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Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Essay on Reasons for Napoleon Bonaparte's Invasion of Russia

Most people live their life without even causing a ripple in the sea of life.  Once in a while, however, a person will come who will not only create ripples but a tsunami in the history of the world.  While he was still living he always spoke about his intention to leave a mark in history.  There is no doubt that he was able to accomplish his goal.  His name was Napoleon Bonaparte.

Napoleon Bonaparte was a great leader and conqueror. (Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) He was recognized as one of the greatest military leaders in history after he conquered majority of Europe territory through annexation and conquest. (G John Ikenberry 84)  During the 1812, Napoleon had under his control almost the entire of continental Europe which had included from Italy to Baltic and from Portugal to Poland. 

Yet, Napoleon was unsatisfied with his achievements.  He thought that while he had made himself the master over the majority of Europe, his power was unsecure unless something was done about the English ships which at the time could still sail freely in Europe.  He thought that England needed to be under his control so as to make his power more secure.  His goal however was to finally defeat England which at the time was a formidable opponent.  He thought that it would be a good strategy to weaken the economic superiority of Britain by banning other countries from trading with it. 

Consequently, Napoleon began his campaign by starting with Russia which at the time was trading with England.  Napoleon sent one of the greatest armies ever to have been assembled in Russia in 1812.  This essay seeks to discuss the France’s invasion of Russia in 1812, the reasons why France decided to invade Russia, the various reasons why it was a failure and its effects and its consequences in the world order. 

II. The Peace of Tilsit
Five years before Napoleon’s invasion of Russia, Tsar Alexander of Russia who was already defeated by Napoleon’s army entered into a treaty with France which was known as the Peace of Tilsit or the Treaties of Tilsit.  Under the treaties, Russia and France entered into an alliance by which it was agreed that France shall aid Russia in its war against Turkey while Russia agreed to join the Continental System against England. 

The Continental System is Napoleon’s solution to weaken England.  At the time, Napoleon realized that a military solution against England was not feasible. Consequently, he decided to use an indirect way to beat England by means of trade bans and restrictions.  Napoleon thought of a system of blockade aimed at denying England trading access to different ports in Europe.  His plan was to reduce Britain’s might by denying them money they need to fund any war. 

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Theoretically, the Continental System would have been sufficient to weaken the mighty England.  However, the reality of the matter was that the Continental System was very difficult to enforce since it relied on the obedience of other countries to the wishes of Napoleon.  In the case of Russia, they thought that the trade restriction had an economic effect on them.  As a result, Tsar Alexander of Russia refused to obey the Treaties of Tilsit and still secretly traded with Britain. 

When Napoleon knew about this he decided to invade Russia so that he could force the Tsar of Russia not to trade with Britain.   Napoleon was insulted by Tsar Alexander’s act of insolence against him.  He thought that something had to be done otherwise other countries which were under his control may emulate the act and he would lose his control over Europe. (Perry et al  493)

As a result, Napoleon assembled around six hundred thousand armies to take over Russia.  Around three hundred thousand soldiers were French.  The rest were taken from the countries which Napoleon had conquered over his victories in Europe.  Napoleon thought that he was at an advantage considering that he can gather as much as six hundred thousand soldiers easily combined from the French armies and the other armies in Europe that he had conquered.  At the time, it was unthinkable for him to lose.

III. Other Theories for France’s Invasion of Russia
The second theory on why Napoleon decided to invade Russia was the desire of Napoleon to bring the Russian army under his control. During the 1807, Napoleon himself had become familiar with the military capabilities of Russia.  He was “impressed with a conviction of the vast elementary warlike means possessed by Russia, capable of being cherished into a formidable maturity even within a very few years from that epoch of discomfiture…” (Sir Robert Thomas Wilson 1)

Moreover, Napoleon had become impressed with the qualities of the Russian soldier.  “Napoleon had witnessed the unquailing valour of the Russian soldiery under circumstances unpropitious for its display, and had recognized qualities and properties which would render Russian armies, when duly organized, pre-eminent in some respects over all others.” (Sir Robert Thomas Wilson 1)

With these qualities and the fact that the Russian armies were receiving lower wages compared to the other armies in Europe, Napoleon may have thought that the Russian armies may play an important role in his conquest over the rest of Europe. 

