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

The Great Depression and its Impact

The Great Depression significantly affected industrialized countries, particularly Great Britain, Austria, and Germany in Europe. Countries and colonies exporting raw materials also suffered as industrial nations, facing reduced purchasing power, drastically cut imports. Various solutions, generally based on economic nationalism and state intervention, were implemented.

The New Deal in the United States

In 1933, US President Roosevelt introduced the "New Deal," a plan to revive the economy through state intervention. This involved promoting public works, subsidizing firms, controlling banking, and expanding social welfare.

Great Britain's Response

In contrast, Great Britain limited its intervention to devaluing...

Fascism originated in Italy after World War I and later spread to other countries of Europe. There are three key characteristics:

Authoritarianism

This is the supremacy of the state, which means the state comes before individual rights. Propaganda was used to gain people's loyalty.

Ultra-Nationalism, Imperialism, and Militarism

This was an aggressive foreign policy of territorial expansions that sought to provide the state with more living space. It had a lot of racism and xenophobia because the nation was defined by race.

Economic Control

Capitalism is allowed, but the main goal is to achieve national self-sufficiency through extreme protectionism. The state establishes corporations of business owners and workers, cooperation is encouraged, and...

The February Revolution of 1917: The Fall of Tsarism

On February 23, 1917, a large demonstration took place in Petrograd (now St. Petersburg), followed by a general strike and riots in the barracks. Tsar Nicholas II abdicated, and a republic was proclaimed. It was headed by a provisional government, which promised to convene constituent elections to make Russia a parliamentary democracy. The new government, dominated by bourgeois parties (Kadets and Socialist Revolutionaries), initiated a series of political and social reforms. However, they also decided to remain committed to their allies in the war. This made it difficult to improve the living conditions of the population and implement the planned agrarian reform.

Popular discontent grew, and...

Imperialism and its Impact (1870-1914)

Imperialism is the control exercised by certain powerful states over other territories. In the late 19th century, a new, complex type of imperialism took shape on a much larger scale. This new imperialism reached its height between 1870 and 1914 and was dominated by the industrialized countries (colonial empires).

Types of Colonial Administration

• Colony: Territory dominated entirely by the occupying power. There are two types: settler colonies and exploitation colonies.
• Protectorate: Theoretically, the metropole respected the native government.
• Concession: Administration and occupation of a territory within a state for the purpose of trade.

Causes of Imperialism

• Demographic: European demographic growth over the

French and Indian War (1754-1763)

• This war provided Great Britain enormous territorial gains in North America.
• Disputes over subsequent frontier policy and paying the war's expenses led to colonial discontent and the American Revolution.

Key Figures in the American Revolution

George Washington

• Virginia plantation owner
• 1st President of the United States
• Served as a general and commander-in-chief of colonial armies during the American Revolutionary War.

Continental Army (aka the Revolutionary War Army)

• Led by George Washington
• Authorized by the Continental Congress

John Adams

• 1st Vice President, 2nd President of the USA
• Major figure of the American Revolution, shaping of the Constitution
• Drafting of the Declaration of Independence

Samuel Adams (Revolutionary

The Korean War

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...

Stalinism in the USSR (1924-1953)

Stalinism defined a totalitarian government system in the Soviet Union from 1924 to 1953, with Joseph Stalin as its paramount political leader.

Key Characteristics of Stalinism

Stalin's Absolute Political Power

• Gained control of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) as Secretary General.
• Served as the head of the government.
• Approved the Constitution of 1936, which established rights and universal suffrage.
• Maintained the CPSU as the sole political party.
• Utilized propaganda and repression to enforce his dictatorship.
• Aimed to spread communism across Europe through the Comintern.

State Control of the Economy

• Land and factories became state property.
• Stalin introduced the Five-Year Plans, which included:
  • Collectivization

The Influence of Kaiser Wilhelm I and World War I on the Weimar Republic

Kaiser Wilhelm I and the German Government During WWI

During the First World War (1914-1918), Germany was ruled by Kaiser Wilhelm I, who held significant control over the government and the military.

• The Kaiser appointed the Chancellor, ensuring his influence over government decisions.
• Despite having the right to vote, the German people had limited political power as Members of Parliament (MPs) lacked substantial authority.
• The Kaiser prioritized military strength, investing heavily in the army and accumulating debt to finance the war effort.
• The German population generally supported this form of government, valuing military tradition and perceiving strong leadership as a sign