Spanish Second Republic: Rise of the Popular Front and Civil War
The Spanish Second Republic: Political Turmoil and the Road to War
CEDA’s Rise and the Escalation of Tensions (1933-1936)
Also, in this line of action, the transfer of powers to the Generalitat, as outlined in the Catalan autonomy statute, is slowed, as is the Basque autonomy statute. The CEDA-led government begins to demand an even greater shift to the right, and the Falange acts violently against leftist and progressive forces, which degenerates into a period of struggle (in all its forms) between
Read MoreSpain’s Transformation: Society and Politics 1960-1975
Spanish Society in the Sixties
- The society of the 1960s showed a significant delay in relation to Europe and major imbalances in the distribution of wealth. The situation began to change in the mid-sixties due to improvement and economic modernization. Between 1960 and 1973, agrarian, rural, and traditional Spain gave way to an industrial, urban, and modern one.
- During years of strong population growth by birth (the baby boom), there was massive emigration to Europe, reducing unemployment, and a rural
Key Terms of 18th and 19th Century European History
Political and Social Structures
- Absolute monarchy: A system of government where the king or queen alone has all the power.
- Ancien Régime: The social and political system in France before the 1789 Revolution.
- Bill of Rights: A statute which guarantees the rights of the individual citizen.
- Bourgeoisie: The rich, educated class including factory owners, merchants, and bankers.
- Clergy: Priests, bishops, and other ministers of the church.
- Enlightened despot: An absolute monarch who ruled according to the
Feudalism in Western Europe: Society and Power
The Rise of Feudalism in Western Europe
In the late 8th century, Charlemagne, King of the Franks, unified Western Europe, forming the Carolingian Empire, an attempt to be a successor of the Roman emperors. Upon Charlemagne’s death, the empire was divided into three parts among his children, ultimately formalized by the Treaty of Verdun in 843. During the 9th and 10th centuries, Western Europe faced significant invasions: Vikings from the north, Muslims from the south, and Hungarians from the east.
Read MoreFrench Revolution: Causes and Social Impact
Causes of the French Revolution
The French Revolution was a watershed event in modern European history that began in 1789 and ended in the late 1790s with the ascent of Napoleon Bonaparte.
1. Political Causes
During the eighteenth century, France was the center of an autocratic monarchy. The French monarchs had unlimited power and declared themselves the “Representatives of God”. The French monarchs engaged themselves in luxury and extravagance at the royal court of Versailles.
Louis XV (1715-1774)
Read MoreCold War: Definition, Dynamics, and Distrust
Cold War: Definition and Periodization
The Cold War period, spanning from 1945 to 1991, was characterized by a voluntary and/or forced polarization around the two superpowers that emerged from the Second World War: the United States of America (USA) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). These two powers, along with their respective blocs, maintained a rivalry throughout the entire period, explicitly defining each other as enemies with mutually exclusive systems. This rivalry was based
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