Abstract
Covers the policies and character of Philip II's reign in attempting to determine the accuracy of his nickname The Prudent King. Contemporary and recent sources used to illustrate Philip's strengths and weaknesses, and a balanced conclusion is reached with regards to whether he deserved his epithet. Major events of his reign are referred to, including the campaign in the Low Countries and against England. Philip's personal principles and religious beliefs are examined. The difficulties faced by 16th century European rulers acknowledged in addition to outlining the shortcomings which at time made Philip a distinctly 'imprudent ' king.

From the Paper
"The proverbial qualities of Philip II leave little doubt as to how he came to be assigned the nickname "the prudent" - for he faced many of the challenges set against him with care and profound thought. Often mindful of the future, he displayed a capacity for administrative industry and put the advice offered to him by his father in the "Instructions" to the best use he could. It is vital, however, to consider how the "prudence" exhibited by Philip could at times lead to his adopting highly imprudent methods of government with regards to both the domestic situation in Castile and the prosecution of Spanish foreign policy."

Tags:armada, ii, netherlands, revolt, england, spain, spanish, castile, king, leader, government

Abstract
This essay examines the purposes of the Mexican Revolution, from its early days as an anti-capitalist demonstration against its government, to the repeated claims by Mexican leaders that the revolution is over, having embraced capitalism whole-heartedly.

From the Paper
"In July 1914, General Carranza proclaimed the revolution over. In 1928 Calles proclaimed the revolution "achieved". In 1940 President Camacho said the same thing. There are those who believe the revolution still to be going on; it is only in the last couple of years that the PNR has finally been voted out of power; Mexico, though a "democracy", had effectively been a one party state until very recently."

Tags:carranza, chiapas, mexican, mexico, obregon, pancho, pnr, revolution, zapata, zapatista, pnr, democracy

Abstract
An analysis of the functions of British political parties with particular attention to their place within UK culture and their promotion of democracy. The paper discusses the ideas of the Conservative, Labor and Liberal Democrats.

From the Paper
"Parties have a broad and complex impact on the political system. Their functions come in six main groups. Primarily, and very importantly, they respond to and articulate the views of opinions of members and voters. In this way, they make the government aware of much of societies needs and wishes. Parties also provide states with leaders. These leaders come from the 'training ground' of the party system, learning the nature of politics in modern culture. Parties provide society with the apparatus to set goals, and, in some cases, ensure they are carried out. In formulating programmes of government (in order to gain popularity), these parties urge policy formation from the executive."

Tags:england, english, parliament, politics, Thatcher

Abstract
This essay analyzes the policies of infitah in the 1970's, as related to Egypt and Iraq. The paper attempts to understand if these policies substantially modified the economic and political realities of the states where the policies were adopted? The paper includes an analysis of the long and short-term effects of economic liberalization of 'infitah' in Egypt and Iraq in the 1970's, drawing particularly on studies by Ayubi, Kienle and Perthes.

From the Paper
"The economic policies of a number of Middle Eastern states during the 1970's were characterized, at least nominally, by the concept of infitah. Broadly, infitah suggests a response by the government to the economic difficulties the state is facing by "opening up" the economy to more foreign investment, nurturing private enterprise and extending the patrimonial state in order to be better placed to afford some degree of social welfare reform. The phenomenon can be seen in varying degrees in many countries across the Middle East during the 1970's and 1980's as nations struggled to come to terms with the increasing importance of global markets and recognized the failure of policies that relied on the substitution of industrialization by imports."

Tags:cold, east, economic, liberalisation, middle, politics, syria, war

Abstract
This paper poses two fundamental questions: 'what is the nature of government set forth by the Australian Constitution?' and 'why has there been such disagreement and disparity in the respective responses?' The paper is organized under the following headings: Organisation of a Liberal Democracy (Power, Legitimacy, Justice, Freedom) The Constitution (Hybridised Constitution, Constitutional-Institutional Relationships, Relationship:Monarchy / Governor-General, Relationship: The Executive, Relationship: Commonwealth / States, The Referendum Process), Australian Federalism, and Responsible Government (Convention versus the Constitution, The "Washminster" Mutation, Credibility of the Responsible Government Model).

From the Paper
"According to Emy, "Australia is one of a small group of countries usually classified as liberal democracies. This is a distinctive type of democracy, one in which the ideas and values of a particular kind of Anglo-American liberalism have exercised a pervasive influence on the growth of political institutions over the past 150 years" (Emy & Hughes, 1988: 183). One of the first steps one can take in explaining how the Australian political system works, is to define the theory behind its operation, and to describe how its supposed to be organised. Therefore, we should give a brief account of "liberalism" and "democracy" insofar as these modes of thought have significantly influenced the overall shape and character of the Australian political system."

Tags:monarchy, governor-general, australia, analysis, politics, democratic, government, responsible, westminster, system

Abstract
This paper first explains that a country of the south is defined as a country in the southern hemisphere that does not reach the standards considered as acceptable by more developed countries typically of the north. Next, the author reveals many factors based on the Human Development Index (HDI) , which indicate that Brazil remains in many ways still a country of the south. However, the paper concludes that Brazil has developed certain distinctions, especially in the area of economics, which indicate that it is reaching the level of development of a northern country and that it has an ever-growing importance in world politics.

