Soviet Victory in the Eastern Front Secured Allied Victory in World War II Essay Example for Free

Soviet Victory in the Eastern Front Secured Allied Victory in World War II Essay I. Introduction The Second World War (1939 1945) was the most devastating and dreadful in the history of humanity. As the German troops and its allies advances in the western and eastern   fronts of   Europe as well   as in Africa , the Middle East and Asia, thousands of lives were lost and the damaged to property was almost incalculable.   Perhaps fifty million people died, both soldiers and civilians (Perry 713). In the early days and months of the war,   it seems that the Allied forces was in the losing end of the battle as European nations were invaded and occupied by the German Nazi forces.   The Allied powers (Britain and France) were no matched for the German army for the former were not prepared for the war. Meanwhile, Adolf Hitler decided to invade the Soviet Union so that in the Eastern Front a fierce war broke out on June 22, 1941. Victory looks inevitable for Germany as they surrounded the city of Leningrad, and advances towards Moscow and Stalingrad. However, the Russian armies and civilians put up a courageous stand, refusing to surrender to Nazi troops for three years amidst the loss of lives in fighting and starvation. Soviet Union’s courageous resistance to German invasion was a major factor in the Allies’ ultimate victory in Europe, as the Germans suffered critical losses and depletion of resources on the war in the Eastern Front (Perry 700-713). This paper   discusses why the Soviet victory in the eastern front was critical for allied victory in the Second World War. The condition of the Allies in the western front is described as well as the situation in the eastern front where Germany suffered its major losses. II. Allied defeat in the western front By the time that Hitler invaded the Soviet Union, he was already successful in conquering and occupying most of Europe and rendered the Allied forces in the western front almost at his mercy. There are several reasons for this: A. Germany was prepared to dominate Europe Germany’s invasion of other European nations was planned in spite of the world’s efforts to prevent another world war. The Treaty of Versailles, as part of its provision for Germany, ordered the nation to reduce its army, limiting it only to 100,000 to   Ã‚  ensure that it will not indulge in another foolish idea of starting another war which the world had horribly witnessed and endured in 1914-1918.   However, Adolf Hitler, the German Fuhrer, rose to power in the early 1930’s. His first step in restoring Germany’s power was to rebuild its military forces, which the Versailles Treaty forbade. Under the Weimar Republic, Germany had begun secretly to rearm on a small scale. In 1935, Hitler openly declared that Germany would build a peacetime army of 550,000 men. This was a clear violation of the Treaty of Versailles (Perry 696).   In 1939, the German Imperial Office for Economic Planning of Warfare published the results of the census. They had stated â€Å"In the course of Germany’s rearmament, the economic planning of warfare increasingly came to the forefront. As the experience of the World War has shown for a country as Germany a clarification of the economic problems of warfare is of paramount importance for the result of a war† (   Fremdling 3 ). Moreover, Hitler had assessed that a slow form of warfare will only deplete their resources and led the people to be discouraged with war. He had envisioned a quick invasion and occupation through the use of the nation’s resources, advance technology and preparation.   Hitler also prepared the people psychologically for the upcoming war. Propaganda campaigns were successively launched to prepare the population for wartime sacrifices (Overy 2000). Britain and France renounced German rearmament, but neither nation took action. Both wanted to preserve peace. Britain was not prepared for war and France was not ready to fight alone. Overall, in spite of its preparation, Germany could not be considered as superior to the combine powers of Britain or France or other European nations that it had invaded. The Germans had in fact fewer and poorer-quality tanks but they emphasized high standards of training and operational preparation and technical efficiency. Furthermore, the policy of appeasement, where peacekeeping nations granted Hitler’s demands to avoid war, had largely helped Hitler to occupy European nations and territories in the first days and months of the war. He then used the food resources of this conquered nations to feed his forces and use their weapons, fuel and machines for warfare (Perry 699). At the start of the war, then, the German army was already prepared to dominate Europe.   In the years following the First World War, they had studied their mistakes, especially with the use of trench warfare, and opted for Blitzkrieg, a lightning attack that employed tanks and mobility to defeat an enemy before help from the allies arrived. They spent years perfecting the use of the new weapons of war tanks, armored divisions and air power (Overy 2000; Perry 698). B. Allied powers   and Europe was   unprepared and opposed war Despite the increasing aggression of Hitler and Mussolini in the 1930’s, Britain and France were reluctant to opposed Germany. It was because they were not yet prepared for another war; for they had not anticipated that a war would break out so soon. They had dutifully observed disarmament and appeasement to avoid conflict in Europe especially as they had just witnessed the horrors of the First World War. So both psychologically and militarily, the two nations were not geared  Ã‚   for battle when Germany turned aggressive. Moreover, in the years after World War I, Britain faced staggering economic problems.   