Zionism As A Reaction To European Anti-Semitism Sample Essay

Introduction

Scholars like Robert Wistrich and Joseph Massad debate over the exact cause of the Jewish Zionism in the better part of the 19^th century. Initially, the Jews lived in different communities across Europe and in Palestine; they lacked a place of their own in which they could live as one community. Following the prejudice they faced in Europe, especially in Russia and Germany, they had to live at the height of Nazism to Israel. Markedly, the rise of Nazism saw 174, 000 Jews migrate to Palestine in a span of four years, from 1932 to 1936.

To date, a scientific reason for the move remains unjustified because most explanations to this transition are biblical. Zionism refers to the mass movement of the Jews from different European States and Palestine in order to occupy Israel.¹ The national exist aimed at gaining independence from the oppressive European rule so that the Jews could practice a common culture, as well as promote their belief systems. Later in 1950, the Law of Return made 687,000 Jews return to the shores of Israel as they were guaranteed the citizenship of the state.

This paper intends to explain the extent to which Zionism was a response to the oppression, discrimination, and lack of recognition commonly known as anti-Semitism. Following the independence of European colonies, Britons, Germans, and Russians among other Europeans concentrated on evicting Jewish immigrants from their countries.² This caused the oppressive treatment, persecution, and killings that remain memorable even today. Goldberg explains the significance of the historic transition that made Israel stand out both geographically and spiritually after undergoing a series of persecutions under the rule of Adolf Hitler.³

The paper is important to Jews and other historians interested in understanding how Zionism influenced foreign relations between Israel, Europe, and parts of the Persian Gulf. The books are important in addressing arising issues during the 19^th century with a particular interest in the response the Jewish gave towards the oppressive European rule. Political, religious, economic, demographic, and psychographic issues arise from the discussion because a debate is still on-going concerning the extent to which Zionism is a response to anti-Semitism.

Background

Zionism began in the 19^th century as a response to the treatment the Jews had under the rule of Europe and the Palestinian government. There was an ardent need for the Jews to come together in one nation, and identify with a particular geographical and political territory. About the same period, the Ottoman Empire was in control of Palestine, and the Jews lived in different parts of Europe while some were in Palestine.⁴ Jews in Australia, Canada, and the US did not have any problems because at the same time, the US and Canada managed to overcome the British rule.

They understood the impact of colonialism on their economies, including the animosity it generated within their borders. As such, they provided an excellent environment for the Jews to stay. Currently, the Jews still live in the US, Australia, and Canada. In these countries, people consider them as diaspora Jews. Geographically and spiritually, Zionism is easy to understand, but people still question the origin of the Jews to justify their distribution to most parts of the world and returning to Israel after years of suffering in other parts of Europe and Palestine.

Zionism was a reaction to anti-Semitism because the Jews made a political move in order to form a national government.⁵ Unlike other countries formed based on political interest, the story of the Jews has a correlation with the tribulations Liberians went through after colonisation. Most of them formed a nation even though they were from different parts of Africa.

Zionism Was a Reaction to Anti-Semitism

Political Issues

The Jews did not feel comfortable in knowing that they lived in different parts of Europe and the US; they had no country of their own. In Palestine, Germany, and Russia, they had to live under oppressive governments including under the authoritarian leadership of the Ottoman Empire and Adolf Hitler. The Jews displayed a high intellectual capability to dominate the science, technology, health, and law sectors of Germany and Russia. The same happened in Palestine, but they did not take advantage of the intellectual prowess to overturn the governments. Instead, they were very important for the development of the various economies.

Historically, the Pied-Noirs stayed in France for a prolonged period until they faced a forceful eviction to La Métropole.⁶ Intensification of bitter divisions ensued with the underscore on Dreyfus’s case. The Jew of Alsatian origin faced accusations of passing over critical documents to the imperial Germany. His arrest led to formation of different support groups – dreyfusards, dreyfusists, and dreyfusiens. In 1886, a Jewish France, Édouard Drumont, published close to 150, 000 copies sensitising people on anti-Semitism and nationalism. The comments of leaders like Jean Jaures after the 22 December 1894 ruling fuelled the anti-Semitism; he regretted the abolition of death sentence. This case marked the exodus of the Jews from France.

