Browsing: Politics

A Brief History On July 25, 1969, President Nixon declared the “Nixon Doctrine,” stating that from this point on Asian countries were expected to defend themselves rather than rely on the US to defend them.  This policy began the pathetic process of “Vietnamization” of the Viet Nam War, turning over responsibility for the war to South Viet Nam.  Presidents have been declaring “doctrines” all the way back to James Monroe.  Here we list 10 of those presidential doctrines.  Whether or not they were/are a good idea is for you to decide.   Digging Deeper 10. Monroe. The original policy labeled a…

A Brief History On July 25, 1593, Henry IV, King of France, converted from Calvinism back to the Catholicism of his birth.  Henry had been raised Protestant, although he was baptized Catholic.  His conversion back to Catholic came in the midst of the Wars of Religion, battles between Catholic and Protestant Europeans. Digging Deeper Was Henry’s re-conversion a political ploy or a sincere action of conscience?  It would seem to be a move made for political expediency, something monarchs and other national leaders have done throughout history.  Napoleon Bonaparte did not think highly of religion, but he recognized the usefulness…

A Brief History On July 16, 1439, the Parliament of King Henry VI of England issued a proclamation banning kissing. Digging Deeper This ban of something we now think of as being so personal was in response to yet another outbreak of plague. This particular plague was probably not the bubonic plague which caused an epidemic known as the Black Death in which entire populations were wiped out. In those years, the word “plague” was a general term used to describe any infectious malady that spread rampantly. So, was the Government getting involved in the personal matter of affection between…

A Brief History This article presents key events in the life of Joan of Arc and the Hundred Years’ War. Digging Deeper On August 2, 1343, Olivier Clisson, a French nobleman from Brittany, was convicted of treason in Paris and beheaded.  He had been fighting the British in the Hundred Years War, and when his success tapered off, he was criticized and accused of treason, perhaps to deflect blame from French losses. On August 26, 1346, at the battle of Crecy, English archers proved the superiority of the English Longbow over the combination of armored knights and crossbowmen fielded by the…

A Brief History At the time of Richard’s birth, no one could have foreseen that he would one day be king for he was the 12th of his parents’ 13 offspring and only the fourth son to reach adulthood, with two of his elder brothers having children of their own. Digging Deeper So how was Richard able to become king? Actually quite legally and surprisingly peacefully. Unlike his kinsmen who attained the throne through battle, conquest or even murder, Richard was asked by the citizens of London to assume the throne after they had drawn up a petition. His right to reign…