Oil Crises, Communism’s Fall, and Cold War Dynamics
Causes of Oil Price Fluctuations
Causes: Lower oil production leading to falling prices.
Production Chain: Increased productivity, lower prices, and increased consumption.
Development
As oil is cheap, mass production occurs. To increase productivity while reducing costs, products become cheaper, which in turn increases consumption. If consumption increases, more is invested, wages increase, and consumerism rises.
Oil Crisis of 1973
- Causes: Yom Kippur War. The U.S. defended Israel against Egypt and Syria.
American Revolution: A Concise Overview of Events and People
Key Events and Figures of the American Revolution
Republicanism: Looking to the models of the ancient Greek and Roman republics.
Mercantilism: Believed that wealth was power and a country’s economic wealth could be measured by the amount of gold or silver.
Radical Whigs: American political thought derived from a group of British commentators.
George Grenville: A Prime Minister who ordered the British navy in 1763 to begin strictly enforcing the Navigation Laws.
Sugar Act 1764: The first law ever passed
Read MoreColonial Empires: Expansion, Administration, and Consequences
Colonial Empires: France & UK Dominance
The largest colonial empires were those of France and the United Kingdom, who competed with each other for control of territories in Africa and Asia.
Colonial Empires in 1914
- United Kingdom: Held maritime hegemony, with its most important possessions being India and Australia.
- France: Possessions were not as extensive as the UK, but included Madagascar.
- USA: Focused on Latin America, Hawaii, and the Philippines.
- Japan: Controlled Korea and Manchuria, following
Cánovas’ System: 1876 Constitution & Bipartisanship
The Theoretical Framework of the Restoration: Cánovas’ System and the 1876 Constitution
The theoretical framework of the Spanish Restoration, also known as the Cánovas’ system, is based on the 1876 Constitution. This constitution was intentionally written with broad terms to be accepted by all monarchists: conservatives, liberals, unionists, and others. It reflects Cánovas’ core principles, with other ideological issues negotiated by all parties, resulting in a flexible and, at times, ambiguous
Read MoreTrump vs. Lincoln: A Comparison of Leadership Styles
It presents a stark paradox that Donald Trump aspires to lead the Republican Party, founded by Abraham Lincoln. However, Trump is no Lincoln. The two men differ significantly in background, education, political experience, and positions.
Trump was raised in a family of high social status, while Lincoln described his early life as “the short and simple annals of the poor.” Trump graduated from a prestigious university in Pennsylvania; Lincoln was largely self-educated, with less than a year of formal
Read MorePost-WWII Treaties, UN Creation, and Cold War Origins
Post-WWII Treaties and the Dawn of the Cold War
Treaties of Peace
Peace was established through a series of significant conferences. Key among these was the Yalta Conference (Crimea) in 1945, where Churchill, Stalin, and Roosevelt met. Agreements included:
- Partition of Germany into occupation zones.
- Poland to be administered by a government of national unity (pro-Soviet).
- Free elections in liberated countries.
- The USSR’s annexation of the Baltic republics and eastern Poland.
The Potsdam Conference (Germany)
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