Key Concepts: Anarchism, Marxism, and Industrialization Stages
Anarchism and Marxism: Key Concepts
Anarchism: Bakunin proposed a revolution to maximize individual freedom, opposing everything: the state, private property, and religious beliefs.
Marxism: Karl Marx is considered a major theoretical thinker of communism. He focused on class struggle, believing that a classless society would emerge after a political revolution and industrial development, where people are valued for their merits and work, not just wealth.
Cantonalism: This ideology defends the division of a state into independent, voluntarily federated states.
Criollo: A social group comprised of white people of Spanish descent born in America.
Guerrilla: A form of irregular warfare where small groups of armed civilians use their knowledge of the terrain to impede enemy movement.
Desamortización: The process of selling devalued assets and properties belonging to institutions such as the nobility, the clergy, or municipalities.
Stages of Industrialization
- 1st Industrial Revolution: Originated in England in the second half of the 18th century.
- Sources of energy: Steam.
- Innovations: Steam engine, railway, spinning and weaving machinery.
- Sectors: Textiles, steel, transport (steamboat).
- 2nd Industrial Revolution: Occurred in Germany and the U.S. starting in 1870.
- Sources of Power: Electricity and oil.
- Innovations: Automotive, chemical, and telephone industries.
- Sectors: Petrochemical and electric industries.
- 3rd Industrial Revolution: Began in Japan, the USA, and the EU around 1970.
- Sources of Energy: Development of alternative energy sources.
- Innovations: New information and communication technologies.
- Sectors: Telematics and biotechnology.
Business Concentration and Political Turmoil
Why the proletariat is forced to move? The working conditions were painful, and life was miserable.
Types of Business Concentration:
- Cartel: An association of similar businesses created to control pricing or share the market.
- Trust: Formed by the merger of several companies of the same type into a single company.
- Holding: Different companies controlled by owning the majority of their shares.
The Reign of Ferdinand VII
Ferdinand VII, son of Charles IV, restored absolutism (1814-1820), abolished the work of the Cortes of Cadiz, and persecuted liberals. During the Triennium (1820-1823), liberal governments restored the work of the Cortes of Cadiz, but absolutism was reinstated by Ferdinand with the help of European powers in the Holy Alliance. In the Ominous Decade (1823-1833), Ferdinand ruled as an absolute monarch, repealing the Salic law to allow women to reign. Don Carlos did not accept this, and Fernando reigned with the support of moderate liberals, creating an alignment between them and the monarchy.
The Revolutionary Six Years
In 1866, Democrats and Progressives agreed to overthrow the Queen and convene the Constituent Cortes through universal male suffrage to decide the political system. The revolution triumphed after 1868, leading to the Queen’s exile. From 1869 to 1874, two periods emerged:
- The Democratic Monarchy: Amedeo of Italy was elected king but faced political opposition and abdicated due to the difficult situation.
- The 1st Republic: A federal and decentralized republic was established, proclaiming independent cantons or republics.