Europe in the 1920s: Post-War Recovery and the Great Depression
Europe in the 1920s
At the end of the First World War, democracy was the form of government in countries such as Great Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. However, democracies did not always protect all rights and freedoms equally. For example, workers’ rights, such as the right to strike, were not always respected, and they reacted by voting for left-wing parties (Socialists and Communists). These democracies were weak due to the post-war economic crisis, which led to
Read MoreLabor Movement History: Origins, Development, and Impact
The Labor Movement: A Historical Overview
Early Challenges for Workers
- Long Working Hours: Laborers often worked up to 16 hours a day under harsh conditions.
- Lack of Workplace Safety: Absence of safety measures led to chronic illnesses and accidents.
- Child Labor: Children worked in mines and factories under the same conditions as adults.
- Low Wages: Particularly affecting women and children, wages were suppressed due to abundant labor.
- Layoffs: Workers were laid off without compensation or unemployment
Scramble for Africa: Colonial Powers & Conflicts
The Scramble for Africa: Powers and Conflicts
The two key powers in Africa during the late 19th and early 20th centuries were Great Britain (GB) and France. GB, having long controlled Egypt and the Cape, aimed to create a continuous longitudinal empire. France, for its part, wanted to create an empire stretching from the Gulf of Guinea to the Red Sea through the Sahara.
The inevitable clash between these two powers occurred in 1898 with the Fashoda Crisis in Sudan. Great Britain prevailed, allowing
Read MoreSpanish Civil War 1936-1939: Causes and International Impact
The Outbreak of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)
The climate of social confrontation and the Popular Front’s political actions provided a pretext to justify a military uprising. This uprising aimed to prevent the consolidation of the left’s electoral victory in the 1936 elections.
The Military Uprising and Initial Successes
On July 17th, 1936, in Melilla, Colonel Yagüe rose up in arms against the Republic, initiating the insurrection (National Uprising). Between July 18th and 19th, most military
Read MoreNicaragua: US Intervention, Sandino & Somoza Era
Nicaragua
Liberalism, US Intervention, and Sandino 1894-1934
Nicaragua’s twentieth-century history was shaped by foreign economic dependency and gross inequality in the distribution of land. It also suffered from recurrent U.S. military intervention. Jose Santos Zelaya (dictator) opened his nation to foreign investment and trade, successfully asserted Nicaragua’s claim to sovereignty over the Atlantic Mosquita coast in 1894, and long championed a Central American federation. These signs of independence
Read MoreUnification of Italy and Germany & 19th-Century Spain
Italian and German Unification (Mid-19th Century)
Until the mid-19th century, modern-day Italy and Germany were divided into numerous independent states. However, nationalist movements emerged in both regions during the first half of the 19th century. As a result of their efforts, these states were unified to form two new nation-states.
Italian Unification
The unification process, known as the Risorgimento, was initiated by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia in 1859. After gaining support from France,
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