Socialism

Ana Ortiz Honors English 10 Per. 5 February 27, 2013 Ingsoc – Totalitarian Government: 1984 Communism has been a part of the world for a very long time causing the harsh suffering of people in regions, such as Cuba. Rather than help a nation, Communism harms the inhabitants who live in the nation through the effect that it bring, by lending itself to becoming a communist-totalitarian government. A Communist government has a high chance of becoming totalitarian and being overruled by a group or dictator, whom will have all authority and right do to what he pleases.

Socialism, being a type of government in which the government takes care of the industrialization differs from a Communist-totalitarian government. A communist-totalitarian government has total control over all, whereas a Socialist government just handles the production of goods and manufactured items, in other means: the economy. Throughout the novel, 1984, the party reveals “Ingsoc” as their form of government. Ingsoc is thought to be “English socialism” in the future but is actually quite the opposite.

Underneath this “socialist government” stands a totalitarian form of government which feeds nothing but lies to its people, watches the members of the party very closely, and has gained its power through rather obvious ways. In the novel, Winston seeks the truth about Oceania’s Government and wether or not there are intelligent people out in this world, where its inhabitants have all been taught and brainwashed to do as the Government says. Oceania’s Government has lied to its people for years, telling them nothing but nonsense to keep them naive and ignorant about the horrible things that the Party does.

Winston, now in the hands of a leader in the Party, O’ Brien, has been tortured for his “crime” which, in this time, can be as simple as thinking that the Party is corrupt. While being tortured, Winston reflects to himself, “A thousand times better than Winston, he knew what the world was really like, in what degradation the mass of human beings lived and by what lies and barbarities the Party kept them there” (Orwell, 216). Winston realizes that O’Brien is one of the leaders who keeps Oceania n ignorance and hides the harsh truth because he does not feel that humans are fit to govern. As shown, Oceania’s government is clearly totalitarian and communist by definition: “Communism in its broader meaning is a system in which property used for the production of goods or services is owned by a community or group rather than individuals” showing that the Party resembles to this, the Party being the group that takes hold of all property and production in Oceania.

Socialism is what the Party tries to pass as, but it shows no similarity between the form of government: “Socialists believe that Capitalist society is unjust and aim to eliminate competition for profit and to attain an equal distribution of wealth through cooperative means”. This shows that Ingsoc is not like Socialism because the Party takes complete control of everything, not allowing its inhabitants to really have a say in anything that goes on in the country. Winston tries to learn and uncover the real truth behind the Communist party that has been in rule for as long as he remembers.

The reality is cruel but Ingsoc is truly corrupt, the Party, meant to keep the equality in the world is truly dictatorial. The Party keeps all of the population in line at all times, watching every step its people make through telescreens and takes control of the media being exposed to Oceania making its Communist factors more visible. Winston feels trapped in his own home as well as forced to live by the Party’s rules. He does not like to do what they say but does it anyway for he knows what happens to those who commit even the simplest thoughtcrime. War is peace, Freedom is slavery, Ignorance is strength … Always the eyes watching you and the voice enveloping you. Asleep or awake, working or eating, indoors or out of doors, in the bath or in bed– no escape” (Orwell, 26) Winston reveals an act of dictatorship in this quote because of the fact that the government invades the privacy of everyone at all time. In this time there is no such thing as privacy, the Party is allowed to do as it pleases, displaying similar qualities as a totalitarian government.

The Party makes it pretty obvious that it is communist but most of the population is brainwashed in depth making it unable for them to see that dictators much like leaders of the Party hide the truth and destroy the media that can stand against them. “Totalitarian dictators aim to transform their citizen’s thoughts and opinions and reshape expectations. To achieve these goals, the dictator must first control the flow of information going out to the public” (Fridell, 54).

Being that a dictator would have to control the media is not a surprise because to take full control of a country a dictator must not allow its people to be informed of the truth, in order to prevent revolts or disputes against the dictator. . Oceania’s government, Ingsoc, is clearly a totalitarian government, keeping total control of all members of the party. Ingsoc used fairly unusual laws introduced by the inner party to keep the rest of the outer party members ignorant of everything that was truly going on.

In order to keep people ignorant and naive, srict rules and prohibitions are strongly enforced in a totalitarian government ruled by a dictator. “The party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the god of others; we are interested in solely power. Not wealth or luxury or long life or happiness; only power, pure power” displays O’ Brien’s chat with Winston and reveals the use of the Party and the efforts of Ingsoc, which is to gain complete power over all (Orwell, 217). O’Brien explains his view on dictatorship: “Freedom is a dire threat to dictatorships.

With it comes all sorts of possibilities, including thoughtfulness, which can lead to discontent, opposition, even revolution”, O’ Brien, a leader of the party, is for the Party and its hold over everyone else (Orwell, 217. ). He does not want anyone else to think otherwise and keep their faithfulness to the party. The Party was clearly a totalitarian government, hidden by a supposed “socialist government”. Lastly, Ingsoc is clearly distinguished as totalitarian rather than socialism because the factors that make up Ingsoc that are so closely related to a totalitarian government.

The similarities between totalitarian government and Ingsoc are obvious. The Party in the novel prohibits anyone from thinking about anything that is not about the Party itself as we’ve seen it happen before in history: “In Europe, totalitarian states have trampled on free expression and appropriated the myths and rituals of art to serve their oppressive ends” (Holden). Another quote shows the effect of a communist government which also resembles to Ingsoc and the grip that the Party has over the people of Oceania: “The Communist Party was my Nurse Ratched, telling me what I could and could not do; what I as or was not allowed to say; where I was and was not allowed to go; even who I was and was not” (Forman). Clearly, the similarities between communism, totalitarianism, and the Ingsoc government of Oceania are shown in the quotes above. As O’ Brien admits to Winston that the only goal for Ingsoc and the Party is to have complete control over Oceania, Winston is finally able to see with complete clarity what he had known from the start – Ingsoc is truly totalitarian. Its only goal is to gain complete control, even if large amounts of torture were needed to gain control of just one being.

Throughout the novel, the Party shows its true goals: to keep everyone naive, enough to prevent revolution or disputes against the government from happening. Winston is able to see that the Party is nothing like it says it truly is, but is something completely different. Ingsoc is actually a communist and totalitarian government, which is very obvious to anyone with good perception. Works Cited Communism. Vol. 5. Chicago, Illinois: Ferguson, 2000. Print. New Standard Encyclopedia. Forman, Milos. “OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR; Obama the Socialist? Not Even Close. ” The New York Times.

The New York Times, 11 July 2012. Web. 25 Feb. 2013. Fridell, Ron. Dictatorship. Tarrytown, New York: Michelle Bisson, 2008. Print. Holden, Stephen. “Facing the Menace of Totalitarianism. ” The New York Times. The New York Times, 02 Oct. 1996. Web. 25 Feb. 2013. McDonald, Mark. “Did the U. S. ‘lose’ Ho Chi Minh to Communism? ” The New York Times. N. p. , 28 Aug. 2012. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. Orwell, George. 1984. Austin, Texas: Holt, Rineheart ; Winston, 1949. Print. Socialism. Vol. 5. Chicago, Illinois: Ferguson, 2000. Print. New Standard Encyclopedia.

