Holocaust
The Holocaust - A huge historical upheaval of the countries surrounding Germany and Germany itself because of the persecution of the Jewish people by the Nazis led by Adolf Hitler. About 6 million Jews, perhaps more, were found dead in concentration camps made by the Nazis in order to completely annihilate the Jewish population. Many Jews escaped the persecution by seeking help from other countries through escaping and having shelters secretly provided for them. The United States and eventually some of the surrounding countries closed in on the Nazis and rescued the survivors from the camps and their hideouts before the Nazis could do any further damage.
Causes:
- Anti-Semitic ideals against Jews
- Pushing the blame of WWI to the Jews
- Racism against the Jewish population
Effects:
- Many Jews were killed unfairly.
- Jews and nomadic people were suddenly treated as outsiders
- Countries took action to prevent another Holocaust from occurring.
World War I
World War I - Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was assassinated in Serbia and that sparked the start of the First World War. The Allies fought against the Central Powers in a real-life game of dominoes where one country declared war on another, which in turn pressure its allies to declare war on its enemy.
Causes:
Effects:
Causes:
- Economic tension between countries
- Military competition
- The European alliance system is very weak.
Effects:
- Germany had to pay reparations and other countries gained lands.
- League of Nations was formed.
- World War II erupted from leftover vengeance from WWI.
World War II
World War II - The reparations Germany were made to pay and the lands it lost were in turned to become a part of the cause for WWII. The fight between the Allies and the Axis Powers that involved virtually all the countries in the world became the second biggest world war in history.
Causes:
Effects:
Cold War
Causes:
- Rise of the Nazi Party
- Tension from World War I
- Germany, with no cause or warning, invaded Poland
Effects:
Cold War
- Division of territories
- Widespread destruction in Western Europe.
Renaissance
Renaissance - A period of reconsideration and curiosity that take both men and women to exceed the expectations and superstitions that were imprinted upon their minds. This era marked the start of new discoveries and the encouragement of asking questions and putting explanations behind beliefs and shift the gaze of mankind’s focus from ourselves to the vast world around us.
Causes:
Effects:
Causes:
- Humanists’ beliefs that Greek and Latin classics contained life lessons
- Questionings of ideas, traditions, institutions
- Thriving cities, bringing in new ideas
Effects:
- Religious reforms
- Interests in social issues and the many aspects of knowledge and arts
- Exploration and colonization
Cold War
Cold War - A clash between the believers of communism and capitalism from 1945 to 1980, each with their own goals of achieving some kind of international conquest with their ideal. This often led to many casualties on the road toward conquering and attaining other nations in an indirect way as neither the United States or the Soviet Union ever engaged in direct confrontation with each other.
Causes:
Effects:
Causes:
- Feeling of suspicion and mutual distrust led to an abridged relationship
- Different political systems
- War reparations caused disagreement to erupted
Effects:
- Truman Doctrine was created - guaranteed USA’s help against communism
- Soviet Union blocked West Berlin
- Western European nations and USA formed NATO
Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution - The movement in which there was a technological advancement in manufacturing and for the most part, daily usages of machines that can help speed up the economical process. Most businesses used steam engines for their machines and this era served as a base for future improvement.
Causes:
Effects:
Causes:
- Embargo Act of 1807 restricted Americans’ trade with other countries
- War of 1812 urged for better technology, which made USA independence from helps of Western European countries
- Need for technology advancement
Effects:
- Emergence of middle class
- Less need for trading with Western Europe
- Rate of transportation and communication increased
Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation - A religious, political, intellectual, and cultural disruption of Europe that would set the pace for modern beliefs and the basic religious standards.
Causes:
Effects:
Causes:
- Religious orders in the church were highly bribed
- The uprising and leadership of Martin Luther
- Invention of printing press
Effects:
- The findings of several other Protestant churches
- Long-term religious struggle throughout Europe
- Weakening of the Holy Roman Empire
The Enlightenment
The Enlightenment - A period of social and intellectual changes within Europe that ignited the advancement of science, philosophy, and politics. This era enabled many people to understand the many mysteries of the world and opened doors to even more discoveries.
Causes:
Effects:
Causes:
- The spreading of different ideas by scholars
- Inspirations and curiosity from previous discoveries
- Reconsidering that God’s laws are above all else
Effects:
- Supported a large amount of revolutions
- Led to the widespread idea that education is important
- Became a cause for the Industrial Revolution
Black Death
Black Death - A major plague that swept through Europe from 1346-1353, killing about 30-60% of the European population. The signs of infection are shown to have occur over days and victims are often isolated from the population in fear of affecting even more of the population.
Causes:
Effects:
Causes:
- Spreading of bacteria by rodents, mainly rats
- Unsanitary environments
- Horrible living conditions and precautions against infectious diseases
Effects:
- Churches were hopeless against disease, led to questioning of religions
- Minority groups became scapegoat
- Great decrease in population
European Union
European Union - A union of mostly 28 European countries that share many aspects like their currency with each other to allow for easier trades to be made. Decisions are usually decided by voting and all members of the union shared a common outlook on law enforcement and travel policies within the involved nations.
Causes:
Effects:
Causes:
- Needs to have a closer relation with neighbors.
- Harder way of trading among the people
- Political and economic issues
Effects:
- Bring countries closed together with something akin to an alliance
- Allow for easier trades with common currency
- Peace and prosperity, with many countries sharing common goals
European Colonial History
Austria - While being a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria attempted to acquire a lot of lands for colonial trade from abroad but eventually gave up due to failures and political pressure from surrounding countries.
