Which feature is common to nearly all major contemporary religions? A. Belief in the concept of reincarnation after death
B. Leaders who rule over followers with absolute power
O
C. Opposition to any form of secular government
D. Sacred texts outlining their most important beliefs
SUBMIT

explanation:

diaspora, (greek: dispersion)hebrew galut (exile), the dispersion of jews among the gentiles after the babylonian exile; or the aggregate of jews or jewish communities scattered “in exile” outside palestine or present-day israel. although the term refers to the physical dispersal of jews throughout the world, it also carries religious, philosophical, political, and eschatological connotations, inasmuch as the jews perceive a special relationship between the land of israel and themselves. interpretations of this relationship range from the messianic hope of traditional judaism for the eventual “ingathering of the exiles” to the view of reform judaism that the dispersal of the jews was providentially arranged by god to foster pure monotheism throughout the world.

the first significant jewish diaspora was the result of the babylonian exile (q.v.) of 586 bc. after the babylonians conquered the kingdom of judah, part of the jewish population was deported into slavery. although cyrus the great, the persian conqueror of babylonia, permitted the jews to return to their homeland in 538 bc, part of the jewish community voluntarily remained behind.

the largest, most significant, and culturally most creative jewish diaspora in early jewish history flourished in alexandria, where, in the 1st century bc, 40 percent of the population was jewish. around the 1st century ad, an estimated 5,000,000 jews lived outside palestine, about four-fifths of them within the roman empire, but they looked to palestine as the centre of their religious and cultural life. diaspora jews thus far outnumbered the jews in palestine even before the destruction of jerusalem in ad 70. thereafter, the chief centres of judaism shifted from country to country (e.g., babylonia, persia, spain, france, germany, poland, russia, and the united states), and jewish communities gradually adopted distinctive languages, rituals, and cultures, some submerging themselves in non-jewish environments more completely than others. while some lived in peace, others became victims of violent anti-semitism.

the years following the end of world war i were a period of deep social tensions, aggrevated by high wartime inflation. food prices more than doubled between 1915 and 1920; clothing costs more than tripled. a steel strike that began in chicago in 1919 became much more than a simple dispute between labor and management. the steel strike of 1919 became the focal point for profound social anxieties, especially fears of bolshevism.

organized labor had grown in strength during the course of the war. many unions won recognition and the 12-hour workday was abolished. an 8-hour days was instituted on war contract work and by 1919, half the country's workers had a 48-hour work week.

the war's end, however, was accompanied by labor turmoil, as labor demanded union recognition, shorter hours, and raises exceeding the inflation rate. over 4 million workers--one fifth of the nation's workforce--participated in strikes in 1919, including 365,000 steelworkers and 400,000 miners. the number of striking workers would not be matched until the depression year of 1937.

the year began with a general strike in seattle. police offers in boston went on strike, touching off several days of rioting and crime. but the most tumultuous strike took place in the steel industry. then some 350,000 steelworkers in 24 separate craft union went on strike as part of a drive by the american federation of labor to unionize the industry. from management's perspective, the steel strike represented the handiwork of radicals and professional labor agitators. the steel industry's leaders regarded the strike as a radical conspiracy to get the company to pay a 12-hour wage for eight hours' work. at a time when communists were seizing power in hungary and were staging a revolt in germany, and workers in italy were seizing factories, some industrialists feared that the steel strike was the first step toward overturning the industrial system.

the strike ended with the complete defeat of the unions. from labor's perspective, the corporations had triumphed through espionage, blacklists, and the denial of freedom of speech and assembly and through the complete unwillingness to recognize the right of collective bargaining with the workers' representatives.

during the 1920s, many of labor's gains during world war i and the progressive era were rolled back. membership in labor unions fell from 5 million to 3 million. the us supreme court outlawed picketing, overturned national child labor laws, and abolished minimum wage laws for women.