The Evolution and Economic Challenges of the EU
The Roman Empire spanned the Mediterranean region and established a cultural and linguistic unity.
The Carolingian Empire: Charlemagne attempted to restore the Roman Empire.
The Hispanic Monarchy embraced the Iberian Peninsula, Italy, the Netherlands, and the Holy Roman Empire under Charles V and Philip II, defending Catholicism.
The Napoleonic Empire: Under Napoleon Bonaparte, France and its revolution spread across Europe.
After the Second World War (1945), Europe was divided into two blocks: the
Read MoreFinance Capitalism, Industrialization, and Imperialism
Finance Capitalism
In the late 19th century, industrial capitalism was replaced by finance capitalism.
Energy Innovations
- Electricity: In 1867, Bergès designed a hydroelectric generator. In 1879, Edison invented the electric light bulb.
- Oil: Processes were discovered to refine oil and produce new fuels like kerosene and petrol.
Technology
Innovations like improved versions of the Bessemer converter made it cheaper to produce steel for railways, cars, or skyscrapers. Stainless steel was used to make precision
Read MoreFood Security vs. Sovereignty: Concepts and Causes of Hunger
Food Security and Food Sovereignty: A Comparison
Food security focuses on people’s access to appropriate nutrition. Food sovereignty includes this, and how and where decisions are made, and directly confronts questions of power.
The Concept of Entitlement and Hunger
The concept of “entitlement” is crucial to understanding hunger. Starvation, the condition of not having enough to eat, doesn’t necessarily mean there isn’t enough food available globally. Instead, it’s determined by how food is distributed
Unifying Spain: The Canary Islands, Portugal, and State Organization Under the Catholic Monarchs
The Canary Islands and Portugal
The Canary Islands were disputed between Castile and Portugal during the war of succession, until Portugal relinquished the archipelago.
The conquest was an unequal fight, bringing demographic collapse due to indigenous diseases brought from the peninsula.
Many people shared land with peninsulars, especially Andalusians, who enslaved the local population despite prohibitions.
Castile and Portugal were pioneers in Atlantic exploration, with qualified mariners and refined
Read MorePopulation Dynamics: Fertility, Mortality, and Migration
Population, Gender, and Age Distribution, Mobility
Background: Populations can change through three processes: fertility, mortality, and migration.
Gender Distribution
- Masculinity Index (sex ratio): Number of males per 100 females = M/100 F
- Femininity Index (sex ratio): Number of females per 100 males = F/100 M
- In the Czech Republic:
- MI is highest in newborns = 105M/100F
- MI 35-40 years = 100M/100F
- MI 80 years = 50M/100F
Age Distribution
Biological Criteria – 3 Generations
- Children (pre-reproductive): 0-14
Spain’s 17th-Century Crisis: Population, Economy & Society
Spain in the 17th Century: Crisis and Change
After the 16th-century demographic crisis, Spain faced a severe crisis in the 17th century, with the population concentrated in rural areas. The causes of this population decline included:
- Plague epidemics (1597, 1647, 1676).
- Poor harvests.
- The expulsion of the Moors in 1609.
- Economic difficulties that led to emigration.
The Spanish population increased on the periphery. This demographic crisis triggered a major economic crisis. Exports to America demanded
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