Islam: History, Culture, and Key Figures

Muhammad and His Wives

Learn more about Muhammad and his wives

The Quran, which many Muslims believe reflects the literal words of Allah, includes speeches delivered by Muhammad to his followers. The following excerpt outlines the privileges regarding marriage that Muhammad enjoyed:

Thought, Religion and Culture | Religions and Cultures

Islam and Arab Countries

Learn more about Islam and Arab countries

The Arab countries are a distinct group within the Islamic world. They are part of an ancient civilization

Read More

Spanish Democratic Junta & Francoism’s Economic Shift

Democratic Manifesto of the Board

We address the manifesto with which the Democratic Junta aims to inform the Spanish population of the points on which it bases its opposition to the Franco regime. This Junta was founded by the PCE, PSOE, the Carlist Party, and different personalities in the summer of 1974.

  • The first basic idea of the show appears in its first point: the return of democratic rule after an authoritarian government headed by Arias Navarro at the time.
  • The next point presents another
Read More

Russian Revolution: Tsarist Russia to Stalin

The Russian Revolution

Tsarist Russia

Autocratic system: The Orthodox Church supported the army, political police, and bureaucracy.

Political opposition to the Tsar (Nicholas II):

  • Popular (anarchists), agrarian-based (giving rise to the Socialist Revolutionary Party (SRs)).
  • Russian Social Democratic Labour Party:
    • Mensheviks: Moderate supporters of a liberal revolution before the socialist revolution.
    • Bolsheviks (Lenin): In favor of the proletarian and peasant revolution. Importance of a vanguard party.
Read More

Crisis of the Bourbon Monarchy and the War of Independence

1. Crisis of the Bourbon Monarchy: The War of Independence

1.1 The Crisis of the Monarchy of Charles IV (1788-1808)

In the early nineteenth century, the monarchy of Charles IV was deeply tarnished. The reasons lay in a crisis of governance, with the key figures being the king, his wife Maria Luisa of Parma, and, above all, the valido Manuel Godoy.

To tackle the financial crisis generated by the continuous wars with France and the UK, Godoy ordered the confiscation of Church properties in 1798. This

Read More

Feudal Society and Economy in the Ancien Régime

Manorial Rights and Feudal Jurisdiction

Manorial rights encompassed jurisdictional powers, allowing lords (seigneurs) to exercise public authority within a larger territory (the manor). This jurisdiction extended beyond their personal lands to include areas with allodial owners (landowners with absolute ownership). Lords also exercised royal prerogatives, including military service obligations, justice, and tax collection. They could wage war, make peace, mint currency, issue decrees, and judge individuals

Read More

Fernando VII: Absolutism, Liberalism, and American Independence

Fernando VII: Absolutism, Liberalism, and the Loss of Spanish America

In 1814, Fernando VII returned to Spain under the Treaty of Valençay. He rapidly moved to establish absolutism. This process was consolidated with the decree of May 4, 1814, which nullified the 1812 Constitution and the decrees of the Cortes of Cadiz. Fernando VII had significant support from the nobility and clergy, as evidenced in the “Manifesto of the Persians,” which rejected the liberal reforms of Cadiz.

However, neither absolutism

Read More