The First World War: Causes, Key Events, and Aftermath
The First World War
Europe was subjected to a series of tensions and crises. France and the UK doubted the growing German power and expansionist turn that Kaiser Wilhelm II gave to his foreign policy. Tensions were colonial and territorial, especially in Morocco and the Balkans. In addition, the national aspirations of Central Europe aggravated the situation.
The relations between France and Germany in the last third of the nineteenth century were very tense due to French claims on the territories
Read MorePrimo de Rivera’s 1923 Manifesto: A Call to Action
**Primo de Rivera’s 1923 Manifesto: A Call to Action**
General Primo de Rivera commented: “Nature:** This paper is a fragment of the “Manifesto to the Country and the Army” of Miguel Primo de Rivera, who published the newspaper *The Times* on September 13, 1923, when the coup took place. Miguel Primo de Rivera is the author of this political document aimed at all the Spanish and especially the army.”
When he brought out the statement that would take him to power, Primo de Rivera was Captain General
Read MoreRussian Revolution: Causes and Impact 1917
The Russian Revolution of 1917
The Russian Revolution was one of the most important events in modern times. Its impact was palpable in both America and Europe, although the Revolution did not immediately expand communism. The United States, later a fully socialist state, faced Russia in the Cold War. The two revolutions of 1917 were divided into two parts: the fall of the Tsarist regime (February Revolution) and the creation of the first communist state in the world (October Revolution). The causes
Read MoreThe Moderate Decade in Spain: Politics and Reforms (1844-1854)
When it took office, Espartero’s rival, Narvaez, dismantled the urban rebellion and progressive movement. He was ahead of a possible protest from Colonel Prim, who was given the title of Count of Reus. Narvaez inaugurated a decade of tight control of moderate liberalism. Queen Elizabeth II, barely a teenager, was declared of age and raised to the throne ten years after the death of her father. When Fernando VII died in 1833, his successor, Elizabeth II, was only three years old. Ten years later,
Read MorePhilip II’s Reign: Spanish Empire’s Zenith and Challenges
Successor to Charles I
Philip II, known as the Prudent, succeeded his father, Charles I (1556-1598). Although he did not inherit the title of Emperor, he was the monarch of a vast empire and head of a Crown that was the first power in Europe. He inherited his father’s international policy: the defense of Catholicism and the superiority of the Hispanic empire in Europe. Unlike his father, he was a monarch devoted entirely to the matters of his kingdom. He practically abandoned the peninsula and did
Read MoreEconomic and Political Turmoil: 1905-1939
Roosevelt’s New Deal
In the United States, President Hoover’s situation had worsened since the crash of 1929. The votes of the workers, the National Confederation of Agricultural Syndicates (CNAS), and middle peasants gave the Democrats victory in the elections. Their principles were the same as those of Keynes:
- The Social Security Act established unemployment insurance and pensions and disability for the first time in the U.S.
- Public works were launched, including the construction of roads, housing,