The third theory which was connected to the second theory is his desire to expand his control over Asia.  R.G. Burton stated that Napoleon had always wanted to conquer Asia and that Napoleon may have wanted to conquer Russia as a prelude to his conquest over the East.  “My glory is already at an end; there is not enough of it in this little Europe.  I must go the East, all great glory comes from there.” (R.G. Burton 2) Burton theorized that the glory of the East may have attracted Napoleon so much so that he wanted to expand his territory to the East.

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Essay on Napoleon Bonaparte's Military Strategy


            In his many victories in Europe, Napoleon had used the same military strategy.  He relied on the use of his numerical superiority by concentrating his forces in one location to destroy his enemy.  This strategy had brought Napoleon so many victories.  However, for this strategy to work, several elements had to be in place. 

First, he has to have the right number of soldiers.  The first element was easy since he had controlled the French army and other armies from the countries he had conquered.  Napoleon had the numbers when he invaded Russia since he had assembled around 600,000 soldiers to conquer Russia. 

The second element was logistics.  This means that there should be a strategic plan by which his armies could be moved as fast as possible to the location where they are needed.  As Napoleon’s army advances, his army may pass along several routes combining them only when necessary.  The faster these soldiers can get to the target location the faster his armies could suffocate the enemies through their superiority in number.

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The third element was supplies.  Because the armies have to march hundreds of miles away from their territory, the ammunition and food supplies should be sufficient to sustain the army for weeks or even months of invasion.  Since the food supply may not be enough to supply the need of his armies Napoleon’s soldiers would often rely on the food they can get along the way.  They would often forage for food so that they could supplement their need for food. 

In this process, the armies who are first to arrive on the target location can get as much food as they can while those who are late to advance will naturally have to rely on the food that was left by the first to arrive.  Because of this reality, the soldiers who were the first to arrive at the target location should be disciplined enough to take only those that they need since the other French soldiers may be interested in also getting what they can from the food supply.  
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Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Essay on Reasons for Napoleon's Defeat at Russia

            In June 1812, Napoleon’s army advanced to Russia with over six hundred thousand soldiers.  It was one of the largest armies ever to have been assembled.  Napoleon had planned to engage the Tsar of Russia in a major battle where he knew he could outnumber the Russian forces and bring them down to their knees.  In order to ensure that his armies have adequate supply of food, his supply wagons had carried thirty (30) days of food.  However, the Russian army had a different plan for Napoleon. 

A. Poor Road Networks
            Along the way, Napoleon’s armies had encountered a number of obstacles which resulted in the failure of their campaign against Russia.  First, Russia had a very poor road network.  Since Napoleon’s armies were situated in another location it was essential for the road condition to be conducive otherwise it may take the French army longer time to reach their destination.  Because of poor roads, the armies had to force to march along very narrow roads.  Because fewer soldiers could march along their narrow roads, it took longer for the soldiers to reach their destination. 

B. Lack of Food
            Second, the food supply was not enough for all the soldiers.  Since the supply wagons were only enough to provide food for less than a month, the soldiers who have been in Russia for more than one month were left with no supply of food.  While the soldiers found food along the way, it was not enough as the agriculture in Russia was poor.  Consequently, only the soldiers who were the first to arrive at the target destination had food.  The rest of the soldiers who arrived late had to be contended with what the other soldiers have left behind.  Poor diet and fatigue eventually slowed down Napoleon’s soldiers.  Eventually, many soldiers have been weakened even before the major battles have started.  Many of them acquired diseases.  Thus, when Napoleon’s soldiers had reached Moscow already more than 200,000 soldiers were dead.

            What contributed to the military defeat of Napoleon in Russia was the effective use of the scorched earth policy employed by the Russian army.  The Russians knew that they stood little chance against the vastly superior French army if they will directly engage against them.  However, they also knew that the French armies did not have adequate supply of food.  They also knew that they could use their poor road condition to their advantage. 