Merchant ships had been lost in the war and it was losing markets to other nations so that Britain had drastically reduced spending for armaments. Like Britain, postwar France faced economic problems, too, for under its soil most of the wars in the First World War were fought. Villages, farms and railroads had been destroyed. Retreating German’s had wrecked mines, factories, forest, and orchards. In addition, millions of young Frenchmen had been killed or wounded. To help them rebuild, the French had counted on Germany’s payment of reparations. In 1922, however, Germany declared it cannot pay no more. By the time Germany  Ã‚   threatened the peace in Europe, France was able to form a large army but it relied mainly on the defenses of the Maginot Line, its huge border fortifications. Built in the 1930’s the line was a series of massive forts and underground shelters, proceeded by minefields. It stretched the length of France’s border with Germany (Perry 699). Aside from the reluctance of the   two Allied superpowers ( Britain and France) to enter the war,   the early victory of   Germany was due to the fact that other   Europeans, including   the British,   thought that the treaty of Versailles were treating the Germans unfairly   hence,  Ã‚   there was a widespread   German sympathy at first. That is why Germany was unopposed when it invaded territories under the argument of self-determination (the right of national groups to determine their own political status, for example, Czech lands occupied by Germans would belong to Germany).   Besides, communism, led by Russia, was rising in Europe and to many people in Europe, Hitler’s fascism seemed more acceptable and stable (this was of course in the days when nations did not yet see how cruel Hitler really was)(Perry 670). C. United States noninvolvement The United States was a big help in winning the First World War for the allies. Like in the first war, United States at first did not interfere with what happened in Europe. In short, the American people once again wish to stay out of European wars.   In the 1930’s, many believed that US decision to participate in the   First World War was a grave mistake so that Congress passed the Neutrality Act that â€Å"isolates† the US from any armed conflict around the world. The provision of the Act does not allow the US to intervene, participate or interfere in a war between two countries (Perry 699). D. Nazi-Soviet Pact prevents Russia from stopping Germany Although the Soviet Union fought against Germany in the First World War, in the second war it agreed to enter in a Nazi-Soviet Pact.   This pact of friendship and nonaggression was signed between Germany and Soviet Union in August 1939. In this pact, the Soviet Union agreed, in return for half of Poland, not to interfere with Hitler’s invasion. Although Britain and France do not trust the Soviet Union, this move stunned France and Britain for they needed Soviet Union, which had a large army,  Ã‚   at their side especially to defend Poland. Therefore,   because the powers of the Soviet Union was put on hold as a consequence of the pact, early on the morning of September 1, 1939 ,   German troops marched into Poland, and German planes bombed railroad and cities. Country after country then fell to Germany and its allies, the Axis powers. In 1940, Nazi forces occupied Denmark and attacked Norwegian ports which were vital for German war effort. In the next month, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg also surrendered to Hitler, after heavy bombings had devastated cities and terrorized the civilian population. France then fell to German hands in June 1940. With the fall of France, Britain now stood alone to oppose Germany. Meanwhile, Germany became stronger as German troops were feed with the supplies of conquered lands and use their weapons for wars (Perry 700). III. Soviet invasion and victory in the eastern front Historians agree that Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union was Hitler’s biggest mistake (Perry 699). Hitler had ensured before that the Soviet Union will not interfere with his war plans in Europe and the latter had been successful in occupying almost all European countries, and even those in Africa, without any intervention of Russia. Yet he pushed beyond his limits and chose to takeover a country that had been unconquered in all wars, the Soviet Union. In this nation, Hitler squandered most of his military resources.   Two decisive battles that was a turning point for the Allies was the battle in Stalingrad and Kursk. A. Hitler’s ambition While British resistance continued in the western front, Hitler was planning to open a second front and attack the Soviet Union. Even though Hitler and Stalin had made a nonaggression pact, one of Hitler’s aims had always been to destroy communism and seize Soviet territory.   He wanted land for German settlers, rich grain fields to feed the German nation, and oil, and coal, and iron ore to supply the German war machines. To prepare the way for the invasion of the Soviet Union, Hitler’s forces occupied Bulgaria and overran Greece and Yugoslavia. By June 1941, Germany had 3,300 tanks, 5,000 planes and nearly four million soldiers (including from Italy, Romania, Finland and Hungary) massed long the Soviet border. Although Britain and other democratic western countries do not trust the Soviet Union, nevertheless, they were ready to extend aid when Germany attacked it. Soviet Union was included in the United States Land-Lease Act of March 1941, wherein President Roosevelt was allowed by the US Congress to sell, lease or lend military equipment to nations whose defense was vital to American security. Aid was estimated to have reached about $11 billion in war material under that program (Perry 703). B. Soviet Union Resistance and victory At first, it seemed that Hitler was unstoppable even in the eastern front. It was in December 1940 that Hitler planned to invade the Soviet Union after he was successful in the western front. His war tactics in invading Russia was no different from what he had used in the west, which was using blitzkrieg or â€Å"lightning war† that used quick massive attacks on land and in the air. He began his assault in June 1941 wherein he divided his three million forces into three groups to attack the north, center and south of Russia using a series of devastating pincer movements. The Soviets were surprised and unprepared for this invasion so that it took only four months for German forces to penetrate towards Leningrad and Moscow (Overy 2000). Soviet armies suffered enormous losses in the first months of the German offensive, holding back the invaders while slowly retreating. By the first week in October 1941, German troops were only fifty miles from Moscow. The people of the Soviet Union suffered great hardship. In September, German forces surrounded the city of Leningrad, trapping some three million people there with only enough food and supplies for a short time. The siege was not completely ended for more than two