Trump 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)
Read More19th Century Social Classes and Labor Movements
The Aristocracy: This social group did not disappear; its privileges and even some titles of nobility were abolished, while new ones were created. Most aristocrats dreamed of becoming bourgeois landowners and living off income from buildings and farms.
The Bourgeoisie: The social position of the bourgeoisie came from their industrial, financial, and trading businesses. The house became a private space that symbolically reflected their achievements and social position. They were content with gatherings
Read MoreBig Business Rise & Globalization Origins: A Deep Dive
The Rise of Big Business and Globalization
The Great Entrepreneurs
- The humble origins of Carnegie (U.S. Steel Corporation) and Rockefeller (Standard Oil Company).
- The average entrepreneur came from families dedicated to business.
- The growing number of millionaires and robber barons.
- Engineers acquired prominence as skilled workers; the leadership of great business men did not rest on inventive or engineering skills but on designing industrial and financial strategies, establishing alliances, etc.
- Monopolies
Reign of Isabel II: Politics, Economy, and the Carlist Wars
The Reign of Isabel II (1833-1868)
Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne in 1833 upon the death of Fernando VII. As she was only three years old, her succession was contested by supporters of absolutism who backed Don Carlos, the late king’s brother. This led to the First Carlist War (1834-1839). The queen regent, Maria Cristina, to defend her daughter’s rights, had no choice but to rely on the liberals. The Civil War was a struggle between liberals and absolutists, with the liberals ultimately
Read MoreFranco’s Dictatorship: Economic and Social Transformation (1959-1975)
Franco’s Dictatorship (1959-1975): Economic and Social Changes
In 1959, a new economic team, including members of Opus Dei, aimed to ensure the development of capitalism. The Stabilization Plan officially ended economic self-sufficiency. The objectives were to contain high inflation, reduce state intervention in the economy, liberalize economic relations, and facilitate foreign capital investment.
Between 1964 and 1975, development plans were implemented to stimulate production. The rapid economic
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