Consequently, they employed the scorched earth policy in an effort to break the spirit of the French army.  The scorched earth policy is a military strategy which aims to destroy everything that may be useful to the enemy while advancing or retreating.  Russian soldiers destroyed everything that can be useful to the enemy such as the farms and even houses which the French soldiers could use as shelter during the winter days.  In fact, the Russians even burned almost the entire of Moscow so that the French armies will not have any supplies. (Anthony Kuhn 1) The strategy was effective as the French armies did not have any food to eat and shelter during the agonizing winter days. 

C. Lack of Discipline
            Third, since the soldiers had become tired and weary, they lost their discipline.  Many soldiers had started to leave their troops in search of food and water.  Commanders also lost control of their troops since the soldiers went away one by one in search of food.  While the soldiers found food along the way the soldiers who had turned into a mob often destroyed the little food that they found.  Consequently, very little food was left to the other soldiers.

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D. Bad Weather Condition
            The cold weather also contributed to the problems of Napoleon in his invasion of Russia.  At the time the French army invaded Russia, the snow had not yet came in.  Slowly, the French army advanced towards Moscow.  The Russian soldiers who were being led at the time by General Barclay de Tolly and General Bagration did not want to engage with the French army and retreated instead.  The plan was never to directly engage but to slowly retreat while harassing the French soldiers.

As the French army continued to advance, the Russian army continued to retreat.  In September 1812, the Russians made a stand at Borodino where the French army won.  Consequently, the Russian armies further retreated to Moscow.  The Russians retreated until they reach Moscow which they have burned to the ground.  While in Moscow, the French armies waited for the Russian army to surrender which did not happen.  The French armies who had stayed too long in Russia were already running out of supplies.  As a result, the French armies decided to withdraw from battle. 

As they retreated, snow came in.  What made matters worse for the French armies was that they could not use any other route aide from the same route they had used when they entered Russia since a huge number of Russian armies are protecting them.  This meant that they will have to travel for a few more days without food.  The bad weather coupled with hunger and fatigue took its tool on the soldier who died one by one in Russia. 

Defeat at Russia
            Consequently, from the 600,000 strong soldiers who went to Russia expecting a quick defeat, only a small fraction was left.  Napoleon did not just lose his men from the Russian army.  The defeat at the hands of the Russians was the primary reason for the coup against Napoleon.  After Prussia and Austria learned about Napoleon’s defeat, they joined the Russia, Great Britain and Sweden against France. (Walter G. Moss 342)  The events that followed led to the downfall of Napoleon Bonaparte.

            France’s invasion of Russia also had an indirect effect on Russia. Russia’s war with France can be seen as occurring in three battles.  In the first battle, the Russians won against the French armies in northern Italy.  In the second battle, the French defeated the Russians.  In the third battle which took place in 1812, the Russians defeated the French armies.  The invasion secured Russia’s military preeminence and superiority in the 19th Century.  It also allowed Russia to tap into the spirit of nationalism of its people.  “The defeat of Napoleon marked a peak in Russian military power, a point in which Russia was the dominant military power in all of Europe.” (David R. Stone 91)

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Essay on United States Military History - Military Preparedness of the United States


            Throughout history, military leaders have been searching for the ingredients that will not only give them edge in battle but will also give them victories in war. For the soldiers, these victories are very crucial since it means avoiding the loss of human lives in battle.  For the military leaders, achieving victories in battle is their ticket to immortality as great military leaders. 

            Use of military tactics is every important for military leaders.  Great military leaders often consult history as a source of treasured lessons that may give them the edge in battlefield. According to Napoleon, "Imitate Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar, Gustavus II Adolphus, Turenne, Prince Eugene of Savoy, and Frederick when fighting an offensive war.  Read and reread stories of their 83 campaigns to build up your understanding. This is the only means of becoming a great commander and learning the secrets of military art. Enlightened in this way your mind will reject the rules that contradict those by which the great people guided themselves." (Ivan Vorobyov, 2002, p.1)

            Past experiences by military leaders throughout our history provide a sea of wealth for every military leader who aspires to become great.  Although it will not give them guaranteed success in battle, it will however provide these aspiring military leaders with significant instructions on how to prepare for battle.  It will also provide them with inspiration and encouragement that may in crucial situations be more lethal than the superior manpower and artillery of the enemy. 

            For students a study of military tactics employed by great military leaders in the past will provide insight from a historical perspective that will serve as a basis for forming their own opinions on the military capability and readiness his or her own country. 

            This argumentative essay deals with the issue of the United States’ military readiness during the Korean War.   Analysis will be made on the military and political goals for sending the United States army in Korea and whether these goals have been accomplished.  Discussion will be made on whether in the course of the battle these goals had changed and the possible reasons for this change.  In the concluding part, I aim to determine whether the US army was prepared for this war.    

US Military Tactics
            Before World War II even began, there was already a marked stagnation and decline in the military forces of the United States.  United States army shrank to the point its readiness prior to the World War II was questioned.  In addition, there was complacency and arrogance among the Americans which were brought about by their victory in World War I.  The economic depression that followed World War I and the dwindling appropriations for the military force also affected the ability of the US Military to respond to an immediate war.  The question that haunted the US government prior to the commencement of World War II was whether there would be enough time to gather enough troops and train them for battle.  Because of these conditions, the US Army was seriously undermanned and under-equipped to the point of ranking 17th in size among the armies in the world. 

            In addition to these problems, the paradigm of the United States Army was still reminiscent of the World War II.  The same is prominent in the weapons used that tactics employed during the World War II as proficiency in the rifle and bayonet was still given emphasis.  Despite the improvements in weaponries, there was a priority on headlong attacks and preference to fighting the enemy by physical encounter.   The troops sent to some of the battles, take Kasserine Pass, for example, were also inexperienced and had no proficiency in using newly developed weapons such as the bazooka.  The Commanders assigned to give guidance to the soldiers were inefficient and slow in reacting to the situation.  Their leadership style was not suited to the kind of battle that the US was engaged in.  The air-ground coordination was poor and often the ground troops were hit by friendly fire.  In contrast, the Axis was powered experienced soldiers, superiority of equipment and the excellent coordination between the air and groups troops.      The US military lost in some of these battles.  Though they have won the war the battles they were engaged were considered as a disaster both strategically and tactically for the United States. 

            The same thing happened during the Korean War.  On June 25, 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea.  The United States government immediately responded and in June 27, Gen. Douglas MacArthur sent Lt. Col. Charles Smith and two companies consisting of over 400 men to Korea.   The contingent sent to Korea was called “Task Force Smith.”

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            The order by the commander was specific.  The political goal was simply to implement the policy of containment by the United States.  This was the reason why the Korean War was described as a Limited War.  At that time, the United States was weary of USSR which is a rising superpower. Its influence was spreading and there were unconfirmed intelligence reports that the Soviets may attack Western Europe to expand Communism.  In order to prevent the spread of Communism throughout the world and in order to ensure that the United States remains the true super power in the world, it had to contain Soviet’s influence.  It bears stressing that the United States had no political or economic interest in Korea.  This is affirmed by Dr. Donald M. Snow and Col. Dennis N. Drew (1990) to wit: “If there was a basic, underlying issue that defined the American position in and interest about Korea, it was embodied in the nature of cold war competition and the question of implementing the new American national strategy of containment. The Korean invasion was the first overt test of the new strategy, the first time that the Communist world stepped across the containment line and threw down the gauntlet.” (p.2)

Thus, the mindset of the US troops was that they will not have any difficulty accomplishing this mission in Korea.  It is noteworthy that the companies sent were lightly armed.  They had no anti-tank weapons and their weapons were considered obsolete during the time.  The result was a disaster for the American Army.  They encountered the North Korean People’s Army which has a much superior firepower.  Initially the American troops fought back and they performed well considering their lack of firepower.  Eventually, the superior weapons of the NKPA prevailed and realizing imminent defeat, the American troops pulled out. 

            The American army was definitely defeated at the early beginnings of the Korean War.  There are several key factors that could explain the reason why the US army tactically and strategically lost during the Korean War.  The first is its underestimation of the enemy.  The American troops simply thought that their mere presence will cause the enemy to retreat.  This arrogance combined with their lack of manpower and firepower caused the Americans to lose the early battles in Korea.  (James L. George) According to Snow & Drew (1990), even the invasion by the North Korea of South Korea caught the United States by surprise.  They were both unaware of the recruitments being done by the NKPA until the time when the invasion and they were facing the determined NKPA.  