years. Nearly a million people died from starvation and disease (Perry   Ã‚  701; Werth 442). As the Soviet troops withdrew, they burned crops in the fields and destroyed equipment. These â€Å"scorched earth† tactics left no food or supplies for the advancing Germans. The arrival of autumn rains and winter snow slowed the German offensive, for blitzkrieg tactics were not effective on muddy, snowy roads. Fresh Soviet troops arrived from Siberia with winter equipment, while the Germans shivered in summer uniforms as the temperature dropped to 30 degrees below zero. The Russian winter stopped the German army much as it had defeated Napoleon’s Grand Army over a century earlier. The attacking Germans were nearing to their target but failed to capture it because of physical and mental exhaustion and shortage of personnel (Perry 701). Despite the setbacks of the winter of 1941-1942, the next spring and summer brought a new German offensive in the Soviet Union. The main target of the German attack was Stalingrad on the Volga River. The city was a vital center for north-south transportation by river, railroad and canal (Fitzgibbon 214). In late August, German troops reached the Volga. Six hundred German planes bombarded Stalingrad, enveloping it in flames and killing 40,000 civilians. By September 1, German soldiers were in the suburbs, but people would not abandon their city. Soviet soldiers and civilians fought house to house and street to street. In the words of a Soviet general, the defenders fought â€Å"for every brick and stone, for every yard of Stalingrad earth†. Stalingrad became no longer a town. By day, it was an enormous cloud of burning, blinding smoke. In late November, Soviet Marshal Georgi Zhukov brought in new troops. They began a â€Å"pincer† movement, closing in from two sides and threatening to trap the German Sixth Army in the city (Perry 702). Zhukov had stated â€Å"It was clear to me that the battle of Stalingrad was of the utmost military and political importance. The fall of the city would enable the German command to cut off the south of the Soviet Union from the rest of the country. We might lose the great waterway of the Volga River, on which a heavy flow of goods was moving from the Caucasus† (Slabad 132). Exhausted and short of food, medical supplies, weapons, and ammunition, the German commander begged Hitler to order a withdrawal. Instead, Hitler’s Lufwaffe commander, Herman Goering, tried unsuccessfully to send in supplies by plane (Perry 702). Finally, in February 1943, the remnants of the German troops in Stalingrad surrendered. In this surrender, it was estimated that 300,000 German soldiers from the German 6th Army was taken prisoner by the Russians and this capture was considered by most historians as one of the turning points for the fall of Germany. The German armies attributed this defeat directly to Hitler who had been undecided when and where to actually strike in the Soviet Union so that his troops had suffered in the Russian winter. Many had felt that Hitler had led his forces to danger in overstretched steppe of southern Russia. In addition, they blamed Hitler for interfering in military strategies when he took direct command of the German forces in December 1941. Nevertheless, in spite of this, there was a general belief among Hitler’s generals that the Soviet Union was weak in the south and therefore was not capable of any serious resistance (Overy 2000). Meanwhile, in 1943 the Germans attacked Kursk in Operation Citadel (the German code name for the Kursk offensive). Kursk was situated halfway between Moscow and the Black sea.   In this attack an order was issued that German tank production be increased to a capacity of 600 units per month.(Fitzgibbon 215). Around 900,000 German troops was deployed for this battle including 2, 700 tanks and 2,000 warplanes around Kursk (Dupuy Martell 76). The Soviets were not ignorant of this attacked for the Russian intelligence and Lucy spy ring delivered to them pertinent information regarding the details of the offense. The Germans planned the attack in Kursk well; they build a defense stretching 250-300 kilometers from west to east (Caidin 74). Yet the fierce resistance of the Russian army forced the Germans to give up long stretches of held ground and before long they had retreated in Dnieper so that instead of pushing inland in the eastern front they were repelled to the west (Overy 2000). Needles to say, the Soviet Supreme Command was victorious in the battle at Kursk and were now preparing to liberate Soviet territories that were overtaken by the Germans in the south. In 1943, two-thirds of those German occupied territories were liberated and slowly but surely the Russians were now pushing the battles towards the west, approaching the borders of other German conquered nations. The Russian offensive would eventually take them to Berlin (Perry 705). Yet Hitler’s potential to conquer Russia was big at first especially if he drove straight to Moscow, the heart of Russia, instead of maneuvering down to the south after he already incurred severe Russian losses. Winning Russia at his side would greatly increase his capacity to dominate all of Europe and remove the Russian threat. However, his mistaken military diversions in Russia had needlessly plunged his troops to face the Russian winter in summer clothing and made him lose war resources. The Soviet Union also had other advantages. The advantage of the Soviet Union to other nations in times of battle is that it is a big country of large army and fierce winter that can stop its enemies in their tracks. Instead of expanding its power, it is in the battle in the eastern front that Germany suffered it severest losses, for they had deployed millions of men there along with thousands of tanks. The Soviet Union was in fact the place where Hitler gambled in the war.   It is estimated that 80% of German casualties was incurred in the battle in the eastern front which   stretches 1000 miles (Perry 703).   Historians were unanimous in declaring World War II was won in the east (Overy 2000). Many historians agree that as long as Hitler was not in war with Russia, he had options and possibilities of winning the Second World War. And even if he did invade Russia, he should have gone to Moscow directly and convinced the Russian people that he was going to liberate them from Stalin’s communism but as such, he was already known for Nazi brutality (Perry 703).

