Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for History

Medieval Society

Society was divided into privileged and non-privileged estates:

• Privileged Estates: Nobility and clergy. Members were subject to different laws than the rest.
• Non-privileged Estates: People who weren't members of the clergy or nobility. Most were peasants, but there were also craftsmen, traders, etc.

Nobility

Nobles were dedicated to fighting wars.

• Higher Nobility: Consisted of dukes, marquises, counts, etc. They were vassals of the king and lords of other vassals of lower rank. They lived in castles, collected taxes, and administered justice in their fiefs.

Clergy

There were two different groups of clergy:

• Secular Clergy: Priests that depended on a bishop.
• Regular Clergy: Members of a religious order who lived in a monastery.

• Higher

1. What do we call South America, Central America and North America?

A. The Americas

2. What is between Russia and Alaska?

C. the Bering Strait

3. What is maize very similar to?

C. corn

4. What did the Olmecs use to make statues?

D. basalt

5. What did the Olmecs use to make balls?

D. rubber

6. Where did the Nok people live?

A. West Africa

7. Which people built the city of Monte Albán?

A. Zapotec

8. Which people started a civilization on the Yucatan península?

D. Maya

9. Which city name means “City of the Gods”?

C. Teotihuacan

10. What did the Olmecs use to make statues?

basalt

11. Which people settled in Normandy?

Vikings

12. What do historians call the early part of the Middle Ages?

Dark Ages

13. Who was the ruler of Gaul in 768 AD?

A. Roland B. Charlemagne... Continue reading "Ancient Civilizations and World History Quiz" »

The Development of World War I

1914 was a new crisis in the Balkans which damaged Europe.

The outbreak of conflict

The Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian crown was assassinated by a Bosnian Serb nationalist terrorist group called Black Hand. Austria declared war on Serbia, starting the game of alliances between central powers and triple entente. The working class was pacifist and anti-war, everything happened so fast and they decided to go to war. Those who were opposed were persecuted and punished.

War of movement and trench warfare

The Schlieffen plan decided to attack against Paris invading Belgium. The Germans wanted to invade France but the French army managed to stop the advance in the Battle of the Marne. German strategy had failed,... Continue reading "The Development of World War I: Causes, Alliances, and Trench Warfare" »

MA 4: Key Periods and Concepts

Revolution (1640-1653)

Beginning with the Long Parliament, this era saw the beheading of King Charles I. Religious problems became politically charged, leading to a separation and confrontation between Royalists and Republicans. Theaters closed as a form of repression, and poetics shifted towards a Plainstyle.

The Commonwealth (1649-1659)

This republic, also known as the Protectorate, ruled England, Ireland, and Scotland. Diverse political and religious groups, characterized by radicalism, emerged. Literature grappled with the question of social order. The Protestant idea of 'inner light' as God's grace became politically significant.

The Restoration (1660-1688)

The Stuart monarchy returned with Charles II and later... Continue reading "English Literature: Revolution, Commonwealth & Restoration (1640-1688)" »

The Communist World (1945-1982)

General Characteristics

• Political System: Dictatorship of the proletariat. The common interest was prioritized over individual rights and freedom.
• Countries established institutions that merged executive and legislative powers, allowing only the existence of a single party: the communist party.
• Economy: Controlled by the state.
  • Collectivized land
  • Nationalized industry and services
  • Controlled the market and prices
• Economic Performance:
  • 1945-1960: Recovered from the war crisis.
  • Post-1960: Economic slowdown due to:
    • Low productivity
    • Lack of economic incentives
    • Technological backwardness compared to the West
    • Lack of consumer products leading to rationing
• Communist Society:
  • In theory: Egalitarian and classless.
  • In practice: Significant

The Progressive Movement

The Progressive Movement was a period of social and political reform largely driven by the middle class.

It initially began within the Republican Party but quickly spread across the political spectrum. A primary goal was to combat political corruption and limit the excessive control of businesses over American political institutions, such as the Senate.

Reform efforts also focused on improving the lives of the American working class, who faced very bad working and living conditions, including widespread illnesses and child labor.

Theodore Roosevelt was a prominent figure during this era, known for his efforts to establish a balance between business interests and the rights of workers, as well as his earlier fame as a national... Continue reading "The Progressive Movement and the Haymarket Riot" »

1921, hungary dictatrship by Horty. 1922, Italy by Mussolini. 1923,Spain by Primo de Rivera. 1926, poland by Pilsduki. 1929, Yugoslava by Alexander I. 1932, Portugal by Salazar. 1933, Germany by Hitler, Austria by Dollfus. 1936, Greece by Metaxas. 1939, Spain by Franco.

1931, Japan occupies Manchuria. 1933, Hitler cancellor. 1935, Italy invades ethipia. 1936, Rome-berlin axis, anti-commitern pact. 1938, Germany annexes autsria, munich conference. 1939, germany annexes czechoslovakia, nazi soviet pact.

1940 (MAY) germany occupies netherlands and belgium. (JUNE) germany occupies paris. (JULY) start battle britain. (OCT) italy invades greece. 1941 (JUNE) germany invades the ussr. (DEC) japan attack pearl harbour.

1942, battle of midway and el alemin.... Continue reading "Timeline of World War II: Rise of Dictatorships and Key Events" »