Preview

Complicated Relationship Between Money and Power

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
669 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Complicated Relationship Between Money and Power
Complicated Relationship Between Power and Money
Serena McNiff

Since the time when cavemen inhabited the earth, it has become human nature to want more than what one has. Before the concept of wealth was developed, humans fulfilled their needs by trading or bartering with others based on items that they needed to survive. As mankind has advanced, humans have expanded into desiring nonessential things. Money has become a medium for exchange and a payment for work, and currency is now fundamental to most life on earth. Only three percent of Americans supply their own food through farming or hunting, which reflects that a massive ninety-seven percent of American’s use money every day to purchase food.1 The amount of money one possesses culturally determines their success in life. Humans who have wealth, also have influence, because they have what people desire and are able to live the lifestyle that they want. As people believe that they need more wealth, they become slaves to money. The humans who possess wealth gain influence over money worshippers and as a result, are the most powerful in society. The power of a country has always been grounded in its economic strength. International powers can afford to finance aggressive foreign policies with strong militaries. For example, The United States was first considered the supreme financial and world power when it replaced Great Britain during the First World War. After the devastation of the Second World War, the United States became virtually the only financial power. Being able to afford a strong military meant that the United States benefited financially from the First and Second World War and became allies with the increasingly dependent United Kingdom. During World War One, the United States used their financial leverage over Europe. President Woodrow Wilson wanted the European Countries to agree to his peace plans, described in the famous Fourteen Points. Wilson said to his advisor Colonel

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Coming out of World War I, the United States emerged as the most powerful nation in the world. The president at this time was the Progressive Woodrow Wilson. Wilson came up with a plan for long lasting peace at the conclusion of the war called the Fourteen Points. One of these points was the League of Nations which was Wilson's favorite thing. This part of Wilson's plan stated, "A general association of nations must be formed under specific covenants for the purpose of affording mutual guarantees of political independence and territorial integrity to great and small states alike." However, the United States never signed the Treaty of Versailles and never became a member of the League of Nations. Opposition against Wilson's plans…

    • 858 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The war had heavily taxed American resources and its people causing many Americans to believe that they would be safer if they would stay out of the foreign affairs, a view having its roots in George Washington’s farewell address. This view’s had made itself apparent in studies of the American public, such as in 1935, when the Nye committee concluded that American participation in World War I was simply a result of a plot by arms manufacturers to increase their revenue. Also, Isolationism wasn’t an idea unique to the public, as the government was also isolationist. After World War I, President Woodrow Wilson drafted the “fourteen points”, his blueprint for world peace. In the document was the idea of a “league of nations”, a group of nations who would prevent conflict, a fledgling United Nations.…

    • 438 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It is also plausible in that with a paradoxical result of World War I, that Germany could have emerged as the world’s greater economic power rather than the United States. With the Central Powers “on the ropes” and knowing U.S intervention would in all likelihood lead to a victory for the Entente, President Wilson consciously knew for the sake of America’s economy and economic advancement that American…

    • 1160 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In 1918, the first world war comes to an end as Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of the United States, announces his 14 points that will reform the government and the way it treats other countries. Wilson establishes that the United States will stay peaceful and help other countries to a high extent, which makes them a dependable ally. With his 14 points, Wilson is creating an even playing ground for the United States in order to stay neutral, with no potential conflicts. Wilson’s points work to drastically adjust the relationships between the powers of the world from cold to warm and peaceful, as he depends upon peace with countries helping each other in times of despair. He hopes for the points to become concreted within the…

    • 1430 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    President Wilson's Fourteen Points were a decent attempt at peace and repayment after World War I. Although it was cleat that there were many obvious problems with his plan. Many things, including Allied bias, American ambition, and Western European dominance, caused these problems. While trying to fix many problems in Europe, the Fourteen Points mainly concentrated on the things that were important to the Allied powers. France was bent on revenge, Great Britain was looking to further its power over the seas, and America was focused on becoming an even more powerful trade nation.…