Movie Analysis Essay Example for Free

Movie Analysis Essay There are many versions of Spiderman, but â€Å"Amazing Spider-man† is the best version ever. The graphic works, the music, and the plot are amazing like the movie title. The Amazing spider-man is not connected to the previous Spiderman movie. One online film critic stated that there is a silent war ongoing right now between two of the big comic book flicks hit theaters in July of 2012: Warner Bros. ’ The Dark knight Rises and Sony’s The Amazing Spider-Man (Sandy Schaefer). In addition, I do believe that this movie really sound like a more genuinely contemporary portrayal of the eponymous webslinger than that offered in Raimi’s previous movie trilogy. Although some of the character I do not like the way they act and somehow they cannot give me a clear mind what they should able to act, I could still agree this version of the Spiderman is the best I have seen. The characters in the movie are very rich for the audience to watch. Every action movie are essential to have the element of love scene, fighting scene, the falling scene, and the return scene. The main character is obviously the Spider-man Peter Parker. Here is the aforementioned from Amazing Spider-Man: â€Å"Like most teenagers his age, Peter [played by Andrew Garfield] is trying to figure out who he is and how to be the person he is today. In his journey to put the pieces of his past together he uncovers a secret that his father [Campbell Scott] held†¦ a secret that will ultimately shape his destiny as Spider-Man. This is the first in a series of movies that tells a different side of the Peter Parker story. † (Schaefer). Peter Parker has struggled to find his purpose in life, ever since Peter’s parents disappeared 13 years old. Like other movies, he must face the ultimate challenge on the brink of unlocking the mystery. Thus, he is absolutely hero archetype that he defeats Dr. Connors and safe the whole New York City. The female character, Spider-man girlfriend, Gwen Stacy is knowledgeable and wise. For some moment, she is charismatic and rebellious when she deal with her family. Gwen is the chief intern at Oscorp, a position she takes very seriously. However, her mentor Dr. Connors is the competitor of Spiderman. Captain Stacy is an esteemed police officer who leads the investigation into Spiderman. Captain Stacy is highly alert to his family more than the city, especially his only daughter, Gwen. Apparently, the villain is Dr. Connors. It is not clear that he is the lizard when it comes to the end. He is a scientist that attempts to engineer a revolutionary regeneration serum to help regrow limbs and human tissue. He became so horrible at the end. The hero’s journey is always followed by the 17 stages of Joseph Cambell’s Monomyth. But for nowadays movies, they eliminate some of the stages in a simply form. Not surprisingly, Campbell’s idea is generally applied to many Hollywood screenwriting and literature as well. The Ordinary World- Peter Parker is a student at Midtown Science High School, and he lives with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May. His parent is a mystery and left him with no explanation when he was young. As a result, Peter is frustrated and longs to find out more about his father and why he left. Peter is weird around his peers, but he still sticks up for the underdog. Call to Adventure- Peter found out a file and lead him to research his father’s lab partner who works at Oscorp Tower, Dr. Connors. He goes to him and look out for answers. Later, he is bitten by a spider that is being used to create biocable. He starts to have the abilities of spider. He has been introduced to the Special World that is opposite of what he knows. Refusal of the Call- Peter begins to test his power, and using them to beat the bully who picked on him, Flash Thompson. His emotion change and have argument with Uncle Ben. Because Uncle Ben feels his strange behavior, so he follows him and that make the tragedy of the thief shoots Uncle Ben. Meeting with the Mentor- Dr. Connors is a mentor to him when it comes to science. Another crucial mentor is Uncle Ben of course. Hence, he gives a big influence on Peter, and when he dies, Peter is pushed to his limits. Crossing the Threshold- Because of the death of Uncle Ben, Peter pushed himself into the Special World. Peter tries to hunt the thief who murdered Uncle Ben. Test, Allies, Enemies- When Peter fights crime, he confronts criminals and makes enemies. At school, he developed a friendship with Gwen. His tests are increasing in difficulty: Dr. Connors displayed a semblance of friendship toward him, but as his identity shifts into the Lizard, this will change. Captain Stacy, Gwen’s father, shows an antagonistic attitude toward Peter and his alter-ego. Approach- Spiderman tries to stop the creature on the bridge. The Lizard got a big fight at Midtown Science high School, and Peter tries to stop him with Gwen’s help. Ordeal- Spiderman was shot by a police bullet that stuns him electrically. It is a hard time to Spiderman to fight his way out, reveals his identity to Captain Stacy. Reward- Captain Stacy lets him go, showing his trust in Peter. Resurrection- The Lizard is strong and powerful. Captain Stacy and Peter Parker finally work together to restrict the activities and take the Lizard down. Return with the Elixir- Dr. Connors has been returned back to normal. He has saved Gwen, but Captain Stacy was killed. As he dies, he asks Peter to keep Gwen out of his life to protect her. It is not only a promise to Captain Stacy, but also in a carton of eggs. He is a different person, and even though he may not have all of the answers he wanted, he has learned to put others ahead of himself during the search. The Elixir Peter Parker has brought back from his journey is that of a new hero. He is no longer just Peter Parker, fatherless teenager. He is Spider-Man. (Milles). Peter Andrew Garfield who is the actor of Spiderman did a good job in the movie because it is a challenge to an actor to have a big different from being a normal person to an amazing ultimate hero. Andrew Garfield can express and show on his face that the inner features of Spiderman to the audience. Honestly, the only person I do not satisfy is Emma Stone, who is the actress of Gwen Stacy, and I reckon many of the commends on the internet board criticize that she has not done a great job on her part. For instance, there is a frightening scene that she is holding a knife hiding when Dr. Connors has become the Lizard and chasing her. I am sorry to say that, but I cannot feel any scary moment in the scene. For the love scene, I do not think she acts like a spouse of Peter Parker. Also, she did not have the interaction with her family show that she is rebellious. The plot is moving smooth and clear when I follow along to the hero’s journey. Refer to the hero’s journey, the plot is developed and excited. I would not find any boring scene in the entire movie. When I watched along with it, I would have many unexpected things happen, and really influence the audience to keep watching on it. Moreover, the music composer of the movie is James Horner. Indeed, he is a great composer of film music. James Horner also composes some great movies such as Titanic and Avatar. He is currently as famous as John Williams and the music they composed does make the audience impressed. His music moved the audience, and there is no doubt that film music is so significant because we are not only watching the screen, but listen to the music also. Amazing Spiderman is well-developed movie as following the classic hero’s journey. It does make the audience easy to follow and a feeling of unexpected. Also, the action scene is exciting to watch. Even though I know it is not real, but I really get into it. Furthermore, the music do influence the audience and no movie can neglect music because it is an crucial tools.

