Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and exercises for Social sciences for Baccalaureate

The 100 Most Influential People of 2017

Our annual list of the 100 Most Influential People examines the intersection of accomplishment and renown. As in years past, this year's list includes Presidents and Prime Ministers, CEOs, and celebrities—but they are joined by others of less fame but great force, recognized for the power of their inventions, the scale of their ambitions, and the genius of their solutions to problems that no one before them could solve.

A Complex Global Landscape

Some years, the list has the feel of a loose, lively dinner party—people who mostly don't know one another but would get along if they did. This year is a bit more complicated. These past 12 months have sharpened our edges as political debates in the U.S., Europe,...

Some say that young people abuse the use of new technologies, whereas others consider that new technologies will be essential in the future, so it is important to practise as much as possible.

It is obvious that the use of new technologies can have both advantages and disadvantages.

Disadvantages

On the one hand, youngsters waste their time with electronic gadgets instead of doing other useful things. For instance, they often forget to do their homework or review for their exams; consequently, they get poor results, which affects their future career prospects. Moreover, they don't exercise enough and become sedentary; as a result, they can have health problems in the future.

Advantages

On the other hand, new technologies make possible useful educational...

Basque Autonomy Statute

The Basque Autonomy Statute was issued during the transition period, after the 1978 Spanish Constitution had been approved. This Statute replaced the one in force for nine months in Biscay during the Spanish Civil War.

The claim for self-government was especially intense in Catalonia and the Basque Country, and the drafting of the Catalan and Basque statutes started in November 1978.

The Assembly of Deputies (Basque deputies in the Cortes) had elected the Basque General Council, and this entity drafted, discussed and approved the statute and handed it over to the Cortes, hours earlier than the Catalan one.

It was approved by the Cortes in June 1979 after negotiations carried out between the Spanish government and Carlos...

19th-Century Ideas and Causes of World War I

Item 5: Evolution, Marxism and Nationalism

Darwin and Evolution

Darwin published On the Origin of Species, creating controversy between evolutionists and their critics until scientists gradually accepted Darwin's theories. He used the hypothetical-deductive method and applied the ideas of Malthus to explain the struggle for survival.

Marx and Materialism

Marx and historical materialism considered the relations of production to be the key to explaining how society was organized. The owners of the means of production were the dominant class, a condition that produced imbalance and led to class struggle. Marx argued that different modes of production had succeeded one another: slave, feudal, and capitalist....

Demographic and Social Challenges in the EU

The challenges of the EU's aging population are significant; birth rates in the EU are falling while life expectancy increases daily. Consequently, the working population must support a growing number of pensioners. EU countries are currently changing their systems of social protection. Furthermore, much of the population growth and unemployment trends in the EU are attributed to immigration.

Global Competitiveness and Environment

The emergence of developing economies in the global market, characterized by much lower production costs, requires measures to maintain the competitiveness of enterprises and employment. Efforts have focused on improving the skills of the workforce and implementing new technologies....

General Methodological Procedures

Analysis

The decomposition of a whole into its parts.

Summary

A composition or reduction of the whole from its parts. A physical or mental return to the compound from its elements.

Introduction: Special Cases to Generalizations

• Complete: Takes into account all particular things.
• Incomplete: Not all cases are considered.

Deduction

From a general statement, we arrive at the explanation of a particular case.

Reduction

A conditional, from least known to most known (if A, then B. Thus, if B, then A).

Explanation

Used in natural sciences. Aims to establish a link between two things by establishing a cause-and-effect relationship. It aims to link events and fix them into law.

Comprehension

A method related to human relationships,...

Marx and Engels have classified societies based on different modes of production. They never established a definitive classification, and throughout all their works, there are various proposals. The best known is the following:

1) Tribal Community

Tribal community: It is the oldest mode of production. It was formed by the meeting of several families. Initially, it was nomadic and later became agricultural. With little division of labor and low productivity, they practiced primitive communal societies, and social classes were not found.

2) Asiatic Society

Asiatic society: This is a continuation of the previous mode. It is a rural society in which there is still private property. The property is in the hands of the despot or the council of heads...

Luddism: The Resistance Against Mechanization

• Luddism: Awareness of the working class emerged early due to the fear of mechanization, which threatened unemployment and increased competition. This led to Luddite movements, characterized by the destruction of machinery.

These movements had two primary objectives: to oppose the introduction of labor-saving machinery and to exert pressure on employers regarding labor claims. Actions were also directed against raw materials, finished products, and the private property of employers.

Luddism was noted for its high degree of organization and its insurrectionary character, which aligned with broader revolutionary goals. It represented the first resistance movement against a social order that imposed a...

Rise of Catalan Nationalism

The first region to develop a Catalan regionalist movement was one that had experienced high economic growth. Industrialization had made Barcelona the first industrial area in Spain and had led to the birth of an influential bourgeoisie. This new social group felt that their economic interests were poorly represented and made the defense of protectionism in Catalonia a unifying element (aglutinador).

Development coincided with a remarkable revival of Catalan culture and the expansion of the use of the Catalan language. In the mid-nineteenth century, a movement known as the Renaissance (Renaixença) was born, whose aim was the recovery of the language and the Catalan identity. Catalan nationalism emerged from economic...

Provisional Government and the Constitution of 1931

In the municipal elections of April 12, 1931, the Republican coalition obtained an absolute majority. This victory forced Alfonso XIII to flee the country and led to the peaceful proclamation of the Republic.

After the exile of the king and the proclamation of the Republic, the stage of the Interim Government began:

• It brought together all republican forces (right, center, and left). Monarchists and radical leftist groups (anarchists and communists) were excluded.
• It immediately began a series of reforms affecting the structure of the army, the territorial organization of the state, agrarian poverty, and relations between Church and State.

Regarding the conflicts arising from the new arrangements...