Origins of World War II: Path to Global Conflict
Causes of World War II
The origin and nature of the First World War created a new international order after the Treaty of Versailles. The Treaty, by fostering a climate of animosity and humiliation between nations, sowed deep resentment. Many nations, like Italy and Japan, did not accept the impositions of Versailles and sought revenge.
The economic crisis of 1929 created a context of global depression, favoring the rise of fascist ideologies. Leaders like Mussolini in Italy and Hitler in Germany
Read MoreSpanish Workers’ Movements: Anarchism and Socialism (1874-1910)
The Genesis of Spanish Workers’ Movements
Anarchism: From Dissolution to Reorganization (1874-1881)
In 1874, a decree dissolved the Spanish section of the Workers’ International Association (AIT) following the coup by General Pavía. By 1881, a new political landscape emerged as anarchism was re-legalized under Sagasta’s government.
Key Outcomes of Anarchist Reorganization
- Geographically dispersed associations began to reorganize.
- The Spanish Regional Federation of Workers (FTRE) was established to address
History of Islamic Spain and Early Christian States
The Muslim Conquest of the Iberian Peninsula
In 711, a small group of Arabs and Berbers crossed the Strait of Gibraltar under the command of Tariq. Their intention was to loot and plunder. Having easily defeated the Visigothic King Rodrigo at the Guadalete in 711, they continued their advance.
The Peninsula offered little resistance and was quickly occupied. The causes were Muslim military superiority, internal conflicts of the Visigoths, and support offered to the invaders by Jews and Visigothic
Read MoreRussian Revolution and Soviet Union Formation
The Russian Revolution and the Creation of the USSR
At the beginning of the 20th century, Russia was an absolutist monarchy that lacked individual freedoms. In November 1917 (October according to the Russian calendar), a popular revolution led by workers, peasants, and soldiers took place. The Russian Revolution began in Petrograd with the storming of the Winter Palace, overthrowing the absolute monarchy of the Tsar. The revolutionaries, led by Vladimir Lenin, established communism and aimed to transform
Read MoreGorbachev Era and Soviet Collapse: Key Events & Reforms
Key Events and Timeline of the Gorbachev Era (1985-1991)
1985
- March: Gorbachev becomes General Secretary of the Communist Party.
1986
- February: Twenty-Seventh Party Congress.
Gorbachev attacks the Brezhnev era as years of stagnation.
- April: Chernobyl Nuclear Incident.
- 1986: Twelfth Five-Year Plan launched.
1987
- 1987: Laws on State Enterprises enacted.
- October: Plenum of the Central Committee.
Yeltsin attacks Gorbachev’s reforms.
- November: Yeltsin dismissed as First Secretary in Moscow.
1988
- January: Legislation
Spain’s Agrarian Problem: Second Republic Political History
The Agrarian Problem in Spain: Historical Context
This document, likely a political-economic-social analysis, illustrates the economic and social situation of society and the emergence of new policies. Dating from 1939, it is a secondary source, published six years after the events it describes.
The core subject is The Agrarian Problem. A law on agrarian reform was created for three main reasons:
- Spain remained a country of low agricultural yields.
- Fifty percent of the active population was rural.
- Southern