The Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of Normandy Essay

The Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of Normandy were two vital battles in World War II. Stalingrad was the site of a critical WWII Soviet victory that terminated Germany’s advance to the east. Peaceful Normandy took it’s place in history as the starting point in the triumphant march across Europe. Both these intense events were extremely significant in the outcome of the second world war. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;After the Germans failed to win the war totally in 1941, they decided to start a fresh effort, and hoped that this would lead to victory. This effort eventually led to the city of Stalingrad in 1942. Different from the the three pronged attack of the previous year, this one had two attack directions. One from Kharkov to†¦show more content†¦Before this, there was a huge aerial bombardment that destroyed most of the outer suburbs, thus pushing back the Russians to their middle line of defense. Because of the German bombing, the rubble which had accumulated provided easily defensible positions. The horribly inefficient Russians were now able to maintain some sort of defensive line, however, foolish charges into enemy lines only achieved marginal success at times. When it came right down to it, the Russians had sized the battle down to house to house fighting, a style of combat which, although the Germans could perform, would not allow them to take advantage of their superior equipment. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;By the end of the first week of September, Hitler realized that his offensive was not cutting through the enemy as promised. Despite renewed major pushes by the attackers on October 14th, and November 11th, the defense line, (which was now isolated into three sections) was never reduced. Angering Hitler, he quickly replaced some of his generals. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Meanwhile, while all this bungling, and well, embarrassment went on, Soviet staff was preparing for a flanking battle, which would envelope 6th Army into a large pocket, and bring about its total destruction. General Zhukov and C. General AlexanderShow MoreRelatedThe Bombing Of Pearl Harbor1173 Words   |  5 Pages Though the war was bloody and brutal for everyone involved, the upper hand belonged to the Axis powers throughout the majority of the war. Three of the most pivotal times in World War II were the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of Normandy. All three of these points in the war either brought something new into the war or changed the pecking order between rivaling countries. The first major turning point in World War II was the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor.Read MoreThe Invasion Of France During World War II2549 Words   |  11 Pagesinvasion, which took place on the beaches of Normandy was actually a diversion, and he believed the attacks would actually occur at Pas-de-Calais. Afterwards, in June 6, 1944 the Allies started Operation Overlord with the attack against the Nazi-occupied France above the beaches of Normandy. (Unit 5) Even though casualties were inevitable in both sides, Operation Overlord was effective as the Allies were victorious in this battle. As a result, the Normandy Landings became one of the most important daysRead MoreD Day During World War II1852 Words   |  8 Pagesyour fellow soldiers. Events similar to these were experienced by the brave Allied soldiers who partook in The Battle of Normandy, also known as D-Day. It marked the turning point of World War II in Europe and although there were other pivotal battles in Europe , Middle East and North Africa like Stalingrad, Tobruk, and the Battle of the Bulge, none matched its importance. No single battle was more significant to the Allied victory over Germany and the future of post war Western Europe than D-Day.Read MoreThe Events Of The World War I1455 Words   |  6 Pagesthings that led to the success of the Allies in World War 1. It did not only allow them the start the liberation of Eastern Europe but also reach Berlin to end the reign of the Nazis and Adolf Hitler over Europe. However there are other battles (Stalingrad, the Battle of Britain etc.) that could have been just as significant as D-Day. 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From then on, countries such as the United States, France, Germany, Japan, the Soviet Union, and many others fought vigorously until a victory was achieved. World War II officially began after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and the United States declared war. The war was made up of a series of major events such as the Battle of El Alamein, theRead MoreGerman Blitzkreig Essay1161 Words   |  5 Pagesback to the Rhine River at a rate of 40 miles per day. The blitzkrieg at the beginning of the war doomed Hitler at the end. Blitzkrieg tactics gave Hitler an overwhelming amount of confidence that made him send troops out ill prepared for long battles, and it cost him greatly. Also, with blitzkrieg, Hitler gained territory too fast in the beginning to set up ample defenses, which left huge, undefended gaps in his territory ultimately leading to his defeat. Blitzkrieg, or â€Å"Lightning Warfare†Read MoreD Day During World War II1319 Words   |  6 PagesD-Day During World War II (1939-1945), D-Day, or the Battle of Normandy, was the turning point in the Allied attempt to liberate Western Europe from Nazi control. The invasion involved 326,000 British, American, and Canadian troops spread among five beaches. The Allies were victorious due to Nazi mistakes. Hitler, believing the attack was simply a diversion to distract the Germans from an attack north of the Seine River, withheld reinforcements and support from armored units. This gave the AlliesRead MoreWorld War I And The War II1518 Words   |  7 PagesWorld War II was a war that ended in much tragedy. There were over 60 million casualties. Throughout World War II there was how it started, the Nazi Regime, and some of the major battles. Much of the war was about the Germans bringing together a group of people called the Nazis. They were under the rule of Adolf Hitler. There were two groups fighting against each other: the Axis powers and the Allied powers. The Axis powers consisted of Japan, Italy, and Germany. The Allied powers were GreatRead MoreThe Military Units And Operators Emotions And Mental Health, And Understanding The Purpose Of Nationalism Socialism1575 Words   |  7 Pagesof fighting for National Socialism. The only factor left to fight for their friends next to them fighting. (Notes-w13) Then the Battle of Stalingrad was the breaking point for the majority of German soldiers. This battle showed that the Nazis did not choose to spare resources away from The Final Solution. The German 6th army was surrounded around the city of Stalingrad by the Russians. The Nazi belief of always fighting or the struggle ended here because soldiers in the field, officers and enlist