Introduction

Human resource and industrial relations is viewed by many scholars as themes that see the sights of thoughts that relates to employment relationships in many organizations including teaching institutions in Australia. The issue of performance in these institutions is of interest to nearly every one in the country and much has been centred on improving the results of the students that are in these institutions. Over the past few years, teachers have been under pressure to produce best results in Australia and this development has led to introducing performance/merit pay system. (Williams and Adam, 2006)

There is an argument that some or all a worker’s pay is ‘contingent’ that is it only gets paid if the worker meets certain benchmarks. This means that teachers in learning institutions are required to beat specific targets in order to be compensated. The teachers will be compensated for the extra work that they have done and more specifically if their students have performed best in their studies. Research indicates that the Australian teachers with superior degrees and additional years of experience are remunerated extra than those employed recently or those with low educational levels and terms of service are just a manifestation of age and persistence. This system is founded on the supposition that compensating teachers for outstanding performance would offer encouragements for enhanced student accomplishment gains in their studies. (Williams and Adam, 2006)

These performance pay strategies are founded on individual instructor performance which may result to rivalry in the middle of the teachers in the learning institutions. This practice has led to every teacher the bright students when they are teaching them in order to achieve the best results and hence get bonuses associated with such outstanding performance. This means that the teacher’s cooperation which is essential in each and ever institution is threatened and actually in some cases shattered.

This practice of performance pay in Australia has led to unions of teachers being argumentative that the assessment is prejudiced and it is not based on intended statistics. These performance pay systems often provides for additional payments to that of the teachers salaries and has led to economic complexities because more funds are required to be used for the payments.  This system of merit/performance pay has another bad implication to the teachers in that there are under enhanced strain and force to produce good results from their students in the learning institutions within Australia. This pressure in turn leads to low motivation of teachers which may affect the student’s performance in long-term when the teachers involved will feel that they have achieved enough in terms of gaining financial resources associated with student’s performance. (Hagglund and Provis 1996)

The Industrial Relation perspective

The performance/merit pay systems in Australia has led to teachers expressing their dissatisfaction brought about by the increased pressure of trying to meet the set targets of students performance in order to be compensated. The teachers unions have had the responsibility to champion the rights of the teachers who are the members. (Blyton and Turnbull, 2004)

Unitarism/pluralism

For effective collective bargaining teachers through their trade unions are expected to be united and speak in one voice. This implies that with such practice they will have a bigger advantage because their grievances can be solved with ease and with fewer complications. Channelling grievances through trade unions will give them an added advantage and they may be rewarded with payments that they will be comfortable with unlike when they just express their individual opinions to the relevant paying systems.

Collectivism v individualism

Individualism is all about achieving individual goals while Collectivism can be defined as a system that asserts the primacy of collective goals rather than individual goals. Through collectivism individuals’ requirements are viewed to be of less significance than that of the entire society. Individual privileges may be constrained if they are seen to go up against the objectives of the society. Today collectivism is practiced in Australia as socialism whereby socialism can be traced back to scholar known as Karl Marx (1818-1883).

In his argument, Marx takes the view that the government or the state ought to own the way of production to guarantee a just reimbursement of workforce and to steer clear of mistreatment of the masses by a few individuals who take advantage of others for their own benefits. Socialism are of two forms; the first one being that of communism whereby its supporters supposes that socialism can only be attained through cruel revolutions and dictatorship. The second form is that of social democrats whereby its supporters seek to achieve socialism or collectivism through democratic means. (Hyman, 1975)

Merit/performance pay system in Australia have been viewed by the teachers unions to be individual means of compensating performance and thus these unions have been seeking collectivism where all teachers are remunerated equally and depending on there competences. Collectivism in teachers performance may be achieved through the concept of collective bargaining by both the teachers unions and the employer in this case the Australian government. (Hunt and Provis, 1995)

Fairness v competitiveness

In order to achieve goals in any learning institutions fairness should be practiced and unfair competition should be avoided because it may results to conflicts between the teachers in teaching fraternities in Australia. If merit pay system is encouraged in the teaching profession teachers will compete for brighter students. This implies that teachers will feel secure and be sure of more bonuses if their students are bright and can perform well in their studies. With such system also teachers in Australia may result in competition whereby they try to outdo each other in terms of their remuneration that they get from there bonuses. This means that teachers can manipulate the results of their students in order to receive high bonuses than that of their fellow teachers.

The HRM perspective

Human Resource Management strategy may be defined as a calculated means by which the enterprise deploy its human resources to accomplish its purpose and basic objectives under the most advantageous circumstances. This implies that the HRM strategy defines the direction in which the learning institutions in Australia intends to move and establish the framework of action through which it intends to get there due to the efficiency of the teachers. This is because the institution management and especially the Human Resource Departments believe that people are the most important assets in the institution as compared to other assets that aid in running learning institutions. (Maund, 2001)

How can performance be assessed?

The human resource perspectives take the view that performance can be assessed through the overall performance of the human resource and in this case the teachers in the various learning institutions. Performance can only be assessed through organizational effectiveness in learning institutions in Australia. Organization effectiveness can defined as achieving results in an organization through a well organized and coordinated series of managerial activities that comprises of planning, leading, organizing, directing, and controlling of all the resources in the organization including teachers in order to achieve desirable results.

Organizational effectiveness involves number of activities including; recruiting competent, motivated and qualified teachers in order to achieve good results, good communication system in the learning institutions, unambiguous policies, decisions and regulations, a conducive environment for teaching, good management, ability to adapt to  any changes, and building a viable and strong culture and mission among others. (Sparrow and Hilltop, 1994)

Therefore organization effectiveness can only be achieved through management functions; planning, which encompasses defining learning institution’s goals establishing an overall strategy for achieving those goals and developing a comprehensive hierarchy of plans to integrate and coordinate activities, organizing, which is the determination of what tasks have to be done, who does them how the tasks are to be grouped? Who reports to whom and where decisions are to be made.

Controlling, this involves monitoring the teacher’s performance, leading, which involves head teachers motivating teachers, directing the activities to be done, selecting the most appropriate channels of communication and resolving any conflicts among the teachers. There are numerous ways in measuring the effectiveness of learning institutions and include; productivity, profits, stability, turnover, growth among others.

How can differences in performance be rewarded?

Rewarding differences in performance is a difficult task in learning institutions and especially in regards to teachers in Australia. It will be wise if the employees in this case the teachers are paid according to the work that they are doing. A good remuneration system that will involve paying better wages to these teachers as required in their profession plus other benefits when they have achieved the set goals. It is prudent for job evaluation to be carried out in order to reward performance.

