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

Early Stages of the War

In the spring of 1940, the Germans launched a massive invasion known as the Blitzkrieg, meaning "Lightning War".

The Lend-Lease Act

The "Lend-Lease" plan in 1940 allowed the U.S. to lend or lease arms and other supplies to any country whose defense was vital to the United States.

Pre-Pearl Harbor Actions

In 1941, prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Roosevelt froze all Japanese assets in the United States.

Declarations of War

Germany declared war on the United States before the U.S. declared war on Germany.

American Strategy Against Japan

The main American strategy in World War II to fight Japan was to mount two offensive campaigns, attacking the Japanese from two directions.

Pacific Theater

One of the...

Colonization of the New World: Spain, France, and England

Spain's Colonial Ambitions

Spain had three main goals: to spread Christianity, to build a powerful empire, and to acquire wealth. These are often referred to as the "3 G's": God, Gold, and Glory.

• God: Spain sent missionaries to convert the Native Americans to Christianity. They believed that Christianized natives would be more loyal, helping Spain establish authority.
• Gold: Spain sought resources like gold, silver, and other precious metals to exploit for their benefit.
• Glory: Spain aimed to build the strongest empire and dominate the New World.

England's Colonial Expansion

As the English economy weakened and social tensions rose between classes, colonizing the Americas seemed like an escape....

Postcolonial Writers and Themes

African Writers

• Buchi Emecheta - The Joys of Motherhood (Lagos, Nigeria)
• Wole Soyinka - Telephone Conversation / The Lion and... (Nigeria)
• Niyi Osundare - Not My Business (Nigeria)
• Gabriel Okara - Once Upon a Time / Spirit of the Wind (Nigeria)
• Nadine Gordimer - WSA - The Train of Rhodesia (South Africa)

Caribbean Writers

• Jamaica Kincaid - A Small Place (Antigua)
• Dolores Prida - Coser y Cantar (Cuba)
• V.S. Naipaul - "The Mystic Masseur" / "The Suffrage of Elvira" (Trinidad and Tobago)
• Derek Walcott - "Dream on Monkey Mountain" (Saint Lucia)

Indian Writers

• Salman Rushdie
• Bharati Mukherjee - The Management of Grief
• Arundhati Subramaniam - The Welsh Critic Who Doesn't Find Me Identifiably Indian
• Rabindranath Tagore

Other Writers

• Alice

WATERLOO

Waterloo was fought on Sunday, 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in Belgium, part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands at the time. A French army under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated by two of the armies of the Seventh Coalition: a British-led allied army under the command of the Duke of Wellington, and a Prussian army under the command of Field Marshal Blücher. The battle marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars.

HOLY ALLIANCE

The Holy Alliance was a coalition linking the monarchist great powers of Russia, Austria, and Prussia. It was created after the final defeat of Napoleon at the behest of Tsar Alexander I of Russia and signed in Paris on 26 September 1815. The alliance aimed to restrain liberalism and secularism in Europe...

Who were the philosophes and what did they advocate (support)?

Philosophes were the thinkers of the Enlightenment and advocated 5 main beliefs:

• Truth can be found by using reason
• What is natural is good and reasonable
• Acting according to nature can bring happiness
• Taking a scientific view can make progress and advance to better lives
• Using reason can gain freedom

How did women impact the Enlightenment?

Women started protesting for their rights and equality. Influential women like Mary Wollstonecraft argued with men like Rousseau and said that women need education to become useful. She urged women to enter male dominated fields like medicine and politics. Women also contributed to the spread of the Enlightenment.

Explain how Enlightenment ideas spread

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,...

Franco's Dictatorship: Consolidation and Crisis (1959-1969)

1st Stage: The Stabilization Plan

1. Economic Changes
   • Importance of the Stabilization Plan of 1959, proposed by technocrats in government and new members of Opus Dei that assumed important posts in Franco's cabinet. Opus Dei aspired to economic integration in Europe, but Spain would be exposed to democratic influences.
   • Measures proposed by these technocrats:
     • Curb inflation, reduce government control of the economy, bring Spanish economic procedures in line with European standards. Spain's industrial production and standard of living increased.
   • Effects:
     • Foreign investment, attracted by low production costs, launched a process of industrialization, not only in Catalonia and the Basque Country,

Popular Front Program

Introduction

This document analyzes the program of the Popular Front, a coalition of left-wing political parties in Spain's Second Republic. It addresses the program's objectives, the agreements and disagreements within the coalition, and the broader political context.

The Program's Objectives

The Popular Front aimed to win the elections and form a left-wing government to reinstate the reforms initiated during the Reformist Biennium (1931-33). The program outlined a common plan of action for the coalition parties.

Agreements and Disagreements

The coalition partners agreed on key issues, such as granting amnesty to political prisoners from the 1933 elections and restoring the principles of the 1931 Constitution. However, disagreements...

The Unification of Italy: The Risorgimento

Setting the Stage for Unification

In 1849, Italy was defeated by Austria. The 1850s saw intense development within the Italian states, highlighting significant differences between the North and the South. While perspectives favored the northern bourgeoisie, the internal borders and customs remained restrictive.

Giuseppe Mazzini started the national movement, which centered on the organization Young Italy and promoted a vision of a federal republic.

Key International Context

• Austria was isolated after the Crimean War.
• France, led by Napoleon III, sought to revise the Congress of Vienna and weaken Austria, thereby benefiting Italy.
• In 1858, Felice Orsini attempted to assassinate Napoleon III, influencing French

In 1936, the Republican Banco de España financed all the assistance received from Russia. 200 tons of gold were sent to France with the risk that General Franco’s troops would enter Madrid. A government decree ordered to transfer approximately 500 tons to Moscow. The directors of the Bank of Madrid transferred the gold reserves to Cartagena and then by sea to Moscow where they were used to defray the military assistance. These events were known for years as “the Moscow gold”.

1. The Banco de España during the Franco Regime (1939-1975)

After the war, the government set about the difficult task of restoring the country economically. The Banco de España and the financial system as a whole, should be subjected to its guidelines to bring...