A Concise History of Catalonia and the World
Prehistory
Paleolithic (2,000,000 to 10,000 BC)
They used carved stone (Paleo: old) (lithos: stone).
Neolithic (10,000 to 3,500 BC)
Humans began to move stones and develop primitive agriculture. Humans became sedentary.
Ancient History (3500 BC – 476 AD)
Development of writing and the first urban civilizations. River Civilizations:
- Egypt (Nile)
- Mesopotamia (Tigris and Euphrates)
- China (Yellow)
- India (Indus)
Medieval History (476 AD – 1492 AD)
476 AD: Fall of the Western Roman Empire. 1492 AD: Discovery of America.
Middle Ages (5th-11th centuries)
Rise of Romance languages.
Late Middle Ages (12th-15th centuries)
A new social class, the bourgeoisie, appeared. 1348: The Black Death.
Modern Age (1492 AD – 1789 AD)
- Discovery of America
- French Revolution
- Artistic movements: Renaissance (15th and 16th centuries) [Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci], Baroque (17th century) [Velázquez, Bernini], and Neoclassical (18th century) [Montesquieu and Voltaire].
On the religious front, Martin Luther founded the Protestant Reformation, and the Catholic Church responded with the Counter-Reformation. The Council of Trent reacted against Luther and condemned his teachings.
Contemporary Age (1789 AD – 1989 AD)
1789 AD: French Revolution and Industrial Revolution (England). 1989 AD: Fall of the Berlin Wall and the beginning of the disintegration of the USSR.
- 622 AD – Year 0 for Muslims.
- 1453 AD – Fall of the Eastern Roman Empire.
- 870 AD – Wilfred the Hairy became King of France and is considered the initiator of the Catalan national dynasty.
- 1137 AD – Marriage of Raymond IV and Petronilla of Aragon (Union of two kingdoms and formation of the Crown of Aragon).
- 1410 AD – Death of Martin of Aragon.
Catalonia
House of Habsburg (1516-1700)
- Charles V (1516-1556)
- Philip II (1556-1598)
- Philip III (1598-1621)
- Philip IV (1621-1665) 1640: Catalan Revolt
- Charles II (1665-1700) marks the end of the dynasty. Death in 1700.
War of the Spanish Succession (1702-1714)
Philip V of Anjou (France) against Charles VI (Austria). Crown of Aragon allied with the Grand Alliance of the Hague. September 11, 1714: Fall of Barcelona and the end of Catalan statehood.
Old Regime and French Revolution
- (1789-1791) Fall of the Old Regime.
- (1809-1811) The French occupied the main cities in Catalonia.
- (1814) The French army withdrew from Catalonia.
First World War (1914-1918)
The dispute for world domination by major powers. Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy) and the Triple Entente (France, Russia, and Great Britain). Germany loses and signs a peace treaty with Russia after the Russian Revolution of 1917. Harsh conditions imposed on Germany in the Treaty of Versailles led to resentment and contributed to the Second World War.
- (1918-1921) Start of the Spanish Civil War
- (1917) Formation of the USSR
Restoration (1875-1923)
Dictatorship of Primo de Rivera (1923-1930)
Primo de Rivera was replaced by General Berenguer, who lasted a year and was then replaced by Admiral Aznar.
Second Spanish Republic (1931-1936)
The first stage was led by Niceto Alcalá-Zamora and Manuel Azaña. They adopted a new constitution. The second stage is known as the Red Biennium, during which the reforms of the previous stage were reversed. In 1936, a coup d’état was launched by those who disapproved of the reforms, leading to the Spanish Civil War.
Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)
The war was fought between two camps: those loyal to the Republic and the Nationalists. The war was a consequence of the struggle between democracy and fascism, which also led to World War II.
Francesc Macià (1859-1933)
He was a military officer but began his political life in 1907. In 1922, he founded Estat Català. He was one of the founders of the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) and served as President of Catalonia from 1931 until his death in 1933.
Lluís Companys (1933-1940)
CNT (Confederación Nacional del Trabajo)
Founded in 1910, anarcho-syndicalist trade union.
World War II (1939-1945)
Began when Germany invaded Poland. The war was led by the Allied Powers: USA, USSR, and Great Britain.
Cold War (1945-1991)
The world was divided into two blocs: the Western Bloc (USA and Western Europe) and the Eastern Bloc (USSR and Eastern Europe).
UN (United Nations Organization) [1945]
The aim was to prevent new wars, respect human rights, and promote solidarity in the world.
Establishment of NATO (1949)
End of the Korean War (1953)
Creation of the Warsaw Pact (1955)
Construction of the Berlin Wall (1961)
Vietnam War (1965-1975)
Marshall Plan (1947-1952)
The US provided financial aid to rebuild Western Europe and prevent the spread of communism.
Franco Dictatorship (1939-1975)
- (1939-1959) War and autarky: Economic interventionism, international isolation, exile.
- (1959-1973) Development plan: Tourism, migration.
- (1973-1975) End of the dictatorship: Oil crisis.