Henrietta Lacks free essay sample

Racism is immortal just like Henrietta’s cells it will always be around. People would do anything to be the first to discover something. At the end of the day it’s all about the money. The Mississippi appendectomies and the Tuskegee experiments were similar in the way that the government forced treatment upon minorities without consent. Henrietta’s case was different than Mississippi and Tuskegee because the doctor in Johns Hopkins didn’t experiment on her actual body but on her cells without consent. Henrietta’s case the Tuskegee experiments and the Mississippi Appendectomies are all different cases in different locations but serve the same purpose which is to take advantage of poor and uneducated minorities to further medical research. The Tuskegee Experiments and the Mississippi Appendectomies were both horrible cases and dealt with lots of racism and ignorance towards people who didn’t know any better. The purpose of The Tuskegee experiments was to see how syphilis affected blacks as opposed to whites. We will write a custom essay sample on Henrietta Lacks or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The treatment was to basically come in get injected with syphilis if you didn’t already have and the doctors would watch how you die. The people in these experiments were poor and uneducated black males who were coned into giving their life away. The doctors in this experiment lured the test subjects in the saying they were getting treated for â€Å"Bad Blood†. These racist and disturbing experiments lasted for 40 years between 1932-1972. The purpose of the Mississippi Appendectomies was to sterilize America of bad genes meaning anyone women who was mentally challenge, a criminal, Black, Alcoholic, etc†¦ would get sterilized so they couldn’t reproduce anymore. Doctors figured that in order to stop mentally challenged blacks alcoholics etc†¦ from walking this earth is to sterilize them and make sure their genes don’t flow in the gene pool. The treatment for these appendectomies was horrible it was just blacks that were treated it also Indians and poor whites. The test subjects were all sterilized against their will and without their knowing. These appendectomies were racist and cruel. More than half of the women in Mississippi were sterilized. These treatments lasted for about 33 years between 1930s and 1963. Henrietta Lacks case was different than Mississippi and Tuskegee in some ways. In Henrietta’s case the doctors took her cells from her cervix but like in the Mississippi and Tuskegee cases they took them without Henrietta’s permission and launched a multimillion-dollar medical industry after she died. The purpose of taking Henrietta’s cells was to just run a couple tests until they died but they ended up living and growing. Instead of telling Henrietta and her family what they have been doing the doctors kept the discovery to themselves. When the discovery of the immortal cells because known every doctor got their hands on them and started running experiments on them, sending the cells to space, running test on the cells to find a cure to aids and cervical cancer etc†¦ Racism wasn’t far from this case the doctor in Henrietta’s case figured that telling her what they were doing would only confuse her and her family even more so they just figure to not tell her or her family at all. This case started in 1951 and the research on the cells still goes on till the present. Racism hovers of this country and is always in the backs of everyone’s minds. Henrietta’s case the Tuskegee experiments and the Mississippi Appendectomies are all different cases in different locations but serve the same purpose which is to take advantage of poor and uneducated minorities to further medical research. In Tuskegee doctors took advantage of uneducated black males to find an answer to a question. The Mississippi appendectomies sterilized innocent uneducated and poor females because the government was trying to wipe out â€Å"bad â€Å"genes† and in the Henrietta lacks case doctors took her cells without consent, found out they were immortal and launched and multimillion-dollar medical industry. In the end it is indeed all about the money.

Traditional role of women in modern society free essay sample

A man is incomplete without a woman, and a woman is incomplete without a man. These two species work together to keep the cycle of life going. One cannot function without the other but one is also different from the other. Religion has divided and has helped men and women understand their duties and responsibilities. There is a great deal of balance between these roles. According to all three religious traditions, women are responsible for maintaining the home while the men work to provide financial stability to the family. This ideology has been regarded as â€Å"sexist† in modern society. In today’s age, society demands equality for both men and women, politically and economically. This â€Å"feminist† theory has led to the rejection of traditional roles of women laid out in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. If not rejection all together, it has definitely posed challenges for women of these faiths to keep up with their traditions. We will write a custom essay sample on Traditional role of women in modern society or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In most of these religions, women are discouraged from taking on roles of religious leadership but even the religions have been giving thought on altering their ideologies to accommodate feminism. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam share a commonality by describing the role of a woman to be of a homemaker, which is greatly challenged by modern society. The primary role of a Jewish woman is to focus on becoming a good mother, wife, and keeper of the household. Before the rise of modernism, women depended on men economically unless they inherited money from their fathers. Men were to earn and provide financial support while women looked after the wellness of the home. In Talmud, it says, â€Å"all the blessings of the household come through the wife, therefore should her husband honor her. †1 A woman is not merely her husband’s slave. The work that she has been given to do, has a lot of value in Judaism and the religion demands that her husband honor his wife in return. In Judaism, women are not obliged to perform certain commandments because their domestic roles are top priority. However, if they are capable and choose to, then they may. Preserving the righteous atmosphere of the home is just as important, if not more, than going to the synagogue for offering religious service. In the Talmud, women are discouraged to follow higher education or religious pursuits because as a result, they might neglect their duties as wives, mothers, and housekeepers. This stopped Jewish woman from acquiring leadership roles in the secular society and religious life. However, today’s Reform and Conservative Judaism reforms allow women to participate actively in the synagogue. On another note, Judaism has great respect for this traditional role of women. If a woman successfully fulfills this role, she is considered virtuous. Since Judaism and Christianity evolved from the same ancient tradition, it is given that the roles assigned to women in each religion would be similar. The primary role of a woman in Christianity, likewise, is to dedicate her life to the service of her home. Ephesians says, â€Å"Wives, submit to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. †2 In this verse, duty to ones husband has been placed right beside submission to the Lord. This creates an understanding the two fundamental roles of a Jewish woman: worship and homemaker. Men are to submit themselves to their wives in return, with love, support, and stability. Furthermore, when someone knows their role in a play, they focus on trying their best to fulfill that role and when each individual in a drama does that, the overall product impeccable. One player helps the other in creating a scene, thus creating a harmonious play. Likewise, if both the husband and wife know their roles and practice it with understanding, it keeps the family together and makes for a harmonious marriage. In Proverbs, it says, â€Å"She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. †3 A wife maintains the stability of her and should not slack in doing so. On another note, because so much emphasis has been laid on being a housewife, women have been excluded from the leadership roles of the church in earlier traditions. They were not allowed to hold any sort of religious authority or be considered spiritually equal to me. This ideology came much after Christ. People may argue that Christianity is demeaning and sexist to women because of the ideas some religious leaders in its history may have developed. For example, Martin Luther said, â€Å"The word and works of God is quite clear, that women were made either to be wives or prostitutes. 4 However, Jesus Christ recognized women as equals of men. According to John Paul II, Jesus always showed the greatest esteem and respect for woman. 5 He even incorporated them into his close cycle of followers. Therefore, allowing woman to be equals of men in terms of piety, just like the religion Islam. Islam claims to be a â€Å"universal† religion as it accepts all the prophets that have ever come under God’s divine guidance. The teachings of Moses and Jesus are also viewed and incorporated in Islam. From the past two religions discussed, it has become evident that the traditional role of a woman is that of a wife and a mother. Likewise, Islam has laid out the same roles for women. The man is the leader of the home, he deals with all of the external businesses while the woman does the other. The Holy Quran says, â€Å"Men are appointed guardians over women. †6 A woman is emotionally strong, bears children and looks after them, has influence over her husband’s mentality, and plays a significant role in family life. Islam recognizes this significance and raises the status of a woman as Prophet Mohammed states â€Å"Paradise lies under the feet of your mother. †7 Islam respects a woman’s role so much that it has established a means of achieving paradise by being dutiful to ones mother. Another role of a Muslim woman is to obtain an education. This role is not found in either Christianity or Judaism because, according to religious leaders, education would lead to a woman neglecting her duties as a wife and mother. The leader of Islam thought otherwise; prophet Mohammed states, â€Å"Seeking knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim man and woman. †8 Islam says a woman does not have to obtain an education just to go out and work; rather a woman should be obtaining an education to improve her overall character and benefit her family. In order to raise educated and mannered children, the mother needs to be educated herself. If the next generation is raised in the right manner, it will grow to become a better society. Therefore, educated women play a significant role in the positive progression of society as a whole. At this point, it is evident that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam share a commonality in addressing the roles of women. The primary role of a woman in all three religions is that of preserving the unity of her home. She is to look after her children, making sure they grow up under good circumstances. She is also to devote her self to her husband and provide for his needs. In all three religions, women have not been given the privilege of taking on roles of religious leadership. Particularly in Judaism and Islam, women are exempt from fulfilling certain commandments and are not obliged to go to the Synagogue or Mosque to offer prayers. However, they do not stop a woman from carrying on with these commandments if she wishes to do so. A more important issue that needs to be discussed in this essay is how to incorporate these traditional roles with modern life. The modern society is still patriarchal and will always be. Men are dominant, not only according to religion, but nature and society as well. Christianity and Judaism discourage women from obtaining an education because that might affect their performance as wives and mothers. However, feminism in the modern society demands that women obtain an education, and apply it to the work force. Women out in the work force had disturbed the balance of the home greatly. Nowadays, the value of a mother is not properly understood because she has listened to the calls of the world, leaving her primary duties as a wife and mother behind. Religion made it easy for a woman to live, as her husband would financially support her while she stabilized the home. It seems that men also require that their wives help in raising the income of the family, which in most cases, leaves the children with less attention than needed. In order to have harmony in an institution, there needs to be a leader. Marriage is an institution in which a man has been appointed the leader. If this leadership is preserved, there will be harmony in the marriage. Islam has allowed a little more liberalism to women than Judaism and Christianity when it says that if a husband is in need, his wife can work to help him out. This teaching can be easily observed in today’s modern age. Many Muslim women live by their traditional roles. Their utmost duty is unto their children, once they have that under control, they may wish to work and help their husband in increasing the income of their homes. Doing this is completely abiding by Islamic tradition whereas, it would not be with the other two traditions as they have strictly given women the role of homemaker. It is challenging for Christian and Jewish women to abide by their traditions because of the demanding needs of society. However, there are still women of these faiths today that practice their traditional roles. The Jewish Synagogue has come to accept women into leadership roles of the church. Likewise, Christianity also recognizes that women can be pious and demonstrate leadership abilities in the church. For example, nuns devote their entire lives to the serve of Christianity and maintaining purity. On the other hand, women in Islam are known to be equals of men in terms of spirituality, but cannot lead prayer in the mosque. The modern society demands leadership of women in the institutions of society but religious tradition requires them to stay at home and let their men do the work. Furthermore, modernism has take over this age, leaving religion behind. These traditional roles, despite being for the betterment of society, have been reduced in importance. Conclusively, men and women have been assigned certain roles to help them go through life. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam command women to submit themselves to their husbands and the service of their homes. These religions show that in order for there to be harmony in the home, the roles and responsibilities must be divided between husband and wife. In terms of leadership, Christianity and Judaism went from discouraging women to participate in religious offering to allowing them to accept seats in the hierarchy of the church or synagogue. This change is cause by the growing need of feminism, the thought that there should be more women in power. Islam remains the same today, as women are still not allowed to lead prayer in the mosque. However, Muslim women are permitted to take on leadership roles in society, just like Christian and Jewish women. It is important to understand that the principal teachings of these religions have not changed but women have merely stepped away from them and have called for a feminist reform. These teachings still remain the true teachings of the three religions and there are many women in the world who still abide by them. Particularly, the traditional role of a woman has been, and will always remain that of the homemaker, whether they chose to live by it or not.

