Kellenberg Memorial High School

EUROPEAN
HISTORY

10th Grade
 Picture Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany
%E2%80%93Italy_relations#mediaview
Chapter 1 er/File:Germany_Italy_Locator.png

GERMAN -ITALIAN
UNIFICATION

Book Cover Image Taken From:

http://gmt.soest.hawaii.edu/
 SECTION 1

The Future of Europe

The French Revolution was over and Napoleon is gone. Europe
was left in shambles. The world as they knew it was turned up-
side down. What was going to happen next?
In 1814 in Vienna, Austria a meeting (and other meetings every
few years) was held to discuss the future of Europe. This Con-
gress of Vienna would bring peace for the next 100 years. Napo-
leon had really messed up the balance of power in Europe. Bor-
ders had been changed and rulers had been overthrown. The
states that would attend the Congress included Austria, Russia,
Prussia, Great Britain and France. Other countries like Portugal
and Spain attended but had little influence at the meetings.
Those countries were distracted by large parties thrown by Aus-
tria.
The Congress was able to agree that France had caused so
much turmoil that it must be taught a lesson, to the victor goes
the spoils and that no country should get rewarded more than
others. The most important thing developed was that Europe
must be filled with countries that would become established and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unification_of_Germany#mediaviewer/
File:Deutsches_Reich_1871-1918.png
permanent. Overall, the Congress of Vienna was very conserva-

2
tive allowing France to return to its border pre-1789 and a
restoration of the monarchy. France did have pay reparations Gallery 1.1 Who Attended the Congress of Vienna
and have foreign troops in its borders to keep the peace.
England was allowed to hold onto the lands that it had won
throughout the years. Austria gave back the land it took from
France and received some land near the coast of the Adriatic
Sea. Russia wanted control Poland and Prussia wanted Sax-
ony. Both countries got a smaller piece of land than what
they asked for. Remember countries like England were wor-
ried about allowing countries on Continental Europe from be-
coming too powerful! Germany became a confederation of
39 states that were somewhat united and Netherlands be-
came larger. Overall, the Congress of Vienna took a very con-
servative approach.

The Age of Isms

The Congress of Vienna renewed feelings throughout
Europe. One of these feelings was nationalism. National- Klemens Von Metternich: Austria's Chief For-
ism is defined by the Merriam Webster dictionary as a feeling eign Minister who dominated the negotiations at
that people have of being loyal to and proud of their country the Congress of Vienna
Klemens Von Metternich. Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2015.
often with the belief that it is better and more important <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
than other countries. Things such as a common language, re- Klemens_von_Metternich#mediaviewer/File:Metternich_(c._1835-40).jpg>

ligion, customs and geography tend to unite a country. Unfor-

tunately an extreme sense of nationalism would create a mas-
sive superiority complex. Nationalism sparked a movement to
create new countries with a loyalty to the country and not the
government.

3
Another issue that arose was the issue of liberalism. The supported the traditional monarchies and aristocracy that
theories of liberty, equality and human rights began during dominated Europe for so long. Conservatives were afraid of
the intellectual movement of the Enlightenment. These ideas what liberalism (especially radicalism) and nationalism were
were important to the revolutions in the United States and all about. The bloodshed associated with the French Revolu-
France. Most liberal ideologies wanted a government free of tion was a scary thing for conservatives. This is why Kle-
oppression and free of government involvement. A democ- mens Von Metternich of Austria was so important during
racy would be preached by many (more specifically by the the Congress of Vienna. He was able to curtail liberalism
radicals). and allow conservatism to stay in the limelight in Europe.
Lastly, the movement of conservatism still prevailed
throughout Europe. Many conservatives wanted to keep Section 1 Review
things as they were. You need to remember that conservatives
1. What was the Congress of Vienna?
2. Why was the Congress of Vienna important?
The Revolutions of 1830 and 1848 were sparked
due to the conflicting goals of the French Revolu- 3. Who was the most important member of the Con-
tion and the Congress of Vienna. Click on the two gress of Vienna?
links below to read about these two revolutions. 4. What was the main result of the Congress of Vi-
enna?
5. What are the differences between nationalism, lib-
eralism and conservatism?
The Revolution of 1830 6. Read the articles on the Revolutions of 1830 and
1848 and summarize their importance.