    • 907 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    During the war, the U.S economy skyrocketed as more and more resources were required. After the war, while the European nation focused on recovering their infrastructures, the U.S lent money for them and sold products. As a result, the industry of the U.S experienced steep advancement, and the U.S could be financially dominant over the European, influencing the world economy. Moreover, the U.S procured a solid position among the Great Powers. For instance, the United States led the Fourteen Points and treaty of Versailles. The president Wilson required a duty to prevent another war through the Fourteen Points and led the establishment of League of Nation. These showed the ascended status of the U.S on international relationships (The War).…

    • 696 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    President Woodrow Wilson had a plan for peace in the war known as the Fourteen Points. It was also called “Peace Without Victory.” The plan meant to prevent international problems from causing another war. To promote his plan for peace, Wilson visited Paris, London, Milan, and Rome in Europe. However, the Allies were against Wilson’s Fourteen Points. The Allies wanted to punish Germany for the war. One idea of Wilson’s peace plan was an end to secret treaties. One issue that caused World War I that was addressed in that idea was entangling alliances between the countries. Another idea was a limit on weapons. The issue that lead to World War I that was addressed in that idea was militarism. The most important of Wilson’s Fourteen Points was a League Of Nations, to protect the independence of all countries. The issue that caused World War I that was addressed in that was also the entangling alliances.…

    • 793 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Money is of major importance in today’s society. If you have an abundance of it, it could vault you into a life of friends, leisure, and fame. Contrarily, a lacking of it could leave you with absolutely nothing but shambles. Indeed, that is the point William Hazlitt attempts to make in “on the want of money.” By using appeal to prosperity, contrasting of ideas, and the idea of ethos, Hazlitt effectively persuades the reader that money is needed to achieve their desired goals.…

    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The meltdown of 2008 struck the banks when they were unable to adequately deal with the financial crisis. Banks are designed to create and protect one’s wealth, but they took advantage of the people, and let people take many loaning risks that they couldn’t afford. Banks created the credit default swap which transferred credit of fixed income products between parties. In learning about the credit default swap in class, it is understood that the buyer receives credit protection, whereas the seller guarantees the credit. Therefore, the risk of default is transferred from the holder to the seller of the swap. But swaps allowed companies to shed the risks they didn’t want to take.…

    • 333 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    To start with, money is not the right yardstick of the life. In these day, people doing everything because they want a money as the result. The competition in the society is high and each person have different among of money. In addition, it seem to be that the person who have a lot of money will be success in today society. It is possible to say that many people use money to be judge the yardstick of the life.…

    • 687 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Money is very important thing in people’s lives. Without money they are not able to live...…

    • 606 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Book Review Money and Power

    • 3835 Words
    • 16 Pages

    I picked this book after carefully analyzing all the different titles. The reason I picked this book was because I wanted to learn more about the Financial Crisis in America as it is slightly out of my comfort zone. I had no previous knowledge of how Goldman Sachs operated or how influential they were in America. Money and Power was described as an insight into the inner circles of Goldman Sachs revealing a shocking story of clashing egos, backstabbing, sex scandals, private investigators, court cases and government cabals and what really lies underneath the PR projected image of the “perfect company”. I was attracted to this book as I, like most people in Ireland have been affected by the economic downturn and the role the banks had to play. I had a…

    • 3835 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Knowledge Is Power

    • 933 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Although in the present age money has become very necessary thing and people are giving much more importance to it, they are considering it as a ruling force. But they are wrong. We have to ponder over it with a keen eye.…

    • 933 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Money makes the world go round thats what they say. Money plays an important role in our lives; it is money which often dictates ones power - more money, more power, more recognized; less money, less power, unrecognized.…

    • 737 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Knowledge Is Power

    • 511 Words
    • 3 Pages

    29/03/2014 Short essay on the meaning of Knowledge is power    H OME A B OU T SI TE GUIDELINES About Site P RESERV E YOU R A RTI CLE CONTENT QU…

    • 511 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays