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

European Liberal Revolutions: 1820-1848

The Revolutions of 1820 and 1830

During the Restoration period, Liberals often operated in secret societies, with the Masons being the largest and most influential group. These societies saw themselves as heirs to the ideals of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution, advocating for insurrection against absolutism.

The revolutionary wave between 1820 and 1824 saw initial victories in Spain, Portugal, Naples, and Piedmont, ushering in a brief liberal period. However, these movements were ultimately suffocated by absolutist forces. In Spain and the Italian states, this suppression involved the direct intervention of the Holy Alliance in 1823. Many Liberals were executed, while others were forced into exile.... Continue reading "Europe's Age of Upheaval: Liberalism and Democracy, 1820-1848" »

Background

The Franco regime emerged from the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and shared similarities with other totalitarian regimes of the era, such as those led by Mussolini and Hitler.

Despite the fall of fascism and Nazism after World War II, Franco's regime persisted until 1975.

Ideological Foundation

• Fascist Representation: The Falange party represented fascist ideals, with all power concentrated in Franco's hands.
• National Catholicism: Catholicism was the official religion, closely intertwined with the state.
• Traditionalism: Inspired by the traditional monarchy of Habsburg Spain, rejecting Enlightenment ideas as the cause of Spanish decline.
• National Unity: Autonomy statutes were abolished, and the state was centralized.

Internal Support

Political

Industrial Revolution:

Key Figures

Andrew Carnegie:

• U.S. Steel
• Pennsylvania
• Sold company
• Gave 80% of fortune to educational, cultural, and scientific foundations
• Donated $350M to 2,500 public libraries, universities, and other foundations
• Improved workers' conditions
• Workers were previously treated poorly with low wages, paid for output, not hours
• Carnegie's Gospel of Wealth: Help those who will help themselves

John D. Rockefeller:

• Oil business
• Ohio
• Acquired competitors
• Christian family: Taught to give to charity
• Half of wealth used for public education through philanthropic efforts: building universities (University of Chicago), libraries, and art education
• Workers treated fairly, fostering a sense of belonging in the “Standard Oil Factory”

J.P. Morgan:

The Napoleonic Era

Napoleon Bonaparte had a military education. He drove British forces from the port of Toulon, captured northern Italy, and forced Austrian Hapsburgs to make peace. He also led an Egyptian expedition in 1798.

Napoleon's Rise to Power in 1799

He took control of the Directory by coup d'état and established a three-man Consulate with himself as First Consul. Later, he crowned himself Emperor.

Napoleon's Reforms

• Class System:
  • Nobles who fled France could return if they swore loyalty to the new French government.
  • Peasants kept lands they had bought.
  • A new nobility was established through a meritocracy.
• Economy:
  • Controlled prices.
  • Promoted industrial growth.
• Government:
  • Strengthened the national government.
  • An efficient bureaucracy governed

How important was the geographical position of Germany in determining the outcome of the First World War?

At the beginning of the 20th century, the German Empire struggled to establish itself as a European power. It emerged as a state in 1871 and was ruled by Kaiser Wilhelm II.

The desire to conquer territories and paralyze rival empires were the main causes of WWI. Europe was divided into two alliances: The Triple Alliance, created in 1882 by Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, and The Triple Entente. The Triple Alliance consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy, while the Triple Entente included France, Great Britain, and Russia.

The war broke out on June 28, 1914, when a young Serbian nationalist murdered Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria,... Continue reading "The Geographical Position of Germany in the First World War" »

The Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country (1979)

Type

Primary source

Legal Status

Law

Content

Political text

Author

Collective (representatives of the pre-autonomous Basque General Council)

Status

Drafted by PNV, PSOE, and others + approved by Corts + sanctioned by King (Juan Carlos I) + signed by President of Government (Adolfo Suárez)

Addressee

Law → all citizens of EH →public text

Objective

Be one of the fundamental laws of EH, culminating the process that Basque people desire = self-government as enshrined in Spanish Constitution of 1978 + on the basis of 36 statutes abrogated during Fascism.

Location and Date

Royal Palace, Madrid, 18 December 1979

Context

In the period of the Spanish Transition, after Franco's death in 1975, that was a period of... Continue reading "The Basque Statute of Autonomy of 1979" »

Anarchy: absence of government and absolute freedom of the individual, regarded as a political Ideal. Example: Free Territory, It existed from 1918 to 1921 in Russia and Ukraine.

Aristocracy: a form Of government in which power is held by the nobility. Example: no country has An aristocratic government.

Authoritarian: Avoring or enforcing strict obedience to authority, especially that of the Government, at the expense of personal freedom. Example: Argentina under Perón And Nasser in Egypt.

Communist: adhering To or based on the principles of communism. Example: Post-Soviet states: Armenia, Estonia.

Confederation: a more Or less permanent union of countries with some or most political power vested In a central authority. Example: Belgium, Canada.... Continue reading "Autonomous states come together to form a union called" »

Ancien Regime

The Ancien Regime was a social and political system characterized by an absolute monarchy, a stratified society, and an economic system based on agrarian subsistence. Religion held significant influence during this period.

Louis XIV

King Louis XIV of France, a member of the Bourbon dynasty, was a staunch supporter of absolute monarchy. He centralized legislative, executive, and judicial powers under his rule.

The Enlightenment

The Enlightenment, an intellectual movement that emerged spontaneously in 18th-century France, championed several key ideas:

• Trust in reason
• Faith in progress
• Belief in the power of education
• Nature as a guide for morality
• Criticism of the Ancien Regime, particularly its lack of separation of powers

The movement spread... Continue reading "The Age of Enlightenment and Revolutions: A Historical Overview" »