Meeting of the Minds Preperation

For the Meeting of the Minds, I will be personifying the personality of Maria Theresa of Austria. She is apart of the Hapsburg Dynasty, and was a well respected leader of her country. I chose her because she was one of the central figures in the wars and politics of Europe. Also, she was very strong and used a lot of wisdom when leading her people. It was stated by her that..." I would always put the general welfare of my lands first because I am the foremost and universal mother of all my subjects." (pg. 17 of Maria Theresa looks at the World)

Some Meeting of the Mind questions that will be asked are? (answers included)
1. If you were to run, or be appointed as the leader of your country or homeland in contemporary society, what issues would you address?
Answer: As an Empress of Austria and having experience with leading a dynasty, I would adress the war in Iraq. A plan or some type of reform like the one I used in 1748 needs to be established to strengthen and make the government more efficient.

2. Would you consider the United States to be an imperialist country?
Answer: I personally feel that the U.S. is imperialist because this country has such a strong system of running the government. The U.S. may have declined slightly in their imperialist ways but it still show signs of imperialism. The U.S. uses its economic, political, and military powers to dictate policies to other competitors and the countries that it may oppress. In all, the U.S. is more economically sound than other countries which gives us a bigger step ahead of things.

3. Who do you feel is the greatest of the worlds superpowers and why? Has this changed from your historical period?
Answer: Adolph Hitler seems to be the greatest of the worlds superpowers. I feel that he is the greatest because he had very strong beliefs in Nazism and extreme Nationalism. He was also racist and he did everything in his power to destroy & kill as many Jews as possible. His Nazi dictatorship took over most independent organizations, mobilized the economy, & violently persuaded the Jewish population.

4. What is the most important message that you could send to the world today?
Answer: To trust in God because he will make you worthy of your deeds, principles and intentions. Also have confidence, faith and tranquility. Realize that everything is not about you! Have a support team to help you make decisions.(whether you are a queen, king, chancellor, prince, president, or a regular person because you can not always depend on your own understanding) Finally, set goals and try your very best to maintain them!




In all, I plan to wear my hair pinned up like Maria Theresa did and wear some pearls and a very poofy dress if i can find one :) I am truly looking forward to doing the meeting of the minds. After all, This counts as a MAJOR grade for the last marking period!