Absolutism and Monarchies in Europe: Key Figures and Events

Absolutism:

ruler absolute dictator

Divine Right:

ruler authority comes from God

Constitutional Monarchy:

ruler head of state but power limited by constitution

Petition of the Rights of Man:

limited power of king, no unlawful punishment, & no quartering troops

Glorious Revolution:

1688-1689, James II replaced by daughter & Prince William of Orange; overthrow of James II of England

Leading Absolutist Nation was France

Louis XIV:

1. Jean Baptiste Colbert minister of France 2. Refused to name new

Read More

The Impact of World War I

World War I

World War I (often abbreviated as WWI or WW1), also known as the First World War or the Great War, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. Contemporaneously described as ‘the war to end all wars’,[7] it led to the mobilisation of more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, making it one of the largest wars in history.[8][9] It is also one of the deadliest conflicts in history,[10] with an estimated nine million

Read More

Germany’s Foreign Policy in the 1930s

1933

Background
Hitler’s action
Refuses to pay the reparations
Consequences
No more debts, more money to be invested at home.
Germany must pay high sums of reparations according to the Treaty of Versailles.
1933
Germany is bound to disarmament since the Treaty of Versailles and a member of the League of Nations since 1926
Leaves the Disarmament Conference and the League (demands equality, but the French are insistent and feel insecure)
A new point of the Treaty was broken; Hitler felt free to rearm; Germany

Read More

Analysis of Ozymandias: Power, Decay, and Hubris

Q1. What is ironic about the inscription on the pedestal of Ozymandias’s statue?

Ans: The inscription on the pedestal of Ozymandias statue says ‘I am Ozymandias, the king of kings, look on my works, ye mighty and despair.’ This suggests that the king was very boastful, vain, and arrogant. He thought that his kingdom would remain forever. But his kingdom was nowhere to be seen, and even his own statue was in a dilapidated state. He failed to realize that life is ephemeral.

Q2. Who was Ozymandias?

Read More

World War II Timeline and Key Events

  • Sept. 1, 1939 – Date WWII began with German invasion of Poland
  • Dec. 7, 1941 – Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
  • June 6, 1944D-Day; the Allied invasion of Normandy France
  • May 8, 1945V-E Day; when Germany officially surrenders
  • September 2, 1945V-J Day; when Japan officially surrenders
  • Aug. 6, 1945 – Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima
  • Aug. 9, 1945 – Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki
  • Dec. 8, 1941US declares war on Japan and enters WWII
  • D-Day – Allied invasion of German-occupied France
  • Pearl Harbor – ‘A
Read More

Russian Revolution and the Creation of the USSR

THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION & THE CREATION OF THE USSR

Russia before the Revolution:

  • Very extensive empire
  • Limits in the West: Baltic Sea & Black Sea
  • Limits in the East: Pacific Ocean
  • Huge population, biggest in Europe, formed by multiple nationalities
  • Economically, socially & politically backward
  • Agrarian economy
  • Most population were peasants, illiterate & many were still serfs
  • Autocratic state ruled by TSARS of the Romanov dynasty

Causes of the Russian Revolution:

  • Political discontent due to autocratic
Read More