Job Satisfaction Among Ghanaian Mental Health Nurses

Job Satisfaction Among Ghanaian Mental Health Nurses 1.1 Background Study The main objective of this research is to evaluate the attitudes of Ghanaian mental health nurses and the level of job satisfaction in the three government psychiatric hospitals in Ghana. It has been identified that most people who suffer from mental illness are always vulnerable and at high risk of suffering from stigmatisation and discrimination. Mental health professionals such as nurses are always in contact with patients and their attitudes towards these patients can play a major factor in their recovery. This aspect of study has been neglected especially in developing countries like Ghana. This study is to try as much as possible to find out how the nurses’ attitudes affect their patients and the role job satisfaction plays. Over the years mental health has changed in many faces including the establishment of mental institutions, which has also gone through several changes in different countries thereby drastically reducing the number of psychiatric admissions in general hospitals. However, it is important for one to know if these changes reflect the attitudes of people towards mental illness especially mental health nurses. The perception of mental illness plays a major role in the psychiatric medical profession which several disputes on what should be classified as pathological and which should be seen as normal. These disputes have several consequences on the diagnosis, research, and policies concerning psychiatry and may also have some form of bias on the selection of treatments and prognosis due to the widespread of unauthentic ascriptions of the causes of the illness (Wakefield, 2007). According to World Health Organisation (WHO), mental health is â€Å"a state of well-being in which the individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community† (WHO 2001). There are several definitions by researchers on mental health, which is a fundamental aspect of well-being and quality of life and also a basic element of social structure, productivity, peace and stability in the environment (WHO, 2005). This definition by WHO stresses on the positive scopes of mental health and Shives (2008) also states that mental health is a positive state in which each and everybody is responsible, self-directive and displays self-awareness where ones behaviour is generally accepted within a group. However Bryne (2000) stated that multiple factors influence the level of mental health of person at any point in time and one of the major hindrances to the realisation of positive health and well being leads to stigma. Mental illness is a psychological response to stress that interferes with or inhibits a person’s ability to easily meet human needs and functions within a culture (NSW, Department of Health, 2007). Moreover, the American Psychiatric Association also defines mental illness as a â€Å"clinically significant behaviour and psychological syndrome or pattern that occurs in an individual associated with present distress, disability or loss of freedom† (Bryne, 2000). Mental illness is a major contributor to the burden of disease internationally, which has a major influence on the disability, co-morbidity, and mortality being experienced globally (CAMIMH 2007, Lauber Sartorius 2007). World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that about 450million people will suffer from some form of mental disorder with 13% of the global disease burden being made of schizophrenia, depression, epilepsy, dementia, alcohol dependence, neurological and substance-abuse disorders which exceeds both cardiovascular disease and cancer (National Institute of Health) moreover people with mental illness are more likely to be at risk of other health conditions as well. It is estimated that at least one member in every four families has a mental disorder and the primary caregivers of those affected are the family members and this brings some form of burden to these families, which are mostly ignored (WHO, 2010). Depression is estimated to be the second highest cause of disease burden in middle-income countries and the third highest in low-income countries by 2030 (WHO, 2010). Moreover, in addition to the health and social cost, which is a problem, there is also the victimisation of human rights violation, stigmatisation and discrimination of people with mental illness, which occurs both inside, and outside of psychiatric institutions (WHO, 2010). According some researchers, people with mental illness are at increased risk of drifting into or remaining in poverty through increased health expenditure, reduced stigma and loss of employment and associated earnings (Lund et al, 2911). This puts lots of pressure on people with mental illness and their families especially in low income or developing countries where it is more stressful (NSW, Department of Health, 2007). People diagnosed with mental illness are looked at differently in the world as compared to people who are diagnosed with general health problems. Thus most people have the impression that mental illness patients are strange, frightening, unpredictable, aggressive and lack self-control especially those diagnosed with mental disorders such as schizophrenia which is always associated with negative stereotypes of being very aggressive and dangerous (Crisp et al, 2000). Individuals suffering from mental illness for some time now have been at a higher risk of experiencing prejudice and discrimination and most of these prejudice leads to stigmatisation even within health institutions (Linden and Kavanagh, 2011). Prejudice can be said to be an emotional response to stereotypes which is tolerated where stereotypes are mostly unfavourable intercessions used to describe a group or persons based on their merits thus leading to discrimination which is the real behaviour based on prejudice (Lauber et al, 2006). Stigma and prejudice mostly play a basic role in the abuse of human right, which is sadly still being practiced, in some psychiatric institutions and care homes and remain the basis of mental health organisations in some developing countries in the world. Goffman (1963) cited in (Newton-Howes et al, 2008) describes stigma as a mark of shame or dishonour which can have a negative self esteem and appraisal on a the person thereby becoming a hindrance to recovery, moreover Gray (2002) also stated that, stigma was originally used to mark Greek slaves separating them from men. The stigma of mental illness although more often is related to context than to person’s appearance, still remains a powerful negative attribute in all social relations (Bryne, 2000) and the stigma of mental illness comes from the possession of a devalued attribute of an individual which is seen by society as a hostile response (Goffman, 1963) cited