The Roaring Twenties: Crash, Culture, and Prohibition
American Wall Street Crash
When?: October 29, 1929
Why?: Overinflated shares, growing bank loans, overproduction, panic selling, stock purchased on margin, higher interest rates, and negative media coverage.
How?: Millions of people invested their savings or borrowed money to buy stocks, pushing prices to unsustainable levels.
Consequences: Massive unemployment, contraction of international trade, breakdown of the international payment system, and the Great Depression, which contributed to the causes
Read MorePolitical Systems: China, UK, and Brazil
China’s Political System
China’s organizational principle is regarded as a democratic centralism system. The country is administratively divided into approximately 22 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, and 4 municipalities. There is a dominance of the Communist Party via the powers of the central government, but the control over local governments seems limited, as they are habitually able to act with relative impunity in various aspects.
Unicameral Legislature
This is represented by the National People’
Read MoreUnderstanding the Ancien Régime, Enlightenment, and Art
Ancien Régime
The French revolutionaries coined the term “Ancien Régime” to describe the political situation before the French Revolution of 1789.
Its characteristics included an absolutist political system, an agrarian economy, a stratified society dominated by privileged groups (nobility and clergy), and a significant influence of religion on people, education, and art.
Later, historians used this term to designate the period between the 15th and 18th centuries, a period that underwent profound
Read MoreSpanish War of Independence: Causes, Key Events & Aftermath
The Spanish War of Independence (1808-1814)
In 1807, Napoleon decided to invade Portugal. By the Treaty of Fontainebleau, Godoy agreed to allow 80,000 French soldiers to enter Spain to occupy Portugal, with the promise of becoming king of southern Portugal. However, French regiments were stationed in cities like Galicia, Seville, and Catalonia, leading to conflicts with civilians.
At this time, the Spanish monarchy faced a severe crisis, marked by poor trade and bad harvests, exacerbated by the French
Read MoreSecond Spanish Republic: Proclamation, Reforms, and Crisis
Proclamation of the Republic and Constituent Period
Creation of the Provisional Government
The provisional government, headed by Alcalá Zamora, initiated several political actions:
- Called for Constituent Cortes.
- Proposed land reform projects.
- Addressed army reforms.
- Commenced negotiations to resolve regional autonomy issues.
Problems arose from social unrest, opposition from businessmen and landowners, and anticlerical agitation.
Constitution of 1931
The 1931 Constitution was democratic and progressive,
Read MoreWorld War II: Turning Points and Impacts
Axis of Victories (39-41)
- Blitzkrieg, Western Europe, GB (Eng battle, Battle of Atl), Africa, Greece and Yugos, Brbarrosa, Japan-USA.
The Triumph of the Allies (42-45)
- Overturning the war, Americans hold back the Japanese in the Pacific (Battle of Midway), Britons curb Germans AFN (El Alamein).
- Failure of Stalingrad.
- Hitler’s suicide in May and Germany’s surrender in 1945.
- Japan atomic bombs.
Deterioration of Relations
- Confrontation between the West and the USSR.
- Yalta and Potsdam: Europe divided into 2