The Importance of the Xawilaad for Somali in the Horn essays

The Importance of the Xawilaad for Somali in the Horn essays Recently, there have been a few studies on the xawilaad system and the remittance flows it processes. None of these studies deals specifically with the function of the system for life in the camps, and they also do not examine the role it plays on household level in detail. Nevertheless, the great importance of the xawilaad for the Somali economy as well as for individual households does become clear. According to Montclos (2000), there is nothing exceptional about the fact that Somali migrants send money to their dependents living in the Horn in a very regular way: All communities abroad try to improve the living standard of members of the family who stayed behind. What is outstanding about the Somali case, according to Montclos, is that there is a war going on in their native country, and as asylum seekers and refugees, they have an incomparably precarious status. Whereas we should not ignore or exceptionalize refugees from other remittance sending migrants, this does not mean that there are no circumstances specific to their case. In light of these facts, the amounts that the Somalis send are astonishingly large and frequent, and the transfers by xawilaad are made fast and with great efficiency (Montclos 2000). Remittances have played a crucial part in the Somali economy for decades, but the sheer size of the current diaspora combined with recent technological developments in the field of telecommunication and the collapse of the Somali formal economy, have added weight to their importance. Although remittances have become the critical source of hard currency for the country and individual households, the precise value of this economy is difficult to calculate for several reasons (Gundel 2002: 10). In the first place, it is helpful to know the size of the Somali diaspora, and I have already mentioned the difficulties in estimating this. Secondly, it is not easy to get the figures from the xawilaad offices themselves. They do not...

How to Read and Understand a Difficult Book or Chapter

How to Read and Understand a Difficult Book or Chapter Weve all encountered chapters or books that we just cant get into or we dont understand. There are lots of reasons for this: sometimes were required to read about a topic that is just plain boring, sometimes we try to read material that is written way above our current reading level, and sometimes we find that the writer is just plain bad at explaining things. It happens. If you find yourself reading an entire chapter or book several times without understanding it, try taking the following steps. Be sure to do steps 1 to 3 before you jump in to read the text. Difficulty: Hard Time Required: Differs by length of written material What You Need: A difficult book or passageNote paperPencilSticky note flagsQuiet room How to Do It 1. Read the introduction and reflect.  Any nonfiction article or book will have an introductory section that gives an overview of the main points. Read this first, then stop, think, and soak it in.Reason: All textbooks on a certain topic are not created equal! Every writer has a certain theme or point of view, and that will be introduced in your introduction. Its important to understand this theme or focus  because it will help you to recognize why certain examples or comments appear in your reading. 2. Look at the sub-headings. Most books or chapters will progress in some manner, whether they show a progression of time or an evolution of ideas. Look over the topics and try to find the pattern.Reason: Writers begin the writing process with an outline. The subheadings or subtitles you see in your text show you how the author started when organizing his/her thoughts. Subtitles show the overall subject broken down into smaller segments which are arranged in the most logical progression.   3. Read the summary and reflect.  Right after you read the introduction and subheadings, flip to the back of the chapter and read the summary.Reason: The summary  should re-state the points that were mentioned in the introduction. (If they dont, then this really is a difficult book to understand!) This reiteration of the main points may offer the material in more depth or from a different viewpoint. Read this section, then stop and soak it in. 4. Read the material. Now that youve had time to understand the points the author is trying to convey, youre more apt to recognize them when they come along. When you see a major point, flag it with a sticky note.   5. Take notes. Take notes and, if possible, make a brief outline as you read. Some people like to underline words or points in pencil. Only do this if you own the book. 6. Watch for lists. Always look for code words that tell you a list is coming. If you see a passage that says There were three major effects of this event, and they all impacted the political climate, or something similar, you can be sure there is a list following. The effects will be listed, but they may be separated by many paragraphs, pages, or chapters. Always find them and make note of them. 7. Look up words you dont understand. Dont be in a rush! Stop whenever you see a word that you cant immediately define in your own words.Reason: One word can indicate the entire tone or view of the piece. Dont try to guess the meaning. That can be dangerous! Make sure to look up the definition. 8. Keep on plugging through. If youre following the steps but you still dont seem to be soaking in the material, just keep reading. Youll surprise yourself. 9. Go back and hit the highlighted points. Once you get to the end of the piece, go back and review the notes youve made. Look over the important words, points, and lists.Reason: Repetition is the key to retaining information. 10. Review the introduction and summary. When you do, you may find that youve absorbed more than you realized. Tips Dont be hard on yourself. If this is hard for you, its probably just as hard for other students in your class.Dont try to read in a noisy environment. That might be ok under other circumstances, but its not a good idea when attempting difficult reading.Talk to others who are reading the same material.You can always join the homework forum and ask advice from others.Dont give up!

