Inventions, Colonialism, WWI, and Russian Revolution
Classified in History
Written at on English with a size of 4.37 KB.
Inventions
The first agglomerations appeared (First Chicago Skyline).
- Telegraph (1793, Morse)
- Telephone (1876, Alexander Graham Bell)
- Light Bulb (1879, Edison)
- Electric Iron (1882, Seeley)
- Cinema (1890, Lumiere Brothers)
- Radio (1901, Marconi)
- Automobiles (1886, Carl Benz)
Colonialism
Causes:
- Need to find new markets after the Industrial Revolution.
- Need to sell products to countries beyond their own production.
- Need to buy raw materials at the best price (coal, steel, cotton, etc.).
The main cause of colonialism was economic, but there were also social, political, and military factors:
- Strategic footholds for constructing canals and railways to monitor and exploit trade routes.
- Population increase: Millions of Europeans needed to migrate to other territories.
To justify these actions, colonialist countries sought moral and ethical reasons. They talked about Europe's civilizing mission and justified colonial rule due to technological and religious superiority. They sometimes conquered territories or sought alliances with indigenous populations, creating armies of indigenous people to fight other indigenous groups.
Types of Colonies:
- Colonies of Exploitation: A governor and a military group from the metropolitan administration appropriated resources. The metropolis monitored raw material holdings, and natives were subjected to forced labor.
- Colonies of Settlement: Areas with climates similar to the metropolis were chosen by settlers. The metropolis granted some autonomy.
- Protectorates: Special territories where Europeans controlled indigenous troops. The country continued to be run by indigenous people under European influence.
Scramble for Africa:
Following the discovery of rivers in Africa, European powers met to avoid conflicts (France, Germany, Italy, Great Britain, and Belgium). Great Britain wanted to control from north to south, while France aimed for east to west. States emerged to separate conflicting territories.
World War I
Causes:
- Dispute between powers: Germany vs. France/Great Britain (Alsace and Lorraine, 1890).
- Balkan conflict (Austria-Hungary, Serbia, Russia).
- Moroccan Crisis (France/Germany).
- Economic and political rivalry among the great powers.
- Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Serbia.
- Arms race: Countries were preparing for war.
- Guerrilla warfare: Deployment of troops based on interests.
- Trench warfare: Trenches where soldiers resisted enemy attacks.
Alliances:
- Triple Alliance (1882): Italy, Germany, Austria-Hungary. Formed to defend Austria-Hungary's interests in the Balkans.
- Triple Entente (1907): Russia, France, UK. Formed to defend against a possible German attack.
Consequences:
- Over 10 million deaths.
- Destruction of wealth in involved countries.
- Restructuring of the European map. Treaty of Versailles (1919).
- Germany was forced to pay reparations.
- Incorporation of women into the workforce.
The Russian Revolution (1917)
Tsarist Russia:
Society was organized like the Middle Ages, with the Tsar as the monarch. Repression controlled society. The army, police, and bureaucracy were under the Tsar. Landowners (nobles and clergy) were below the Tsar, and peasants (poor, illiterate, and living in miserable conditions) were at the bottom.
The Revolution of 1917:
- Abdication of the Tsar led to a provisional government (officials, nobles, and army officers).
- Decomposition process.
- Creation of Soviets (committees in factories and towns).
- Rise of the Bolsheviks: A radical political group led by Lenin, defending the interests of the proletariat, opposed to the Mensheviks.
Bolshevik Promises: Declare peace in WWI, distribute land among peasants, give workers access to factory management, and nationalize banks.
The USSR:
Organized as a Federal Republic with a Supreme Parliament and a single party: the Communist Party. Symbols: red star, hammer, and sickle.