Post-WWII World: Cold War, Decolonization, and Global Division
Read MoreConsequences of World War II
Social:
- An estimated 60 million people died in the conflict. The worst impact was on the Russian side.
- After the war, more than 30 million Europeans were displaced.
Economics:
- Most of Europe was devastated. The European economy took nearly twenty years to recover.
- European countries depended on U.S. economic aid (Marshall Plan). The U.S. emerged as a world power.
Politics:
- The Yalta and Potsdam conferences divided the world into areas of influence between the two victorious
Spain’s Transition to Democracy: From Dictatorship to Modernization
Elements of Change
The end of the dictatorship in Spain was a long process influenced by several factors. Starting in 1970, following the Matesa scandal and other government corruption cases, discussions arose regarding the system’s continuity, given Franco’s health. This created a dilemma, with two opposing positions: the aperturistas, who supported a transition to a parliamentary system, and the hardliners, who opposed any change.
Political Unrest and Terrorism
In 1973, terrorist groups ETA and FRAP
Read More19th Century Nationalism, Nation Building, and European Imperialism
1. The Triumph of Nationalism in Europe
The Birth of Nationalism
Nation: A group of people born in one place, under the command of a single monarch. In the nineteenth century, the word nation acquires a political hue.
Two approaches:
- The German Romantics: Associate nation and culture. The nation will be the set of people who share culture, language, and history in common.
- French theorists: Political conception of the nation. A group of people who share the same laws, rights, and duties. The rights and
The Fall of Primo de Rivera and Spain’s Transition to Democracy
Opposition to the Regime and the Dictatorship’s End
With political parties outlawed, the first voices against the dictatorship came from intellectuals like Miguel de Unamuno and Vicente Blasco Ibáñez. Universities also joined the opposition, with organizations like the University Federation and a growing trend towards republicanism. Who opposed the regime?
Socialism: Support varied between those who sought to take advantage of the regime’s tolerance to influence social policy and those who radically
Read MoreWorld War II, Cold War Conflicts, and the French Revolution
ITEM 9
World War II
Causes
- The German nationalist revenge.
- The economic crisis.
- The continued failure of the League of Nations (SDN).
- The arms race.
- The military expansionism of fascist-authoritarian countries.
- The weakness of the democratic powers.
The Declaration of War
France and Britain had failed or refused to stop this expansion. At the Munich Conference (September 1938), where they met with Hitler and Mussolini, they ended up conceding the occupation of the Sudetenland in the conviction that peace
Read MorePost-WWI Treaties & Rise of Socialism: Versailles to the Second International
Read MoreThe Paris Peace Conference
The victorious countries were represented at the Paris Peace Conference. The Council of Four (USA: Wilson; France: Clemenceau; UK: George; Italy: Orlando) led the negotiations.
The Peace Treaties and Germany
Two main positions emerged regarding Germany. The French, whose territory had been devastated, sought to eliminate the German threat. Wilson and George favored economic sanctions but not the destruction of Germany, fearing the spread of communism.
Treaty of Versailles