Mahdist War and the Siege of Khartoum

Mahdist War and the Siege of Khartoum Siege of Khartoum - Conflict Dates: The Siege of Khartoum lasted from March 13, 1884 to January 26, 1885, and took place during the Mahdist War (1881-1899). Armies Commanders British Egyptians Major General Charles Gordon7,000 men, 9 gunboats Mahdists Muhammad Ahmadapprox. 50,000 men Siege of Khartoum - Background: In the wake of 1882 Anglo-Egyptian War, British troops remained in Egypt to protect British interests. Though occupying the country, they allowed the Khedive to continue overseeing domestic affairs. This included dealing with the Mahdist Revolt which had commenced in Sudan. Though technically under Egyptian rule, large parts of Sudan had fallen to Mahdist forces led by Muhammad Ahmad. Considering himself the Mahdi (the redeemer of Islam), Ahmad defeated Egyptian forces at El Obeid in November 1883 and overran Kordofan and Darfur. This defeat and the deteriorating situation led to Sudan being discussed in Parliament. Assessing the problem and wishing to avoid the cost of intervention, Prime Minister William Gladstone and his cabinet were unwilling to commit forces to the conflict. As a result, their representative in Cairo, Sir Evelyn Baring, directed the Khedive to order the garrisons in Sudan to evacuate back into Egypt. To oversee this operation, London requested that Major General Charles Chinese Gordon be placed in command. A veteran officer and former governor-general of Sudan, Gordon was familiar with the region and its peoples. Leaving in early 1884, he was also tasked with reporting on the best means for extracting the Egyptians from the conflict. Arriving in Cairo, he was re-appointed Governor-General of Sudan with full executive powers. Sailing up the Nile, he arrived at Khartoum on February 18. Directing his limited forces against the advancing Mahdists, Gordon began evacuating women and children north to Egypt. Siege of Khartoum - Gordon Digs In: Though London desired to abandon Sudan, Gordon firmly believed the Mahdists needed to be defeated or they could overrun Egypt. Citing a lack of boats and transport, he ignored his orders to evacuate and began organizing a defense of Khartoum. In an effort to win over the citys residents, he improved the justice system and remitted taxes. Recognizing that Khartoums economy rested on the slave trade, he re-legalized slavery despite the fact that he had originally abolished it during his earlier term as governor-general. While unpopular at home, this move increased Gordons support in the city. As he moved forward, he began requesting reinforcements to defend the city. An initial request for a regiment of Turkish troops was denied as was a later call for a force of Indian Muslims. Increasingly agitated by Gladstones lack of support, Gordon began sending a series of angry telegrams to London. These soon became public and led to a vote of no confidence against Gladstones government. Though he survived, Gladstone steadfastly refused to become committed to a war in Sudan. Left on his own, Gordon began enhancing Khartoums defenses. Protected to the north and west by the White and Blue Niles, he saw that fortifications and trenches were constructed to the south and east. Facing the desert, these were supported by land mines and wire barriers. To defend the rivers, Gordon retrofitted several steamers into gunboats which were protected by metal plates. Attempting an offensive near Halfaya on March 16, Gordons troops faltered and took 200 casualties. In the wake of the setback, he concluded that he should remain on the defensive. Siege of Khartoum - The Siege Begins: Later that month, Mahdist forces began to near Khartoum and skirmishing commenced. With Mahdist forces closing in, Gordon telegraphed London on April 19 that he had provisions for five months. He also requested two to three thousand Turkish troops as his men were increasingly unreliable. Gordon believed that with such a force, he could drive off the enemy. As the month ended, the tribes to the north elected to join with the Mahdi and cut off Gordons lines of communication to Egypt. While runners were able to make the journey, the Nile and telegraph were severed. As enemy forces surrounded the city, Gordon attempted to convince the Mahdi to make peace but with no success. Siege of Khartoum - Fall of Khartoum: Holding the city, Gordon was able to somewhat replenish his supplies by raiding with his gunboats. In London, his plight was played up in the press and eventually, Queen Victoria directed Gladstone to send aid to the beleaguered garrison. Acquiescing in July 1884, Gladstone ordered General Sir Garnet Wolseley to form an expedition for the relief of Khartoum. Despite this, it took a substantial amount of time to organize the needed men and supplies. As the fall progressed, Gordons position became increasingly tenuous as supplies dwindled and many of his more capable officers were killed. Shortening his line, he constructed a new wall inside the city and tower from which to observe the enemy. Though communications remained spotty, Gordon did receive word that a relief expedition was en route. Despite this news, Gordon greatly feared for the city. A letter that arrived in Cairo on December 14 informed a friend, Farewell. You will never hear from me again. I fear that there will be treachery in the garrison, and all will be over by Christmas. Two days later, Gordon was forced to destroy his outpost across the White Nile at Omdurman. Made aware of Gordons concerns, Wolseley began pressing south. Defeating the Mahdists at Abu Klea on January 17, 1885, the men met the enemy again two days later. With the relief force approaching, the Mahdi began planning to storm Khartoum. Possessing around 50,000 men, he ordered one column to wade across the White Nile to attack the citys walls while another assaulted the Massalamieh Gate. Moving forward on the night of January 25-26, both columns quickly overwhelmed the exhausted defenders. Swarming through the city, the Mahdists massacred the garrison and around 4,000 of Khartoums residents. Though the Mahdi had expressly ordered that Gordon be taken alive, he was struck down in the fighting. Accounts of his death vary with some reports stating he was killed at the governors palace, while others claim he was shot in the street while trying to escape to the Austrian consulate. In either case, Gordons body was decapitated and taken to the Mahdi on a pike. Siege of Khartoum - Aftermath: In the fighting at Khartoum, Gordons entire 7,000-man garrison was killed. Mahdist casualties are not known. Driving south, Wolseleys relief force reached Khartoum two days after the citys fall. With no reason to remain, he ordered his men to return to Egypt, leaving Sudan to the Mahdi. It remained under Mahdist control until 1898 when Major General Herbert Kitchener defeated them at the Battle of Omdurman. Though a search was made for Gordons remains after Khartoum was retaken, they were never found. Acclaimed by the public, Gordons death was blamed on Gladstone who delayed forming a relief expedition. The resulting outcry led his government to fall in March 1885 and he was formally rebuked by Queen Victoria. Sources: BBC. General Charles Gordon. Fordham University.  Islamic History Sourcebook: Death of General Gordon at Khartoum. Sandrock, John.  Windows to the Past: Siege of Khartoum.

