Spanish Transition to Democracy: Key Events & Figures
Key Events in the Spanish Transition to Democracy
- November 20, 1975: Death of Franco and the end of the Franco dictatorship in Spain, which lasted from 1936 to 1975.
- November 22, 1975: Juan Carlos I de Borbón is crowned King of Spain.
- 1978: The year of the first free elections in the country and the development and imposition by popular referendum of the Constitution of 1978. The King swears to uphold the Constitution, and Spain becomes an autonomous state and a parliamentary monarchy.
- February 23,
Cold War Conflicts and Decolonization: A Historical Analysis
Conflicts
In 1949, the Western bloc countries were grouped into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a defensive military alliance to counter the progress and influence of the USSR. The Soviet bloc’s response was the creation of another military alliance in 1955, the Warsaw Pact.
The Berlin Crisis
In 1945, Germany was divided into four zones controlled by the victors. The Western Allies (USA, UK, and France) came together and created the Federal Republic of Germany, while the Soviets established
Read MoreHistorical Evolution: From Prehistory to the Old Regime
Item 1: From Prehistory to the Modern Age
Prehistory: From the appearance of man until the invention of writing.
- The Stone Age:
- Paleolithic: Nomadic and predatory humans (rock art).
- Neolithic: Agriculture. Humans became sedentary.
- The Age of Metals: Use of metal for tools and weapons.
The Ancient Age: From the advent of writing until the fall of the Roman Empire.
- Urban civilizations: Egypt and Mesopotamia – Governors with absolute power. Scripture.
- Classical Civilizations: Greece (democracy of Athens),
Cold War Origins: US-Soviet Tensions After WWII
The Cold War: Origins and Key Events
Almost immediately after the end of the Second World War, the so-called Cold War began. The English writer George Orwell (*Animal Farm*, *Homage to Catalonia*) first used the term after the use of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki to describe the peace that wasn’t really peace between the USA and the USSR.
The Yalta and Potsdam Conferences
Just before the end of the Second World War, there was a conference in Yalta (Ukraine) where the Allied leaders met.
Read MoreUN Resolution 1946: Spain’s Diplomatic Isolation
UN Resolution Regarding Spain, 1946
The UN Resolution regarding Spain, adopted in 1946 and published by the Spanish press the same year, is a historical document that dictated a policy to expel the Franco regime from all international organizations. The UN, an institution created in 1945 to establish world peace after the two World Wars, saw the United States gain almost exclusive privilege in imposing its ideas on the structure of the new organization due to the role it played in the Second World
Read MoreWorld Wars: Impacts, Causes, and Key Events
The Age of Anxiety: Post-World War I
The twenty years following World War I were considered an Age of Anxiety because of the negative impacts the war had on most aspects of life at the time. While millions of lives were lost during the war, it was the post-war era that caused just as much, if not more, suffering and death. The cost of this war was not only financial but also physical. There was a lack of trust in leadership, lack of food, an increase in disease, and a lack of finances; all of which
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