consequences of the Mongol inv essays

consequences of the Mongol inv essays What were the consequences of the Mongol invasion on Kievan Russia? The question about the consequences of the Mongol invasion is considered one of the most difficult in the history of Russia. Definitely, they had a great impact on demographics, agriculture, social, political and cultural development of the territories. Generally speaking, the influence of 200-year-long yoke was negative. It brought wholesale devastation and massacre to Russia. (Nicholas V. Riasanovsky, A History of Russia, 20) For instance, a Mongol chronicle states that Batu and his lieutenants destroyed the towns of the Russians and killed or captured all their inhabitants. As a result the serious diminish of the population acured after. Those people, who survived the tatar raids, in order to avoid the new routs, had to escape to the more secure territories- West and North-West of Volgo-Ocksk Mezhdureche. (Phroyanov, The History of Russia from Ancient Times Until Beginning of the XXc.) All these people didnt have any lands and were unable to pay dan. So they had to ask for help the gentry. As a result of it, slowly but surly the number of dependent feudal farmers increased. At the same time the standing of the gentry, especially the princes, changed. If before they received most of their profits from dan, kormlenie, and pol ude, now they cant use them anymore, everything must be given to Hord. Therefore, the only way for them to survive was to change their orientation to agriculture. That what actually happened: the huge increase in the number of large private land estates took place in the end of the XIII-XIVcc. The role of prince in the political sphere also increased. During the time of Kievan Russia, the Prince depended upon veche, which could even exile him. However, now they came to the cities with yarlick, or even with khans troops, which implies their increasing power. The imp...

Princeton and Harvard Fail to Lead the Way on Elimination of Early Admissions

Princeton and Harvard Fail to Lead the Way on Elimination of Early Admissions A New York Times article reported on February 24, 2011 that Princeton and Harvard have chosen to reinstate their early admissions programs.   Apparently they weren’t comfortable sticking out like sore thumbs in the Ivy League. As reported in The Daily Princetonian, Princeton’s President Shirley Tilghman had this to say about the decision: â€Å"We have carefully reviewed our single admission program every year, and we have been very pleased with how it has worked†¦Ã‚   But in eliminating our early program four years ago, we hoped other colleges and universities would do the same, and they haven’t.† This decision highlights how much the Ivy Leagues are bedfellows.   Harvard made its decision first, and although Tilghman claims that Princeton might have reinstated early admissions even if Harvard had not, Princetons decision was clearly heavily influenced by Harvards. Diversity Schmersity It is well-known that applying early decision markedly boosts applicants’ chances for admission, and that early applicant pools tend to be higher income and less diverse than the regular admission pool.   The initial reason for eliminating early admissions back in 2006 was the assessment that early admissions had an overall homogenizing effect on collegiate populations. Princeton’s Tilghman remains hopeful: â€Å"I think there’s a lot of confidence among the staff at the admission office - and I have to take that confidence pretty seriously - that we are going to be able to sustain the gains that we’ve seen,† Tilghman said. â€Å"I’m cautiously optimistic that we will be able to sustain the gains.† Why oh Why? I wonder what the impetus was for Princeton and Harvards choice.   The most obvious possibility is that they were losing top candidates to other schools with early admissions programs.   Isnt it interesting how the NYT, Princetonian, and AP articles dont mention that? Skeptics will likely surmise that there must be some financial gain for Princeton and Harvard in reversing their 2006 decision.   Although this might be the case, there is some mitigating news. The Associated Press reports that Harvard is increasing financial aid in the face of its 4% tuition increase, and that it has pledged improvements in minority recruiting.   I’m sure there will be many people keeping a close eye on the results of the return to early admissions, and I hope Tilghman’s prediction is on the money. Category:College AdmissionsBy Brenda BernsteinFebruary 28, 2011