Not only that North Korea had superior manpower, it was also well-equipped with sophisticated firepower and equipment.  The United States Army had no tanks and other anti-tank equipment that will neutralize the superior firepower of NKPA.  The KPA was spearheaded by Russian T-34 tanks while the South Korean forces and the United States army had no anti-tank weapons.  Definitely, the US Army was not ready to face the kind of resistance they encountered in North Korea. 

During the course of the battle, as the United States sent more soldiers to Korea they eventually were able to launch a counteroffensive.  Under the leadership of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the combined forces of the United States, Korean Army and the other delegates from different countries all over the world, were able to drive the NKPA back to the 38th Parallel, the boundary that divides North and South Korea. 

At this point, Gen. MacArthur, emboldened by this seeming victory sought permission to follow the enemies and cross the 38th Parallel for the purpose of totally destroying the enemy. He also dismissed the possibilities that People’s Republic of China will interfere thinking that they were still too weak from their own Civil War that it would not be possible for them to send forces in North Korea. 

This again proved to be a serious miscalculation for both Gen. MacArthur and President Truman.  Firstly, Gen. MacArthur deviated from the original tactic which is merely to contain the spread of Communism by protecting South Korea and driving away the NKPA army from South Korea.  He should have stopped the moment they were able to defeat NKPA and forced them to retreat beyond 38th Parallel.  Yet, they haphazardly changed their plans.  Second, both President Truman and Gen. MacArthur erroneously thought, perhaps due to erroneous intelligence information, that PRC will not intervene in the Korean War.  But the Chinese forces had other things in mind.  The PRC thought that the US forces may eventually enter China through Korea.  In order to avoid the possibility of an invasion in their territory, they assembled an army of 200,000 to hold off the US forces.  This resulted in the loss of lives of many soldiers.

As a result, US forces were forced to retreat back to South Korea where Chinese forces were able to take control of a portion of its territories.  However, as more troops arrived they were once again able to launch their counteroffensive to drive away Chinese forces from South Korea.  By this time, they no longer pushed the war beyond the 38th Parallel.  They stopped their counteroffensive once they were able to drive them away from South Korea. This happened after a portion of South Korea was taken by Chinese forces and after serious losses have been suffered by both United States soldiers and South Korean soldiers. 

            Compared to the Korean War, the US Army was in a high state of battle readiness for the Vietnam War.  They were well-equipped.  The innovations in equipment increased the firepower of the US Army.  These equipments were M79 and the claymore mines.  They entered the Vietnam War as among the best equipped armies in history.
 
            The US Army however had one major weakness.  They were not prepared for the kind of battle that the Vietnamese gave them.  The People’s Army of Vietnam was skilled in stealth and surprise attack.  They were lightly armed but were well-equipped.  They emphasized on stealth and foot mobility instead of superior firepower.  The Vietnamese army numbered up to 500,000 strong army with a ready reserve of almost half-million.  Their military strategy was that the army is the decisive element in a war.  The Vietnam War taught us that military readiness is not only about superiority in number and in weaponries but also about familiarity with the way the enemies fight their battles.  

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Essay on Cultural Artifact - Social Standard Towards Beauty


            Cultural artifacts are cultural expressions which reflect particular beliefs, values and traditions shared by a group of people.  Finding a popular belief, value or tradition in today’s society is quite easy.  One needs only to look at the magazines which are selling like hotcakes to find out what preoccupies the modern American people.  In these magazines, it is very noticeable that pictures of women who are so slim and thin grace the cover of many beauty magazines.  These women are all tall, blonde and slim.  They also have slender bodies, fair skin and long legs. 

            If pictures of these women appear on many magazines the question is: what does this reflect of the modern American society? This only means that the popular culture only considers a woman beautiful if she has the qualities of the models appearing in beauty magazines.  If a woman wants to be beautiful then she has to have the following qualities which are: tall, blonde, slim, slender body, fair skin and long legs.  It follows that if a woman does not have this physical attributes then the society does not consider the woman beautiful. 

