John Lennon

"A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality." - John Lennon

John Lennon was born on October 9, 1940 in Liverpool, Merseyside, New England, UK, during a German air raid in World War II. As a child John Lennon was a prankster and he enjoyed getting in trouble. He enjoyed Drawing grotesque figures and cripples. John’s school master thought that he could go to art school because he had an artistic talent. Elvis Explosion into rock music brought great inspiration to John so he created the skiffle band called the “Quarry Men” named after his school. After forming the world wide recognized band “The Beatles” he wrote the groups following single, Please Please Me, inspired primarily by Rey Orbison.

After the group hit success and became internationally famous Lennon’s remark that, “We’re more popular than Jesus now” incited denunciation and The Beatles records bonfire in the U.S. Bible belt. After marrying two times, he moved to the U.S. with Yoko Ono, in September 1971, but he was constantly threatened with deportation by the Nixon administration. He was being kicked out of the country because of his 1968 marijuana conviction in Britain, but Lennon believed the true reason was his activism against the unpopular Vietnam War. He reveled this rebellious nature in his music, drawings, on films, and interviews. He separated from The Beatles in September 1969 and soon after stared a solo career.

In 1971, he followed up with “Imagine”, the most commercially successful and critical acclaimed of all John Lennon’s post- Beatles effort. In 1972, performed at Madison Square Garden to benefit mentally handicapped children and continued to promote peace while battling to stay in the U.S. The immigration battle also took a toll on John Lennon’s marriage and in fall of 1973, they separated. After a recession, he returned to the music business in 1980. He died at age 40 at Roosevelt Hospital on December 8, 1980 after receiving multiple gun shots in the back. His death affected millions of people worldwide.

John Lennon was one of the most successful people of all time. Till today his music still is influenced for people. He is a very admirable figure because of the many songs he wrote and how he struggled for peace. What made him stand out that fact that he became known for his revolutionary actions during The Vietnam War. 

John Lennon Video

 

Joan of Arc

"One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying." -Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc was born at Domre’my, France in ca. 1412. The particular change she did was to convinced and led the French army to fight the English and fortunately won a lot of battles and sieges. She had tremendous strength such as courage, loyalty and faith in God. The only weakness, she had was her being a female, which she was living in a male dominated culture. It was necessary for her to change the “Hundred Year’s War” and rebel against hierarchy. She made an exceptional thing of undoubtly nerved the French at a critical time and inspired an army.

It all started when Joan heard voices from the long-dead Christian saints. She listened and followed what the saints said. She was asked to pray daily and attend to church regularly.Suddenly she was instructed by the voices she heard to lead an army and drive off the English and Burgundians. Victories were on her side, winning every battle and sieges and manage to save the city of Orle’ans made her a true heroine of France. Until she got caught and held in prison. The trial was intense because the English were scared  that, the French might save her.The English continually questioned her about the voices she heard and her religious beliefs until they got frustrated and decided to sentence her death by burning her at the stake and she died. The authorities change their minds since there was a new pope and King Charles became powerful. They decide to investigate about her once again and believe that she was telling the true but they all know it was too late.

Her examples,shows us that God will choose among the people to help him achieve his goals for the good of the world and nation. Joan of Arc believed that God wanted to save her country from the English. Her future visions were to achieve the tasks given by God. She was the only person who heard the voices belonged from the saints. The voices became the source of her revelations.

Joan of Arc became a product of their environment, which her presence would give the French more enthusiasm to fight the English. She also became a product of their era which made her the national heroine of France and a Catholic saint. Being a martyr, she convince and believe in the French to fight alongside with her to save their nation from the English. Joan’s amazing trust to God with all her heart in achieving the tasks was her success, which cannot be explained. She was a peasant before the important juncture and never notice that she will become a martyr. The point of her decision was the voices from the saints who provided the strength of a spirited leader. She possessed a strong leadership which enables  to fight  forher people. Being popular and loved, made her a heroine because she saved her nation under the English. Joan of Arc ‘s struggles and sacrifices made her faith, stronger as she trust God with her heart, that made her a saint and heroine.

