Category: 11th Grade History

Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th president of the United States of America. He was president from 1913-1921, and was also president during World War I. He was famous for creating the Fourteen Points. According to Wikipedia, “The Fourteen Points was a statement of principles for peace that was to be used for peace negotiations in order to end World War I. The principles were outlined in a January 8, 1918 speech on war aims and peace terms to the United States Congress by President Woodrow Wilson.” According to the National WWI Museum, the Fourteen Points are: “1. Open diplomacy without secret treaties 2. Economic free trade on the seas during war and peace 3. Equal trade conditions 4. Decrease armaments among all nations 5. Adjust colonial claims 6. Evacuation of all Central Powers from Russia and allow it to define its own independence 7. Belgium to be evacuated and restored 8. Return of Alsace-Lorraine region and all French territories 9. Readjust Italian borders 10. Austria-Hungary to be provided an opportunity for self-determination 11. Redraw the borders of the Balkan region creating Roumania, Serbia and Montenegro 12. Creation of a Turkish state with guaranteed free trade in the Dardanelles 13. Creation of an independent Polish state 14. Creation of the League of Nations” These Fourteen Points mainly support the idea of lasting peace between the different countries and nations of the world.

How did an assassination lead to WWI? The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife Sophie in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914 led to the outbreak of WWI, but how did this assassination lead to war? After the assassination, Austria-Hungary sent a list of demands to Serbia (the nation that lead the assassination). They said that if Serbia does not do what they have command Serbia to do, they will declare war. Serbia accepted these demands, but nevertheless, Austria-Hungary declared war anyway. This set off a chain reaction of military mobilisations that eventually lead to the outbreak of WWI in 1914.

So, what did begin World War I? The main event that began this great war was the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand. After this assassination, Austria declared war on Serbia, and as Austria’s ally, Germany declares war on Russia, who was an ally of Serbia, then Germany declares war on France, an ally of Russia, Germany begins invasion of Belgium, the U.S.A. declares that it will remain neutral, and the war began. The war began in August 1914, and lasted up until November 1918.

What is Modernism? According to Tate, “Modernism refers to a global movement in society and culture that from the early decades of the twentieth century sought a new alignment with the experience and values of modern industrial life.” The 5 Key Characteristics of Modernist Literature are individualism, experimentation, absurdity, symbolism, and formalism. What does Modernism mean? According to Vocabulary.com, “Modernism describes things you do that are contemporary or current.”

What was the Kulturkampf? According to Wikipedia, the Kulturampf was a “fierce conflict that took place from 1872 to 1878 between the Catholic Church led by Pope Pius IX and the government of Prussia led by Otto von Bismarck.” The main issues of this conflict were clerical control of education and ecclesiastical appointments. It began in 1871 and ended in 1887, and took place in Prussia.

What arguments did Gladstone make in favor of Home Rule for Ireland? According to Weebly, “Gladstone believed that Home Rule, no matter how radical or progressive it seemed, was the only means of avoiding a catastrophe between Ireland and Britain.” He worked very hard to establish this, but it failed and was rejected.

According to Wikipedia, “The Second Industrial Revolution, also known as the Technological Revolution, was a phase of rapid scientific discovery, standardization, mass production and industrialization from the late 19th century into the early 20th century.” One of the major innovations of the Second Industrial Revolution, is that of the Bessemer process. The Bessemer process was named after the British inventor Sir Henry Bessemer, who found a new way to create steel. According to ThoughtCo, “The Bessemer Steel Process was a method of producing high-quality steel by shooting air into molten steel to burn off carbon and other impurities.” Another major innovation of the Second Industrial Revolution was the Transcontinental Railroad, which was built to stretch across America from the Missouri river to the Pacific Ocean. Other major innovations included the telegraph, the telephone, the modern lightbulb, the assembly line, the automobile, and the aircraft.