The Jews did not use a similar approach because of the oppression they went through in the hands of various hosts in Europe. Jews were not rebels; they coexisted peacefully with Europeans in the various countries. As such, they could not withstand the negative treatments they faced from the oppressive European communities, leading to the mass national exit to Israel, an unknown land. To date, the boundary between Palestine and Israel remain a controversial subject since both the Jews and Palestinians want to take possession of the Gaza strip.

Politically, the Jews needed to elevate to a level in which they would enjoy sovereignty within their borders. Historians call the exit an aliyah because it was an opportunity for a status ascent since the Jews would have a government of their own.⁷ In Russia and Germany, they had to follow the strict laws of the countries that openly favoured the indigenous communities. Besides the legal issues, propaganda and politics of scientific innovations, religion was a controversial subject in Russia and Germany. The Jews believed in the Torah, and they understood that they had to withstand the tribulations because they were under punishment from God.

The ancestral or the Promised Land was the only known hope for the Jews, and, biblically, they fulfilled the scriptural prophecy. This spiritual standpoint did not augur well in countries that did not practice Judaism. Germans’ Adolf Hitler believed that the Jews wanted to invade the religious space making Christianity lose ground in the country. The hatred Hitler had for the Jews became evident and sometimes he collaborated with some Zionist leaders to destroy the Jews. Such Zionist leaders considered as rebels had stakes in Germany and other parts of Europe. Prior to the national exit from Germany, there were Zionist leaders who sought the aliyah while in the foreign European lands. The intention was to conform to the Nazi rule and get privileges while other Jews underwent oppression in the dictatorial Nazi regime.

Hitler and other European radical leaders opposed Zionism right from the beginning. Jewish venture into science, politics, and technology threatened the relevance of the Europeans. As a result, they leader had to do something to make Europeans relevant in their own countries. Since the Jews had nowhere to go, it was difficult to chase them away from Germany and Russia.

The worst treatment was a racial approach to issues in the 19^th century; anti-Semitists sought Arab features in people living in Europe in order to identify the Jews. Through their mode of dressing, an overgrown beard in men, and the style of worship, it was easy to identify the Jews, and this caused discrimination from the Europeans. During the Holocaust, Hitler ensured that only the Jews remained in Germany for fumigation, assassination, and other forms of oppression that formed the height of anti-Semitism.

Social Concerns

Each subgroup is in defence of the move made by either the Jews or the Western Europeans in the 19^th century. The anti-Semitics believed that Zionists were a group of Jews from the diaspora who only wanted to get respect and a particular social status in foreign countries in Europe.⁸ On the other hand, the Zionist response was an attempt to reclaim a social position within Europe considering the fact that the Jews had no particular origin, meaning that the only social space they could claim was Europe.

In the 19^th century, the Jews in Europe sought all means possible to move out of Europe. Contrarily, a section of European Jews from the East mostly supported anti-Semitism. According to the diaspora Jews, the East European Jews endangered their hard-earned social position by collaborating with the western Europeans, who considered the Jews naive. One factor that created animosity between the Zionists and the anti-Semitists was the ideology that the exposed diaspora Jews transferred the earned resource to the East European Jews.⁹

The Jews had no freedom of association because anytime the diaspora Jews and the East European Jews met, the European countries speculated that they were planning a rebellion. Inability to associate with each other contributed towards the affluence of the East European Jews while the diaspora Jews strived to attain freedom from the Westerners.

According to Robert, social networks are important for development of a popular culture through which people can get an identity.¹⁰ In the early 19^th century, the Jews lacked a communal background, making it difficult to exercise religious freedom, as well as the freedom to scientific discoveries. Today, Israel is one of the smallest countries geographically, but they produce the highest number of exotic fruits while providing food aid to developing countries. It means that without Zionism, the Jews would out rightly lack the social freedom to do farming while applying innovative techniques in medicine as they do today.

The Jewish religion and scientific exploits formed the basis of their culture. Denial of the power to exercise the two completely ruined the community. Zionists understood that medicine, technology, writing books, and agriculture were important for any society. People identify communities by their culture, which incorporates the dress code, religion, and culinary habits. Remarkably, agricultural productivity is an economic activity amounting to a cultural practice for the Jews.¹¹

Within the confined European boundaries, it became very difficult for the Jews to transform the social practice into an income generating activity unless the Western Europeans were the greatest beneficiaries of the activities. Making of a nation is a complex activity, especially when the targeted community lives in different parts of the world. Diaspora Jews and the East European Jews including the Jews in Palestine learnt different things from their host countries.

Zionism formed the only basis for creating a united front through which they would fight anti-Semitism. The prolonged separation of the Jews necessitated the formulation of a single warring unit that would completely deal with the prejudice, racism, and persecution the Jews underwent under the rule of the Western Europeans.¹² Notably, union through Zionism created an opportunity for the different Jews to prepare retaliation strategies in order to acquire the Promised Land.

Economic Concerns

Hinnebusch and Ehteshami posit that the Eastern European Jews followed the imperialist principles of the Germans and Russians, thus creating a society of few rich people and many poor individuals.¹³ This mode of thinking in which few dominated through propagandists also applied for the Jews living in Palestine. Zionism had to take its course in order to identify the Jews uniquely as one, and not subgroupings living in parts of Europe and the Persian Gulf.

The move to Israel was necessary because denial of freedom of worship interfered with the ability to think creatively. Following the Zionism, the Jews came together, and learnt the art of financial management from Europe and Palestine. Anti-Semitism only ensured that the European states prospered, and humiliation only began after Europe gained all economic interests in the various economies.¹⁴

From Africa, the US, East Asia, Iraq, and Canada, the Europeans gained cotton, tea, diamond, gold, and markets for the finished product just to mention but a few. It came to the realisation of the Europeans that the Jews did not add any meaningful value to the economy except in using the available resources to improve the economies of Western Europe. In the 19^th century, anti-Semitists never saw the relevance of the Jews giving rise to the Zionist movement.

Halliday argues that subjection to such levels of economic restrictions, made it important for the Jews to come up with a movement that would cause the collapse of anti-Semitism.¹⁵ Economic austerity in Germany was the worst occurrence, even before Adolf Hitler subjected the Jews to the Holocaust. The Holocaust equally caused great reduction in the number of Jews in the world.

The 1967 war between the Jews and the Palestine involving Egypt and Lebanon also caused a huge decrease in the number of Israelites. Zionists assisted in helping the Jews settle in the Persian Gulf continually occupying a better part of Palestine. It called for the union of the diaspora Jews and the Eastern Europe Jews to form a strong Zionist movement in an attempt to defeat anti-Semitists.

Zionism provided an excellent environment for Israel’s economic growth. Without that kind of revolution, it would be impossible to gain independence and acquire a completely new land. Zionism was an attempt to explain to the Europeans that the Jews were tired of the tyrannical leadership displayed by the Western Europeans.¹⁶ The Jews in East Europe worked very hard at sustaining the economies of Russia, Germany, and Britain.

When Nazism occurred, Russia and Britain could not protect the Jews from the Germans. About the same period, some Belgians, Britons, and Dutch died because Hitler never wanted to leave any trace of the Jews after the WWII. Survivors of Nazism realised the significance of coming together in order to build a strong economy under an autonomous government.

Today, the Jews continue to occupy their territory in Israel, and there are concerns that it encroaches into the Palestine land. After a decade, Palestine could lack complete control of the Gaza strip and Israel could further make Palestine appear insignificant to the rest of the world.¹⁷ Political and military powers are signifiers of powerful economies explaining why Israel’s opinion about other countries in the Persian Gulf remains very important to the rest of the world.

