up the country and soon all of Britain was talking about the Ripper murders.
Prostitution, alcoholism, poverty, racism and riots were a common problem in Whitechapel. However, the upper classes of London were unaware of these problems until the Ripper murders brought them into the spotlight. Suddenly, the attention of the upper classes turned to the seedy environment of Whitechapel. This was because the upper classes thought that these problems didn’t exist and were immediately interested when they knew that they did. The faults of society were also brought to the attention of the whole country because of the press and new railway network. The police force was also considered to be a fault because they failed to catch Jack the Ripper. Because the case highlighted many of society’s faults, many people turned their attention to it.
In this essay, I have discussed all of the different reasons why the Whitechapel murders attracted so much attention in 1888. They attracted so much attention because of the mystery of the Ripper, because they highlighted so many of society’s faults, because they were the first serial killings seen in London and because of the improved communications. However, I still believe that the main reason the Whitechapel murders attracted so much attention was because of the press of Whitechapel. The press helped spread the mystery of Jack the Ripper around London and the whole country. The press emphasized the fact that they were the first serial killings London had seen and helped highlight the faults of society. This is why the Whitechapel murders attracted so much attention in 1888.
Jack the Ripper
I have been a Ripperologist for several years. Here are some of the books I've read that I feel are good reads :)
Jack the Ripper: Letters From Hell - Stewart P. Evans and Keith Skinner
The Ultimate Jack the Ripper Sourcebook - Stewart P. Evans and Keith Skinner - ISBN: 1-84119-225-2
Jack the Ripper: Scotland Yard Investigates - Stewart P. Evans and Donald Rumbelow - ISBN: 0-7509-4228-2
The Complete Jack the Ripper - Donald Rumbelow - ISBN: 0-140-17395-1
Jack the Ripper and the case for Scotland Yards prime suspect - Robert House- ISBN: 978-0-470-93899-7
Jack the Ripper: A Psychic Investigation - Pamela Ball - ISBN: 1-900032-13-9
Jack the Ripper: The Casebook - Richard Jones - ISBN: 978-0-233-00257-6
Jack the Ripper: the Final Solution - Stephen Knight - ISBN: 1-85051-014-8 *
Portrait of a Killer - Patricia Cornwell - ISBN: 0-316-72508-0 *
The Mammoth book of Jack the Ripper - Maxim Jakubowski and Nathan Braund - ISBN: 978-1-84529-712-1
The Complete History of Jack the Ripper - Philip Sugden - ISBN: 1-84119-397-6
Jack the Ripper Pitkin Guide - ISBN: 978-1-84165-131-6
*Please note that the theories put forth in Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution and Portrait of a Killer have been mostly discredited by Ripperologists. I have, however, listed them here as they are interesting reads.
Tuesday, 25 February 2014
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