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

A Glimpse of Everyday Life

I arrived by plane. It was hot and sunny.

On one side of the square, there was a café. Some people were sitting at tables, and one man was talking on the phone.

Anne Frank: A Legacy of Courage and Resilience

Anne Frank was a Jewish girl who, during World War II, had to hide to escape Nazi persecution. Together with seven other people, she remained hidden in the "Secret Annex" of the building on the Prinsengracht canal No. 263 in Amsterdam. After more than two years in hiding, they were discovered and deported to concentration camps. Of the eight people in hiding, only Anne's father, Otto Frank, survived the war. After her death, Anne became world-famous thanks to the diary she wrote while in hiding.

Pablo Picasso: A Revolutionary

_{Mahatma Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869 A.D. in a trading family of Porbandar, a small town in Kathiawar. His full name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, and his father was the Diwan of Rajkot. He went to South Africa after marriage and worked as a barrister there for twenty years. In South Africa, he had his first encounter with apartheid. Once while traveling on a train, he was thrown out of the first-class compartment despite having a ticket. This incident motivated him to fight against apartheid. Upon returning to India, he found his country under British rule, and his fellow citizens facing harsh treatment.}

Role of Mahatma Gandhi in Freedom Struggle

_{Like other great men in history, Gandhi took time to develop his techniques to ensure his}

HENRY VIII (1491-1547)

England from 1509. 2nd Tudor monarch. Best known for his 6 marriages & 4 efforts to have the 1st, Catherine of Aragon, annulled & Anne Boleyn. England, Catholic country and the head of the Church, the Pope, would not allow divorce, Catholic marriage for life. Made Church officials swear that he was leader=arrange his own divorce. Process called the reformation and confirmed by the Act of Supremacy (1534) declared Henry Supreme Head of the Church of England. England had accepted the separation, Henry went one step further and the chief’s minister place was taken by Thomas Cromwell. He declared any monks who spoke against him traitors and had them executed. 1536-1540 Henry VIII ordered the closing down of all:... Continue reading "Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Cromwell, and the Restoration: Key Events in English History" »

Paris Peace Conference

The conference took place in the Palace of Versailles, in France, and it lasted from 1919 to 1920 (12 months). The participants were the Prime Ministers or Presidents of the winning nations.

Five treaties were drawn up at the conference. The Treaty of:

• Versailles (Germany)
• Sevres (Ottoman Empire)
• Trianon (Hungary)
• St. Germain (Austria)
• Neuilly (Bulgaria)

All the important decisions on the fate of Germany were taken by Georges Clemenceau (Prime Minister of France), Woodrow Wilson (President of the USA), and David Lloyd George (Prime Minister of Britain).

Neither Russia nor the defeated countries were invited.

The cause of this conference was that the Allies wanted to establish peace and discuss what to do with the defeated countries.... Continue reading "Paris Peace Conference: Treaties and German Reactions" »

Cold War: Key Events and Concepts

The Civil Rights Movement (CRM)

The Civil Rights Movement was a social movement in the USA during the 1960s that fought for legal and real equality for African-Americans. Led by figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, the movement achieved significant progress after a long struggle, thanks in part to the contributions of presidents like John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.

The Marshall Plan

The Marshall Plan was a US initiative to rebuild Europe after World War II. While seemingly an economic plan, it had significant political implications. The USA offered economic aid to all of Europe, including Eastern European countries, but Stalin prevented them from accepting it. This exposed Stalin's intentions... Continue reading "Cold War: A Summary of Key Events and Concepts" »

The Directory (1795-1799)

Following the era of the Jacobins, a new constitution in 1795 established limited suffrage based on property ownership. The government was led by a five-member Directory, which held executive power, while legislative power was vested in two councils.

Radicals conspired against the government. The Conspiracy of the Equals, led by Babeuf, was a plot to overthrow the government and establish an egalitarian society.

Royalists also led revolts and counter-revolutionary activities with the aim of restoring the Bourbon dynasty.

In Europe, France won a series of victories. General Napoleon Bonaparte conquered most of Italy on behalf of the Directory between 1796 and 1799. However, Britain formed a Second Coalition that challenged... Continue reading "Napoleonic Era: Directory, Empire, and Vienna Congress" »

European Imperialism

Before European imperialism, Africa was a vast continent filled with people who took pride in their cultures and controlled their land as they saw fit. Eventually, European countries sought to control as much land as possible. In 1884-1885, 14 nations met at the Berlin Conference to establish rules for dividing Africa. Any European country could claim land in Africa by notifying other nations. No African ruler was invited to this conference. By 1914, only Liberia and Ethiopia remained free.

Africans began to lose pride in their nations because Europeans demanded more influence and power over the economic, political, and social lives of the people. They also developed day-to-day management of the colonies. Two methods emerged:... Continue reading "European Imperialism in Africa and India" »

Black Power

Black Power is a political slogan and a name for various associated ideologies aimed at achieving self-determination for people of African descent. It is used primarily, but not exclusively, by African Americans in the United States. The Black Power movement was prominent in the late 1960s and early 1970s

Intersectionality

a way of understanding and analysing the complexity in the world, in people, and in human experiences.

Garveyite

Supporter of Marcus Garvey and a 20th century racial and political doctrine advocating black separation and the formation of self-governing black nations in Africa.

Incomprehensibility

We live, move, and have our being on a finite plane, but God lives, moves, and has His being in infinity. Our finite understanding... Continue reading "Black Power, Intersectionality, and Black Religion: A Historical Overview" »