Organizational Behavior as one of the Essential Elements of Management Essay - 1

Organizational Behavior as one of the Essential Elements of Management - Essay Example With both its internal and external aspects, motivation is instrumental to employees’ choices, level of input and persistence in applying efforts to a particular activity towards success. The recommendations on developing motivational theories are based on the assumption that existing theories are less effective in motivating employees. The first recommendation is an application of results from existing analyses in developing a basis for new theories. This is because while existing theories may have weaknesses and limitations, they may hold some level of validity and identified convergence of theories from Meta-analyses establishes the ground for their application in developing new theories. Another recommendation is an elimination of virtual boundaries in organizations that create barriers to sharing of resources and information. The elimination of boundaries should further be achieved, on developing theories, by not restricting theories to activities or departments. Further, indicator variables of general and particular motivation types should be understood. An understanding of the involved motivation is also necessary together with identification of the role of dynamism in human behavior. The article, therefore, establishes a new approach to developing motivational theories for an effective application (Locke and Latham, 2004). Hendry, Woodward, Bradley, and Perkins also identify the need for a change in understanding aspects of â€Å"reward and performance† (n.d., p. 1). They establish a new approach to understanding performance, its aspects, measurability, and approach to its improvement. The authors, for example, identify inefficiency in the traditional accounting approach to measuring performance. They also identify dynamism in the corporate world that has demonstrated the necessity of measuring performance as well as core principles for measurement. The  article also associates performance with employees’ capacity, relationships between employees and supervisors and different rewards approach.

Discourse community Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Discourse community - Essay Example All members in a discourse community have the required level of expertise in the common goal (â€Å"DePaul University† 1). A discourse community has an overlapping boundary, which allows most people to participate within and between various discourse communities (â€Å"DePaul University† 1). Various academic discourse communities exist in our schools that include mathematicians, engineers, and sportsmen, among other groups. Engineering Course Engineering is a defined discourse community where members have the required level of expertise in engineering to communicate and agree on certain goals and interests in the engineering field. Engineers have a unique language and genre, which helps them to communicate their common goals and unify their group. Moreover, engineers in the engineering discourse community have a common band that reinforces their relationships thus enhancing agreements on common goals and interests. The common band in engineering defines the difference b etween engineering and other discourse communities. Additionally, engineers share norms of "good writing" as a common goal in this discourse community. Notably, engineers use metaphors to unify and define this group. At the same time, the engineering discourse community uses specialized vocabulary in terms of jargons and terminologies to define this group and communicate the common goals in engineering. Only engineers can understand the vocabularies in this discourse community. The engineering discourse community also uses a specialized genre â€Å"verbal and non-verbal† to define this group, communicate the common goals and interests of this group, and unify the engineering discourse community. Specifically, metaphors and reports are the dominant genres and tools used in engineering discourse community to enhance communication among the members in this group. Indeed, the conduit metaphor is dominant among engineers where it basis communication on codes that allowing sharing of engineering information. The specialized genres in this discourse community are very important to engineers as they help them to communicate and present their ideas as well as organizing the data collected in this field. This helps engineers to pass engineering knowledge to future engineers. Engineers must follow certain guidelines in writing an engineering report. Notably, the norms of "good writing, vocabularies, and specialized genres help in bringing engineers together in this discourse community. Supervisor in Electronic Company An electronic company deals in the production and supply of electronic products like bulbs, circuits, vacuum tubes, and diodes. A supervisor in an electronic company will play the role of overseeing the operations in the company where electricians are the main members in the electrical discourse community. Members in the electrical discourse community have the required level of knowledge in electronics that allows them to communicate and agree on cer tain goals and interests in this field. The electricians adopt a common language, writing skill, and genres, which defines and unifies this group. This discourse community has a common band that defines this group and allows electricians to communicate their common goals. The band strengthens the relationships within the electronic company

