Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Social sciences

The French Revolution of 1848 and the Rise of Louis Napoleon

The revolution began with the Paris revolts of February 22–24, 1848. Driven by the demand for universal suffrage, these uprisings successfully toppled the monarchy of Louis Philippe of France.

A provisional government was formed, proclaiming the Republic. Key initial actions included:

• Opening National Workshops (intended for unemployed workers severely affected by economic hardship).
• Holding elections by universal suffrage for a Constituent Assembly.

The resulting Constituent Assembly was dominated by representatives of the small and middle bourgeoisie. This new majority quickly moved to close the National Workshops, forcing the popular classes, led by the Socialists, to revolt again... Continue reading "The 1848 French Revolution and the Ideologies of Nationalism" »

Understanding Political Systems and the State

State: A form of political organization of a society in which we speak of a system or political regime.

Democratic State: Political power belongs to the people.

Universal Suffrage: The right to vote for women and all adult people of the world.

Constitution: A document that outlines the rights of citizens and regulates the political organization.

Division of Powers in a Democracy

It is the division of democracy by 3 points:

• Legislation: Makes the laws.
• Executive: Exercised by the government, applying the laws and political decisions.
• Justice: Judges and resolves disputes in accordance with the law.

Political Parties: An association of persons intended to represent politics in one country.

Types of Democracies

Government: The organs of the state, comprising the executive (president, vice presidents, ministers, and other comparable bodies). Voting rules include: 1) Majority rule—the party with the most votes forms the government; other policy options are excluded. These governments tend to be more stable. 2) Proportional representation—the government is formed according to each party's vote share, often requiring coalitions.

Parliament and Political Parties: Three ways to influence government decisions:

• As a legislative body, preparing, discussing, and approving laws.
• Controlling the executive branch's actions.
• Using parliamentary debates to shape public opinion on economic policy (note that some economic policy instruments, due to the element of

Analysis of "Catalan Nationality" (1906)

The text presented for analysis is a political and historiographical work from 1906, written during the Spanish Restoration. This analysis constitutes a secondary source, as it was written in 1987 about the original 1906 document. The title, Catalan Nationality, reflects the political thinking of the era and articulates a principle of Catalan nationalism. It outlines two distinctive forms of this nationalism, differentiated by the relationship proponents believed Catalonia should have with Spain. It is important to distinguish this political nationalism from Catalanism, which primarily advocates for the preservation of Catalan culture and language.

The movement emerged during the Regency period in Spain,... Continue reading "The Origins of Modern Catalan Nationalism" »

Key Concepts: Expression and Content Levels

Understanding the relationship between the significant level of expression and the meaning or level of content is fundamental.

Levels of Linguistic Analysis

1. Phonics: Focuses on intonation and accents.
2. Morphology: Involves the study of morphemes and the various uses of nouns and adjectives.
3. Syntax: Concerns the use of simple and compound sentences.
4. Lexical-Semantics: Deals with polysemy (multiple meanings of words) embedded within the lexical level.

Understanding Paradigms

Paradigm: Refers to unanswered questions or a standard model that determines the functioning of a society and is established as correct; a model or example.

Linguistic Paradigm: A set of linguistic units or elements within a category that... Continue reading "Linguistic Analysis and Literary Interpretation Fundamentals" »

Understanding Social Classes

Social classes are not just fundamental social structures; they are also the result of social stratification. They are sets of individuals with similar power, incomes, and occupations at different levels in a stratified society. This means that social classes are defined by their varying wealth, participation in the economy, social status, and power within a given society. It does not involve strict, deliberate classification, as no one intentionally points to a class with established purposes. Rather, it refers to a set of people with a similar economic situation.

Levels of Public Administration

In all modern countries, the size of the administration is considerable. In our country, administration is divided into... Continue reading "Foundations of Society and Governance" »

Understanding State Concepts and Governance

Defining State Welfare

State welfare, also known as the welfare state, refers to a system where governments intervene in the economy and society to ensure that all citizens enjoy decent living standards and reduce inequalities. This often involves establishing services like education and providing subsidies.

The Role of Parliament

Parliament possesses legislative power. It is the body responsible for passing laws and controlling the actions of the government.

Executive and Judicial Powers

The Government holds executive power, while the Judiciary holds judicial power.

Understanding Dictatorships

In a dictatorship, a single person or group concentrates all state powers, often coming to power through a coup... Continue reading "Governmental Structures and Regional Autonomy in Spain" »

Access to Education and the Printing Press

Formerly, only certain privileged classes had access to education, culture, and knowledge. The circulation and distribution of hand-copied books were rather limited. After the invention of the printing press, literacy rates increased in most industrialized and developing countries. Through education, we could say we are more free. Universities and schools can be considered the backbone of education in our society today, although there are other spaces where knowledge is also provided.

The Rise of Distance Education

A few years ago, around the 1960s, what might be called the classic system was imposed. This involved a physical space, such as a college or university, where people (students) gathered, and... Continue reading "Evolution of Education: From Hand-Copied Books to Online Learning" »

Early 18th Century: Imported Fairy Tales

The early 18th century saw the import of fairy tales from France, mirroring the 19th-century trend with German tales. Louis XIV's court favored literary folk tales. Charles Perrault's collections, including Histories or Tales of Past Times (1729), introduced English readers to Red Riding Hood, Puss in Boots, and Cinderella.

Shifting Educational Goals

Children's reading objectives evolved from religious education to social education. By the 19th century, the focus shifted to social advancement through practical knowledge.

Key Changes in the 18th Century

Emphasis on Children's Education

The growing middle class recognized children's need for education and enjoyment.

Social Education

Adults prioritized a sheltered... Continue reading "Evolution of Children's Literature in the 18th Century" »

Language Families: Origins and Global Spread

Languages that share a common origin belong to the same linguistic family and are considered siblings. The source language is called a mother tongue (e.g., Latin for Romance languages). All Iberian Romance languages, except Basque, derive from Latin.

According to linguistic proximity, Galician is the closest language to Portuguese.

Latin belongs to the Indo-European family. Germanic, Celtic, Baltic, Slavic, and Greek languages are also of Indo-European origin. Some Indo-European languages spread overseas due to colonialism.

Mandarin Chinese has the most speakers globally. Due to its former colonial empire, Portuguese spread to various regions worldwide. Today, it is spoken by around 200 million people... Continue reading "Linguistic Diversity: Language Families, Iberian Peninsula, and Spain" »