Job evaluation is all about the relative ranking of an individual job in relation to other jobs that exist within the group. This also refers to technique used in ranking of jobs in an organization. This is normally carried out on the basis of various responsibilities and duties that are assigned to the specific job or task. (Sheridan and Provis, 1998)

The results of the job evaluation process include the job being assigned a specific range of payment.  The range normally includes a maximum pay rate that the specific job can attract and also the minimum rate of payment that can be given to a person holding such a position. Job evaluation as a management tool has been used by employers and managers for approximately more than seventy five years.

This management tool has been used both in the private and in the public sector including in learning institutions. Basing on some generic factors, the value of each teaching job is well defined in the job evaluation process. When the teachers responsibilities are evaluated in terms of their results achieved then they can be rewarded with exactness and without prejudice. (Turner, 1962):

Will it actually improve performance?

Rewarding difference in performance through job evaluation is very important to employers and managers especially in learning institutions in Australia and actually may improve performance. The reason as to why rewarding difference in performance as a management tool never goes out of fashion is because it plays a big role in reducing teacher’s turnover rate.

One of the steps involved in job evaluation is bench marking the jobs. This is done in relation to the jobs that have been evaluated before.  In this case the bench mark jobs are those that are commonly included in salary surveys found in most learning institutions. In this process the bench mark jobs of internal pay structures are related to the external structure’s existing in the labour market that is in other institutions.

This greatly helps in reducing employee turnover in the various learning institutions because teachers will be satisfied with their pay. This is because job evaluation carried out will enable the learning institution’s pay grades to be at per with competitor institutions. In this case teachers will not see the need of looking for greener pastures since their pay grades will be similar to what their colleagues in the same positions are paid in other learning institutions. This is really important to employers and managers because they will not be worried about losing teachers to better paying learning institutions and will also motivate the teachers to produce results. This generally plays a big role to stability in the organization. (Anderson, Provis, and Chappel, 2002)

Possible disadvantages of actuality performance?

There are some disadvantages associated with actuality performance and one can be that of teachers being under pressure to produce the best results in their teaching practice. Because of such pressure sometimes they feel over strained and hence they are low motivated at some level. It may also result to unfair competition between the teachers and this may lead to producing bad performance through sub standard teaching practices thus students may not gain the required knowledge and may be termed as half-baked in the job markets. (Provis, 2004)

Conclusion

Performance/merit pay can be both effective and ineffective in learning institutions in Australia. For example with such system teachers can produce the best results because they will be motivated to get bonuses from their work. On the other hand if not utilized well teachers may create an environment full of unfair competition in an effort to produce good results from their students and they may engage themselves in bad activities like leaking exams to students before the exam dates so that they can perform better. This implies that students will not have an opportunity to gain a wider knowledge but instead they will be narrowed to subjects and topics that will be included in their exams. (Provis, 1986)

References:

Anderson, B. Provis, C. and Chappel, S. (2002): The Recognition and Management of Emotional Labour in the Tourism Industry. Report to CRC on Sustainable Tourism, Pp 124-134

Blyton, P. and Turnbull, P. (2004): The Dynamics of Employee Relations, 3rd Edition Macmillan, London Pp 32-56

Hagglund, G. and C. Provis (1996): Enterprise Bargaining and Productivity Issues in South Australia, Contemporary Issues in Business and Government 2 (4), Pp 49-54

Harris, R.., Provis, C., Park, R., Mason, D., Delbridge, R. and Gough, R. (2002): High Performance Manufacturing and the Learning Factory, Report to Industry Pp 78-89

Hunt, I, and Provis, C (1995): The New Industrial Relations in Australia. Federation Press, Sydney Pp 67-78

Hyman, R. (1975): Industrial Relations- A Marxist Introduction, Macmillan, London. Pp 67-89

Maund, L. (2001): An Introduction to Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice: Palgrave, Macmillan. Pp 67-79

Provis, C. (2004): Ethics and Organisational Politics, Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham and Northampton. Pp 100-123

Provis, C. (1997): Mediation and Conciliation in Industrial Relations- Reflections from Australia,’ Labour Studies Journal 21 (4), Pp 83-99

Provis, C. (1986): Comparative Wage Justice.  Journal of Industrial Relations 28 (1) Pp 26-34

Salamon, M. (2000): Industrial Relations. Theory and Practice, 4th Edition, Prentice Hall, London. Pp 45-67

Sheridan, K. and C. Provis (1998): Enterprise Agreements in South Australia. Progress or pretence?  International Journal of Employment Studies 6 (1), Pp 129-1140.

Sparrow, P. and Hilltop, J. (1994): European Human Resource Management in Transition: New York Prentice Hall, Pp 43-78

Turner, H. (1962): Trade Union Democracy in Trade Union growth, structure and policy. Allen and Unwin, London. Pp 292-294

Williams, S. and Adam S (2006): Contemporary Employment Relations- A Critical Introduction, Oxford Pp 54-67

History Extended Essay 20th Century Stalinist Architecture How did the creation of Stalin’s ‘Seven Sisters’ transform Moscow into a contemporary city while simultaneously presenting Soviet Communism to the world 1947-1957? On the Cover (Figure 1) – Kotelnicheskaya Embankment residential complex dominates over the Kremlin Cathedrals in Moscow’s skyline. 1. Abstract Stalin’s Seven Sister buildings (Vysotki) irreversibly transformed the vast skyline of Moscow, and ultimately aided Stalin in his pursuit of a contemporary European city after World War II.

Although these massive architectural masterpieces hold a legacy that resonates magnificence throughout the architectural aspects of Stalin’s era, the Seven Sisters hold a controversial history behind them, considering the fact that the housing needs of the proletariat were disregarded after 1945 up until Khrushchev’s epoch. I have thus decided to investigate the means in which Stalin’s Seven Sister buildings transformed Moscow into a modern city whilst displaying Soviet communism to the world.

Therefore, the subsequent question that comprehensively investigates the social, political and economic impacts of the Seven Sisters is: How did the creation of Stalin’s ‘Seven Sisters’ transform Moscow into a contemporary city while simultaneously presenting Soviet Communism to the world from 1947-1957? This paper will investigate all the different aspects surrounding the creation of the Vysotki, and analyze the subsequent impacts on Soviet culture.

This will be achieved by analyzing various primary and secondary sources regarding the Seven Sisters, along with a comprehensive interpretation of a lecture given in the Moscow Shchusev Architectural Museum that I attended on October 10th, 2012. Although the progression of Moscow into a contemporary European city is characterized by numerous different aspects, including the Moscow metro system and other forms of Stalinist architecture, the Seven Sisters ultimately defined Moscow with an architectural legacy that remains evident to present day.

