Teach me about: Industrial Revolution
Causes of Industrial Revolution
Advances in farming techniques led to higher population and less need for farm labor.
Crop rotation replenishes soil nutrients and selective breeding improves animal size and food production.
Started in Britain due to supportive government laws.
Factors of production: Land, Labor, Capital (wealth).
Key Inventions
Primary inventions: Steam Engine, Telegraph, Cotton Gin, Steam-Driven Locomotives.
Impacts: Speed of Production, Efficiency, Communication, Market Expansion, Cost Effectiveness.
Immediate Impacts
Textile industry was the first to industrialize.
Advancements in transportation: Railroads, steam engines, and roads.
Urbanization led to migration to cities for factory jobs.
Negative effects: Rapid city growth, poor living conditions, harsh working environments.
Reforming the Industrial World
Laissez-Faire Economics
Originated from French economic philosophers during the Enlightenment.
Promotes unrestricted free market without government regulation.
Adam Smith's three natural laws of economics: self-interest, competition, supply and demand.
Socialism and Labor Unions
Socialism advocates public ownership of production for collective welfare.
Marxism by Karl Marx predicted a classless society through worker control.
Labor unions formed for collective bargaining and worker rights.
Imperialism
European Imperialism in Africa
European motives: Superiority, nationalism, competition, power, money, ethnocentrism.
The Berlin Conference divided Africa among European powers.
Impact on South Africa: English defeat Dutch and Zulus, leading to apartheid.
Imperialism in China and Japan
China resisted imperialism until the Opium War forced trade with the West.
Boxer Rebellion and Taiping Rebellion against foreign influence in China.
Japanese Imperialism and Russo-Japanese War over control of Korea and Manchuria.
Japanese Imperialism and the Russo-Japanese War
Imperial Expansion in Asia
Japan's imperial ambitions mirrored those of Western powers, leading to expansion in China, Korea, and Russia.
Forced Korea to open ports for trade, sparking conflicts with China and Russia over Korean control.
Russo-Japanese War erupted over Manchuria's control, resulting in Japanese dominance in Korea and Manchuria.
Nationalism and Unification in Europe
Nationalism in Europe
Nationalism emphasized loyalty to a shared culture and history, fueling revolutions in the 1800s.
Nation-States emerged to defend territories and represent nations globally.
Italian Unification
Victor Emmanuel unified Northern Italy under Piedmont Sardinia.
Giuseppe Garibaldi led the Redshirts to unify Southern Italy, later merging forces with Emmanuel.
German Unification and Bismarck's Role
Prussia's strength in German heritage and military led to dominance over Austria.
Otto von Bismarck's Realpolitik and military strategies unified Germany through wars with Austria and France.
Factors Leading to World War I
Causes of World War I
Imperialism: Competition for territories heightened tensions among European powers.
Militarism: Arms race and military glorification fueled paranoia and conflicts.
Nationalism: Loyalty to nations intensified, leading to multiple wars.
Alliances: Mutual defense agreements escalated conflicts among European nations.
Events Triggering World War I
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serbian nationalist.
Ultimatum issued by Austria-Hungary to Serbia, escalating tensions.
Mobilization and the Schlieffen Plan: Germany's military strategy to swiftly defeat France.
Warfare in World War I
Introduction of new weapons like machine guns, poison gas, and submarines.
Trench warfare is characterized by brutal living conditions and high casualties.
Key battles like the Battle of Verdun and the 2nd Battle of the Marne highlighted the horrors and stalemates of the war.
