The Division of Germany: A Cold War Flashpoint
The German Question and the Berlin Blockade
After the fall of the Third Reich, Germany ceased to exist as a state. East Prussia was annexed by the USSR, and the eastern territories along the Oder-Neisse rivers were annexed by Poland. The sudden disappearance of this major world power left a significant void in Central Europe, which various nations sought to fill.
Under the Potsdam Agreements, the USSR was to receive 25% of all industrial equipment dismantled in the Western zones. In exchange, the
Read MoreIntergovernmental Relations in the UK and the EU
Intergovernmental Relations
Local Government in the UK
The UK comprises four constituent units: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Each has different patterns of local government organization. The structure varies between urban and rural settlements. London and other conurbations are governed by metropolitan corporations. The rest of the country is dominated by a two-tiered structure:
- Counties with county councils, encompassing rural and urban districts. Urban districts are further subdivided
Consequences of the Spanish-American War
Land
- Spain lost its colonies (Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines), which came under United States control.
- The U.S. gained maritime control.
- The Caroline Islands and the Solomon Islands were sold to Germany, becoming German property.
- The only territory that Spain retained was Equatorial Guinea, which was not claimed by the U.S. because they did not have a standard colony in Africa.
Demographic
There were 32,000 deaths in Spain. In the American War, 10% were due to fighting and 90% were due to tropical
Read MoreFrench Revolution, Napoleonic Era, and European Shifts
Causes of the French Revolution
Several factors contributed to the French Revolution:
- The Impact of the Enlightenment: Enlightenment ideas, widely shared throughout France, were adopted by the rising bourgeoisie. They questioned the existing system and demanded rights.
- American Revolution: The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America and its Constitution (1787) defended the inalienable rights of citizens, the separation of powers, principles of equality and freedom, and the right
Amadeo I’s Reign & The First Spanish Republic (1871-1874)
The Reign of Amadeo I of Savoy (1871-1873)
Amadeo I’s reign was brief, lasting only two years, from January 1871 to February 1873. He faced considerable opposition from various factions, including Carlists, Elizabethans, and Republicans. Considered an outsider, he struggled to gain significant political and social support. His reign was further complicated by the ongoing war in Cuba and the outbreak of the Third Carlist War in 1872.
The death of Prim led to the disintegration of the coalition government,
Read MoreSpain’s 1917 Crisis and the End of the Restoration
The Triple Crisis of 1917
Beyond the existing tension between people and employers, there was also a military crisis. One of the main problems in the Spanish army was the excessive number of officers in relation to the number of soldiers. Also, promotion could only be achieved through merits of war, benefiting only the Africanists (fighting in Morocco), while peninsular military personnel had no possibility of advancement.
The third problem was that the military was also affected by the crisis and
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