Therefore, Stalin’s Vysotki played a significant role in the creation of Moscow into a contemporary city, and presented Soviet Communism in Russia with architectural grandeur and magnificence. Abstract Word Count: 271 2. Introduction How did the creation of Stalin’s ‘Seven Sisters’ transform Moscow into a contemporary city while simultaneously presenting Soviet Communism to the world from 1947 to 1957? In order to conceptualize the political, economic and social status of the Soviet Union after World War II, it is essential to evaluate the impact of the war on the USSR in multiple aspects.

In 1945, while the Red Army controlled all of Eastern Europe and occupied such cities as Riga, Vilnius, Tallinn, Sofia, Budapest, Prague, Vienna and Warsaw, much of Russia’s European cities lay destroyed from 4 years of war. The Soviet population suffered an estimated 25 million deaths during the course of the war; a statistic that significantly exceeds the number of deaths of any other country in the world during the war. Similar to the decimation of its population, the Soviet Union’s economy was substantially depleted after the war.

Approximately one fourth of Russia’s capital resources were destroyed, subsequently causing a dramatic decrease in the Soviet Union’s industrial and agricultural output, contrary to the output goals set forth by the Five Year Plans. On the other hand, the political status of the Soviet government had relatively positive prospects, as the Soviet Union was virtually the only power in Continental Europe to emerge from the war with the same political regime it had at the start of the war.

Stalin remained in power throughout the course of the war, and essentially continued his oppressive rule after 1945, sending national minorities and even Soviet prisoners of war suspected of supporting fascism to mass exile. Despite the economic depression of the Soviet Union after World War II, Joseph Stalin thought the USSR needed a strategy to glorify its capital, Moscow, to celebrate the great victory and send a message to its former allies who were rapidly becoming its geopolitical rivals – the US and Western European Allies.

Stalin’s architectural ideology at this point was not to resolve the crushing housing crisis and rebuild the devastated nation, but to spend a major portion of government funding on the building of what would become Moscow’s Seven Sister buildings, or Vysotki (literally translated as “high-rise buildings”). The original planning for the Seven Sisters was based on Boris Iofan’s prize-winning plan for the Palace of Soviets building, a grand political edifice that was meant to exceed the Empire State Building in overall height.

Essentially, the creation of the Vysotki would allow Stalin to leave his own personal imprint on the city’s skyline, and to rival many other world powers at the time – such as Great Britain and the United States, which had their own prized architectural landmarks recognized the world over. While the Palace of Soviets was never built, its construction repeatedly delayed by the onset of the war and diversion of steel to the munitions and weapons factories, the process did leave an indelible imprint on the city, as the monumental Cathedral of Christ the Savior was torn down to make room for the Palace. . Background Information Figure 2 – Ministry of Foreign Affairs Figure 2 – Ministry of Foreign Affairs The erection of the Vysotki started in 1947, two years after the end of World War II. The prospective plans for the creation of the Seven Sisters included three ministries, three hotels and one multi-purpose governmental building. In terms of location, the general plan for the placement of the buildings was to arrange the Seven Sisters in a circle, surrounding the center of Moscow.

This plan was done to aesthetically balance the skyline of Moscow, as most of the buildings in the city at the time were at most six or seven stories in height. Strategically placing these huge, innovative structures evenly throughout the city would give Moscow a new aura to it after the war, and would essentially transform Moscow into a modern European city. The first of the Seven Sisters to be finished was the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building (see Figure 2), which was built from 1947 to 1954. The main architects behind this building were V. G. Gelfreih and A. B.

Minkus, and the creation of this building ultimately set the benchmark for the next six Vysotki, as it stood out in the city with both magnificence and its grand scale. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs building had certain stylistic features that influenced the plans for the other six Vysotki, such as obelisks in the main entrance, the Soviet hammer and sickle on the sides of the building, and the massive spire on top of the central tower. The specific use of the hammer and sickle symbol on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building suggests the Soviet Union’s strength, as it projected the power of the Soviet diplomacy world over.

The building reached a total of 172 meters, including 27 stories, making it the tallest building in Moscow at the time. The second of the ministries, after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is the Red Gates (Krasniye Vorota) administrative building. Designed by Alexei Dushkin, this administrative building is 133 meters tall, containing 24 usable floors. The method in which this Vysotka was built is particularly innovative, as Dushkin proposed erecting the building initially tilted to one side, so that the weak soil of Moscow would not have a negative impact on the structural stability of the building.

More than 200 holes were drilled and filled with ice under the foundation of the building, to maintain the soil’s strength while the building was being constructed. As this Vysotka concluded construction, the ice was deliberately melted and the tilted building shifted into an upright state, in which it currently stands. The purpose of this building was to house the Ministry of Railways, with whose officials Alexei Dushkin himself cooperated during the design and construction. Dushkin is known mostly for his work on the Moscow Metro stations; however, the Ministry of Railways holds a well-respected place in his architectural legacy.

Although the initial plans for the Seven Sisters included three ministry buildings, only two were built, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Railways. The third ministry building was replaced by the Moscow State (Lomonosov) University building, upon Stalin’s demand. Drafted by Boris Iofan and inaugurated in 1953, the Lomonosov University building is 236 meters tall, with 36 floors. The sheer magnitude of this building dominated the Moscow skyline in its early years and is visible from many points of the city to this day. It still holds the title of being the world’s largest educational building.

In this respect, Stalin partially achieved one of his objectives: the recognition of Moscow as a contemporary European city on a global scale. 4. Influences of Stalinist Architecture In order to analyze the effect of the Seven Sisters on the transition of Moscow to a contemporary European city, it is essential to establish Stalinist Architecture as a short-lived architectural style that experienced a definite starting point and definite end. This aspect of Stalinist architecture is specifically unique, as other styles of architecture are typically dispersed throughout long periods of history, without defined start and end dates.

Therefore, the defined beginning of Stalinist architecture, sometimes referred to as Stalinist Gothic or Socialist Classicism, originated in 1933, with Boris Iofan’s design for the massive Palace of Soviets building. Throughout a defined 20 year time period, Socialist Classicism reigned dominant in the Soviet Union as the preferred style of architecture. However, in 1955, two years after Stalin’s death, Nikita Khrushchev issued a decree “On Excesses in Architecture” that deemed Stalinist architecture extinct and began the start of a new architectural age in Moscow and the rest of the Soviet Union.

Khrushchev’s preferred style of architecture, compared to Stalin’s love for architectural magnificence and grandiose Roman Empire inspired design, was significantly more conservative, as Khrushchev and his administration focused on a pragmatic solution to the lack of housing for the masses in the Soviet Union. The architecture in Moscow after 1955 was therefore relatively simplistic and practical, and was ultimately defined by the khrushchyovka, 5 story, identical, pre-fabricated apartment buildings meant to house a significant amount of families in relatively tight quarters.

Named after Khruschev himself, the key element of these buildings was the rapid production of their concrete panels in manufacturing plants and rapid assembly on site. The intent of these buildings was to resolve the housing shortage rapidly, as their life p was projected as 40 years – an architectural and construction strategy whose impact is now being acutely felt in modern Russia, as these building are now crumbling and require replacement.