Factors Leading to US Entry into World War I
The Lusitania Incident
British ship sunk by a German submarine, leading to the death of over 100 Americans
Outraged American public demanded action due to civilian casualties
Significant factor in pushing the US towards war
Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
Germany's desperate tactic to sink any ships heading to England, including American vessels
Infuriated neutral Americans and swayed US support towards the Allies
Major factor contributing to Germany's defeat in the war
The Zimmerman Telegram
German promise to Mexico of reclaiming lost territories from the US
Intercepted by the US, leading to increased anti-German sentiment
Final trigger for the US declaration of war
US Declaration of War
Woodrow Wilson's call to make the world safe for democracy
Emphasis on freedom of the seas as a key issue
Overwhelming support in Congress with a vote of 373-50 in the House and 82-6 in the Senate
Consequences of US Involvement in World War I
Impact on World War I
US entry shifted the war's tide in favor of the Allies
Fresh troops, financial support, and equipment boosted the Allied forces
American-led Allies achieved victory within a year of US involvement
Versailles Treaty
Imposed severe terms on Germany, leading to bitterness and economic struggles
Germany held responsible for war guilt and faced massive reparations
Loss of territory, military restrictions, and League of Nations supervision
Woodrow Wilson's 14 Points
Post-war plan addressing war causes and preventing future conflicts
Focused on free trade, disarmament, and League of Nations for peacekeeping
League's limited effectiveness despite noble intentions
The League of Nations
Wilson's initiative for global peacekeeping and conflict prevention
Rejected by the US Senate due to concerns over sovereignty and war entanglement
Failed to gain US support, limiting its impact on international relations
Rise of Totalitarianism and Fascism in Europe
Russian Revolution and Soviet Union
Transition from Romanov dynasty to Soviet rule under Lenin
Communist reforms, land redistribution, and centralized control under Stalin
Totalitarian regime with state control over all aspects of life
Rise of Fascism in Italy and Germany
Mussolini's Fascist Party in Italy emphasizing state loyalty and strong leadership
Totalitarian movements emerging in response to post-war instability and economic crises
Authoritarian rule sought for stability in fragmented political landscapes
Post-War Challenges in Europe
Economic devastation, political instability, and coalition governments in major European countries
Weimar Republic's struggles in Germany due to economic crisis and Versailles Treaty blame
Kellogg-Briand Peace Pact aimed at renouncing war, hindered by lack of enforcement
Rise of Fascism in Europe
Mussolini and the Fascists in Italy
Benito Mussolini founded the Fascist Party in Italy, emphasizing loyalty to the state and obedience to a strong leader.
Mussolini took control of the Italian government in 1922 and became a dictator by 1925.
Factors behind the rise of Fascism included unstable democracies, coalition governments, and economic difficulties.
Mussolini established a police state with the OVRA secret police to suppress anti-fascist activities.
Hitler and the Nazis in Germany
Adolf Hitler, blinded in WWI, rose to power by appealing to German pride and promising to re-arm.
Hitler's beliefs included Nazism, anti-Semitism, systematic racism, and the creation of the Hitler Youth and SS.
The Beer Hall Putsch exposed Hitler's intentions to overthrow the government.
Hitler's book 'Mein Kampf' outlined his government beliefs and racial superiority ideas.
Causes and Events of World War II
Global Political Causes
Failure of the League of Nations and the Versailles Treaty's impact on Germany.
The Kellogg-Briand Pact aimed to outlaw war but failed to prevent conflicts.
The Great Depression worsened by the Treaty of Versailles led to WWII.
Racial purification, eugenics, and Hitler's implementation of a police state fueled tensions.
Key Events in WWII
German expansion and invasion of Poland, France, and other European territories.
The European Theater saw battles in North Africa, Operation Barbarossa, and the Soviet Counter-Offensive.
Japan's conquests in the Pacific, Pearl Harbor attack, and US involvement in the Pacific Theater.
The Manhattan Project's development of atomic weapons and the end of the war in the Pacific.
The Cold War Era
Origins and Ideological Divide
The Cold War was a political struggle between the USA (capitalism) and USSR (communism) from 1945-1989.
The Iron Curtain separated Eastern Europe under Soviet control from Western Europe.
NATO and the Warsaw Pact were key alliances, and brinkmanship nearly led to nuclear conflict.
Containment policy aimed to stop the spread of communism through the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan.
Collapse of the Soviet Union
By the 1980s, the Soviet Union faced economic challenges and increased nuclear tensions with the US.
SALT talks aimed to limit nuclear arms, leading to the eventual collapse of the USSR by 1991.
Mikhail Gorbachev's leadership and the independence of Eastern European countries marked the end of the Soviet Union.