Conclusion

Even though the need for social expression and economic empowerment were among the issues that augmented the movement of the Jews into Israel, the need for political autonomy was the main factor. In essence, the overall ideology or belief of a person to identify with a given nation, rather than to another autocratic state comes with more autonomy or sovereignty than in the latter. Specifically, the spirit of nationalism pushed the Jews to form an autonomous political unit in which they could practice their own culture, as well as rule themselves. The move to Israel was instigated by the need for an independent state free from oppression and numerous supervisions and sanctions from Europeans. Clearly, the Jews wanted to be under their own control.

Bibliography

Andrew, Bostom. The Legacy of Islamic Anti-Semitism. New York: Prometheus Books, 2008.

Bard, Mitchell Geoffrey. Myths and Facts: A Guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict. Chevy Cahse, MD: American Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, 2006.

Bresheeth, Halevi. Palestine: Profile of an Occupation. London: Zed Books, 1989.

Goldberg, David. To the Promised Land: A History of Zionist Thought from its Origins to the Modern State of Israel. London: Penguin Books, 2009.

Goldhagen, Daniel Jonah. “Grass: Ignorant or Calculating Cynic?” The Jerusalem Post, 2012. Web.

Halliday, Fred. The Middle East in International Relations: Power, Politics and Ideology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005.

Hertzberg, Andrew. The Zionist Idea: A Historical Analysis and Reader. New York: Atheneum, 2006.

Hinnebusch, Raymond and Anoushiravan Ehteshami. The Foreign Policies of Middle East States. Boulder, Colo.: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2002.

Koppell, Carla and Anita Sharma. Preventing the Next Wave of Conflict: Understanding Non-Traditional Threats to Global Stability: report of the Non-Traditional Threats Working Group. Washington, D.C.: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 2003.

Luis, Roniger. Anti-Semitism, Real or Imagined? Chavez, Iran, Israel and the Jews. Jerusalem: The Vidal Sassoon International Center for the study of Anti-Semitism, 2009.

Lustick, Ian. Unsettled States, Disputed Lands: Britain and Ireland, France and Algeria, Israel and the West Bank-Gaza. Ithaca, London: Cornell University Press, 1993.

Nordbruch, Goetz. The Socio-Historical Background of the Holocaust Denial in Arab Countries. Jerusalem: The Vidal Sassoon International Center for the study of Anti-Semitism, 2001.

Nye, Joseph and David Welch. Understanding Global Conflict and Cooperation: An Introduction to Theory and History. 8th ed. Boston: Pearson Longman, 2011.

Rotberg, Robert. Israeli and Palestinian Narratives of Conflict: History’s Double Helix. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2006.

Wistrich, Robert Solomon. Anti-Semitism: The Longest Hatred. New York: Schocken Books, 1994.

Zvi, Elpeleg. The Grand Mufti: Haj Amin Founder of the Palestinian National Movement. Portland, Oregon: Frank Cass, 1993.

Footnotes

1. Bostom Andrew, The Legacy of Islamic Anti-Semitism (New York: Prometheus Books, 2008), 12.
2. Carla Koppell and Anita Sharma, Preventing the Next Wave of Conflict: Understanding Non-Traditional Threats to Global Stability: report of the Non-Traditional Threats Working Group (Washington, D.C.: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 2003), 114.
3. David Goldberg, To the Promised Land: A History of Zionist Thought from its Origins to the Modern State of Israel (London: Penguin Books, 2009), 217.
4. Halevi Bresheeth, Palestine: Profile of an Occupation (London: Zed Books, 1989), 94.
5. Joseph Nye and David Welch, Understanding Global Conflict and Cooperation: An Introduction to Theory and History, 8th ed, (Boston: Pearson Longman, 2011), 129.
6. Mitchell Geoffrey Bard, Myths and Facts: A Guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict (Chevy Cahse, MD: American Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, 2006), 74.
7. Elpeleg Zvi, The Grand Mufti: Haj Amin Founder of the Palestinian National Movement (Portland, Oregon: Frank Cass, 1993), 80.
8. Goetz Nordbruch, The Socio-Historical Background of the Holocaust Denial in Arab Countries (Jerusalem: The Vidal Sassoon International Center for the study of Anti-Semitism, 2001), 141.
9. Ian Lustick, Unsettled States, Disputed Lands: Britain and Ireland, France and Algeria, Israel and the West Bank-Gaza (Ithaca, London: Cornell University Press, 1993), 75.
10. Robert Solomon Wistrich, Anti-Semitism: The Longest Hatred (New York: Schocken Books, 1994), 56.
11. Daniel Jonah Goldhagen, “Grass: Ignorant or Calculating Cynic?,” The Jerusalem Post, 2012, Web.
12. Andrew Hertzberg, The Zionist Idea: A Historical Analysis and Reader (New York: Atheneum, 2006), 53.
13. Raymond Hinnebusch and Anoushiravan Ehteshami, The Foreign Policies of Middle East States (Boulder, Colo.: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2002), 69.
14. Roniger Luis, Anti-Semitism, Real or Imagined? Chavez, Iran, Israel and the Jews (Jerusalem: The Vidal Sassoon International Center for the study of Anti-Semitism, 2009), 96.
15. Fred Halliday, The Middle East in International Relations: Power, Politics and Ideology (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005), 93.
16. Goldhagen, “Grass: Ignorant or Calculating Cynic?”
17. Robert Rotberg, Israeli and Palestinian Narratives of Conflict: History’s Double Helix (Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2006), 183.

Wal-Mart Company’s Balanced Scorecards

Balanced Scorecard is concept that is used in performance management as a tool to automatically manage performance and keeps track of the appropriateness of the execution of the tasks and activities by the workforce depending on their capacities and also helps in monitoring the consequences that arise from these activities and decisions made (Hubbard, 2007). As a human performance dynamic tool of managing performance, balanced scorecard is universally acclaimed through its use in annual surveys and has quickly gained popularity in English speaking nations of the West as well as some Scandinavian countries where it began being used from the early 1990s (Papalexandris, Ioannou, & Prastacos, 2004).

This paper is a study of the various perspectives that are presented in a balanced scorecard for companies and determine the effectiveness in their capacity to help organizations improve and better their performances. To realize this, Wal-Mart Company will be used as a case study company to see how balanced scorecard can be used for this purpose mentioned afore.

The main characteristic of a balanced scorecard is the way it presents a mixture of non-financial and also financial measures that are individually compared to some set target value that is entrenched within a concise report. “This report by any standard does not replace the traditional operational or financial reports that are issued by companies periodically but it is meant to be a succinct summary of what is only relevant for the group that it is written for” (Papalexandris, Ioannou, & Prastacos, 2004, p.28).

Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

For a better discussion of the balanced scorecard and how it works, the case of Wal-Mart is used being a successful company that has been in operation for long. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., is perhaps the greatest and most influential single retailer in the world. What makes it more bizarre and overt is the innumerable controversies it has found itself entangled in as regards lawsuits filed against it, media frenzy against some of its policies, government agencies questioning some of its polices among other controversies (Vance & Scott, 1994).

A company that began out of the novelty of two brothers (Sam Walton and his brother) in 1945 when they opened Franchise Ben Franklin variety stores, the company shot to fame and business prominence almost instantly. Its records speak volumes for the company’s dominance and business acumen (Sandra & Scott, 1994).

The company currently operates over 4 150 retail facilities globally being the dominant retailer in Canada, the UK and Mexico (Sandra & Scott, 1994). The following are the things that the company deals in:

• Family apparel
• Beauty and health aids
• Electronics
• Household needs
• Fabrics
• Lawn and garden
• Shoes and jewelry

It also operates successful pharmaceutical business, photo processing centers and tire and lube express business. The founders of the company detailed three strategy goals on which the company operates till today and these are; “ provide excellent service to the consumer, respect individual working within the company and its customers and always strive for excellence” (Sandra & Scott, 1994, p. 67). Its corporate management strategy is to sell the highest quality product and brand names at the lowest cost possible. It is this strategy to maintain the lowest cost of brand names and products that has suscepted the company to unending criticism and lawsuits as it employs measures to realize the strategies that are at times controversial (Vance & Scott, 1994).