Figure 3 – Boris Iofan’s winning design for the never-built Palace of Soviets – Recreated in 3D Max as a modern rendering of what the building would look like if it were constructed20. Figure 3 – Boris Iofan’s winning design for the never-built Palace of Soviets – Recreated in 3D Max as a modern rendering of what the building would look like if it were constructed20. Shifting to the influences on Socialist Classicism as an architectural style, it is essential to consider the effect of Ancient Greek and Roman style on Soviet Architects from 1933 to 1955.

As Boris Iofan’s winning design for the Palace of Soviets building essentially defined the boundaries of Stalinist architecture, Iofan’s individual influences must be taken into consideration (see Figure 3). After visiting New York, Chicago, Rome and Berlin, Iofan remarked in an issue of the Soviet newspaper Pravda that “wherever I [Iofan] might travel, whatever I might see, I approached everything from a particular point of view: what of all this has to be ‘taken home’ to the Soviet Union”.

Therefore, Iofan’s ideology essentially reflects upon Stalinist architecture with influences from American, Italian (subsequently Roman), and German architecture. Although Stalin marveled at the Seven Sisters and Iofan’s Palace of Soviets plan, he ultimately contradicted himself and disregarded Iofan’s work as being too “cosmopolitan” (Western-influenced) and lacking stylistic features individual to the Soviet Union. 5. Relevance of Stalinist Architecture

In order to assess the relevance of Stalinist architecture between 1945-1957, it is important to put the events of the Cold War into context. First of all, tension between the United States and the Soviet Union continuously rose from 1945 to 1957, starting with the disagreements between the USA and the USSR at the Yalta conference in February 1945 and the Potsdam conference in July 1945. For instance, at the Yalta conference, Roosevelt and Churchill did not accept Stalin’s proposal to annex Eastern Poland.

Furthermore, at the Potsdam conference, Stalin promised free elections past the Oder-Neisse line. However, free elections were never held and the Soviet government eventually persecuted Polish nationalists. In terms of economic reconstruction, the Soviet Union had joined the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 1944. However, when the Soviet Union applied for a $6 billion loan from the United States, America immediately imposed conditions on the loan.

These conditions included the opening of eastern European markets to American products, which in effect reflected the “dollar diplomacy” strategy of the United States – using its economic power and intact industry to reach its geopolitical goals on the devastated European continent. Stalin’s reaction to the forced conditions on the six billion dollar loan was undoubtedly negative. However, the Soviet Union was in great need of funding after its economy was significantly depleted after the war.

However, Stalin had controversial aims as to what would be done with all government funding regarding the reconstruction of Russia after World War II. With millions of people deceased and hundreds of thousands of homes destroyed, it is argued by many historians that the building of Khrushchyovka, small and simplistic residential buildings built to maximize housing space and housing multiple families in communal apartments, would more rapidly reconstruct Russia after the war.

However, Stalin focused more on the creation of the Vysotki rather than Khrushchyovka, thus using a substantially larger portion of the government’s money on expensive, grand buildings, yet not spending enough on building pragmatic housing solutions that would have helped a much larger share of Soviet population. For example, the entire city of Stalingrad took approximately 2 billion Russian rubles to completely reconstruct after the war, however in comparison, the Moscow State Lomonosov University building took about 2. 6 billion Russian rubles alone, approximating 415 million British pounds in contemporary monetary terms.

Stalin’s method of spending billions of rubles on the building of the Seven Sisters was immensely controversial. Nonetheless, while he remained in power very few people dared to oppose any of his decisions or his architectural ideology. In other words, up until March 1953, when Joseph Stalin died, Stalin’s cult of personality ultimately undermined any attempt to consider spending less governmental funds on the creation of the Vysotki. Public opinion after Stalin’s death was split, as one side favored the Seven Sisters, claiming that the new high-rise buildings essentially beautified the capital of Soviet Russia.

Many others agreed with the new Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev that Stalin’s spending spree on a few grand buildings did not benefit the Soviet Union and ultimately did more damage than good. One simple reason to criticize the Seven Sister project is that two of the grand buildings were built as hotels – Leningradskaya and Ukraine – catering to foreign tourists. However, the Cold War tensions slowed any tourism from the West to a trickle and the two hotels stood largely vacant, while millions of Russians struggled without adequate housing, their homes destroyed in the war. 6.

Incorporation of the Seven Sisters into the City of Moscow In the architectural realm of the Soviet Union, the main project was to rebuild Moscow in an innovative and idealistically planned manner. This massive project to rebuild Moscow was placed in the hands of the Communist Party’s Central Committee, and in June 1931, a resolution was generated that essentially provided the guidelines of how each city was going to be rebuilt. The Union of Soviet Architects subsequently utilized these plans to determine the amounts of funding to be spent on the rebuilding of each Soviet city.

Although the plans to reconstruct the city of Leningrad were considered the most prominent, the majority of funding was given to Moscow, as it was the nation’s capital. Therefore, the city of Moscow was to be deemed as the ideal “socialist city”, a utopia that reflected the ideology of Socialism and conveyed the positive link between architectural grandeur and Soviet achievements in all other realms of life – education, government, science, industry and the arts. However this model of a “socialist city” contained numerous ironies, due to the General Plan for Moscow’s components.

The plan envisioned a relatively non-industrial landscape, as factories and other industrial plants were to be banned in central Moscow and mass housing (Kommunalka) significantly reduced. These plans, in effect, resembled the typical contemporary city of a capitalist society, such as the United States. Considering the incorporation of the Seven Sisters into Moscow in aesthetic terms, the general plans for rebuilding Moscow called for the Vysotki to be the predominant elements of the city’s skyline.

Relating back to the initial plans of the prospective Seven Sisters, the design consisted of the seven high-rise buildings to be aligned in a circular formation. Although this was mainly done in order to balance the skyline of Moscow, thus avoiding the clutter of skyscrapers in a condensed area, Stalin proposed that this circular formation would psychologically and visually coronate the capital city of Russia. The Seven Sisters, would therefore “crown” Moscow, representing architectural jewels, much like the composition of a literal crown.

This idea of crowning Moscow suggests multiple things, including Stalin’s vision for Soviet pride in the victory in World War II and nationalistic ideology, as well as the suggestion that Moscow with its Seven Sisters is superior and more grandiose in contrast with other contemporary European cities. Figure 4 – Moscow State University (Lomonosov University) 7. Moscow’s Progression into a Contemporary European City Figure 5 – Moscow Metro, Kievskaya Station Figure 5 – Moscow Metro, Kievskaya Station

With consideration to Moscow’s gradual progression into a contemporary European city, the Seven Sisters and numerous other architectural projects all contributed to the innovative re-imaging and rebuilding of Stalin’s showpiece city. Perhaps one of the most glorious aspects of Muscovite architecture in a way that affects the city’s enormous 15 million population to this day is the Moscow city metro system (see Figure 5). Initially opened for use in 1935, the Moscow Metro was the first underground railway system in the Soviet Union.

Although not only pragmatic in its use, moving close to 4 million people a day in 2012, the metro system in Moscow is famous for its stations’ architectural and artistic magnificence, complete with bronze chandeliers, marble floors and mosaic and sculptural art works unimaginable in the drab, utilitarian metro systems of New York or London. Furthermore, adding to the practicalities of the new Moscow, the urban planning of the city ultimately helped define Moscow as a modern European city. More specifically, it was the Moscow Master Plan of 1935 that ultimately outlined the way Moscow was to be reconstructed.

Stalin instigated a numerable amount of changes to the urban planning of Moscow, which in turn supported his funding of expensive “ensemble” projects, thus favoring luxury over the needs of millions of middle and lower class workers in the city. For instance, city blocks were to be increased from 2 hectares up to 15 hectares, and the population density was limited to 400 people per 1 hectare. Additionally, all new buildings were required to be at least 6 stories high, while first-rate streets (embankments) had to be 10 or 14 stories high.

These new rules effectively banned the production of inexpensive and mass constructed housing units, as well as single-family houses. 8. Conclusion Figure 6 – Triumph Palace Figure 6 – Triumph Palace When evaluating the city of Moscow from an aesthetic point of view, it is the Seven Sisters that generally stand out most prominently among the vast skyline of Moscow. The Vysotki did not only leave a strong visual impact on the city, they also left both an architectural and social legacy that has proven to influence modern architecture throughout the world.

There are numerous positive and negative impacts caused by the building of the Seven Sisters, which ultimately define the legacy of the massive Stalinist high-rises. First of all, Stalin’s Vysotki delivered a newfound architectural magnificence into the capital city of Moscow. With influences from Ancient Greek and Roman architecture, the Seven Sisters gave the city a luxuriously grand aura. The stylistic features of the Seven Sister buildings have been repeated several times in modern architecture globally, thus proving to be an influential legacy left by the Vysotki.

For instance, the Triumph Palace in Moscow, built in 2004, takes the architectural magnificence of the Vysotki and converts the features into a modern representation of a Seven Sister building (see Figure 6). This massive apartment building purposefully resembles a Seven Sister building, and is sometimes referred to as the “Eighth” Sister. However, relative to the issues challenging the nation at the time of the construction of Stalin’s Seven Sisters, the Vysotki left unanswered the more pragmatic and humanistic problems, as the housing crisis after World War II was not resolved.

As mentioned previously, the total funding of the Lomonosov State University building exceeded the total funding for the reconstruction of the entire city of Stalingrad. Of course Stalingrad did not have nearly as many plans for grand buildings as Moscow, however the lack of housing in Stalingrad was resolved much more effectively than in Moscow, in light of a relatively lower need for funding in comparison with the capital city. In terms of Stalin’s architectural preferences, Moscow was to be reconstructed as the ideal socialist city, with all unattractive mass housing units moved to the outskirts of the city.

Although these buildings eventually solved the issue of the lack of housing, the dull nature of the Khrushchyovka was criticized by many, claiming that the buildings constructed under Khrushchev and Leonid Brezhnev were aesthetically unpleasant. The method of constructing these mass housing units was parodied by the Soviet popular film “Irony of Fate”, which was produced in 1975, approximately 20 years after the initial implementation of these buildings.

When determining the relevance of Stalin’s Seven Sister buildings, the question must be asked: How did the creation of Stalin’s ‘Seven Sisters’ transform Moscow into a contemporary city while simultaneously presenting Soviet Communism to the world from 1947-1957? Although the gradual transformation of Moscow into a modern European city is characterized by various different aspects, such as the urban planning and architecture of Moscow, the conclusion can be made that the Seven Sisters played a significant role in Moscow’s progression.

To a large extent, the Vysotki helped define the city of Moscow with an architectural legacy, and also gave Moscow the distinguished individuality that Stalin pushed for. In some aspects, Stalin’s Seven Sisters ultimately gave Moscow what the Khrushchyovka could not, architectural gems that are world-renowned to this present day. Sources: 1. Texts 1. Andreev, EM, et al. , Naselenie Sovetskogo Soiuza, 1922-1991. Moscow, Nauka, 1993. 2. Amir Weiner, Making Sense of War: The Second World War and the Fate of the Bolshevik Revolution, Princeton: Princeton University Press (2001). 3. Kustova, Anna. Moscow’s Seven Sisters. ” Lecture, Shchusev State Museum of Architecture, Moscow, Russia, October 10th 2012. 4. Kiernan, Maria. Moscow: A Guide to Soviet and Post-Soviet Architecture, Ellipis, London, 1998, p. 126. 5. Mark Harrison. “The Soviet Union after 1945: Economic Recovery and Political Repression. ” Department of Economics, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK. April 2012. Page 2. 6. Kathleen Berton. “Moscow: An Architectural History. ” New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1977. 7. Russian: ??????, ? (Barzar, L. ), “?. ?. ?????? (M. A. Minkus)”, ?oscow, 1982. . William Craft Brumfield. “Landmarks of Russian Architecture: A Photographic Survey. ” Singapore: Gordon and Breach Publishers, 1997. 9. Katerina Clark. “Moscow, The Fourth Rome: Stalinism, Cosmopolitanism, and the Evolution of Soviet Culture, 1931-1941. ” Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2011. 10. Russian: “??????????? ????? 70 ???”, World Architecture Magazine, no. 14, 2005, ???. 30–52 (Moscow Metro, 70 Years, pages 30–52) 11. Melvyn P. Leffler, “Adherence to Agreements: Yalta and the Experiences of the Early Cold War”, International Security, Vol. 11, No. (Summer, 1986), pp. 88–123 12. Berthon, Simon; Potts, Joanna (2007), Warlords: An Extraordinary Re-creation of World War II Through the Eyes and Minds of Hitler, Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin, Da Capo Press. 13. Miscamble, Wilson D. (2007), From Roosevelt to Truman: Potsdam, Hiroshima, and the Cold War, Cambridge University Press. 14. Russian: ????????????? ??? ???? ? ?? ???(?) ?? 10 ???? 1935 ?. N 1435 “? ??????????? ????? ????????????? ?????? ??????” (SNK and the Central Committee of the CPSU. July 10, 1935 N 1435 “The Master Plan for Reconstruction of Moscow”) 2. Photographs 1. Fig. , Dmitry Chistoprudov, Misty Dawn Over Moscow: Kotelnicheskaya Embankment, 2011. Photograph. Own Work. 2. Fig. 2, Richard Anderson, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2009. Photograph. http://www. flickriver. com. 3. Fig. 3, Ilya Ilusenko, Palace of Soviets: The Soviet Union – 3D Max Rendering, May 11, 2012. Own Work. 4. Fig. 4, Dmitry A. Mottl, Lomonosov Moscow State University, September 21, 2012. Photograph. Own Work. 5. Fig. 5, A. Savin, Kievskaya Metro Station, 2010. Photograph. Own Work. 6. Fig. 6, Andreykov, Viktorenko Street 10, 2011. Photograph. Own Work. ——————————————– 1 ]. Fig. 1, Dmitry Chistoprudov, Misty Dawn Over Moscow: Kotelnicheskaya Embankment, 2011. Photograph. Own Work. [ 2 ]. Mark Harrison. “The Soviet Union after 1945: Economic Recovery and Political Repression. ” Department of Economics, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK. April 2012. Page 2. [ 3 ]. Andreev, EM, et al. , Naselenie Sovetskogo Soiuza, 1922-1991. Moscow, Nauka, 1993. [ 4 ]. Stalin, Joseph; Molotov, Vyacheslav; Kaganovich, Lazar; Voroshilov, Kliment; Ordzhonikidze, Sergo; Kuibyshev, Valerian; Yakovlev, Yakov; Grinko, Grigoriy, From the First to the Second Five Year Plan.