            Why is this concept of beauty a problem? It is a serious problem because this stereotypical attitude towards women objectifies them.  It imposes a particular standard of beauty and forces and requires women to conform to this particular standard.  The society treats women as an object which must have specific qualities for her to be acceptable to the society. 

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            Those who are genetically gifted are lucky since they do not have to work hard to achieve the standard of body figure imposed by the society.  They do not have to sacrifice good and health food just so they could achieve “beauty”.  On the other hand, those women who are not genetically gifted are forced to sacrifice so much just to achieve “beauty.” They are forced to go on drastic diet which is not only unhealthy but is also ineffective.  They are also forced to resort to various drugs in the hoping of achieving “beauty” which only leads to drug addiction.  According to Medical News Today, many girls and young women in the modern society fail to realize that the “modern ideas of “beauty” can damage their bones and lead to osteoporosis” later in their life. (Beauty queens say modern idea of beauty can damage bones and lead to osteoporosis later in life” 1)

            As a result those women who fail to conform to this standard of beauty become society’s laughing stock.  In today’s society, any person who may be a little overweight is considered an obese.  Women who are overweight are forced to endure negative connotations, perceptions, attitudes and prejudices.  The reality is that overweight women are generally disliked by the society.  In school nobody wants to make friends with the overweight woman.  In school, obese children are often nominated significantly less often as best friend and rater lower in peer acceptance.  Teachers also view overweight children as more socially withdrawn and displaying less leadership in school.  Peers also describe overweight children as less physically attractive, less athletic, more sickly, tired and absent from school. (Zeller et al, 10)  Nobody wants to sit beside an overweight woman when inside the bus.  At work nobody wants to hire an overweight woman.  On the streets, everybody loves to make fun of overweight women.  In hospitals, overweight women do not get adequate respect, attention and treatment that they deserve.  The general attitude by the public towards overweight women is that people either make fun of them or angry at them.  In some studies, the public’s negative attitude towards overweight women ranks alongside alcoholics and drug addicts. 


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Essay on Music Styles

Soul-Genre Inspired Restaurants
The musical themes of restaurants breathe life to the place. Restaurants need music to have the proper identification it needs. People need music and eating in a restaurant with fine music gives them the reason to come back and dine.

A good theme for restaurants is the soul genre. This musical type originated from the United States and has a beat that represents the element of rhythm and blues. Body and hand gestures are important features that describe soul music. This genre uses auxiliary sounds and twirls.

James Brown is a vocalist in Georgia who is known to be the Godfather of Soul. He is one of the great singers, songwriters and recording artists in his time. His hits include “I Feel Good” and “It’s a Man’s World”. He was very popular in the 1960’s because of his unique musical style. Some of his songs in that decade include “I’ll Go Crazy” (1960), “I Got You” (1965), “Cold Sweat” (1967) and “Mother Popcorn” (1969). He has a falsetto voice accompanied by metallic guitar plunking and splintered base line and earsplitting horn group.

This genre is associated with a certain look. James Brown has a signature look of velvet suits. His favorite was the blue crumpled velvet suit.

Soul is basically associated with smoke glasses. The colors are cheerful and loud. Intense orange or sunshine yellow are the colors that can provide an ambiance of soul to the restaurant.  

Having soul genre as a theme in the restaurant is a very wholesome idea. It is totally geared towards a family. The downside of having a soul genre as a music theme for a restaurant is attuned to the now generation. Soul music is not very exciting for the young age bracket. They like other music like pop, rock and hip hop.   