Financial Perspective of Wal-Mart Stores Inc

With its over 4 150 retail outlets globally, Wal-Mart Stores Inc is an enormous economic hub attracting millions of dollars as revenues annually. For instance in the year ending 2009, Wal-Mart Stores Inc recorded revenues of $ 3 158.2 million which was a 32 percent decrease in comparison to its 2008 revenue collections. It registered a net profit of $ 297.8 million in the financial year ending 2008 as compared to a $356 million net profit in the preceding financial year.

The decline in revenues and operational losses recorded were due to higher write-offs, higher charges in inventory impairments and joint revenue impairment (Vance & Scott, 1994). This shows that the company has a strong financial basis which is a strength that enables it to marshal command in its niche market. This strength financially is reflected in the way the company pays its employees which is relatively higher than its competitors offer their employees (Hubbard, 2007).

To help the company expand and assert itself in the market, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. initiated an acquisition and franchising strategy soon after it established itself in the market in and till now it has become a family business that has diversified its business to include many other business partnerships and subsidiaries making it have a formidable corporate governance structure (Niven, 2006). This corporate governance helps to maintain the relationship among stakeholders (who are so many) at its best.

These stakeholders include the company’s shareholders, board of directors, the management, employees, creditors, customers, regulators, suppliers and the society in which the firm operates (Papalexandris, Ioannou, & Prastacos, 2004). The purpose that these subsidiaries serve is to institute for legal liabilities and as conveniences for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. The firm being a family and friends dominated business; it is at a big risk and therefore requires protection that is got through the subsidiaries. Due of Toll Bros’ corporate governance system that strongly emphasizes on shareholders’ welfare and economic efficiency, these subsidiaries were instituted (even though the company could be self-sufficient and protected) to make it realize greater market prominence and economic sustainability of its business.

The business model that is used by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. makes it predominantly advantageous in its market and gives it better integration in its niche market. The model that is in operation is Purchasing/cost effectiveness with subsidiaries which is designed in a way that incorporates concepts from other models such as building commences with contracts in place.

The company purchases corporations of interest to it and franchises with those whose business strategies and models conform to its own strategies and ones that are thought to be of economic importance. The subsidiaries indicated above are incorporated in the firm’s corporate governance to help the company remain afloat in the market and have comparative advantage over its principal competitors (Niven, 2006).

This culture is well captured in the mission, vision and strategy of the company that informs all its operations.

Mission Statement

“To maintain our concise dedication to the manufacturing and technology where we continue to refine the quality of our products and expand our capabilities to increase our efficiency thereby elevating higher level of customer service provision we offer to heighten the standard of excellence that forms our corporate culture” (Niven, 2006, p. 43).

Vision Statement

To be a world-wide corporation offering the best services and products for our customers at the least cost with the most worth for their money

Strategy

The strategy statement is informed by the slogan ‘Provide excellent service to the consumer, Respect individual working within the company and its customers and always strive for excellence’.

As a summary of the balanced scorecard used for gauging the performance of the company, the following table giving suggestive objectives that can be used to further improve financial perspectives of the company is given.

Objective	Measure	Target	Action
Use extensive distribution channels to ease the congestion that is seen in some of its stores	Increase the number of distributors and retail stores around the world	Have at least 100 stores being developed annually within the US market and at least 50 globally	Invest more in expansion
Increase profitability by investing in proper human resource management perspectives that encourage better performance.	Invest in human resource management processes that encourage good performance by employees	Make the HR department in all stores authentic and able to address employee issues effectively to make them feel appreciated	Employ more human resource managers which will expand the HR departments to make access to them easier by all employees.
Initiate A Vibrant CSR Initiative That Addresses Issues Of The Society In Which The Company Thrives In. The effect of this will be the customers will be more loyal to the company thereby bringing profitability.	Improve accessibility of the resources from the company to the community where it thrives	Have an annual celebration that does community-based projects that are helpful to the community	Conduct at least 1000 major scholarship programs for less fortunate students annually

From the foregoing discussion, it can be seen that balanced scorecard is a very convenient way of gauging performance of institutions and organizations as it captures all the key areas of the company’s management and performance. It also gives an opportunity for recommendations that can be used to improve the overall performance.

