Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and exercises for History for Primary education

Soviet Bloc Communism in Europe: Features and Decline

Key Features of the Socialist Development Model

• Led by the USSR, spreading across much of Eastern European countries.
• Imposed People's Democracies.
• Initial economic objective: Mobilize all human and material resources for rapid industrial development.
• The economy was planned through the state, controlled by a centralized bureaucracy.
• Favored industries producing capital goods, creating infrastructures, and natural resource exploitation.

Challenges and Decline (Late Sixties Onward)

The system faced various problems starting in the late sixties, including:

• Shortages (desabastecimiento).
• Rigid bureaucracy, making adaptation to demand difficult.
• Generated large, uncontrolled production costs.
• Great waste

When World War I broke out, the powers of Europe were split between the Allies, led by Britain and France, and the Central Powers, led by Germany. President Woodrow Wilson swiftly announced that the United States would remain neutral. Neutrality proved difficult to maintain, however. Britain began to blockade Germany, and a German U-boat sank the Lusitania in 1915, killing 128 Americans. The United States eventually entered the war in April 1917. Although the United States officially declared neutrality and remained out of the fighting until 1917, it maintained neutrality only to a small extent, as its trade, governing policies, and treatment of Britain and Germany clearly favored the Allies.

Unequal Trade Favored the Allies

The United States...

The League of Nations (1919)

The League of Nations, created in 1919 through the Treaty of Versailles, was an attempt to maintain international peace and cooperation in Europe. While the idea was sound, the League ultimately failed because it lacked the power to enforce its decisions, and member countries often did not comply with its resolutions.

The Weimar Republic (1919-1933)

The Weimar Republic is the name given to the period in Germany following a constitutional assembly in the city of Weimar. This era was marked by severe political and economic instability, most notably the hyperinflation of 1923 and the subsequent rise of the Nazi party.

The Russian Revolution (1917)

A series of revolutions in the Russian Empire during 1917 culminated in the...

British Colonies in America

The British were unable to settle colonies in South America because the Spanish were already established there; consequently, they were forced to begin in northern latitudes along the East Coast.

Spanish Economic Challenges

The Spanish discovered gold and silver very early. During the final years of Philip II, Spain received an average of 18 to 88 tons of gold and silver annually. Despite this, the crown declared bankruptcy four times during his reign. The cost of the war in the Low Countries was excessive, and the wealth extracted was insufficient to cover all expenses.

English Resource Development

The English were forced to develop natural resources, such as fishing, to sustain their presence.

Recruitment and Promotion

A...

The Twentieth Century

The First World War

The First World War began in 1914 with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. He was an Austro-Hungarian noble and the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne.

His assassin was a Serbian nationalist; it was a terrorist act.

The underlying question concerned territory. In the 19th century the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) had lost lands; the Austro-Hungarians had annexed some of those territories, and Serbia believed those lands should belong to Serbia rather than to Austria-Hungary. The assassin was a nationalist who believed Serbia should be larger and should possess those lands.

Public Reactions: Shock and Joy

When war was declared, two immediate public reactions emerged:

• Shock
• Extreme joy or enthusiasm

Below...

The Rise of the Hanover Dynasty

Following the reigns of William and Mary, a new era began with the Hanover Dynasty, starting with King George I. This dynasty originated in Germany; the reason for this German succession was that James I had a daughter who married the Elector Palatine in Bohemia. During this period, the Kings increasingly required a 'right hand,' which led to the emergence of the Prime Minister. The first to hold this position was Robert Walpole. The Prime Minister handled all strategic planning, which meant the role of the King became largely honorific. Behind the Prime Minister was the Cabinet System.

Global Conflicts and the Windsor Name Change

Later, when England entered into war with Germany, the Hanover Dynasty changed its...

English Monarchy: Key Events and Rulers

Henry II and Church Conflict

Henry II faced severe conflict with the Church. Following an incident, the Church excommunicated him, leading to the excommunication of his lands as well. Under threat of continued excommunication, the King paid a substantial sum to Canterbury and was compelled to undergo a form of public penance (described as being treated like a martyr).

• He was forced by the Church to send an army on crusade, which was dispatched to Ireland. This army acted as an occupation force, commanded by a leader named “Strongbow.” This event marked Ireland's entry into European political affairs.

The Succession of Henry's Sons

Henry had several children, the most significant being Henry, Richard, Geoffrey,

Books of Emblems

There are three important writers of emblems: Whitney (1585), Quarles (1635) and Wither (1635).

An emblem is a drawing, a logo and then the emblematic poem.

A book of emblems is a book with a drawing, a poem illustrating what is in the image and a logo on each page.

Whitney

This book was first written by the Baron of Leicester and it was published in the Netherlands as opposition to the Spanish Empire. It was later written by Whitney in 1585. It was not religious or pious; it was used as political propaganda against the Spanish Empire.

Cover

Cover. The literature must be present and profitable (utile et dulce). As we can see in the cover, we have a description of the book and the details that must be given in a cover such as the title,...

The Etymological Shift of Revolution

Only with the French Revolution did the concept of "revolution" take on its modern meaning. This etymological fact signals a larger truth about the grouping of events in world history. For many centuries prior to the 1500s, "revolution" referred to astronomical cycles.

During the period of the English upheavals from 1640 to 1688, "revolution" was used to refer to fundamental political changes, yet it still retained the sense of cycling back to a previous state of affairs. By the time of the French Revolution, however, "revolution" came to connote a sudden, fundamental, and innovative departure in a nation's social and political life—and the term has retained this connotation down to the present day.

Impact

Felipe III Domestic Policy

The government was in the hands of the valido. The King wished to enjoy life, so he delegated governmental power to a close confidant called the valido. Felipe's valido was the Duque de Lerma.

• The Moriscos were accused of being false converts and were expelled from Spain in 1609.
• This expulsion had a negative effect on craftwork and agriculture, leaving many fields deserted.

Foreign Policy under Lerma

The Duke of Lerma agreed to make peace with France, England, and the rebel provinces in the north of the Netherlands.

Felipe IV

His valido was the Count Duke of Olivares.

Domestic Policy

Castile bore the entire financial burden: army, ships to America, etc. Therefore, the Count Duke of Olivares tried to ensure that all kingdoms...