Belgium - Between 1885 and 1962, the Belgian colonial empire ranged from Belgian Congo, which is now the Democratic Republic of Congo, to Ruanda-Urundi and a concession in China. When Belgium entered the stage of colonization in 1839 after being officially recognized as independence, the country was already behind in the mass acquiring of lands to prove political superiority over other countries.
France - One of the major European power at the time of colonization, France occupied colonies from all over the world, ranging from Asia to owning a large part of the Americas before the American Revolution occurred. With its hugely successful military campaigns and power, France was able to easily buy and conquer lands as their own.
Germany - Even though Germany had an extensive network of colonies ranging from all over in Africa, World War I became a cause for Germany’s downfall as a conqueror of many colonies. With reparations to pay after becoming the scapegoat of WWI, Germany was forced to pay alimony in the form of surrendering its colonies to the Allies.
Ireland - Having been a part of the English empire for as long as they can remember, Ireland officially became independent in 1922 after the republican party won an overwhelming landslide before declaring Ireland’s independence from Great Britain in December, 1918.
Liechtenstein - Liechtenstein joined the Napoleon Confederation of the Rhine under Emperor Napoleon’s rule and even though the French occupied the country for a few years, Liechtenstein took back its independence by the reins in 1815 and joined the German Confederation for protection. However, even though Liechtenstein swore neutrality during WWI and WWII, many nations tied its connection to Austria and Liechtenstein was forced to undergo an embargo as though it was a colony of the said empire.
Luxembourg - Luxembourg’s official historic time began in 963 where the House of Luxembourg was established and soon ended. The country was then put under Burgundian rule and then Habsburg rule in 1477 before Southern Netherlands. Over time the country’s land continued to decrease and was official in the 1867 crisis of the country.
Monaco - The first people who colonized in Monaco were called the Ligurians. The Ligurians had the land they first colonized taken over but regained their land in 975. In 1297, François Grimaldi conquered Monaco. When he died, his cousin took over. The Grimaldi is reigning royal family in the country.
Netherlands - In 1595, the Netherlands’ original expedition brought back positive news and the country found itself sending more people to the land and made a treaty focusing on trading. The country then established the Dutch East India Company that supported trade and monitored military related buildings or people that involve the trading.
Switzerland - Switzerland can be traced back to the stone age and the Helvetians. In 1648, Switzerland was officially declared its own country and nation. However, it was later on in 1815 in the Vienna Congress that officially settled it’s borders and the constitution of the country originated in 1848.
United Kingdom - The British, with the London Company’s founding, colonized Jamestown in 1607 and the colonies were divided into three groups, charter colonies, proprietary colonies and royal colonies. After Jamestown, the British expanded their land by colonizing what would be named the 13 Colonies and is now the northeastern portion of the U.S. present day.
Belgium - Between 1885 and 1962, the Belgian colonial empire ranged from Belgian Congo, which is now the Democratic Republic of Congo, to Ruanda-Urundi and a concession in China. When Belgium entered the stage of colonization in 1839 after being officially recognized as independence, the country was already behind in the mass acquiring of lands to prove political superiority over other countries.
France - One of the major European power at the time of colonization, France occupied colonies from all over the world, ranging from Asia to owning a large part of the Americas before the American Revolution occurred. With its hugely successful military campaigns and power, France was able to easily buy and conquer lands as their own.
Germany - Even though Germany had an extensive network of colonies ranging from all over in Africa, World War I became a cause for Germany’s downfall as a conqueror of many colonies. With reparations to pay after becoming the scapegoat of WWI, Germany was forced to pay alimony in the form of surrendering its colonies to the Allies.
Ireland - Having been a part of the English empire for as long as they can remember, Ireland officially became independent in 1922 after the republican party won an overwhelming landslide before declaring Ireland’s independence from Great Britain in December, 1918.
Liechtenstein - Liechtenstein joined the Napoleon Confederation of the Rhine under Emperor Napoleon’s rule and even though the French occupied the country for a few years, Liechtenstein took back its independence by the reins in 1815 and joined the German Confederation for protection. However, even though Liechtenstein swore neutrality during WWI and WWII, many nations tied its connection to Austria and Liechtenstein was forced to undergo an embargo as though it was a colony of the said empire.
Luxembourg - Luxembourg’s official historic time began in 963 where the House of Luxembourg was established and soon ended. The country was then put under Burgundian rule and then Habsburg rule in 1477 before Southern Netherlands. Over time the country’s land continued to decrease and was official in the 1867 crisis of the country.
Monaco - The first people who colonized in Monaco were called the Ligurians. The Ligurians had the land they first colonized taken over but regained their land in 975. In 1297, François Grimaldi conquered Monaco. When he died, his cousin took over. The Grimaldi is reigning royal family in the country.
Netherlands - In 1595, the Netherlands’ original expedition brought back positive news and the country found itself sending more people to the land and made a treaty focusing on trading. The country then established the Dutch East India Company that supported trade and monitored military related buildings or people that involve the trading.
Switzerland - Switzerland can be traced back to the stone age and the Helvetians. In 1648, Switzerland was officially declared its own country and nation. However, it was later on in 1815 in the Vienna Congress that officially settled it’s borders and the constitution of the country originated in 1848.
United Kingdom - The British, with the London Company’s founding, colonized Jamestown in 1607 and the colonies were divided into three groups, charter colonies, proprietary colonies and royal colonies. After Jamestown, the British expanded their land by colonizing what would be named the 13 Colonies and is now the northeastern portion of the U.S. present day.