Culture Behind the Curtain Essay - 2940 Words

Francis Fukuyama, in The Origins of Political Order, suggested that nation-states are mountain ranges. No sooner do they begin to rise, does erosion begin to immediately tear them down. It is a tragic paradox: as nation-states become more powerful they become more fragile, as beneath the formal structures of state bureaucracy there exist populations connected by informal relations and cultural constructions. If at any point these relations or constructions shift political order is lost. In the late 1980s the USSR was eroding: slow economic growth, broken living standards, corrupt political systems, lagging innovation, and shortages of consumer goods were a prominent reality. Communism was being quashed by the reality of costs associated†¦show more content†¦It was an essential feature of US strategy to advance understanding and appreciation of American cultural and political life. Accordingly, both the US Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 and the US-Soviet C ultural Exchange Agreement of 1958 encouraged the use of all prevailing communication media (radio broadcasts, print publications, educational exhibitions, film and cinematic productions, and cross-cultural exchange programs) to strengthen US-USSR relations through cultural infiltration. The aim was to allow both countries to learn about one another, and it was thought that allowing each nation to tell their own story, promote their achievements, and encourage study of their language would be mutually beneficial. For the US, such exchanges would produce an erudite pool of scholars specializing in matters of the USSR, and the Soviets, if all went as planned, would accumulate â€Å"a growing number of scholars who had seen the West, and who had recognized how far behind the Soviet Union was, that communism had failed them, and that the Soviet media were not telling them the truth.† The ultimate goal would be to convince the Soviet population to embrace and embody Western valu es. Between 1958 and 1988 more than 50,000 students,Show MoreRelatedCulture Behind the Curtain1317 Words   |  6 Pagestourists. This American culture, especially the scores of Jazz records and recordings, grew incredibly popular. Jazz orchestras sprung up across Moscow and the Soviet bloc, and these groups longed for the opportunity to play American scores in their own styles. Music became a common vehicle conveying the culture of the West within the USSR. Following the war, however, Stalin and his Generals became apprehensive about the damaging effect that substantial exposure to Western culture could have on the PartyRead MoreEssay about Culture Behind the Curtain1931 Words   |  8 Pageswould attempt to jam transmissions of this music too, by the early 1970s, rock culture began to be embraced by bloc governments who simply couldn’t quell the massive public demand for it. Zinaida Soumina, a Dnepropetrovsk official, explains, â€Å"The youth waited for when the fresh music records from the West would appear on the black market. Young people had forgotten their national roots, and their own national culture.† It had become clear that the soviet population wanted not only to listen to theirRead MoreBehind The Formaldehyde Curtain And The Fear Of Dying By Elisabeth Kubler Ross869 Words   |  4 Pagesone can escape death. It’s one of so few unavoidable certainties in our lives and has held an important position in every human culture since time immemorial. Of course, this position has is different from culture to culture, and shifts over time. This is particularly evident in western culture. The shift is discussed at length in two essays: â€Å"Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain† by Jessica Mitford, and ‘The Fear of Dying’ by Elisabeth Kà ¼bler-Ross. Both explore different aspects of these themes – Mitford’sRead MoreThe Danger of Using Literature and Fiction as a Historical Source971 Words   |  4 Pagesli ves of wealthy Japanese and Italian men, women of affluence lived highly secluded lives in each culture. Women in Aristocratic Japan and Italy lived subordinate and entirely secluded lives. In both Japan and Italy, women were excluded from institutionalized learning. Thus, they were less likely to know language. They spent their life indoors if they were wealthy and did not need to work. Neither culture allowed women to hold public positions, but they could inherit and own property. Japanese womenRead MoreDifferences Between Hamlets Mental/Emotional Conflicts and Beowulfs Physical Battles960 Words   |  4 PagesFrisians, far and wide, that the king is gone†. Has Beowulf failed his people? Like Hamlet in the last act of the play, who avenges for his father’s death, Beowulf knows what he must do as king and what has been appointed to him and takes actions of his culture as a heroic warrior. In William Shakespeare’s, Hamlet, the play is a Renaissance tragedy in Denmark about revenge and cultural identity for Hamlet by the duty of his father and the duties to his society. Hamlet’s father was murdered and HamletRead MoreGetting For Yes, By Roger Fisher And Looking Behind The Curtain1589 Words   |  7 Pagesthird approach. They call the third approach â€Å"principled negotiation† or â€Å"negotiation on the merits†. I submit that the procedures proposed in Getting to Yes alternatively break down to two simplistic themes, â€Å"Emotional Chess† and â€Å"Looking Behind the Curtain,† which are broadly applicable in contemporary negotiation. Additionally, I submit that within the authors’ procedures are four tactics which vary in applicability depending on the details the negotiation. The first of the two themes in GettingRead MoreFilm Adaptation of William Shakespeares Hamlet1644 Words   |  7 Pagescreated an adaptation of the story to fit their cultural and national perspectives. In the western world, adaptations of Hamlet have been more concerned with psychological or military theories regarding the story more than the inclusion of their unique cultures. Hamlet has been called by some as a universal story because it appeals to such a large array of different peoples. Each adaptation of the play chooses to focus on different aspects of the play in order to draw audience attention to certain pointsRead MoreThe Cause For The Vietnam War1442 Words   |  6 Pagesanti-communist policies of Western culture had the greatest direct influence in causing the Vietnam War, but were not enough reason to send troops to the area. The United States and Western Europe had similar attitudes toward communist ideologies, with political leaders implementing policies that were intended to limit the spread of communism. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill spoke of the division between communist and democratic capitalist states by calling it an Iron Curtain that had cut Europe inRead MoreThe Role Of Black Women And The 18th And 19th Century Art1659 Words   |  7 Pagesappears to be a church, and this is evident considering that there is a cross in the top right corner. The pulpit, in the bottom left corner, also confirms that the space is indeed a Christian space of worship. To the left of the figure is a dark blue curtain that confines the figure in the painting. The most basic building block of any artwork is line; Kaphar uses classical lines to direct viewers’ eyes around the artwork, a type of line that is analytical and identified by horizontal and vertical linesRead MorePostcards from Chinatown - Analysis1299 Words   |  6 Pagesof Singapore’s past and heritage, likening the past to no more than just a cinematic film, where it is just a hologram projected onto a screen. In â€Å"Postcards from Chinatown†, the poet calls our daily lives â€Å"our performance†, and our proclaimed culture as merely a â€Å"stage†. But what can we draw from the poet assimilating the past to a stage performance? Firstly, stage performances provide the audience with a sense of intimacy as well as reality. The performance is acted out live in front of