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

Key Events of the Late Franco Regime

Council of War Burgos (1970)

The court-martial of Burgos, with the prosecution's request for 9 death sentences against 16 militants of ETA, caused a storm of international protest.

CCOO (1964)

The CCOO was born as an independent, democratic, and unitary movement, boosting the labor and political struggle.

Munich Conspiracy (1962)

The Fourth Congress of the European Federalist Movement, held in Munich in 1962, brought together Spanish opposition in exile and those from within Spain. Munich called for the end of the regime and the transition to a democratic Spain.

Polisario Front (1973)

A nationalist movement with socialist tendencies, the Polisario Front advocated for Saharawi independence.

General Education Act of

Functions of the European Parliament

Legislative Role

Parliament participates alongside the Council in the legislative process. The standard procedure for approving legislation is codecision, where Parliament and the Council are on equal footing and adopt standards using this procedure. Parliament has limited powers in drafting legislation.

Budgetary Function

This function gives Parliament significant power because it can modify and change the spending approved by the Council. Parliament must approve the EU budget jointly with the Council and may make modifications. Parliament's budgetary control committee monitors how the budget is spent.

Democratic Role

Parliament exercises a supervisory role over the Commission. When appointing a new Commission,... Continue reading "Understanding the EU: Parliament, Council, and Commission" »

Retail Theft Prevention: A Case Study

Mirrors were placed in various locations in the store to improve visibility for the cashier. Of the three measures investigated, the redesign of the store gave the best results. Thefts were significantly reduced. The least effective was the recruitment of a security guard, as it was also the most costly of the three.

The prevention plan should also include training employees on what to do about suspicious customers and how to maintain control without annoying them. It is important to encourage employees to reduce theft, for example, by giving them a bonus if they manage to reduce losses of goods or by hiring more staff during hours and days when employees are overwhelmed by sales.

Is Spain a Violent Country?

Marx's Materialist Philosophy: Labor and Social Structures

Marx adopted Hegel's dialectical method, which involves evolving through affirmation and negation to reach an improved state. For Marx, the only reality that evolves is matter. Humans, as beings of flesh and bone, work and develop themselves throughout history by transforming society and nature. Thus, humans are active and practical beings, with work as their primary activity. This is why the Marxist system is called materialism: work puts humans in relation to nature and with other humans, thereby building society. Human essence, therefore, is the set of social relations. These social relations determine human consciousness. However, in capitalist society, where the worker is employed,

Influences of the ILE

A. Mission Bulletin

The Mission Bulletin was a means to explore the intellectual connections of the institution. This magazine served as a link between all its supporters, and between them and the main currents of thought (in general) and pedagogical concerns (in particular) that were happening in Spain and abroad. It was the best of the Spanish educational journals, offering a broad horizon to both Spanish and foreign readers, mainly from France, as many reports came from there (it had exchanges with other foreign publications).

B. Influence on Spain's Intellectual Wealth

The ILE influenced various schools, for example, the ILE de Bilbao and the ILE de Sabadell. The ILE de Madrid (Center) enjoyed an indisputable authority.... Continue reading "The ILE: Shaping Education and Intellect in Spain" »

José Ortega y Gasset: Influences and Context

Influences

Received Influences

1. Early Objectivism (until 1914): Ortega y Gasset's early philosophy was influenced by German neo-Kantianism, particularly the work of Hermann Cohen and Paul Natorp. He embraced the importance of reason and its connection to objective, universal, and scientific thought.
2. Perspectivism (1914-1923): In this phase, Ortega y Gasset sought to move beyond the limitations of modernity. He aimed to transcend rationalism and idealism without reverting to earlier philosophical forms like relativism and realism.
3. Wilhelm Dilthey: Ortega y Gasset was influenced by Dilthey's emphasis on history for understanding human reality (historical reason) and the importance of "understanding" as

Biographies and Literary Analysis

Homer's Biography: His literary value has remained influential through the centuries. His work is timeless. Cervantes' Biography: Miguel de Cervantes, a Spanish novelist and dramatic poet, was born on September 29, 1547, and died on April 22, 1616, in Madrid. He is considered a top figure in Spanish literature. The Martian Chronicles: This work reveals an atmosphere of terror and loneliness, with a great narrative culture and intense irony. Its intention was a humanist speech. Alejo Carpio's Biography: A novelist, essayist, and Cuban musicologist who greatly influenced Latin American literature. He began studying architecture but failed. He then worked as a journalist and participated in leftist political movements.... Continue reading "Literary Figures: Homer, Cervantes, Carpio, and Classical Greece" »

Communication was essential. This led to the growth of the metallurgical industry, particularly around Maquinista Barcelona. During the last quarter of the 19th century, many factories were located near rivers to utilize hydropower, explaining the proliferation of industrial settlements in these areas.

Rising prices, caused by a lack of energy sources, made Catalan textile products uncompetitive. Catalan industrialists requested protectionist tariffs from the central government to monopolize the Spanish and colonial markets.

The Evolution of the Labor Movement

Labor organizations were divided between anarchists and Marxists. During the first seven years of the Restoration under Cánovas, labor organizations operated underground.

The Restoration... Continue reading "Labor Movements and Social Change in 19th Century Spain" »

The system was falsely democratic under the Canovist system, even after the introduction of universal suffrage in 1890. Furthermore, in the case of Extremadura, a predominantly rural zone, the cacique system and oligarchy reached their highest levels of efficiency.

Early Challenges: Republicanism

However, in its early years, the Canovist model had to deal with the lingering influence of some sectors of republicanism, which sought to subvert the state structure through uprisings. This was the case with the failed republican military uprising in Bangkok in 1883. Once these events, which had so little real impact, occurred, the system continued its political maturation.

Universal Suffrage and its Limited Impact

In 1890, as shown by the degree of consolidation,... Continue reading "Caciquismo and Oligarchy in Restoration Extremadura" »

The Linguistic Legacy

• According to the linguist Tom McArthur, “Old English and present-day English are as different from one another as Classical Latin and present-day French.”
• Basic tools of English—this, the, that, I, me, him, it—are of Anglo-Saxon origin.
• About 90% of the commonest words in English are of Anglo-Saxon origin.

What Were the Anglo-Saxons Like?

Insights from the 7th-century burial site at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk:

• Drinking vessels (glass and horn)
• Byzantine silver
• French coins in a purse
• Sword, shield, helmet: indicating high-status warriors.

The Laws of Aethelberht of Kent (7th Century AD)

Why are These Laws Important?

• What language did Aethelberht’s scribes choose? Why is this surprising?
• The Laws of Aethelberht are a compilation,