Table of Contents:
Brazil as a Country of the South
Human Development Index
Poverty and Hunger
Inequality
Health and Sanitation
Children's Rights
Demographics
Urbanization
Crime
The Environment
Industrial Profile
Brazil as an Emerging Country
Debt
Economic Power
Political Regime
Domestic Programs
Industrialization

From the Paper
"The first indications of a country of the South that are pinpointed by media and analysts often revolve around quality of life. In effect, most developed countries pride themselves on the relatively clean, safe environments that the majority of their population live in. The Human Development Index was conceived by such nations in order to measure and compare how the wealth produced is being distributed throughout countries and for what benefit. In 2009, Brazil's HDI was ranked 75th in the world according to the United Nations Development program."

Tags:poverty health children, industrial capacity, environment

Abstract
This paper deals with the impetus behind the European Union's (EU) policies towards Russia since the end of the Cold War. It looks at how it has been twofold with institutional reform to promote democracy and economic aid to assist in the integration of the former communist countries into the global sphere.
Outline
The End of Empire?
EU/Russia Policies in the 1990s: Institutional Reform and Economic Aid
The EU, NATO and Russia
Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP)
EU Enlargement 2004 - New Borders, New Neighbors
Four Common Spaces
Kaliningrad and the Schengen Regime
Conclusion

From the Paper
"The impetus behind the EU's policies towards Russia since the end of the Cold War has been twofold: institutional reform to promote democracy and economic aid to assist in the integration of the former communist countries into the global sphere. Behind these policies there is fear: an apprehension regarding the mere size of the Eastern countries and the potential threat of a reawakening of Soviet economic and military might; a concern for the possible exodus of immigrants into the EU and the social and economic ramifications for the EU as a whole and individual member states near the borders; an unease at the possibility of an almost never-ending enlargement of the EU and the consequences for the existing community; and the unpleasant notion that without assistance, the former countries of the USSR will fail to develop into in a democratically and economically acceptable way - i.e. following the orthodox neo-liberal capitalist ideal of the West - and the possibility that this may lead to a more confrontational, antagonistic division once again. "

Tags:cfsp, commonwealth, enlargement, pca, regime, schengen, states

Abstract
This paper examines the concept of conventions, in particular those relating to responsibility within the British government and the cabinet. It comments on the effectiveness of the concept as a means of restraining executive power. The paper examines the role of the House of Lords in terms of the recent changes and proposed reforms.

From the Paper
"In Britain we have an unwritten constitution, which involves a number of non-legal conventional rules. These conventional rules mostly deal with the major responsibilities of government and it could be said that in general they are rules of non-legal accountability. Therefore, accountability of government is widely based on conventions and these conventions will discuss in detail, particularly those relating to the accountability of both government ministers and members of parliament."

Tags:accountability, government, britain, cabinet, executive, power, england

Abstract
This paper discusses how France has remained far more centralized than many of its European neighbors and seeks to explain why this is so. It considers a number of factors including its highly divided social and political history and attitudes towards state power. It also explores the recent growth in decentralization in France and attempts to reveal that while France has benefited from decentralization in several areas, it has been unable to commit fully to the process due to a number of inherent obstacles which derive from a "cultural and historical legacy" that has been responsible for France's highly centralized nature.

From the Paper
"One of the key reasons behind France's long history of centralization is that of its highly divided political values. It is generally accepted that the more a society is divided the more likely it is to have a centralized government and vice versa. In a homogeneous society with shared interests and values it can be assumed that it is safe to allow decentralization, yet this has certainly not been the case in France (at least until the late 1960s) where the government and its opposition have been completely split throughout much of France's history. Logically, it then follows that the French government would be less enthusiastic for decentralization as it may have allowed for a loss of power to opposition parties."

Tags:government, president, state, society, class

Abstract
This paper examines the strengths of Soviet organization, as well as the weakness of the Whites, who were backed by western intervention. The paper looks at measures taken, such as "War Communism" used to supply food to the army and the ruthless structure of communist forces, which lead to the Bolshevik victory in the Russian Civil War.

From the Paper
"In 1917 Lenin and the Bolsheviks, known as the Communists or Reds, had seized control over Petrograd and Moscow quite easily. However, they controlled only part of Russia and many groups opposed them. Could they hang on to power? The Mensheviks, Social Revolutionaries and supporters of the Tsar said they had no right to rule. Collectively, these opponents became known as the Whites. The Whites were opposed to the Reds for two main reasons: they seized the land, property and factories of the well off and they attacked religious beliefs. By the end of 1918 civil war had broken out in Russia between the Whites and the Reds. The Whites were supported from abroad by the Allies; Britain, France, the USA and Japan. The Allies opposed Lenin in retaliation for his Brest-Litovsk peace treaty with Germany in March 1918. They had also lost capital and property as the Reds refused to repay loans which had been made to the Tsar's government, and had nationalized foreign owned businesses' in Russia without compensation. Yet, despite a large number of anti-Bolshevik groups within Russia, who were backed by the most powerful countries in the world, the Bolsheviks did eventually win the Russian Civil War. But why?"

Tags:civil, communist, lenin, russia, trotsky, war, bolshevik, economic, political, military