The Cold War Era: Origins, Conflicts, and Global Impact
Post-World War II Global Landscape
U.S.A. and U.S.S.R.: Rising Tensions
Following World War II, mutual distrust grew between the United States of America (U.S.A.) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.), leading to a significant military and nuclear build-up.
Ideological Divide: Capitalism vs. Communism
Profound differences emerged between the victorious powers. The United Kingdom and the U.S.A. championed democratic and capitalist systems, while the U.S.S.R. established a communist state.
Read MoreSpain’s 1898 Crisis: The Spanish-American War and Its Impact
Spain’s Colonial Empire and the 1898 Crisis
Between 1814 and 1824, under King Ferdinand VII, Spain lost much of its colonial empire, retaining only Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and some Pacific islands. These remaining territories were lost in 1898, a year often referred to as ‘the Disaster.’ Spain’s colonial policy aimed to retain these overseas possessions. While Cuba provided significant economic benefits, Cubans were treated as second-class citizens. Madrid’s restrictive trade policies,
Read More19th Century Global Transformations: Society, Politics, and Imperialism
Democratic Liberalism in the 19th Century
Liberalism changed over the course of the 19th century. Liberals were initially in favour of censitary suffrage, but democratic liberalism in favour of universal suffrage later developed. This change was the result of the Liberal Revolutions, higher literacy rates, and the creation of new political parties.
Education, Culture, and Religion
In the last third of the 19th century, as cities became larger and the middle class grew, the demand for cultural goods
Read MoreHabsburg Spain in the 17th Century: Validos and Major Crises
Seventeenth-Century Habsburgs: Validos and Internal Conflicts
Philip III, Philip IV, and Charles II were the monarchs of the Habsburg dynasty that reigned in Spain during the seventeenth century. They are known as the ‘Lesser Austrias’. They commonly employed validos (royal favorites) in the government of the monarchy. A valido was a prime minister with full powers who ruled in the king’s name, often due to the monarch’s neglect, incompetence, or unwillingness. The king placed immense trust in his
Read MoreItaly’s Political System: From Unification to the Albertine Statute
Chapter 5: The Political System of Italy
1. Historical Background
1.1. The Long March Towards Italian Unity
From the mid-nineteenth century, Italy was divided into the kingdoms of Sardinia, the Two Sicilies, the Papal States, and the possessions of Austria and the duchies under its influence. The liberal revolutions that followed the fall of Napoleon (1815) failed, ending with French and Austrian occupation until 1848, the start of the war of independence. However, the Risorgimento, a movement towards
Read MoreArgentina’s Early Nation-Building: Federalism, Independence, and Leadership
Federalism vs. Centralism in Early Argentina (1810-1852)
Between 1810 and 1852, various social groups with differing political projects confronted each other. The fundamental difference lay in the proposed form of political organization for the new state: one advocating centralism and the other federalism.
Political organization can take two primary forms:
- Centralism: All levels of government are subordinate to the central power. Usually, a general scheme unifies law and administration.
- Federalism: