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

Mantecadas

A ball made of butter and other ingredients.

Cruise

Monumental stone cross at the crossroads.

Mergulheira

A person who is on a pilgrimage.

San Andres

Figurines of bread painted with colors.

Senteira

The person who sells photos of saints.

Rosquillas

Sweet with a rounded hole.

Devotee

Someone who feels admiration for something or someone.

Candela

Part of wax with wicks inside.

Exvoto

Object of wax placed in a shrine with a vote.

Sanctuary

Temple to venerate, which is the holy center of pilgrimage.

Stallion

Horse leader.

Horsehair

The horse's hair.

Greas

Flock.

Colt

Offspring of a horse.

Curro

Closed area where the horses are grouped.

Rapa

A haircut.

Scan

Garbage.

Intendant

Alderman.

Plaza de Abastos

Market.

Consistory

County.

Suburb

Neighborhood.

Patterns

List of inhabitants...

Participating Nations in World War II

The conflict involved two major opposing blocs:

Axis Powers

Fascist Germany, Italy, and Japan, along with their allies, including Romania, Finland, Bulgaria, and Spain (though officially neutral, provided significant support).

Allied Powers

Britain, France, the USA, the USSR (Soviet Union), and the colonies and territories controlled by these countries.

Key Characteristics of World War II

• Clash of Ideologies: The war pitted three fundamentally different political systems against each other:
  • Fascism (represented by Germany, Japan, and Italy).
  • Democracy (represented by Britain, the USA, and France).
  • Communism (represented by the Soviet Union).
• Global Scope: The war took place across Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania.

Ancient Greece: Geography and Origins

Greece occupies the southern part of the Balkan Peninsula, the western coast of Asia Minor, and several islands in the Aegean Sea. Although the poleis (city-states) were considered a single people sharing the same language and gods, each had its own laws, customs, and administration. They were initially ruled by local chiefs or kings advised by a council of elders. The Greeks maintained their culture, lifestyle, and trade across these city-states.

Political Evolution

• 7th Century BC: Monarchy was replaced by aristocracy.
• 6th Century BC: Many poleis introduced a new form of government: democracy.
• Expansion: During the 7th century BC, many Greeks emigrated across the Mediterranean to found new colonies.

The Persian

Alfonso XIII's Reign (1902-1931)

Challenges faced during this period included Catalan regionalism, the sensitive Morocco War, opposition from the labor movement and the left, and anarchist terrorism.

Primo de Rivera's Dictatorship (1923-1930)

Key events and policies:

• End of the War in Morocco
• Implementation of an Italian corporate system
• Resolution of social conflict in Catalonia
• International Exhibition in Barcelona and Ibero-American Exposition in Seville

Second Republic Reforms (1931-1936)

Led by the left, this period saw:

• A new constitution
• Autonomy for Catalonia
• Military reform
• Religious reform
• Land reform (addressing both mini- and large estates)

Conservative Government (1933-1935)

Focus on rights; reforms slowed, leading to the crisis of 1934:

• Asturias

The Uprising Begins in Melilla, July 17, 1936

The uprising began in Melilla on July 17, 1936. The city was taken easily, matching the events in Ceuta and Tetuan. The government of Quiroga did not take immediate action. Several regions joined the coup, including Seville, almost all the capitals of Castilla, the Balearic Islands, La Coruña, Oviedo, Zaragoza, Huesca, and Teruel.

Success and Failure Across the Country

The coup saw mixed results in other parts of the country. It succeeded in parts of Aragon, but failed in much of eastern Andalusia due to the limited number of coup supporters and the strong response from opposing parties. The most significant failures occurred in Madrid and Barcelona, where the government launched workers into the...

The Iron Curtain: A World Divided

The rupture between the two blocs took place in 1947 when the US president described what is known as the Truman Doctrine. It denounced the creation of communist regimes in countries occupied by the Red Army and proposed American intervention to stop the communist threat in Europe. Consequently, the US:

• Increased the number of troops and US bases in Europe.
• Proposed the Marshall Plan, an economic aid program for the reconstruction of the old continent, aiming to steer Europe away from poverty and the risk of communist expansion. Most countries accepted the US aid, which was rejected by the USSR and Eastern European countries.

In response, the USSR proposed the Zhdanov Doctrine, an act that denounced the United...

The End of Bipolarity

Soviet Economy: Strengths and Weaknesses

Positive Aspects of the Soviet Economy

• Rapid industrialization: Five-Year Plans prioritized heavy industry and defense; by 1940, the USSR was the second-largest industrial power.
• Social welfare: High literacy rates, universal healthcare, employment guarantees, and low-cost housing.
• Military and space achievements: Strategic nuclear parity with the US; Sputnik (1957), and the first human in space (1961).
• Global influence: Led the socialist bloc (Warsaw Pact) and supported various anti-colonial movements.

Negative Aspects of the Soviet Economy

• Planning inefficiencies: Chronic shortages of consumer goods and weak responsiveness to market demand.
• Low productivity incentives: State ownership

Decolonization: A Global Transformation

Decolonization was the historical process through which the Asian and African colonies of European Empires gained independence between 1945 and 1975. As a consequence, the Third World appeared, a bloc of former colonies not aligned with the US or the Soviet Union.

Causes of Decolonization

Metropolitan Causes

The causes originated both within the European empires and in the colonies.

• Increasing Awareness: European empires fought against the Axis powers for freedom and democracy and could no longer justify their colonial domination ideologically.
• Economic Factors: After the war, the metropolitan powers lacked sufficient military and economic resources to control their colonies; furthermore, it was no longer profitable.

Artistic and Architectural Evolution

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, architecture included the construction of utilitarian buildings like stations and factories, with the Chicago School building the first skyscrapers and Art Nouveau using nature-inspired, flowing shapes. Impressionism focused on capturing light and atmosphere with loose brushstrokes and pure colors. Post-Impressionism introduced new approaches to color, form, and objectivity. In the early 20th century, the first avant-garde movements emerged. Fauvism emphasized color independent of reality, Expressionism aimed to express emotion with arbitrary colors and dramatic themes, and Cubism broke down objects into geometric shapes and multiple viewpoints.

Glossary of Historical

Long-term Causes (Before the Second Republic)

• Political instability: Some regions demanded autonomy; the army held excessive power; frequent government changes occurred.
• Social issues: The Church maintained significant influence; privileged classes opposed modernization; high illiteracy rates persisted.
• Economic inequalities: An economy based on inefficient agriculture; late industrialization; a vast gap between the rich and the poor.

Short-term Causes (During the Second Republic)

• Republican Reforms:
  • Universal suffrage
  • Land reform
  • Separation of Church and State
  • Universal education
  • Autonomy for Catalonia and the Basque Country
  • Improvement of social services
• Reactions to the Reforms:
  • Supporters: Republicans, socialists, workers, and Catalan and Basque nationalists.