in (Newton-Howes et al, 2008). World Health Organisation (2011) states that stigmatisation of mentally ill patients by the healthcare providers is the worst form of stigma which affects the quality and rate of recovery. There are several evidence from other studies conducted by researchers from other populations which proves that stigma can sometimes been seen to pervade professional groups including mental health nurses. Research by Read and Harre (2001), found that negative attitudes are mostly displayed by mental health nurses towards patients who are disturbed which is mostly present in the patients at acute level of their illness. Health professionals mostly come into contact with people with mental illness regularly and they play an important role in shaping attitudes towards mental ill people. Moreover, these health professionals serve as a role model on how to approach people with mental illness however Schulze (2007), states that healthcare professionals have been identified to assume three main positions when it comes to stigmatisation and these include people with mental illness being stigmatised, they being stigmatised by their own association with mental illness and finally playing the role of advocator’s or de-stigmatises. Stigma affects the progression and healing of people with mental illness according to Perlick et al, (2001) and the loss of income, low self-esteem, loneliness, isolation, delayed seeking of treatment and many more are the results of stigma and discrimination towards people with mental illness (Sharac et al, 2010; illac et al, 2011). Creating major campaign of the awareness of stigmatising attitudes will support healthcare workers to be more reflective in the treatment methods towards people with mental illness. Sartorius (2007) stated that, people who suffer from mental illness do not frequently pursue treatment due to the fact that healthcare professionals including nurses are considered prime contributors of stigma and discrimination. Some staff who have been given special training in taking care of people with mental illness do hold negative stigmatising attitudes towards their patients as well which proves that stigma is not only held by individuals with lack of knowledge about mental illness even though educational intervention can help reduce its effect in the community or country as a whole (Burti and Mosher, 2003; Pinfold et al, 2003). Mental health services in Ghana are not well recognised as there are lots of inequalities in the provision of resources for this sector as compared to the needs of the general hospitals. Moreover there is still lack of knowledge about mental illness, which is a major contributor of stigma towards people affected with mental illness and the healthcare professionals who even take care of them. The population of Ghana has increased extremely since the country’s independence from 1957 resulting in the growing number of people suffering from mental illness (Ghana Statistical Service, 2003). Mental health service in Ghana is mostly available in primary health care yet the majority of care is provided through specialised psychiatric hospitals of which there are three (3) all located in the southern part of the country providing 7.08beds per 100,000 populations (Ghana Health Service, 2012). The WHO estimates that out of the 21.6 million Ghanaians, about 650, 000 are believed to be suffering from some form of severe mental disorder and 2,166, 000 are suffering from moderate to mild form of mental illness (WHO, 2007). Nevertheless, this estimate has not been recognised as a serious health issues and Ghana has not yet developed facilities and public health services including mental health care to keep up with the growing demand of these services and population expansion (Offori-Attah et al. 2010). According to the WHO Atlas Survey about 65% of beds in the psychiatric hospitals, are extremely unsatisfactory. The ratio of these beds in Accra the capital city of Ghana is 6.21:1 thus the total number of beds to the rest of the country indicating a high intensity of resources in the capital (Ofori-Atta et al, 2010). WHO has also reported that most psychiatric hospitals have scarce, undignified, and even harmful practices as well as unhygienic and inhuman living conditions (WHO, 2003). The main focus of psychiatric care today in the world is mainly on a number of key conditions such tolerance and non-discrimination being one of the most important aspect (Hannigan, 1999). Inadequate knowledge about mental illness and negative attitudes mostly towards individuals suffering from mental illness has been noted to be prevalent in the general public (Nordt, Rossler and Luber, 2006) thus most major research of attitudes towards people with mental illness has been mainly focused on the general public with the opinions of professionals who come into contact with the mentally ill specifically mental health workers recently being highlighted (Angermeyer Dietrich, 2006). Numerous challenges faced by mental health institutions such as lack of resources, increased work load and shortage of staffs put lots of burden on the nurses which negatively affects the quality of nursing care given to these patients therefore positive changes in mental health services will go a long way to impact on the role and practice of mental health nursing (Cleary, Walter and Hunt, 2005). Low job satisfaction plays a major role in the outcome of patients’ care and there have been lack of research in the country concerning this. Job satisfaction of healthcare professionals is a very important aspect that should not be neglected as it can affect the outcome of care given to these patients. Moreover, there are lots of evidence gaps in the country concerning mental health issues and that is the why it is important to conduct this research in order to fill some of these gaps. Job satisfaction is a complex situation, which can be construed, and it involves the absence of pain, oppressiveness and intolerance as well as enjoyment (Sultana and Begum, 2001). Studies on job satisfaction are mostly based on fountains of emotional response of the employees which is linked with some socio-cultural institutions and the personal elements such as pay, promotion, supervision, benefits, nature of work, co-workers, working condition, social status and many more (Sultana and Begum, 2001). 