Past Leaders essays

Past Leaders essays Sigmund Freuds life consisted of two things: himself and psychoanalysis. He was an extremely hard worker. Seeing several patients in a day, and then writing into the night, but he never seemed to have fun. He stood up for his work and defended it 100%. Freud had theories of repression, disturbances of sexual function, which he claimed to be neurotic, and infantile sexuality which he said all children are partly neurotic. He prided himself on always being right. He as well came up with the theory of the Id, Ego, and Super-ego, which were the three different parts of the human mind. Freud came to the conclusion of studying his childhood patients that many of the bad incidents that his patients recalled and that seemed to have caused their illnesses were sexual in nature. He established that the primary cause of neurosis was the sexuality of childhood. He also came up with transference which is when someone would enter a new situation in life or they are confronted by a new person, then they would project upon the other person the prejudices of their past and of their previous experiences with people. Freud came up with these main concepts of psychoanalysis as well as many more which are still used to this very day in that same field of study. He didnt create this subject of study; he just perfected it, and made it better. He is said to be the best psychoanalyst to ever live. He kept to himself, and people still dont know certain things about him even to this day. So yes to close, he did help the discovery of self, with his ideas of the id, ego, and supe r-ego, and the neurotic thoughts of the human mind. He made his field into what it is today. Nikolai Lenin grew up living better than the average bureaucrat. Both his father and his brother died within a year. His brother Alexander was killed because he was found to be plotting to assassinate Tsar Alexander III. Soon after his brothers death L...

Islamic Civil War - Battle of Siffin

Islamic Civil War - Battle of Siffin Introduction Conflict: The Battle of Siffin was part of the First Fitna (Islamic Civil War) which lasted from 656–661.   The First Fitna was a civil war in the early Islamic State caused by the murder of Caliph Uthman ibn Affan in 656 by Egyptian rebels.             Dates: Beginning on July 26, 657, the Battle of Siffin lasted three days, ending on the 28th. Commanders Armies: Forces of Muawiyah I Muawiyah IAmr ibn al-Aasapproximately 120,000 men Forces of Ali ibn Abi Talib Ali ibn Abi TalibMalik ibn Ashterapproximately 90,000 men Battle of Siffin - Background: Following the murder of Caliph Uthman ibn Affan, the caliphate of the Muslim Empire passed to the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, Ali ibn Abi Talib. Shortly after ascending to the caliphate, Ali commenced consolidating his hold over the empire. Among those who opposed him was the governor of Syria, Muawiyah I. A kinsman of the slain Uthman, Muawiyah refused to acknowledge Ali as caliph due his inability to bring the murders to justice. In an attempt to avoid bloodshed, Ali sent an envoy, Jarir, to Syria to seek a peaceful solution. Jarir reported that Muawiyah would submit when the murderers were caught. Battle of Siffin - Muawiyah Seeks Justice: With the blood-stained shirt of Uthman hanging in the Damascus mosque, Muawiyahs large army marched out to meet Ali, pledging not to sleep at home until the murderers were found.   After first planning to invade Syria from the north Ali instead elected to move directly across the Mesopotamian desert.   Crossing the Euphrates River at Riqqa, his army moved along its banks into Syria and first spotted his opponents army near the plain of Siffin. After a small battle over Alis right to take water from the river, the two sides pursued a final attempt at negotiation as both wished to avoid a major engagement. After 110 days of talks, they were still at an impasse. On July 26, 657, with the talks over, Ali and his general, Malik ibn Ashter, began a massive attack on Muawiyahs lines. Battle of Siffin - A Bloody Stalemate: Ali personally led his Medinan troops, while Muawiyah watched from a pavilion, preferring to let his general Amr ibn al-Aas, direct the battle. At one point, Amr ibn al-Aas shattered part of the enemy line and nearly broke through far enough to kill Ali. This was countered by a massive attack, led by Malik ibn Ashter, which nearly forced Muawiyah to flee the field and badly reduced his personal bodyguard. The fighting continued for three days with neither side gaining an advantage, though Alis forces were inflicting a larger number of casualties. Concerned that he might lose, Muawiyah offered to settle their differences through arbitration. Battle of Siffin - Aftermath: The three days of fighting had cost Muawiyahs army approximately 45,000 casualties to 25,000 for Ali ibn Abi Talib. On the battlefield, the arbitrators decided that both leaders were equals and the two sides withdrew to Damascus and Kufa. When the arbitrators met again in February 658, no resolution was achieved. In 661, following the assassination of Ali, Muawiyah ascended to the caliphate, reuniting the Muslim Empire.   Crowned in Jerusalem, Muawiyah established the Umayyad caliphate, and began working to expand the state.   Successful in these endeavors, he reigned until his death in 680.