Moscow: Co-operative Publishing Society of Foreign Workers in the U. S. S. R. , 1933 [ 5 ]. Amir Weiner, Making Sense of War: The Second World War and the Fate of the Bolshevik Revolution, Princeton: Princeton University Press (2001). [ 6 ]. Kathleen Berton. Moscow: An Architectural History. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1977. Page 237. [ 7 ]. Kustova, Anna. “Moscow’s Seven Sisters. ” Lecture, Shchusev State Museum of Architecture, Moscow, Russia, October 10th 2012. [ 8 ]. Kathleen Berton. Moscow: An Architectural History. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1977. Page 237. [ 9 ].

Kustova, Anna. “Moscow’s Seven Sisters. ” Lecture, Shchusev State Museum of Architecture, Moscow, Russia, October 10th 2012. [ 10 ]. Fig. 2, Richard Anderson, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2009. Photograph. http://www. flickriver. com. [ 11 ]. Kiernan, Maria. Moscow: A Guide to Soviet and Post-Soviet Architecture, Ellipis, London, 1998, p. 126. [ 12 ]. Kiernan, Maria. Moscow: A Guide to Soviet and Post-Soviet Architecture, Ellipis, London, 1998, p. 126. [ 13 ]. Kustova, Anna. “Moscow’s Seven Sisters. ” Lecture, Shchusev State Museum of Architecture, Moscow, Russia, October 10th 2012. [ 14 ].

Kiernan, Maria. Moscow: A Guide to Soviet and Post-Soviet Architecture, Ellipis, London, 1998, p. 127. [ 15 ]. Russian: ??????, ? (Barzar, L. ), “?. ?. ?????? (M. A. Minkus)”, ?oscow, 1982. Page 66. [ 16 ]. Kustova, Anna. “Moscow’s Seven Sisters. ” Lecture, Shchusev State Museum of Architecture, Moscow, Russia, October 10th 2012. [ 17 ]. William Craft Brumfield. “Landmarks of Russian Architecture: A Photographic Survey. ” Singapore: Gordon and Breach Publishers, 1997. Page 231. [ 18 ]. Katerina Clark. “Moscow, The Fourth Rome: Stalinism, Cosmopolitanism, and the Evolution of Soviet Culture, 1931-1941. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2011. Page 216. [ 19 ]. Kustova, Anna. “Moscow’s Seven Sisters. ” Lecture, Shchusev State Museum of Architecture, Moscow, Russia, October 10th 2012. [ 20 ]. Fig. 3, Ilya Ilusenko, Palace of Soviets: The Soviet Union – 3D Max Rendering, May 11, 2012. Own Work. [ 21 ]. Katerina Clark. “Moscow, The Fourth Rome: Stalinism, Cosmopolitanism, and the Evolution of Soviet Culture, 1931-1941. ” Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2011. Page 8. [ 22 ]. Kustova, Anna. “Moscow’s Seven Sisters. Lecture, Shchusev State Museum of Architecture, Moscow, Russia, October 10th 2012. [ 23 ]. Melvyn P. Leffler, “Adherence to Agreements: Yalta and the Experiences of the Early Cold War”, International Security, Vol. 11, No. 1 (Summer, 1986), pp. 88–123 [ 24 ]. Berthon, Simon; Potts, Joanna (2007), Warlords: An Extraordinary Re-creation of World War II Through the Eyes and Minds of Hitler, Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin, Da Capo Press. Page 285. [ 25 ]. Miscamble, Wilson D. (2007), From Roosevelt to Truman: Potsdam, Hiroshima, and the Cold War, Cambridge University Press.

Page 101. [ 26 ]. Kustova, Anna. “Moscow’s Seven Sisters. ” Lecture, Shchusev State Museum of Architecture, Moscow, Russia, October 10th 2012. [ 27 ]. Kathleen Berton. “Moscow: An Architectural History. ” New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1977. [ 28 ]. Kustova, Anna. “Moscow’s Seven Sisters. ” Lecture, Shchusev State Museum of Architecture, Moscow, Russia, October 10th 2012. [ 29 ]. Kustova, Anna. “Moscow’s Seven Sisters. ” Lecture, Shchusev State Museum of Architecture, Moscow, Russia, October 10th 2012. [ 30 ]. Russian: ??????, ? (Barzar, L. ), “?. ?. ?????? (M. A.

Minkus)”, ?oscow, 1982. [ 31 ]. Katerina Clark. “Moscow, The Fourth Rome: Stalinism, Cosmopolitanism, and the Evolution of Soviet Culture, 1931-1941. ” Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2011. Page 13. [ 32 ]. Kustova, Anna. “Moscow’s Seven Sisters. ” Lecture, Shchusev State Museum of Architecture, Moscow, Russia, October 10th 2012. [ 33 ]. Katerina Clark. “Moscow, The Fourth Rome: Stalinism, Cosmopolitanism, and the Evolution of Soviet Culture, 1931-1941. ” Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2011. Page 14. [ 34 ]. Kustova, Anna. “Moscow’s Seven Sisters. Lecture, Shchusev State Museum of Architecture, Moscow, Russia, October 10th 2012. [ 35 ]. Fig. 4, Dmitry A. Mottl, Lomonosov Moscow State University, September 21, 2012. Photograph. Own Work. [ 36 ]. Fig. 5, A. Savin, Kievskaya Metro Station, 2010. Photograph. Own Work. [ 37 ]. Russian: “??????????? ????? 70 ???”, World Architecture Magazine, no. 14, 2005, ???. 30–52 (Moscow Metro, 70 Years, pages 30–52) [ 38 ]. Katerina Clark. “Moscow, The Fourth Rome: Stalinism, Cosmopolitanism, and the Evolution of Soviet Culture, 1931-1941. ” Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2011. Page 216. [ 39 ].

