The Dragon Enters the War :: essays research papers

The Dragon Enters the War In June 1950, a few months after the announcement of the Beijing-Moscow alliance, the Korean crisis erupted. Early in October, shortly after the South Korean troops crossed the 38th parallel, the CCP made a final decision to enter the Korean War to fight the American-led international forces. What precipitated Beijing's decision to invade Korea? What were the CCP's motives and objectives in taking part in the Korean conflict ? What kind of role did the newly established Sino-Soviet alliance play in Beijing's decision to cross the Yalu River? This paper tries to answer those questions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Chinese ideogram for crisis is a combination of the ideograms for danger and opportunity. To the leaders of the People’s Republic of China, the Korean War was both. As the UN forces advanced north toward the Yalu, Beijing prepared for war. Mao still found the decision to go to war a difficult one, however, despite the pressure to intervene. Following the Inchon landings, Kim Il Sung had dispatched two of his top aides to Beijing and asked Mao for emergency help, but the Chinese were not ready to make any firm commitment. Stalin, following the landings, also pleaded with the Chinese to go to the aid of the North Koreans. According to Chinese sources, the Soviet leader promised to provide air cover for the Chinese troops and to send Russian troops in the event the Chinese army faltered. Still, Mao hesitated. Most disturbing to Mao, if the Chinese armies intervened and were pushed back would Stalin really send troops as promised in order to save China? Als o of concern, if China became involved in a war with the United States, China’s dependence on Stalin would inevitably grow, an unsavory thought to Mao. Finally, all hope of conquering Taiwan would vanish indefinitely.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Despite his hesitance, step-by-step Mao moved closer to intervention. On October 1, Sdtalin telegraphed Mao and encouraged him to send â€Å"volunteer† Chinese soldiers into North Korea for the purpose of defending the area north of the 38th Parallel. On October 2, Mao directed the Chinese Politburo to pass a resolution to send these Chinese troops into North Korea, beginning on October 15. The same day, Mao cabled Stalin of China’s decision to send volunteers into Korea to â€Å"fight the United States and its lackey Syngman Rhee.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although Chinese preparations for war accelerated, Mao refused to give the green light, perhaps held back by the reservations expressed by some of the other members of the Politburo.

