Spanish War of Independence: Causes, Conflicts, and Aftermath
The Seeds of Conflict: Godoy, Ferdinand, and Napoleon
Godoy was hated by the nobility for his plebeian origin, the Church for his attempts at secularization, those displaced from power by the Enlightenment, and especially Prince Ferdinand, who saw him as a danger to the throne.
This led to a smear campaign among the people. Both Godoy and Prince Ferdinand had tried to gain the friendship of Napoleon. To strangle British trade, Napoleon needed to neutralize Portugal, and this is how Spain came into
Read MoreFranco’s Regime: Ideology, Social Bases, and International Relations
The Franco Regime (1939-1959)
Ideological Foundations and Social Bases
Political and Ideological Aspects
Similarities with Fascism:
- Single party (FET de las JONS)
- Single union (vertical = Italian corporatism), mandatory for workers and employers.
- Militarism (the military as guarantor of order and values, a state of war until after 1948).
- Control of the media (press and radio of the Movement).
- Mass movement, exaltation of the leader, external signs of totalitarianism.
- Anticommunism.
Differences and Peculiarities:
Read MoreThe Dust Bowl and the New Deal: America’s Response to Crisis
The Dust Bowl: A Decade of Dust and Despair
The most visible evidence of the devastating drought of the 1930s was the dust storm. Tons of topsoil were blown off barren fields and carried in storm clouds for hundreds of miles. Technically, the driest region of the Plains – southeastern Colorado, southwest Kansas, and the panhandles of Oklahoma and Texas – became known as the Dust Bowl, and many dust storms originated there. However, the entire region, and eventually the entire country, was affected.
Read MoreDecline of Spanish Empire & Rise of Centralized Monarchy
The Decline of the Spanish Empire in Europe
The seventeenth century marked the end of the Habsburgs’ hegemony in Europe, characterized by a loss of political influence and numerous possessions. Simultaneously, France rose as a major European power.
Under Philip III, a period of peace began after previous conflicts, known as The Twelve Years’ Truce. Philip IV, with his minister the Count-Duke of Olivares, aimed to restore the prestige of the Spanish monarchy by defending the Catholic religion and unifying
Read MoreThe First Carlist War: Dynastic Conflict and Political Shifts
Dynastic Conflict in Spain (1830s)
In 1830, the birth of King Ferdinand VII’s daughter, Isabel (Elizabeth), seemed to guarantee the continuity of the Bourbon dynasty. However, the Salic Law, which prevented women from inheriting the throne, complicated matters. Ferdinand, influenced by his wife Maria Cristina, repealed the Salic Law through the Pragmatic Sanction, opening the way for his daughter to become his heir.
Carlos, Ferdinand’s brother, refused to accept this new situation. Supporters of Carlos
Read MoreRise and Fall of Totalitarian Regimes: 1917-1945
The Russian Revolution and the Rise of the Soviet Union
In 1898, the Russian Social Democratic Party was founded. By 1912, it had split into Mensheviks and Bolsheviks. In February 1917, a revolution in St. Petersburg led to the fall of Tsarism. On October 25th, the Soviets, mandated by the Bolsheviks, overthrew the interim government and established a socialist state, forming a worker’s government.
The new Soviet government faced a civil war that lasted three years (1918-1921). In 1918, the party
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