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Sunday, September 18, 2011

Essay on Contributions of Hernan Cortes to Mexican Civilization

            Hernan Cortes did not have the best interest of Mexico when he left Spain.  When he left Spain in search for the New World, he only thought about his ambitions of greatness, and his search for more wealth, more gold, more power and more land.  Despite this, however, his conquest of Mexico brought about many important benefits to it.  One of the first major contribution of Hernan Cortes is Mexican civilization is his introduction of sugar. (Monroy et al, 1980)  At present, sugar is the first and most important harvest in Mexico.  Its sugar harvest doubles that of the tomato, corn, carrot and potato.  The Camara Nacional de la Industry Azucarera y Alcoholera or the Sugar and Alcohol National Bureau states that the sugar cane harvest extends on 611 ha and employes 2.5 million people.  In addition, there are 61 sugar cane mills along 12 mexican states which are: Tabasco, San Luis, Oaxaca, Morelos, Nayarit, Michoacan, Sinaloa, Jalisco, Quintana Roo, Campeche, Tamaulipas and Veracruz. (Monroy et al, 1980)  According to Blumenkron (1951), Cortes first introduced sugar cane in the Tuxtlas region in 1521.  He then transferred cultivation of the cane to La Hacienda de Tlaltenango and installed the first known press in Mexico.

            Another significant influence of Cortes is his introduction of a wide variety of livestock, the most important of which is the horses which they brought from Spain.  Before their arrival, the native Indians hunted buffalo and game only on foot.  Because they lack the speed and agility of the horses, the native Indians mostly had to rely on their skills, ingenuities and abilities to catch food.  When the Spaniards arrived, that was the first time the native Indians saw horses.  In fact, there are accounts describing the horses used by Cortes as a demon with six feet.  With the introduction of horses, the native Indians had an easier time hunting for buffalo and game.  With their hunting skills, catching food suddenly became easier.  Their diet improved and their lives became a bit easier.  In addition to horses, swine, cattle, sheep and goats were likewise introduced.  Because these cattle reproduced very easily, meat soon became the staple in Mexico.

            In view of the Spaniards policy of introducing its flora to the New World, Cortes brought a variety of plants to Mexico.  Among these plants are wheat, rice, barley, and oats. (Ralph Russo 3)  

            There was also an exchange of technology between the Spaniards and the Native Americans.  The Spaniards introduced to the Native Americans the use of plow which greatly helped in their farming.  They also brought to Mexico techniques in the use of various traps, axeheads, knives, ice chisels, and muskets which helped in their hunting.  Because of the different techniques the Native Americans learned from the Spaniards, they were able to get more furs and subsequently improve their trading opportunities with the rest of the world.  In addition, they were also able to improve cloth production which made them skilled weavers.  

            Cortes can also be credited for introducing to Mexico the use of metals and irons.  In fact, what made it very easy for Cortes and his men to conquer the Native Americans is its use of metals for its weapons and shields.  Canons were also instrumental as the native were so frightened by the mere sound of canons that they submission became their only option. 

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            Without the 600 men that Cortes brought with him in Mexico inter-racial relationships and marriages would not have been possible.  The union between Spaniards and the Native Americans initially separated by lands and oceans resulted in what is known as the mestizos which means a mixture of Spanish and Native American blood.  In fact, Hernan Cortes was the first person to become the father of a Spanish mestizo. (Dale Hoyt Palfrey 3) These inter-racial marriages and unions led to the birth of a new and beautiful race in Mexico.     

            The most important contribution of the Cortez is the spread of Christianity to the New World.  Before the arrival of the Spaniards, the Native Americans were pagans.  They worshipped the trees, plants, animals, the skies, the clouds and the earth.  They carried out sacrifices.  With the arrival of the Spaniards, the Native Americans were introduced to Christianity.  While Christianity was introduced in Mexico by Spanish expeditions long before the arrival of Cortes, the extent of his colonization made it possible for Christianity to spread more rapidly than the early conquistadores.  At present, Christianity is the major religion in Mexico comprising about 95% of its population.

            If there benefits, there are however certain disadvantages brought about by the arrival of Cortes in Mexico.  One of these is the diseases which were carried by the members of his expeditions to Mexico.  It is said that the Spaniards brought to Mexico small pox, malaria, typuhs and measles which devastated the Native Americans.  Since they did not have the technology to fight these diseases, a significant percentage of the population died.   It is said that between 50 to 90% of the population of the Native American died because of these diseases.

Conclusion
            Some persons set foot on Earth and create so much impact not only to friends and families but even to an entire culture.  Hernan Cortes was one such person.  His tenacity, perseverance, will and determination made him one of the most influential persons in Mexico.  In fact, he may have even changed the course of the entire history because of the ripple effect of his conquest of Mexico.  

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