Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for 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" »

Long term WWII

1. The impact of WW I. War reparations were paid by Germany. This caused resentment which later contributed to the rise of Nazi extremism. 2. The rise of fascism and nationalism. There was a great fear of a similar revolution that could happen in their countries, after the Russian revolution. Fascism, Communism and other authoritarian solutions were considered a good solution for those who feared the communist revolution. 3. Weakness of democracies. When Hitler began with his expansionism and rearmament, the democratic countries Britain and France considered avoiding a new war was their number one priority, so they didn't face Hitler with their military power. (appeasement policy). The League of Nations was completely ineffective.... Continue reading "Impact of WWII, Creation of United Nations, and Spanish Civil War" »

Summary of the Berlin Crisis: In 1945, the Allies decided to split Germany into four zones of occupation. The capital, Berlin, was also split into four zones. The USSR took huge reparations from its zone in eastern Germany, but Britain, France, and America tried to improve conditions in their zones.

In June 1948, Britain, France, and America united their zones into a new country, West Germany. On 23 June 1948, they introduced a new currency, which they said would help trade.

The next day, Stalin cut off all rail and road links to West Berlin - the Berlin Blockade. The West saw this as an attempt to starve Berlin into surrender, so they decided to supply West Berlin by air.

The Berlin Blockade lasted 318 days. During this time, 275,000 planes transported... Continue reading "Understanding the Berlin Crisis of 1948: Key Events and Impacts" »