Russian: ????????????? ??? ???? ? ?? ???(?) ?? 10 ???? 1935 ?. N 1435 “? ??????????? ????? ????????????? ?????? ??????” (SNK and the Central Committee of the CPSU. July 10, 1935 N 1435 “The Master Plan for Reconstruction of Moscow”) [ 40 ]. Katerina Clark. “Moscow, The Fourth Rome: Stalinism, Cosmopolitanism, and the Evolution of Soviet Culture, 1931-1941. ” Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2011. [ 41 ]. Fig. 6, Andreykov, Viktorenko Street 10, 2011. Photograph. Own Work [ 42 ]. Kustova, Anna. “Moscow’s Seven Sisters. ” Lecture, Shchusev State Museum of Architecture, Moscow, Russia, October 10th 2012.

As a Salesman myself, I feel that I can relate to Death of a Salesman, to the extent of understanding what the job entails. In this essay, I shall depict the effects that socialism had on the characters of Death of a Salesman. I will include the social struggle of society, the contradictions involved, and the ideas of success, the character’s goals, and Willy’s downfall. I shall also include how Socialism has affected the real world and our nation’s society. Willy Loman’s world enticed him to become something he was not. Society placed a burden upon Willy’s head, of which he could not bare. But he was agonized by his awareness of being in a false position, so constantly haunted by the hollowness of all he had placed his faith in, so aware, in short, that he must somehow be filled in his spirit or fly apart, that he staked his very life on the ultimate assertion” (Miller 1594).

Miller’s statement implies that Willy was in such a rut, knowing that he could not afford to pay for his appliances or even for his automobile, that he risked everything to succeed. The government however, in Willy’s world, defined what succeeding really is. Socialism means the substitution of governmental judgment for that of the individual and for individual ambition as well” (Myers 3). Willy’s ambitions involved obtaining a new career closer to his family and being able to afford all of his material objects. “Committed himself so completely to the counterfeits of dignity and the fake coinage embodied in his idea of success that he can prove his existence only by bestowing ‘power’ on his posterity, a power deriving from the sale of his last asset, himself” (Miller 1594).

It is clear that the government played a major role in creating those ambitions. Biff’s social struggle included living up to his father’s expectations, of which his father did not necessarily approve of, until the end of the playwright. The government as a whole decided what was acceptable in society, and what was not, which is true to this day. Society has demanded a great deal from its inhabitants for thousands of years, especially in the United States. We soak up the governments and large corporation’s idealism everyday through nearly every source of entertainment we consume.

A good example of true socialism would be a class-system, such as in central Asia, specifically China and India. For many years the Chinese and Indians have accepted a socialistic way of life, judging and ranking their citizens merely by blood-line and skin-color. For instance, both countries considered lighter (paler) skinned individuals as having a higher status compared to darker-skinned individuals. Therefore, even today, the sales of large amounts of skin-lightening creams exist in the Asian market.

The largest contradiction I have come to understand is that exerting too much effort into an ideal ultimately ends in disaster. We witness this by examining Willy Loman. He, as a salesman, has an extremely stressful lifestyle. He ponders as to what he will do about his son Biff, and how he will be able to afford his bills. His lust for existence drove him mad, and eventually became the exact thing that invoked his demise. The ideas of success vary between characters in Death of a Salesman. Happy understood success as being able to provide for his family, more than merely financially.

He always made statements on how him and Biff would open a sporting goods store, and be successful. Willy’s idea of success, in my opinion, was confirming his existence in society as a hard-working, honorable American. He however, drove himself mad as life-events spiraled downwards. Biff pursued to do something with his life, making his father happy in the process. Biff provides evidence of struggle by suggesting “When all you really desire is to be outdoors, with your shirt off. And always to have to get ahead of the next fella.

And still – that’s how you build a future” (Miller 1429). That statement defines a key point in the story, because it symbolizes how each character yearns to get ahead and be successful. Miller’s playwrights were heavily influenced with Socialism, as Helge Nilsen states, “Human beings are sacrificed to economic interests in ways that are not only immoral, but even criminal in nature” (1608). That statement suggests that Miller purposely set each character up, in order to have a certain Socialistic ideal embodied within their personalities. Biff, however, has begun to rebel against his father’s ideas and to feel his way towards different standards, meaning those that Miller associates with the socialist society” (Nilsen 1609). The value of success is very difficult to measure.

Each and every individual has their own understanding of success, as did Biff, Happy, and Willy. Society, for the most part, has labeled success as obtaining financial well-being. If someone were to be well off financially, then they are considered successful to the majority. Socialism has embedded that concept in our minds, from childhood to the present day. The socialist mentality is usually also an atheistic mentality, where atheism is understood not so much as the disbelief in God as the hatred of God – an attitude as precarious logically as it has been destructive in practice” (Kimball 16). That statement indicates that Socialism is equivalent to brainwashing an individual’s values. Willy’s goal in life, in my opinion, was to be successful enough to instill the correct ideals in his children’s mind, and to also recognize his own existence. Biff’s situation, in Willy’s mind, was a major conflict in his life.

Without Biff becoming successful and making something out of his life, Willy would not exist and live up to his own ideals. Biff’s goals however, were filled with confusion and insecurity. Biff exclaims, “I’ve always made a point of not wasting my life, and every time I come back here I know that all I’ve done is waste my life” (Miller 1429). From that statement, I presume that Biff would like to fulfill his father’s request of not wasting his life. We witness that towards the end of the playwright, when Biff begins to sob and then embraces Willy.

That moment in the play contributes a large amount to the irony towards the moral of the play, to exist is to meet one’s ideals. Willy’s realization however, brought upon his demise. Death of a Salesman’s overall plot and theme brings out a powerful message to today’s society. In our country today, individuals do not necessarily seek certain prospects out of pure joy, but rather out of financial greed. For example, class-systems still exist to this day in some countries, and diminish the value of overall life for the less fortunate.

The ultimate downfall of Willy was that he consumed himself of his true values. His urge to make money and be a great salesman drove him wild. He did not realize what Biff was attempting to do until it was too late. As Nilsen stated, “But Biff continues his attempt to break through to his father’s feelings and establish a genuine connection and respect between them. Hence his plaintive cry: ‘Pop, I’m nothing…I’m just what I am, that’s all’” (1611). Since Biff did not abide by the socialist ideals of the time, Willy was determined to correct it.

I believe Willy could not handle the pressures of life, and therefore ended up where he did. In this essay I have written about the effects of Socialism on the characters of Death of a Salesman. I described the effects social struggle, contradiction, ideas on success, their goals and Willy’s ultimate downfall. Writing on this topic was quite interesting, because it made me open my eyes on the current situations of our nation. Overall I believe Socialism is expressed greatly in this playwright, and that it teaches the reader that certain ideals such as financial prosperity are not always the answer to life.