According to unacademy.com, “The four major reasons behind the unification of Germany are the role of Bismark, the strength of the Prussian economy, the decline of Austria, and the military power of Prussia. The economic strength of Prussia was one of the most important reasons behind the unification of Germany.” These are the key steps in the German Unification: according to Commack School District, “Step 1- War with Denmark. Step 2- Austrian-Prussian War. 7 Weeks War- 1866. Step 3 – Creation of the Northern German Confederation – 1867. Step 4 – Franco-Prussian War. (1870- 1871) By September of 1870, the Prussian army surrounded the main French force and captured approximately 83,000 prisoners (including Napoleon III)”

According to Wikipedia, Karl Marx was a “German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 pamphlet The Communist Manifesto and the four-volume Das Kapital.” Now, in this essay I am supposed to mention some weak points in Marx’s views, so that is what I am going to do next.

According to ReviseSociology, “Capitalism today is less exploitative. Control of the economic base does not mean control of the superstructure. False consciousness is a problem concept in postmodern society. There is less alienation today.” Now, these are just four examples of what is wrong with Marx’s views, and there are a lot more.

Does Herbert Spencer deserve to be called a “Social Darwinist”? According to Wikipedia, “Herbert Spencer was an English philosopher, psychologist, biologist, anthropologist, and sociologist. Spencer originated the expression “survival of the fittest”, which he coined in Principles of Biology after reading Charles Darwin’s 1859 book On the Origin of Species.” What is a “Social Darwinist”? According to Wikipedia, “Social Darwinism is the study and implementation of various theories and societal practices that purport to apply biological concepts of natural selection and survival of the fittest to sociology, economics and politics, and which were largely defined by scholars in Western Europe and North America in the 1870s.” Why is Herbert Spencer called a Social Darwinist? According to Britannica, “Herbert Spencer is famous for his doctrine of social Darwinism, which asserted that the principles of evolution, including natural selection, apply to human societies, social classes, and individuals as well as to biological species developing over geologic time.” Does Herbert Spencer deserve to be called a “Social Darwinist”? I gotta say, I do not know a lot about Spencer from what I have been reading, but from what I gathered, I would say that he does deserve to be called a Social Darwinist.

According to Wiley, the French revolution was “a popular rebellion that succeeded in overthrowing the rule of King Charles X and his ministers. The revolt was prompted by the government’s rejection of legitimate election results and its suspension of the constitution.” The purpose of this revolution was to overthrow the king of France, and the revolution succeeded, and King Charles X was overthrown, along with all his ministers. So what happened in France during the Revolution of 1840? According to Wikipedia, “The 1830 Revolution marked a shift from one constitutional monarchy, under the restored House of Bourbon, to another, the July Monarchy; the transition of power from the House of Bourbon to its cadet branch, the House of Orléans; and the replacement of the principle of hereditary right by that of popular sovereignty.“

Were the Revolutions of 1848 successful or unsuccessful? These Revolutions were a series of republican revolts against European monarchies. These revolts began in Sicily, and eventually spread to France, Germany, Italy, and the Austrian Empire. All of these revolts ended in massive failure, and were followed by widespread disillusionment among people called liberals.

According to Study.com, “Utopian socialism is socialism that is achieved through the moral persuasion of capitalists to surrender the means of production peacefully to the people. This belief holds that, through conscience and morals, people could work together in society and live together communally without the need for money or class.” This sounds amazing. Imagine a world with no money, no fighting, no class, no authority (well, maybe just one guy above it all making sure things run smoothly). That would be paradise. This is basically what utopian socialism is.

According to Wikipedia, “Neoclassicism (also spelled Neo-classicism) was a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity.” So, Neoclassicism was just another art movement that began in the late 1700s and ended in the early 1800s. The characteristics of Neoclassicism are clarity of form, sober colors, shallow space, strong horizontal and verticals that render that subject matter timeless, and classical subject matter.

According to Wikipedia, “Romanticism was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century; in most areas it was at its peak in the approximate period from 1800 to 1850.” This was also another art movement. The characteristics of Romanticism are emotion and passion, the critique of progress, a return to the past, an awe of nature, the search for subjective truth, the celebration of the individual, shall I go on? I do not think that I have to, but these are just some of the many characteristics of Romanticism.

According to Wikipedia, “Classical liberalism is a political tradition and a branch of liberalism that advocates free market and laissez-faire economics; civil liberties under the rule of law with especial emphasis on individual autonomy, limited government, economic freedom, political freedom and freedom of speech.” The main ideas of classical liberalism are liberty, individualism, and equal rights. Classical liberals believed that these three goals required a free economy with little  to no interference from the government.