Joan of Arc Brief Video

 

William Wallace

"Every man dies. Not every man really lives." - William Wallace

William Wallace was born in 1272 in Elerslie, Renfrewshire, Scotland and died in August 23, 1305.  William Wallace lived in a fairly calm period of time in Scottish history. For generations, Scottish monarchs had ruled successfully, and now, in the 1270s, King Alexander III had dealt with the England's more powerful king, Edward I. In time though Scotland was effectively under English military occupation. William Wallace though is considered one of Scotland's greatest heroes, thanks to his opposition to English rule under Edward I in the 13th century. He was son of a minor Scottish lord, and was educated and rebellious. He became the leader of a small band and earned the reputation of being a friend to Scots who suffered at the hands of their English conquerors.

Wallace's support came from the lower classes and the lesser nobility, with few exceptions, the greater nobles were never enthusiastic, loyal, long-term allies. He was named an outlaw for killing an Englishman in 1292, and he fled for the hills and harassed English soldiers. In 1297 Wallace and his army drove the English from Scotland and then invaded northern England. In December of 1297 Wallace was elected Guardian of the Kingdom and began to rule Scotland. The Rising of 1297, led by Wallace, caused Edward I of England to send a special force against him. The first meeting of the two armies was at Stirling Bridge on September 11, and here Wallace gained a great victory. The English had superior numbers, but Wallace had a favorable position, a large measure of patience, and a sufficient talent for tactics to rout the impatient and poorly led enemy. Wallace followed up his triumph by moving swiftly to restore Scottish control over every fortress and castle in Scotland.

The victory at Stirling Bridge had made Wallace the liberator of Scotland. Riding the wave of success, Wallace carried the war into England. In this period he gained a noble title, and he styled himself "guardian of the realm of king John." Wallace's work was so devastating that Edward made truce in his war with France so as to be free to face the threat from the north. Edward moved quickly to force an open battle.

The battle of Falkirk July 22, 1298 is remembered in Scottish history as the occasion on which Scots fought valiantly but in defense of their independence against far greater numbers. The noble cavalry defected from Wallace's army without striking a single blow. The Scottish infantry withstood the onslaughts of English cavalry, but without horsemen Wallace was unable to carry the battle to the enemy. When Edward brought his archers into play, the Scots were doomed. With his army decimated, Wallace resigned his office as guardian of the realm and withdrew from the center of the political stage. Little was known of Wallace's career in the years between 1298 and 1303 except that he visited France and Rome in an unsuccessful search for help against Edward. On his return to Scotland, William Wallace became the object of relentless pursuit by Edward, and on Aug. 5, 1305, he was betrayed to the English by his one-time subordinate Sir John Menteith. He was transported to London, and was obliged to stand trial for acts of war and treason. Wallace was condemned and dragged by horses to the gallows, hanged, and disemboweled. His head was impaled on London Bridge and his quartered body was distributed for display at four castles in Scotland.

The way he was portrayed in history makes me wonder how the world would be like if there weren’t any changes or revolution. The world would be a place of no hope and wonder. In any case though we do have revolutionaries in different eras/times that make change. In other words the world can be seen as a human, a human makes mistakes but has opportunities to change. And by the looks of it it has been changing ever since the world started.

William Wallace Movie

 

Karl Marx

"The development of civilization and industry in general has always shown itself so active in the destruction of forests that everything that has been done for their conservation and production is completely insignificant in comparison." - Karl Marx

Karl Heinrich Marx was born in Trier, Germany and lived from May 5, 1818 – March 14, 1883. He was a German philosopher, political economist, political theorist, sociologist, and communist revolutionary. He lived in Germany for a while but then later lived in London for the rest of his life. Marx had a significant role in creating the modern communism and socialism because he believed that nations would be more stable and equal than capitalism. Marx believed that capitalism was just another way for the rich to become richer while the poor become poorer. With his knowledge and his political and ideological views, this became his strength which allowed him to spread the idea of communism and influence other nations. Throughout his life, he became recognized by people but there were haters as well.

            

 Karl Marx loved Hegel’s dialectical method and historical orientation, the political economy of Adam Smith and David Ricardo, and his own philosophies. He loved to influence people that capitalism is a corrupt economic system and that socialism and communism is a real movement that would bring economic change. He claimed that capitalism has a cycle, which is basically growth, collapse, and more growth. Although he was against capitalism, he did admit that capitalism was a revolutionary in its time in history.

His influences, his statues, his face on a German bill and his Marxist economic and political world view makes him an example to the world. For example, in Moscow, there is a statue of Marx and under it says, "Proletarians of all countries, unite!". Karl Marx believed in Marxism the theory in which class struggle is a central element in the analysis of social change in Western societies. He wanted to see the union of socialism in the world so that everyone can have the same economic class and not to compete with classes like capitalism.

             

Karl may not have been a product of his environment because he was an obscure figure in his own time. Critics and skeptics claimed that his theories were nonsense and would not make anything better. He was however a product of his era because his thoughts have made him write books and that many people have become Marxists. This has helped Western Europe to develop 6 major economic worldviews and see which one works the best. For example, China is a communist country.

             

Before Karl Marx became a philosopher on the economic and political views, he was studying philosophies and literature at the University of Bonn. He began to devote himself and has been working with a person named Engels and began to study the idea of materialism, capitalism, socialism, and communism. Karl Marx’s important success was writing his book, “The Communist Manifesto” which influences the idea of communism, the spread of communism and the threats of capitalism. Karl wanted a nation based on socialism or communism because he figured  that the idea of capitalism destroys the market which can later affect the whole economy throughout time. Karl Marx inspired many people including Lenin, Stalin, Trotsky, Mao, Castro, Chomsky, and others. In the end Karl Marx has become a philosophic icon due to his thoughts on the economic and social view, however society will always have different views on Marx’s ideas. As of today, there are not that many communist countries.

Marxist Economics

Adolf Hitler

"If today I stand here as a revolutionary, it is as a revolutionary against the Revolution."- Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler was born in Braunau, Austria on April 20^th, 1889. He was the son of Alois Hitler and Klara Hitler. Then he went to Germany and became a politician and the leader of the Nazi Party from 1920-1921. And he was chancellor from 1933-1945. After Germany’s defeat, Hitler took up political work in Munich in May-June 1919. As an army politician agent, he joined the small German Worker’s Party in Munich during September 1919.

Hitler started to change Germany, consolidating power, locking up “enemies” in camps, bending culture to his will, rebuilding the army and breaking the constraints of Treaty of Versailles. He tried to change the social fabric of Germany by encouraging women to breed more and by bringing in laws to secure racial purity, Jews were targeted. Hitler ordered the annexation of Austria and the Sudetenland in 1938. His army invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, causing France and England to declare war on Germany. In 1941, Hitler ignored a non-aggression pact he signed with the Soviet Union in August 1939. After the invasion of the Soviet Union in June, the United States entered the war. In then end, Hitler had lost the war so he killed himself on April 30, 1945.

Hitler loved his parents, his young sister, his wife, his mistress, and his half niece. He wanted to get rid of all the Jews because of their beliefs and because he felt that Jews were not as good as Germans. Hitler was a leader to an exceptional degree because of his knowledge and intellect, his rhetoric and his will power triumphed in the end in every spiritual conflict over everyone.

Hitler wrote a book that was titled MeinKamph, which means My Struggle. The book talked about Germany’s future and his plans to take over Europe. Hitler felt that he could take back the territories that Germany lost in World War 1 and he thought he could defeat Europe in World War 2. Hitler believed that Germany was the most powerful country in the world. He wanted to see Europe under Germany’s control in the future. 

Before all this occurred, Hitler was like us. He went to school and he had a bright academic future ahead of him. He was popular and was admired for his leadership qualities. His greatest success was the Holocaust because he was about to succeed by getting rid of all the Jews but he failed at the end. He wasn’t always popular and loved because after he did all these things he was the most hated person in the world. He is now known as the most evil man to ever live.

Hitler (Brief Summary)