References

Hubbard, D. (2007). How to Measure Anything: Finding the Value of Intangibles in Business. NY: John Wiley & Sons.

Niven, P. (2006). Balanced Scorecard: Step-by-step. Maximizing Performance and Maintaining Results. Long Range Planning, 37(5), 47-62.

Papalexandris, A. Ioannou, G. & Prastacos, G. (2004). Implementing the Balanced Scorecard in Greece: A Software Firm’s Experience. Long Range Planning, 37(4), 347-362.

Vance, S, & Scott, R. (1994). Wal-Mart: A History of Sam Walton’s Retail Phenomenon. New York. Twayne Publishing.

Appendix: Balanced Scorecard for Wal-Mart

Nightingale’s Influence On Millennium Development Goals

Introduction

There are numerous problems that modern society faces, and that needs to be solved if humanity is to develop. However, as the life and activity of Florence Nightingale show, the solution to these problems should not be expected to be attained from politicians only, because people without particular political power, such as nurses, can also contribute to their resolution. In this paper, I discuss the influence of Florence Nightingale on my perception of the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which summarize some of the most pressing problems of today, and explain how I, as a nurse, can help advance some of these NDGs.

Influence of Florence Nightingale’s Legacy on Perception of MDGs

Florence Nightingale was not only a nurse but also a prominent social activist, environmentalist, educator, researcher, and more (Beck, Dossey, & Rushton, n.d.). As such, she is an example of how one, while being a nurse, can utilize their knowledge and the resources available to them to improve the situation in society in general. She had a major influence on my perception of the UN MDGs; while one might think that such global goals are uniquely the area of competence of politicians or, at least, local authorities, I now understand that people who do not have political power still may be able to use their expert knowledge and skills to contribute to solving even global issues. In fact, because some of the MDGs offered by the United Nations (2015) are connected to medicine, it is impossible to advance them without the involvement of medics (and nurses are medics), and Florence Nightingale provides a bright example of a nurse’s capabilities to affect large-scale issues.

Three MDGs to Advance for a Nurse

Three UN MDGs (fighting malaria, HIV, and other diseases; improving the health of mothers; decreasing mortality of children) are directly related to medicine (Beck et al., n.d.); therefore, nurses can help advance them. In particular, nurses can network with their colleagues and form various unions that would collaborate with local authorities, health care institutions, and possibly educational institutions so as to promote MDGs. I, for instance, can fight HIV by networking with colleagues and working with schools to supply sexual education where it is lacking, and to spread information via information boards in clinics and online. Spreading information online is easy to do individually, for example, by creating educational videos to be shown on a YouTube channel. Improving the health of mothers may also involve education about self-care during pregnancy, which I can provide by working with high school female students and organizing educational campaigns, especially in poor areas. This may also reduce child mortality, for such campaigns may result in better health of children; additionally, pregnant teenagers may become less afraid of seeking medical help if an educational intervention was designed in a corresponding way.

Ways for Nurses to Advance MDGs

A single nurse can help advance MDGs, but networking with colleagues will make their efforts more effective. It will be easier for an established and registered collective of nurses to work with authorities and various organizations; therefore, creating large educational events, collaborating with authorities to organize free HIV testing at large public events, etc., becomes more than possible. A collective of nurses can also conduct research to find out the most pressing concerns (health and otherwise) of local mothers, uncovering the problems and drawing attention to them, and thus improving maternal health. In addition, nurses (individually and collectively), being health care experts, can work with local media to draw attention to a variety of problems, such as health concerns of the local children.

Conclusion

Therefore, Florence Nightingale has been not only a nurse but also a social activist, educator, environmentalist and so on, is a bright example of how a representative of the nursing profession can have a major impact on the society in general. As a nurse, I will be able to use the knowledge and resources in my possession to assist the society, in particular, by collaborating with my colleagues to help advance the MDGs set by the UN.

References

Beck, D.-M., Dossey, B., & Rushton, C. H. (n.d.). Florence Nightingale: Connecting her legacy with local-to-global health today. Web.

United Nations. (2015). The millennium development goals report. Web.