Discussion 2 KJr Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion 2 KJr - Essay Example ensibly illuminates that in "front-seat driving," an individual engages in an active and purposeful thinking process while in "back-seat driving," the individual’s mind is passive and the thinking process is associational. In "front-seat driving," the individual directs and controls each thinking process taking note of signs and the overall progression of the thinking process just as a driver would take full and sentient control of the car. Contrary, in "back-seat driving," an individual is merely a passive contemplator, not directing the development of his thought but notes whatever his subconscious feeds him hence the conclusion that they finally reach in their thinking process is directed by random images, memories and emotions rather than reasoning. I have seen this happen in class when the instructor asks students to think why they fail in certain modules. Most of them end up thinking temporarily about their passing friends, difficulty of the content and their family backgrounds in a jumbled and illogical manner that is never conclusive or illuminative. In the scale, the unfocused side is characterized by a state of bewilderment, of mental fog while the focused side is characterized by luminous awareness, mental clarity, and consciousness. However, our ability to focus resembles a dimmer light switch since many people are in the intermediate categories between focused and unfocused. The level of ‘focus’ is continuum and not only ‘focused’ or

American Expansionism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American Expansionism - Essay Example In the period from 1890 to 1920, the US economy functioned in an optimal manner achieving impressive results. In 1900, the US had 38 percent of world’s wealth, which is 13 percent more than Britain. This economic might enabled leaders to pursue expansionism and importantly financed it as well. â€Å"Economic power set the foundations of American power, facilitating leaders to pursue ‘grand’ policies† (Efthymiou). The other related cause is that the US wanted to further develop its economy, which they wanted to achieve by capturing and tapping resources-rich territories. That is, after capturing and entering newer territories, the US looked for key resources or materials, which can be sold separately or can be used to manufacture finished goods. Those finished good were sold or exported to various countries thereby developing its economy. â€Å"†¦expansionism was driven by the idea that the American economy needs to grow continuously† (Johnston 1 89). The third cause which initiated expansionism was the strengthening of its naval wing. The US’s Navy Admiral of that period, Alfred Thayer Mahan only emphasized â€Å"the need for a powerful navy and the creation of â€Å"coaling stations† in strategic regions with significance in world trade† (Efthymiou). When this started actualizing, the US became confident in its expansion plans. The US expanded its role and influence through three ways namely imperialism or armed conflicts, international diplomacy, and through the construction of the Panama Canal. In 1898, the US declared a war on Spanish territories in the Caribbean and totally dismantled the waning Spanish Empire. So by evicting Spain, the US fortified its advantageous grip on the Caribbean, built a naval base in Cuba, and even annexed Puerto Rico (Efthymiou). It further extended its influence into the Pacific by capturing Philippines and Guam. The US also expanded its influence by actively