1.2 RATIONALE Research fills a very important aspect in the society where discoveries are made as well as confirming or rejecting ideas, controlling or predicting events and developing or refining theories. Thus one develops knowledge as a result of these functions from research. It is unsurprising that human right abuse is mostly related to the poor standard of mental health care in low-income countries such as Ghana and the need for ways to restraint is the most obvious choice for healthcare professionals in the absence of neuroleptics (Read, Adiibokah and Nyame, 2009). Studying the attitudes of healthcare professionals especially in the field of mental illness is important. According to Baker et al (2005), attitudes are made of cognitive, affective, and behavioural components, which are activated due to exposure of stimulus or objects. Moreover, the quality of nursing care provided by mental health professionals can be influenced by the attitudes of the nurses towards these patients (Baker, 2008). There have been several campaigns to change negative attitudes and promote positive attitudes towards mental health problems by some countries, which include the United States, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and India (Royal College of Psychiatrist (2001) and World Psychiatrist Association (2001). Ghana health service (GHS) is the main provider of biomedical care for mental illness in the country however there are just three government psychiatric hospitals in the country providing free healthcare for patients which are all located in the south of the country serving over 21million Ghanaians. All three hospitals have suffered from lack of resources to overcrowding with the end results being poor quality of healthcare. The status of mental health nurses in some communities is low and the advantage of being part of this profession has been dent with some form of stigma such as stigma by association or courtesy stigma (Hinshaw 2007, Thornicroft 2007, Halter 2008) whereby professionals associated with the care of people suffering from mental illness are judged by the same stereotyping stigma. It is therefore very important to explore the theoretical relationship between job satisfaction and professionals stigma towards mental illness. The focus of this study is to address some of the gaps in mental health concerning stigma and job satisfaction mental health nurses are facing in Ghana. The findings of this study will be a stepping stone to address issues that will come out as a result of the study or re-enforce any positive findings as well. The outcomes of this study may allow a greater understanding of how these attitudes are connected and the realistic outcomes can help to the strategize anti-stigma campaigns such as identifying shortfalls of certain groups or identifying logical way 1.3 RESEARCH QUESTION To what extent do mental health nurses in Ghana stigmatise people with mental illness? What personal and professional background factors (including job satisfaction) explain the attitudes that Ghanaian mental health nurses have towards mental illness? What characteristics are associated with nurses’ attitudes towards mental illness? What is the rate of job satisfaction in mental health nursing and does it affect the care patients receive? 1.4 OBJECTIVES The main objective of this research is to evaluate the attitudes of psychiatric nurses in Ghana towards the care of mentally ill patients. The specific objectives are as follow: To identify the relationship and levels of job satisfaction and stigma towards psychiatric patients among Ghanaian mental health nurses. To determine prevalence of stigma among mental health nurses in Ghana. To explore the rate of job satisfaction in mental health nursing and the impact it has on the attitudes of nursing providing care for patients. To examine the characteristics associated with the attitudes on mental health nurses in Ghana. To disseminate findings to increase awareness and knowledge among healthcare professionals’ especially mental health nurses. The findings of this study will be used to: Develop programs and strategies to reduce stigma. Help create awareness of stigma in healthcare professionals. Develop policies to reduce stress in the hospitals. Suggest improvements/amendments to existing mental health policies. 1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS The following research hypothesis was formulated for testing: the researcher hypothesised that the more psychiatric nurses are satisfied with their job, the more they will exhibit positive attitude towards mental ill patients. The researcher also hypothesise that the more psychiatric nurses are stigmatised about their job, the quality of care they provide will be less and they will exhibit negative attitudes towards their patients

It is Time to Raise Teachers Salaries Essays -- Argumentative Persuasi

It is Time to Raise Teachers Salaries    Offer me enough money, and I will do almost anything.   Why?   Because I can exchange money for goods and services, and I want goods and services.    My willingness to ``do things'' for money can be explained by the fundamental economics principle of supply and demand: without much exception, an increase in demand for a good or service increases the price of that good and service, and an increase in supply of a good or service decreases the price of that good or service.   In other words, given a large free market economy and a lot of dough, you can accomplish almost anything.   Hence, if my ``goods'' or ``services'' are in high enough demand (the price is high enough), then I will submit to the wonders of capitalism.    Now, there is widespread belief that United States primary and secondary education is not as exemplary as it can and should be (and definitely not as exemplary as say, er, our military).   There are of course a myriad of reasons why our basic education system should be exemplary, all of which basically boil down to the supposition that we need educated people to maintain (and increase!) US prosperity.   I suggest that we use our current prosperity (money) and our free market economy to bolster our education system.   We can acquire more able teachers by raising teacher salaries, thereby increasing the effectiveness of our childrens' education and, in turn, prosperity.    In terms of supply and demand, the supply is measured by the size of the pool of available teaching jobs, and the demand is measured by how many people want them.   If there are not enough teaching j... ...an to 'educate' anyways?    In 1997 (according to the 1998 Digest of Education Statistics -- http://nces.ed.gov/pubs99/1999036.pdf), students' combined SAT scores steadily rose from 856 to 1116 in positive correlation with parental education, from high school dropout to graduate degree.   A similar correlation existed with family income: 873 for families making less than $10,000, increasing to 1130 for families making more than $100,000.    Perhaps parenting matters more than teaching, or perhaps more educated parents bought 'better' education with their higher salaries (through private schooling and/or by living in more affluent school districts). Perhaps both.   Regardless, the free market principles are clear: more money yields higher test scores and higher test scores yields more money.    Invest in prosperity.

