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

Spain During World War II

In October 1940, Hitler and Franco met in the French city of Hendaye. In exchange for entering the war in support of the Axis Powers, Franco asked Hitler to grant Spain control of Gibraltar and France's North African colonies. However, Hitler did not accept these conditions. Consequently, Spain remained neutral throughout the Second World War. This decision allowed Franco to concentrate on domestic challenges:

• Economic crisis
• Demographic crisis
• Political opposition: Although the Civil War had ended, Spanish society remained divided between supporters of Franco's regime and those who had fought against the Nationalists.

Although Spain did not formally join the Axis powers, Franco supported Nazi Germany by sending volunteer... Continue reading "Spain in World War II: Neutrality, Economy, and Society" »

Cork, located on Ireland's south coast, is the second-largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the third-largest on the island of Ireland, following Dublin and Belfast. It is the largest city in the province of Munster, with a history dating back to the 6th century.

Origins of Cork

Cork began as a monastic settlement founded by St. Finbar in the 6th century. However, the ancestor of the modern city was established between 915 and 922 by Viking settlers who created a trading community. The Viking leader Ottir Iarla is particularly associated with raiding and conquests in Munster, and the Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib links this to the earliest Viking settlement of Cork. The Norse phase left a legacy of family names, such as Cotter and Coppinger,... Continue reading "The History of Cork: From Viking Roots to Modern Times" »

WHAT IS DECOLONIZATION?

The process of dismantlement (taking apart) of the Existing colonial empires

And the independence of their colonies that happened in 1945. It affected more Than 50 countries and around 1500 Million people.

CAUSES OF DECOLONIZATION

WWII
Nationalist movements
Emergence of charismatic leaders
International support

WHO SUPPORTER DECOLONIZATION ?

intellectuals, Christian churches, international Humanitarian movement
United Nations

WHAT WAS THE MARSHALL PLAN? HOW WAS EUROPE AFFECTED?
A rescue and reconstruction plan based on grants and loans for Europe
That was in ruins after WWII. USA sought new markets and wanted to avoid
Social unrest which might favor communism in Europe.
Europe received 25,000 million dollars and USA intervened

WHO

1.3 The Consequences of the Revolution: The USSR

Lenin's Government (1921-1924)

Lenin held all political power. In 1922, he created a political organization called the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), made up of Russia and other Asian republics. It was organized as a federal state and adopted a New Economic Policy (NEP), which combined communist and capitalist policies. Thanks to this policy, the Soviet economy made a recovery.

Stalin's Government (1927-1953)

Lenin's successor began a new era, called 'Stalinism'. A totalitarian political system was established, which used state violence to purge society of his opponents. The economy became controlled by the state:

• Agriculture: Land was collectively owned and farmed by agricultural cooperatives

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" »