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

The Reign of Philip III and the *Validos*

Philip III was not as energetic as his father. In this century, the king usually left political decisions to the *validos*—a royal favorite who governed on his behalf and concentrated political power. The Duke of Lerma was the main *valido* of Philip III.

The Expulsion of the Moriscos (1609–1614)

The expulsion of the Moriscos was the continuation of preceding dynamics and tensions. This was a decision driven by the Duke of Lerma. It proved to be a disaster in economic and demographic terms, because the Moriscos were hard agrarian and artisanal workers.

The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648)

Philip III and Philip IV supported the Habsburg Emperor against the Palatinate Elector and other subjects. Initially,... Continue reading "The 17th Century Crisis of the Spanish Monarchy" »

1. Introduction

• Type of Text: Primary source. A manifest; a historical and political text.

• Author: Collective (Basque political and trade union organizations in exile in France: PCE, PNV, UGT, Izquierda Republicana, ANV, Euskadi Mendigozale Batza, PSOE, ELA, Republicans, CNT).

• Addressee: Primarily all citizens of the Basque Country, and indirectly the Franco Regime. A public text.

• Objective: To reaffirm allegiance to the Republic, support the Basque Government in exile, oppose the dictatorship, and prevent the restoration of the monarchy.

• Location and Date: Published in Bayonne (France) on March 31, 1945, during early Francoism, while the Basque Government was in exile in France, a period of repression and hope for restoring the Republic in Spain

Mexico & Argentina

Mexico's Path to Independence

The hero of the independence, liberal general Guadalupe Victoria, was elected first president under the new constitution in 1833. President Valentín Gómez Farías pushed to Congress a series of radical liberal reforms. General Antonio López de Santa Anna occupied the capital and sent Gómez into exile. He repealed the reform laws and suspended the constitution. The new conservative constitution of 1836 reduced the states to be completely dominated by the central government. This led to the loss of Texas in 1836. The United States annexed Texas in 1845, and the Mexican-American War broke out. By the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Mexico gave up half of the country, ceding Texas, California,... Continue reading "The Struggle for Independence in Mexico and Argentina" »

The Age of Johnson

1744-1785, often referred to as The Age of Sensibility.

Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), poet, critic, and author of fiction, is the namesake for this period in literature. Johnson wielded considerable influence over this era with works that focused on neoclassical aesthetics (the study of natural and artistic beauty with an eye toward the great classical writers). Johnson and his fellow writers placed great emphasis on the values of the Enlightenment which stressed the importance of using knowledge, not faith and superstition, to enlighten others, and led to the expansion of many social, economic, and cultural areas including astronomy, politics, and medicine. Writers of the Age of Johnson focused on the qualities of intellect,... Continue reading "The Age of Johnson: Literature, Enlightenment, and Legacy" »

Before the Revolution

In 1900, the Russian Empire had the following characteristics:

• The government was autocratic: the Tsar had unlimited power and authority. Civil rights were not recognized and political parties were repressed.
• The economy was semi-feudal: agricultural land was owned by a wealthy minority and worked by a peasant majority. In 1890, industrialization began, giving rise to the formation of a small bourgeoisie of business owners and a proletariat.
• There was social unrest: three-quarters of the population were peasants who lived in poverty and paid high taxes.

The Causes of the Revolution

During the rule of Tsar Nicholas II, his autocratic power decreased for various reasons:

• The Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905)

  Russia and Japan fought

Mexico has voted for a change and got it. Andrés Manuel López Obrador won the elections by a wide margin and MORENA obtained the majority at the federal level in the chamber of deputies and senators. This practically leaves the country without counterweights, only with the judiciary as hope to exercise responsible opposition.

Although MORENA dominates the chamber of deputies, the presidency of the same indicates, according to the regulations, that the rotation of the board of directors must go in order according to the majorities, so this year it is up to the National Action Party. That has happened in recent years without fail, however, MORENA, with its overwhelming majority, intended that the current president of the Chamber of Deputies,

Roots of Revolution: Spain's Decline and Napoleonic Influence

Among the causes of the revolutionary crisis that matured from 1808 to 1810, the decline of Spain under the inept King Charles IV was certainly a major one. In Europe, Napoleon's expansion of French power significantly impacted Spain, leading to its effective satellite status. In 1807, French troops moved through Spain to invade Portugal.

By early 1810, French victory seemed inevitable. The juntas previously in charge of Spain dissolved and named the Cortes as their ruler. Confident that Napoleon's invincible armies would crush all opposition, some Creole leaders prepared to seize power. The imminent fall of Cadiz then ignited a conflict between patriots and royalists.

Simón Bolívar

Key Factors in the Discovery of New Lands

• The Conquest of Constantinople
• The end of the Reconquista
• Growing acceptance of the idea that the Earth was a sphere
• Technical inventions (compass, astrolabe, etc.)
• A new mentality (Humanism)

How Authoritarian Monarchies Reinforced Their Power

• Unifying and extending their territories through marriage and war
• Imposing regular taxes
• Appointing high public officials, summoning the Parliament, and limiting the autonomy of cities by sending corregidores
• Establishing the court in one city
• Maintaining a professional, permanent army
• Establishing a diplomatic system

Humanism in Italy

• Florence: Medici family (patrons who subsidized the arts). Machiavelli, political writer.
• Rome: Papal court. Nicolas de Cusa: humanistic writings.

The Normandy landings were the landing operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944, of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D-Day, it was the largest seaborne invasion in history. The operation began the liberation of German-occupied France (and later Western Europe) and laid the foundations of the Allied victory on the Western Front.

Strategic Planning and Military Deception

Planning for the operation began in 1943. In the months leading up to the invasion, the Allies conducted a substantial military deception, codenamed Operation Bodyguard, to mislead the Germans as to the date and location of the main Allied landings. The weather on D-Day was far from ideal,... Continue reading "D-Day: The Historic Allied Invasion of Normandy" »