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

Consequences of WWI

Short-term: Economic depression, 16,000,000 deaths, Germany lost support, destruction, League of Nations.

Long-term: Extremism (fascism, communism), loss of colonies and territories, new countries, WWII and Cold War.

Definitions

Armistice: Agreement made by opposing sides in a war to stop fighting for a certain time; a truce.

Allied Powers: Nations joined for mutual benefit (Britain, France, Russia, Italy, and the United States).

Balkans: Also called the Balkan Peninsula, the easternmost of Europe’s three great southern peninsulas.

Central Powers: Nations fighting against the Allied Powers (Austria-Hungary, Germany, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire).

Conscript: To enlist someone obligatorily into the armed services.

Kaiser: German...

The French Revolution's Aftermath

Reign of Terror

The wave of rumors and senseless panic that overcame France following the storming of the Bastille in 1789 led to the widespread destruction of manor houses and archives containing the feudal obligations of peasants.

The Napoleonic Wars

Napoleon Bonaparte

He overthrew the French Directory in 1799 and became Emperor of the French in 1804. He failed to defeat Great Britain and abdicated in 1814, returned to power briefly in 1815, but was defeated and died in exile.

Key Terms and Events

Coup d'état

Plebiscite

Concordat

An agreement between the Pope and Napoleon where Napoleon recognized Catholicism as the religion of the majority of France, and the Pope agreed not to ask for the return of any land seized...

Why Was There a Revolution in Russia?

• Autocratic Empire: The Tsar held absolute power, supported by a loyal bureaucracy, a powerful army, and the Orthodox Church, which served as an important ideological pillar of the regime.
• Feudal Agriculture and Industry: Agriculture was controlled by a wealthy aristocracy, leaving the majority of peasants in miserable conditions with personal servitude still intact. Industry relied on foreign capital, creating a large industrial proletariat with very low wages, leading to extreme social inequality.
• Rise of Opposition: Opposition to Tsarism grew among peasants (anarchists). Marxist ideas spread among industrial workers, leading to the formation of a party led by Lenin, which eventually split into two wings:

Nazi Dictatorship and the Third Reich

When the Third Reich was proclaimed, political parties and unions were forbidden, the parliament was closed, and political and social freedoms were struck down as the opposition was persecuted. The Nazi Party became the only legal political entity, with justice and administration controlled directly by party members.

Totalitarian Control and Social Engineering

Education, culture, universities, and art were also controlled by the Nazi Party. Censorship was used to dominate means of communication, including radio, cinema, the press, information tampering, and the burning of books. They attempted to impose a family and social model according to Nazi ideology: women were expected to be good housewives, focusing...

Marxism and Anarchism: Revolutionary Ideologies of the 19th Century

Revolutionary ideologies emerged in the 19th century. These ideologies promoted working-class interests and aimed to transform society through a workers' revolution. The most important of these were Marxism and Anarchism.

Marxism

Marxism is a socialist ideology developed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels based on their analysis of politics and the economy. It advocates for the destruction of capitalism and the establishment of a communist society. Key concepts include:

• Class struggle: The oppressed proletariat would organize themselves and struggle against their oppressors, the capitalist bourgeoisie. Their objective would be to gain political power.
• The dictatorship of the working

The Thirty Years' War: Origins and Escalation

The Thirty Years' War began as an internal revolt within the Holy Roman Empire, pitting Protestant Princes against the new Catholic Emperor, Ferdinand II.

The Spark: Bohemian Revolt

It all started in the Kingdom of Bohemia (modern-day Czech Republic) when Ferdinand II, a Catholic, was elected king in 1617. He soon began to restrict the religious freedom of the predominantly Protestant population by closing and forbidding the construction of Protestant churches. This made him very unpopular, especially among the Protestant nobles.

The Defenestration of Prague

In 1618, a group of Protestant nobles captured the king's representatives in Prague and threw them out of the palace window! Miraculously, they...

The Rise of Suburban America

War Aftermath: Prosperity and Fear

Economic Recovery Under Roosevelt

• Federal war investments finally brought economic recovery.
• Debt rose from $43 billion to more than $200 billion.
• Conflict between business and labor cooled to cooperate in the war effort.
• Industrial production doubled in 1942 and continued to increase steadily.
• Full employment reached for the first time in the 20th century.

Workers’ income increased by 50%, and corporate profits doubled.

Investment continued to a large extent due to the war (Carroll and Noble, 349).

President Harry S. Truman (1945-1953)

The Cold War Emerges: Nuclear Threat

President Truman declared, “We must constitute ourselves trustees of this new force,” referring to nuclear weapons...

Key Events & Figures of the French Revolution

The Storming of the Bastille

The storming of the Bastille represents the revolution, the end of the Ancien Régime, and the beginning of the French Revolution. The people (representing the 98% of the population) rose against the king's power, provoking a huge social movement in France. The Bastille, the king's prison, symbolized royal power. This event occurred on July 14, 1789, and its impact is still felt today, as the French celebrate their National Holiday every year on this date.

The Tennis Court Oath

This event, which took place on June 20, 1789, during the French Revolution, symbolizes freedom, equality, and fraternity. It represents an inverted social pyramid where the people (98%) have...

Evolution of Security Threats

Indeed, the 21st Century has seen a change in the types of threats. Threats include the proliferation of ballistic missiles, proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, terrorism, cyber attacks, attacks on communication and transport, the use of laser weapons, and electronic warfare. Member states are not at peace and face new security threats that are not stated in the 2010 Strategic Concept. The US and European member countries are facing terrorism threats, for instance. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, NATO returned its attention to Europe, and the member countries confronted their decline in defense spending. The Wales Summit in 2014 addressed these issues and the implementation of the biggest reinforcement...

When the war started, the British Prime Minister said that the First World War was a 'modern war,' which meant that it wasn't all about the soldiers. The government also played an important role in keeping people at home happy. This was useful in maintaining support for the Tsar and the war, as it encouraged people to produce enough resources for the country and contribute to the war effort.

However, the Tsar did not share the same attitude. During the war, government expenditure increased, leading to inflation in Russia. But this was not the only cause of inflation. The Tsar decided to ban all alcohol production to keep soldiers sober, which significantly reduced the country's income as vodka was a major source of revenue. Additionally, foreign...