Estate Plan for the Wright Family Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Estate Plan for the Wright Family - Essay Example Contextually, it could also be to circumvent any future challenges posed by his former wife on his assets, joint or individual. From the point of view of Margaret, the driving force of the plan would be in ensuring that only her husband, Tom benefits from her assets, and not his ex-wife and/or son. It is also necessary to have estate planning in place in order to overcome the sudden and unexpected death of spouse, in that it could provide for safety and comfortable living for the remaining members of Tom's family, should such an eventuality occur, especially if the spouse dies intestate (without providing a will) or testamentary documents. Will formation, a part of estate planning is an important and crucial exercise for all married couples and families, since the advantages and benefits associated with a person dying with a will or probate outweigh the risks and detriments associated with dying intestate. Tom is an accounting partner in a medium size accounting firm. While his earnings have been satisfactory, Tom's earlier marriage was annulled and he had to make heavy borrowings to pay off the divorce settlement. He has an eight year old son from his previous marriage and the upkeep expenses of his son are routed through a Trust, funded by an advance of his inheritance from his parents. As per current Australian tax laws, the capital amount of this trust has been earmarked for the benefit of his son "as a result of family breakdown." (Income tax assessment act 1936- sect 102aga n.d.). Current personal circumstances: Tom's present wife, Margaret has completed her medical studies and internship, and is currently employed in a local clinic for the last two years. She is competent and confident of gaining partnership status in her present employment. She proposes to be back in her clinic on part-time basis, after a period of six months after delivery of her first child. With her savings and amount received as inheritance from her parents, she has made investments in property in her individual name. Her main intentions are that her income and assets be shared only with her husband and not enjoyed by his former wife and son. Beneficiaries' circumstances: Tom's present beneficiaries are his wife, Margaret and at a later stage his children. His former wife and son have been adequately provided for by his settlement and the trust created for child support of the boy. He is not keen on making any more separate allocations to them, seen they have been well provided for, under divorce settlement. Current assets and liabilities and how owned: Tom's assets: 1. Goodwill in the accounting firm where he is partner 2. Share in the assets (Plant and Equipment) of the trust which he solely controls. 3. Equity in the Life Insurance policy on Tom's own life 4. Balance of superannuation funds 5. House property owned jointly with spouse, Margaret 6. Trust which has been earmarked for son of earlier marriage Tom's liabilities: 1. Mortgage payment on house property owned jointly by him and Margaret. This house has been 80% mortgaged and bills need to be paid. 2. Trust payments for maintenance of his son. 3. Life insurance premium on own life 4. Debts incurred for divorce settlemen

Current Problems with the US Public Education Essay - 103

Current Problems with the US Public Education - Essay Example Low-income is the source of poverty for a number of Americans today. According to (Strauss 1), the numbers of students of children, from preschool to 12th grade, that benefit from the federal free and subsided feeding have increased exponentially over the years.   Children from low-income backgrounds now dominate most of the public schools. Despite the magnitude of the problem, the federal education policy has not considered poverty to be a major challenge to the education system in the United States. It is obvious that students find it difficult to cope with school hence ends up missing classes or are psychologically affected by the poverty levels in their homes. To emphasize the magnitude of the problem of poverty, a study by National Student Clearinghouse Research Center showed that schools with high-income students sent more students to college as opposed to those that have been sent by schools dominated by low-income students (Strauss 1).The No Child Left Behind Act is one of the major policies that give the parents a leeway to choose schools for their children. The law allows parents to consider taking their children to schools of their choice while at the same time providing a free tutoring platform for schools that do not perform well. Safety is also captured as a major consideration in the choice of the school that the parent prefers. The law provides that both local and state school districts should provide information to the parent in order to make an informed choice of the school to take their child.

Learning Science, Mathematics and Technology with Children's Essay

Learning Science, Mathematics and Technology with Children's Engagement in Play - Essay Example It will be learned that Science, Math and Technology concepts and skills are acquired while children engage in play. Math and Science are all around. Children usually see numbers on television channels, telephones, their house numbers, on tag prices, etc. They may also witness their mothers in the kitchen as they cook following recipes that specify the measured ingredients. Science is likewise ever-present as they discover how things work, observe change in things, use their senses in learning about their world. Technology is likewise accessible to them. This is not limited to what most adults know about technology as electronic gadgets or computerized contraptions. Technology includes processes people use to solve a problem deliberately. Adults should respect how young children want to try their hand in working with technology (Mortlock, 2005). It is for the children to discover how technology will work for them and make tasks more convenient such as using cups or buckets in the san dbox to create more defined mounds of sand instead of just a hump they shape out of their hands. The following will discuss how science, math and technology interplay in the messy play of infants, sand play of toddlers and block play of pre-schoolers. These activities come naturally for children that they do not need any specific instructions from adults. Messy But Busy Babies† In the Stages of Cognitive Development of Piaget, children from 0 – 2 years of age belong to the Sensorimotor Stage. This period is characterized by interactions with the environment based on the child’s reception of sensory input and muscular reactions. The task of this period is to develop the concept of object permanence, the idea that objects exist even when they cannot be seen or heard. (Brewer, 2001). Infants are sensorial learners and they are awed by the possibilities of the objects around them. When they engage in messy play, they get to touch things and feel its textures, see the object up close so details may be inspected. They even get to smell or in most cases, taste objects because it is in their nature to learn about things by putting it in their mouths. Science is at work when they notice changes in things, such as when a drop of paint blots on the paper when an object passes on it. They also get to notice tracks or prints of objects such as car wheels or rollers when these make impressions with paint on paper. They learn math when they see the colors and shapes of the toys they play with and get to feel the dimensions of shapes when they touch these with their hands. They would know that circles have no angles and that squares have 4 sides. When they are handed things like sponges or small rubber stamps for printing, they realize that these may serve as technology to leave imprints when dipped in paint. Allowed to explore paints and things during messy play gives them several learning opportunities about how things work in the world and what they can do with these things to cause an effect such as rolling a plastic care over paint and seeing the tracks they can make from it. Curious Tykes in the Sandbox Toddlers continue to enjoy sensorial play and they love playing with open-ended materials such as sand and water. They learn many scientific concepts with sand. Pouring various amounts of water on sand creates different textures and this dictates how firm the sand will mold into the

Critically analyse Debenhams's code of conduct and identify tree key Essay

Critically analyse Debenhams's code of conduct and identify tree key components that demonstrate the company's values and busine - Essay Example 14). Stonehouse (1991) defines the code of conduct as â€Å"a statement about practice, or what we will strive to do† (Stonehouse, 1991). Since conduct is different from aesthetics, therefore, a good code of conduct should not address such issues as those of self-presentation, rhetoric, and style. A good code of conduct covers more than just moral principles; it also refers to the ideals of the good; â€Å"an engineer might insist on load bearing standards well above what the law requires because of his commitment to the ideal of safety. Sanctions – sanctions applied in the context of an appropriate complaints and discipline system - ought only to be deployed in relation to minimum standards (morality) but not in relation to ideals (ethics)† (Miller, 2002, p. 4). Essentials of a good code of conduct Bowie and Schnieder (2011) emphasize the construction of a foundation of the code of conduct before a company can make one that it expects all of its employees to fol low and work in accordance with. Essential components of a good code of ethics according to Bowie and Schnieder (2011) are that it should be applicable to everyone, it should remain consistent even at times during which the market is inconsistent, it should promote accountability and transparency, and it should help the organization apply the core values to the developments in regulations, technology, and all other factors that can affect the conduct of employees on the job. It is vital for a code of conduct to have involvement of the staff, and the management of individual operations and disciplinary processes should be assigned to the staff members (Bowden and Smythe, 2008, p. 584). Codes of conduct should not be just described as rules that dictate what actions need to be executed and what must be abstained from as such a visualization of codes of conduct is quite narrow. A good code of conduct mentions virtues in addition to actions. Debenhams’s code of conduct On Debenha ms’s website, there are three sections under the heading of â€Å"corporate social responsibility†. These sections include supplier code of conduct, disabled access, and policies of environmental and ethical trading. Debenhams shows only the supplier code of conduct on its website. This supplier code of conduct comprises 10 sections in total including introduction, legal requirements, employment, the safety and hygiene of working conditions, environment, representation of the workers, monitoring, inspection and assessment, sanctions, and ILO conventions. Out of the ten sections, only the third section i.e. employment has eight sub-sections titled payment of living wages, working hours not being excessive, employment of children, employment being freely chosen, disciplinary practices, lack of discrimination, respect for the freedom of association and the employees’ collective bargaining right, provision of regular employment (Debenhams, 2012a). Under the heading â€Å"disabled access†, Debenhams commits of providing the disabled people with access to the problem older stores. By providing this service for the disabled people, Debenhams gains an edge over other street retailers that do not provide the disabled people with this access. Debenhams essentially wants to project the image that the disabled people have all the rights of access that the non-disabled people ha