Post-WWII Europe: Conferences, Cold War & Division of Germany
The Yalta Conference (February 1945)
As Germany was losing the European war, Allied leaders met at Yalta to plan post-war Europe. Despite differences, Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill agreed on several matters:
- Stalin would enter the war against Japan.
- Germany would be divided into four zones: American, French, British, and Soviet.
- War criminals responsible for genocide would be hunted down and punished.
- The “Big Three” would join the new United Nations to maintain peace.
- Eastern Europe would be a “Soviet
Spanish Civil War: Causes, Politics, and International Impact
Civil War
1936-1939 Military Uprising and Civil War
The 1936 military uprising succeeded primarily in inland Spain, Galicia, Andalusia, the Guadalquivir region, and agricultural areas dominated by large estates and conservative smallholders. The uprising failed in industrial areas of the north and east where workers and leftist forces held greater sway.
The rebels intended a swift coup, seizing government organs and declaring a state of war to quell opposition within days. However, after a week, the
Read MoreKey Historical Events: Early 20th Century
World War I
Fueled by German attempts to alter the European balance maintained in the last third of the 19th century, Germany’s attitude unleashed an arms race between the major European powers and the formation of rival military alliances. The game of alliances in Europe implied that if only one of the countries entered the war, it could drag everyone else in, as indeed happened.
Russian Revolution
It was an empire with a huge territorial extension but with a social structure and politics far behind
Read MoreThe Spanish Restoration: 1874-1902
The Restoration Scheme
The issue that we will deal with covers the period from the fall of the First Republic until the proclamation of Alfonso XIII as king in 1902. The restoration of the monarchy of Alfonso XII represents a stage of stability that lasted until the late nineteenth century. It was prompted by the 1876 Constitution, the party system created by Canovas, and some economic prosperity. But these achievements do not hide major flaws of the system: electoral fraud and chieftaincy leaving
Read MoreSpanish Civil War: Causes, Key Events, and Aftermath in Extremadura
Spanish Civil War: Causes, Key Events, and Aftermath
The Civil War’s end marked the beginning of a modernization process, bringing Spain closer to Western democratic countries. At this time, democracy, communism, and fascism were political formulas that sought to address the crisis of capitalism and the demands of social groups. The reforms initiated by the Democratic Republic failed to stop the progressive establishment of groups advocating for a workers’ revolution or a strong authoritarian state,
Read MoreRussian Revolution and World Wars: Causes and Impacts
Item 8: The Russian Revolution
The economy and Russian society were the most backward in Europe, and the political system was outlined by the absolute power of the Tsar. The regime rested on three pillars:
- The nobility, who had the power of the land.
- The senior administration and military.
- The Orthodox Church, whose supreme leader was the Tsar himself.
During the reign of Alexander II, a series of economic and administrative reforms were attempted. One of the most notable was the abolition of the feudal
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