Assessment ‘Of mice and men’ Essay

Of mice and men is a novel by john Steinbeck about two migrant agricultural labourers George Milton and Lennie Small. At the outstart they are working at a ranch in northern California. The ranch is a microcosm of the macrocosm that was in America at that time in 1939. During this period of failed businesses, harsh poverty, and long-term unemployment, we see how people attempted to survive on the ranch. In this essay I am going to clarify how Steinbeck presents the theme of discrimination in chapter 3. Discrimination seems particularly unpleasant on the ranch because there are lonely, isolated characters, who looking are for friends and an escape from solitariness. In chapter 3 we see discrimination in the form of racism, ageism and sexism. The victims of discrimination in this novel are: Crooks, a black stable buck; Curley’s Wife, the farm owner’s neglected daughter-in-law; and Candy, an old, disabled housekeeper. Crooks, is terribly discriminated against because of his natural skin colour, which he has no choice to change it. â€Å"S’pose you couldn’t go into the bunk house and play rummy ’cause you was black† this illustrates that the migrants on the ranch discriminate against him by having him left out of the gang. Furthermore he lives in a little shack on his own. They don’t treat him equally; in fact it almost feels like as if they don’t see him as human being. They don’t care about his feelings and emotions; nevertheless this isolation has consequently affected his mental and physical well being. Crooks is not allowed to enter the Bunk house, whereas Candy’s dog can. Therefore clearly this shows that they treat animals better than him. Although the dog has someone that looks out for him, crooks has no one except his books. Despite him believing that â€Å"Books ain’t no good†. Crooks had a bright childhood where he could play with white children and socialise with them, but this discrimination against him has affected him deeply. He never accepted this way of life unlike other slaves of his time, â€Å"I got a right to have a light† this shows that he is aware of his rights, even when he is having a simple conversation with mentally ill Lennie, who has no idea about rights not even his. Evidently this discrimination made crooks desperate for a companionship, â€Å"A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody† this demonstrates that crooks has gone to the point where he is dying for a shoulder to cry on, even Lennie with a childlike brain. â€Å"Don’t make no difference who the guy is, long’s he’s with you†, This implies that he doesn’t care if the friend is white or black, furthermore it shows that crooks is not racist. He plays horseshoes all day as an attempt to be liked and be accepted for what he is. Similarly Candy is discriminated against because of his age. As they know that he hasn’t got the physical strength to defend himself or his dog, they take advantage of him and forced him to allow his only friend to be killed. Steinbeck used this to clarify that within the society the powerful ones rule the helpless and no matter what we do there will always be evil around us. â€Å"Why’n’t you get candy to shoot his dog†. This makes candy think that this could be the prospect for him when he gets useless. It drove him to the desperation point of putting his life saving into the hands of complete strangers wanting to escape from the same ending as his beloved dog. The men on the ranch describe the dog as a â€Å"stinking hound† and an â€Å"old bastard†. Candy feels dejected as he says â€Å"I wish somebody would shoot me when I become useless†. He feels left out and not respected because of his age as they killed his only friend, he feels that he doesn’t wish to live without his precious dog anymore. Candy, a lost old man, he’s missing a hand and his most reliable and trust worthy companion. â€Å"i lost my hand my hand right here on this ranch, that’s why they gave me a job swampin'† this worries candy that he will get fired soon because if he can no longer work he will be dispensable. Steinbeck used this character because the older generation would relate to him. Curley’s wife is the only women on the ranch. Everybody makes fun of her; they don’t talk to her as a friend because she’s a woman. â€Å"Aint I got a right to talk to nobody? Whatta they think I am anyways?†.This quotation shows that she is quarantined from the other migrants just like crooks and candy they are all isolated characters. The men on the ranch don’t give a chance to get to know her personally, they just labelled her a â€Å"trouble maker†, and being Curley’s wife doesn’t do her any favour. As we never hear her real name in the book it shows how belittled she is, she is seen as a property of Curley’s. Steinbeck did this because back in those days men were dominant and women were just seen as house wives. The men on the ranch act on their prejudice calling her nasty names such as a â€Å"rattrap†, â€Å"jailbait†, and â€Å"tart†. Due to this she feels alone and discriminated against, because she is only seeking for attention to make friends, she’s is not what they describe to be. Curley’s wife is desperate for a companion just like candy and Crooks; she wants someone to listen to her because Curley is never around, he never gives her the attention she needs, â€Å"I don’t like Curley, he ain’t a nice fella†, clearly shows that she isn’t happy, she feels trapped and lonely. Due to this she wonders around the ranch looking something to do, someone to talk to. Overall in conclusion Steinbeck carefully used these types of characters, because they each represent different society at that time of the book. Racism was very high and discrimination against women and the elderly were very common. I think the novel has relevance in our culture; it portrays the issues of discrimination and racism. I think Steinbeck wrote this book to show the world that within our society we have a disgusting habit of making other feel down.

Avro Lancaster Bomber in World War II

The Avro Lancaster was a heavy bomber flown by the Royal Air Force during World War II. An evolution of the earlier and smaller Avro Manchester, the Lancaster became one of the backbones the RAFs nighttime bombing offensive against Germany. Possessing a large bomb bay, the aircraft proved capable of carrying a variety of exceptionally heavy weapons including Grand Slam and Tallboy bombs. The Lancaster was also adapted for special missions such as the Dambuster Raid (Operation Chastise) in 1943. During the course of the war, over 7,000 Lancaster were built with approximately 44%lost to enemy action. Design and Development The Lancaster originated with the design of the earlier Avro Manchester. Responding to Air Ministry Specification P.13/36 which called for a medium bomber capable of being used in all environments, Avro created the twin-engine Manchester in the late 1930s. Similar in appearance to its later cousin, the Manchester utilized the new Roll-Royce Vulture engine. First flying in July 1939, the type showed promise, but the Vulture engines proved highly unreliable. As a result only 200 Manchesters were built and these were withdrawn from service by 1942. As the Manchester program was struggling, Avros chief designer, Roy Chadwick, began work on an improved, four-engine version of the aircraft. Dubbed the Avro Type 683 Manchester III, Chadwicks new design utilized the more reliable Rolls-Royce Merlin engine and a larger wing. Renamed Lancaster, development progressed quickly as the Royal Air Force was engaged in World War II. The Lancaster was similar to its predecessor in that it was a mid-wing cantilever monoplane, featured a greenhouse-style canopy, turret nose, and a twin tail configuration. Built of all-metal construction, the Lancaster required a crew of seven: pilot, flight engineer, bombardier, radio operator, navigator, and two gunners. For protection, the Lancaster carried eight.30 cal. machine guns mounted in three turrets (nose, dorsal, and tail). Early models also featured a ventral turret but these were removed as they were difficult to site. Featuring a massive 33 ft.-long bomb bay, the Lancaster was capable carrying a load of up to 14,000 lbs. As work progressed, the prototype was assembled at Manchesters Ringway Airport. Production On January 9, 1941, it first took to the air with test pilot H.A. Bill Thorn at the controls. From the start it proved to be a well-designed aircraft and few changes were needed before moving into production. Accepted by the RAF, remaining Manchester orders were switched to the new Lancaster. A total of 7,377 Lancasters of all types were built during its production run. While the majority was built at Avros Chadderton plant, Lancasters were also built under contract by Metropolitan-Vickers, Armstrong-Whitworth, Austin Motor Company, and Vickers-Armstrong. The type was also built in Canada by Victory Aircraft. Avro Lancaster GeneralLength: 69 ft. 5 in. Wingspan: 102 ft. Height: 19 ft. 7 in. Wing Area: 1,300 sq. ft. Empty Weight: 36,828 lbs. Loaded Weight: 63,000 lbs. Crew: 7PerformanceEngines: 4 Ãâ€" Rolls-Royce Merlin XX V12 engines, 1,280 hp each Range: 3,000 miles Max Speed: 280 mph Ceiling: 23,500 ft. ArmamentGuns: 8 Ãâ€" .30 in (7.7 mm) machine guns Bombs: 14,000 lbs. depending on range, 1 x 22,000-lb. Grand Slam bomb Operational History First seeing service with No. 44 Squadron RAF in early 1942, the Lancaster quickly became one of Bomber Commands principal heavy bombers. Along with the Handley Page Halifax, the Lancaster carried the load of the British nighttime bomber offensive against Germany. Through the course of the war, Lancasters flew 156,000 sorties and dropped 681,638 tons of bombs. These missions were a hazardous duty and 3,249 Lancasters were lost in action (44% of all built). As the conflict progressed, the Lancaster was modified several times to accommodate new types of bombs. Avro Lancaster B.Is of 44 Squadron. Public Domain Initially capable of carrying 4,000-lb. blockbuster or cookie bombs, the addition of bulged doors to the bomb bay allowed the Lancaster to drop 8,000- and later 12,000-lb. blockbusters. Additional modifications to the aircraft allowed them to carry the 12,000-lb. Tallboy and 22,000-lb. Grand Slam earthquake bombs which were used against hardened targets. Directed by Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Bomber Harris, Lancasters played a key role in Operation Gomorrah which destroyed large parts of Hamburg in 1943. The aircraft was also widely used in Harris area bombing campaign which flattened many German cities. Special Missions During the course of its career, the Lancaster also achieved fame for conducting special, daring missions over hostile territory. One such mission, Operation Chastise a.k.a. the Dambuster Raids, saw specially modified Lancasters use Barnes Wallis bouncing Upkeep bombs to destroy key dams in the Ruhr Valley. Flown in May 1943, the mission was a success and provided a boost to British morale. In the fall of 1944, Lancasters conducted multiple strikes against the German battleship Tirpitz, first damaging and then sinking it. The destruction of the ship removed a key threat to Allied shipping. Upkeep bomb mounted on a Avro Lancaster. Public Domain Later Service In the final days of the war, the Lancaster conducted humanitarian missions over the Netherlands as part of Operation Manna. These flights saw the aircraft drop food and supplies to that nations starving population. With the end of the war in Europe in May 1945, many Lancasters were slated for transfer to the Pacific for operations against Japan. Intended to operate from bases in Okinawa, the Lancasters proved unnecessary following Japans surrender in September. Retained by the RAF after the war, Lancasters were also transferred to France and Argentina. Other Lancasters were converted into civilian aircraft. Lancasters remained in use by the French, largely in maritime search/rescue roles, until the mid-1960s. The Lancaster also spawned several derivatives including the Avro Lincoln. An enlarged Lancaster, the Lincoln arrived too late to see service during World War II. Other types to come from the Lancaster included the Avro York transport and the Avro Shackleton maritime patrol/airborne early warning aircraft.