Spain’s Economic Shift & Opposition (1950s-1970s)
Economic Policy: Stabilization
- Government intervention and the pursuit of autarky had stunted growth because it was unsustainable (due to its high cost and poor results).
- From 1951, the new government granted a certain freedom of prices. Although wages were taxed, additional income for “overtime” allowed an improvement for workers.
- Agriculture and exports of oil, wine, and citrus fruit were the main activity for most Spaniards, but from 1950, a period of very strong industrial growth began.
- To this
Nazism, WWII, and the Cold War: Origins and Key Conflicts
The Establishment of Nazism in Germany
The Weimar Republic
In 1918, nearing the end of World War I, Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated, and the Weimar Republic was proclaimed. Germany accepted military defeat and the harsh peace conditions imposed by the victors in the Treaty of Versailles, which many Germans blamed for causing the war. The postwar years were marked by economic crisis, poverty, and unemployment. The Republic faced threats from leftist revolutionary movements and far-right coup attempts.
Hitler
Read MoreBourgeois Revolutions: America and France
Bourgeois Revolutions
Bourgeois revolutions took place in the late eighteenth century. These were political, economic, social, scientific, and artistic revolutions that marked the passing of the old world, the Ancien Régime, and the beginning of the contemporary world.
Political Objectives of the Revolutions
At the end of the 18th century, the political objectives of the revolution were:
- To create a liberal political system based on respect for what were considered natural human rights: liberty, property,
Democracy, the Great Depression, and the Rise of Keynesian Economics
The 1920s: The Advance of Democracy
Most states born after the First World War were, at least temporarily, democratic republics. However, this period also saw a rise in the problem of minorities. In Eastern and Southern Europe, authoritarian regimes, inspired by Mussolini’s Italy, began to take hold.
The German Weimar Republic experienced several ups and downs.
From Versailles to Locarno
The intransigence of the victors in demanding payments from the defeated led to the occupation of the Ruhr. However,
Read MoreThe Crisis of the Old Regime in Spain & American Independence
The Crisis of the Old Regime in Spain (1808-1833)
The war against the French invasion precipitated the crisis of the Ancien Régime in Spain. King Charles IV declared war on France, a conflict that ended in failure. Subsequently, Manuel Godoy, allied with Napoleon against Great Britain, secured authorization for French troops to traverse Spain to attack Portugal, as outlined in the Treaty of Fontainebleau (1807).
Growing popular discontent culminated in the Mutiny of Aranjuez (1808). Napoleon then
Read MoreBasque Country’s Transition to Democracy: 1976-1980
The Basque Country’s Path to Autonomy (1976-1980)
1976: Strikes and Demands for Autonomy
In 1976, strikes and demands for greater autonomy and freedom were widespread in the Basque Country. Two tragic events marked this year: the killing of five workers during a demonstration in Vitoria and shots fired at the Carlist gathering in Montejurra. Workers, students, and political groups demanded freedom in the streets. Government repression of workers was significant.