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

The Polish Problem

In the summer of 1939, Poland was unaware of the impending war.

German Invasion

August 31, 1939:

• Provocation of Gleiwitz: Germany staged an attack on its own radio station to blame Poland.

September 1, 1939:

• Germany invaded Poland without a declaration of war.
• Schleswig-Holstein battle: German battleship attacked the port of Gdańsk.

Soviet Invasion

September 17, 1939:

• Soviet Union invaded Poland under the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.

Poland under German Occupation

• Headquarters in Kraków: Nazis established the General Government.
• Robbery of Art: Masterpieces were stolen.
• Sonderaktion Krakau: Intellectual elites, including professors, were arrested.

Soviet Occupation

• Katyn Massacre: Polish military elites were executed in the Katyn Forest.
• Civilians

History of Slavery

Slavery Defined

Slavery refers to a condition in which individuals are owned by others, who control where they live and at what they work. Slavery has existed throughout history, in many times and most places.

Life on Board Slave Ships

Slave ships spent several months traveling to different parts of the coast, buying their cargo. The captives were often in poor health from the physical and mental abuse they had suffered. They were taken on board, stripped naked, and examined from head to toe by the captain or surgeon.

The Abolition of the Slave Trade

The abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire was not going to happen overnight. Britain had been involved in the slave trade for more than 100 years before some people began...

Henry VIII (1491-1547)

England's Second Tudor Monarch

Henry VIII ruled England from 1509 and is best known for his six marriages and his efforts to annul his first marriage to Catherine of Aragon. When the Pope, the head of the Catholic Church, refused to allow the divorce, Henry challenged the Church's authority. He declared himself the Supreme Head of the Church of England through the Act of Supremacy (1534), solidifying his power and control over religious matters in England.

The Dissolution of the Monasteries

Henry VIII appointed Thomas Cromwell as his chief minister. Cromwell orchestrated the dissolution of Roman Catholic monasteries and convents between 1536 and 1540. During this period, Thomas More was beheaded for refusing to accept...

Text Commentary: The 1978 Spanish Constitution

This text is a legal document whose target readers are all Spanish citizens. The authors are the representatives of the UCD, the Socialists, the Communists, the right-wing parties, and the autonomous regions. It was written in 1978. This constitution was approved in the courts on the 6th of December and finally published on the 29th of December.

The Transition to Democracy

After Franco's death, Arias Navarro continued as the head of the government, and the King wanted to break with the previous regime. Initially, the King didn't dismiss Arias Navarro but asked him to introduce some reforms. However, the reforms were rejected by the courts. In that complicated situation, Arias Navarro resigned, and...

Eusko Ikaskuntza's Project

Elaborated before the redaction of the constitution, it was unconstitutional.

·Alava, Navarre, Biscay and Guipuzcoa formed a state inside Spain

·Autonomous competences wide

·Internal structure was co-federal: autonomy of each territory wide and each territory had the same number of representatives in parliaments and government.

·Bilingualism in education and administration

·Economic concerts as financier system

·Sons/daughters of Basques needed 1 year of residence to have political rights (Spaniards 2)

·Assembly with representative of Spain and BC to decide if there was a dispute

Other projects:

·Carlists + PNV: re-modelled the project for interest of church

·Socialists: number of votes proportional to the inhabitants...

The War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714)

The War of the Spanish Succession was fought between a coalition led by the Holy Roman Empire, Great Britain, the Dutch Republic, Portugal, and the Duchy of Savoy, against the Kingdoms of France and Spain and the Electorate of Bavaria.

The conflict arose after the last Spanish Habsburg King, Charles II of Spain, died without issue, leading to a dispute over the succession between the Bourbon candidate, Philip V, and the Austrian Habsburg Archduke Charles.

The war was concluded by the treaties of Utrecht (1713) and Rastatt (1714). As a result, Bourbon Philip V was recognized as King of Spain, but he was forced to renounce any claim to the French throne and to cede much of the European Spanish Crown'...

Rome was located in the center of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea (good for expansion) and protected by mountains in the north. It was founded by twin brothers: Romulus and Remus in 753 BCE. It was a fusion between Etruscan and native Roman elements. The Roman Republic was a system of government ruled by elected representatives. The Roman Empire conquered the Mediterranean, after fighting three wars: Punic Wars. The decline and fall of the Roman Empire took place between 133-31 BCE. During the Age of Augustus (31-14 BCE) there were provincial reforms, uniform imperial policy was established, and the frontiers were stabilized. There were five good emperors who followed the Pax Romana. The crisis in the third century was caused by military anarchy,...

Wilson's Fourteen Points

• Self-determination
• Isolation of Russia
• Revenge of France, because of the territories of Alsace and Saarland

The Crisis of 1929: Causes

The main causes of the 1929 crisis were:

• Inflation
• Speculation
• Overproduction

Great Depression: Development and Measures

In 1929, the era of prosperity was interrupted by a severe crisis that began with the crash of the New York Stock Exchange. Unable to collect the loans that had been granted, most banks went bankrupt, and those that survived the crisis drastically reduced the financing of firms.

Before long, industrial production declined drastically. Unemployment affected almost all social classes.

National Responses to the Great Depression

• United States: Proposed a shock plan to revive the economy,