Mother’s Comforting Gray Gun :: Personal Narrative Profile

Mother’s Comforting Gray Gun I lay on my side with one socked foot dangling off the edge of the bed, looking down at Mom on the floor. She lay on a pallet of itchy, green army blankets my dad "borrowed" from his tour in Vietnam. No matter how many times they were washed, the blankets always smelled like smoke and machine oil; I had never seen them used anywhere but the floor. It took a while for my eyes to adjust to the dark, but when they finally focused, I could easily follow along the profile of my mother's distinctive nose. The Torres Nose, a nose passed down from her father and his father before him--a nose I am now glad I did not inherit. She lay perfectly still looking beautiful and peaceful, hands at her sides as if asleep. I knew better, Mom never slept when Dad worked out of town, she was practicing. Eight seconds was the time to beat, and if anyone could beat it, it was my mother. Mom had a steely determination much like the .357 Magnum kept under her pillow. It took a full three seconds to slide her right hand up under her head, two seconds to secure her palm around the grip and place her finger on the trigger, another two seconds to roll up on one knee, and one second more to steady herself by jutting out her leg to the side, a move I am positive she stole after watching Farah Fawcett in Charlie's Angels. She would run through the exercise many more times before morning came. My mother's late night drills continued until 1983. That year, our city established emergency 9-1-1 service, and Mom believed the police could now protect us from would-be intruders. Still, she bragged her response time was a lot faster. The first Saturday morning of the month, if she hadn't stayed up practicing the night before, Mom and I would head over to a turquoise-and-pink cinderblock building that sold baked goods, tennis shoes, candles, cassette tapes, and meat. Spanish polkas played on the radio while an old woman with mismatched eyes sat in a folding chair near a box fan. I shuffled my feet along the floor making scraping noises with my shoes as I went. The linoleum was grainy with dirt that nearly hid the checkerboard pattern. As my mother placed her order, I used the black and white tiles to play my own version of hopscotch.

Nature and Popular Culture :: essays research papers

As artwork has become more accepted in popular culture, we begin to see more and more creative artists portray their opinions of what is really going on in today’s society. By the rights granted to us based on the foundation of this country, there is the right to release opinions of how the world is viewed. A major part of this is what goes on in the atmosphere of which we live. The environment plays a vital role in the daily lives of citizens of the world and what happens to our environment in the future will continue to have lasting affects on future generations to come. Through artwork, the advertising industry has been releasing more frequent campaigns of what is going on in the world we live with an aspect of how nature is surviving as people are as well. There is an ongoing relationship that we rely on nature just as nature sometimes would seem to fit into our lives more than we would begin to realize. There are usual two sides to every story and it seems that either on e is of nature or one is against nature. This is evident in some aspects of television, movies, advertising, and music.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I have found four particular artifacts that exemplify how modern art is of nature. I believe that a portion of this idea is attracting business. In this age of internet commerce and new technology being released more frequently than in the past, there might be a small fear that people will forget about the importance of nature and rely too heavily on technology. Due to this there has been an increase in the amount of advertisements that use themes of nature to market their products and services.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In a recent advertisement campaign of Nike athletic footwear, there is a portrayal of gazelles sprinting through an empty African field. Through the course of the run the gazelles change into men and women sprinting in a marathon race with Nike shoes on their feet. Nike is trying to sell their running shoes by stating that if you buy their product you will have natural speed like these swift animals.

Business Model Generation Essay

In the first 3 chapters of the Business Model Generation (Osterwalder and Pigneur) book, the authors describe and analyze the canvas, patterns, and design of successful business models. After carefully reading and understanding these chapters, answer these research questions: RQ1 What is a Business Model? At least 2 paragraphs. RQ2 According to the Business Model Generation and/or Strategic Management Concepts and Cases literature, what is a business model? (Please discuss/analyze well beyond a definition). Need at least 2 scholarly articles and subsequent write-up. RQ3 What role do value propositions perform in successful business models? At least 2 paragraphs. RQ4 How does â€Å"Brainstorming New Business Models† by answering the â€Å"What If† questions impact successful businesses? At least 2 paragraphs. Deliverables: This assignment must be in a business professional format with a cover page in current APA format and contain at least 600–800 words. This assignment must also include current APA citations and references. You must post the final draft of this assignment in Blackboard using the SafeAssign link provided. Before submitting your final draft, please check for any plagiarism issues with the SafeAssign Draft link provided. NOTE: all SafeAssign scores must be less than 28%. Late assignments will not be accepted. Submit this assignment by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Sunday of Module/Week 4.