Frederic Bastiat and his “Petition of the Candlemakers”. Fredrick Bastiat was a French economist and a libertarian. Basically in this essay he wrote “Petition of the Candlemakers”, candlemakers are arguing against unfair competition, the sun. The candlemakers want everyone tho close all windows, stay inside there houses so that the sun can not enter in. Therefore the candlemakers will sell more candles and make a bigger profit. Now this may be good for the candlemakers, but forcing people to buy something when there is a free alternative divertes all money supplies from other businesses and overall just decreases wealth. Bastiat concludes this essay with the following statement: “Make your choice, but be logical; for as long as you ban, as you do, foreign coal, iron, wheat, and textiles, in proportion as their price approaches zero, how inconsistent it would be to admit the light of the sun, whose price is zero all day long!”

Classical liberal themes that can be found in the work of Benjamin Constant. According to Wikipedia, “Constant emphasised how citizens in ancient states found more satisfaction in the public sphere and less in their private lives whereas modern people favoured their private life. Constant’s repeated denunciation of despotism pervaded his critique of French political philosophers Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Abbé de Mably.“

According to Wikipedia, “The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.” Russia, Great Britain, France, Austria and Prussia (the five great powers) were the nations that participated in the Congress of Vienna, and it did prove to be relatively stable. This meeting between these five powers was to discuss and arrange a possible new layout of the political and constitutional order in Europe after the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte.

According to Wikipedia, “The Carlsbad Decrees were a set of reactionary restrictions introduced in the states of the German Confederation by resolution of the Bundesversammlung on 20 September 1819 after a conference held in the spa town of Carlsbad, Austrian Empire.” So, these decrees were introduced in Germany in the year 1819. According to Deutscher Bundestag, “The Carlsbad Decrees, adopted in 1819 at the instigation of Austria’s foreign minister, Klemens von Metternich, established a police-state regime of surveillance and repression, designed to keep a tight lid on any opposition activity.” The main purpose of the Carlsbad Decrees was to keep a tight lid on any opposition activity.

What was compulsory state education? According to Wikipedia, “Compulsory education refers to a period of education that is required of all people and is imposed by the government. This education may take place at a registered school or at other places. Compulsory school attendance or compulsory schooling means that parents are obliged to send their children to a certain school.” The first country to do compulsory state education was Germany in the year 1592, followed by most of the world a few years later.

The Industrial Revolution was basically the transition to new manufacturing processes. This occurred in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States. It lasted from about 1760 to 1820–1840. The important technological developments were textiles, steam power, iron making, and the invention of machine tools. These technological changes introduced new ways of working and living, and it completely transformed society.

What was the standard-of-living debate? Well, the debate is about whether the Industrial Revolution raised or lowered the general standard of living. According to investopedia.con, “Standard of living generally refers to wealth, comfort, material goods, and necessities of certain classes in certain areas whereas quality of life is more subjective and intangible, such as personal liberty or environmental quality.” Now, before the Industrial Revolution, several people worked on farms and traded what they made for things that other people made (this is called bartering). After the Industrial Revolution, there was an increase in wealth, the production of goods, and the standard of living. People had access to healthier diets, better housing, and cheaper goods and education increased during the Industrial Revolution. So, the standard-of-living debate is about whether the Industrial Revolution raised or lowered the general standard of living. I say that the standard of living got better, actually, despite all the negatives concerning it.

There were many different arguments that lead up to the abolition of slavery in Britain, and I am going to tell you a little bit about this. William Wilberforce was a key figure in the abolition of slavery in Britain. He wanted to abolish slavery, and over time, like minded figures joined him, which lead to the foundation of the Anti-Slavery Society. Wilberforce continued to give many speeches in the House of Commons. By 1807, Parliament passed the Slave Trade Act. This was a huge step toward his goal, but it only banned slave trade, but not slavery itself. By 1833, however, the wheels were turning for a new piece of legislation to be passed. Sadly, however, Wilberforce died only three days later. This new act banned slavery in Britain as well as in a few other places.