The Revolution of 1848

4
 SECTION 2

German Unification
By the time the German states (led by Prussia) called the unifica-
tion Germany was a loose confederation of 39 states. Remem-
ber this was decided at the Congress of Vienna. Before this
“Germany” dated back to the era of Charlemagne and the
800s. This “Germany” had once been known as the Holy Ro-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unification_of_Germany#mediaviewer/
File:Deutsches_Reich_1871-1918.png man Empire.
To understand the history by unification you must understand
the development of Prussia versus the decline of Austria. Aus-
tria was ruled by the Habsburg dynasty, and Prussia was ruled
by the Hohenzollerns. In the 1740s Prussia started to increase
its military, its industry and acquire new lands. Austria on the
other hand had lost a big ally in Russia in failing to support it
during the Crimean War. Austria was also forced to cede some
lands when it lost a war against the French and Italians. This
weakening of Austria allowed Prussia to challenge Austria’s
dominance. What is also important to remember is that Prussia
became the held of an economic alliance in 1834 called
Zollverein Customs Union. It is important to understand
that Austria was not included in the economic benefits of the
this union.

5
After the Revolutions of come to power. Click
1848 (Remember Section 1) on the picture to
the time was right for Ger- read more about the
man Unification. The man junkers.
who was at the forefront of In 1862, Bismarck
German Unification was created an alliance
Otto Von Bismarck He with the Austrians to
was the Prussian Chancellor fight Denmark. Den-
who goal was to make Prus- mark had tried to an-
sia stronger while weakening nex the lands of
Austria. Bismarck was a mas- Schleswig-Holstein. Denmark was easily defeated, but know
ter at realpolitik. This was Austria was surrounded by a Prussian empire. Bismarck used
the understanding of the this opportunity to eliminate Austria as a threat. Over a sim-
situation currently in the Ger- ple border dispute Bismarck coaxed Austria into war, known
man Confederation. Bismarck as the Austro Prussian or Seven Weeks War.
was about being practical and
not idealistic. It is said that Bis-
marck remarked that “blood
and iron”, not “speeches and
resolutions” would get things
done. Bismarck will be able to
accomplish his goals with the
support of Kaiser Wilhelm I
Kaiser Wilhelm I was bent of
increasing the army and in-
creasing taxes to do so. How-
ever he met much resistance from the Prussian Parliament.
He chose Bismarck as chancellor to help him accomplish his
goals. The support of the Junkers allowed Bismarck to

6
After the war, Bismarck was able to push towards unification.
However, the southern German states were somewhat skepti- Interactive 1.1 Franco Prussian War
cal of Bismarck chiefly due to religious differences. Northern
Germany was predominately Protestant while Southern Ger-
many was mainly Catholic. Bismarck decided to bring the
southern states aboard by starting a war with the French. Bis-
marck doctored a document (EMS Telegram) about a nego-
tiation between the French and Prussians that insulted all the Alsace-Lorraine Northern German
parties involved. Once this document was released to the (Tan) Confederation (Red)
press the French declared war. In the end the Prussians
soundly defeated the French and demanded the land of
Alsace-Lorraine. With this victory Prussia was able to
unite the German confederation and create what was known
Southern German
as the Second Reich in 1871. German unification was now
States (Orange)
complete.

Section 2 Review
1. The leader of German Unification was? Based on map data of the IEG-Maps project Interactive 1.2 Mr. Buckley’s
(Andreas Kunz, B. Johnen and Joachim Rob-
ert Moeschl: University of Mainz) - Wisdom
2. Which country was Prussia’s biggest threat to http://www.ieg-maps.uni-mainz.de
unification?
3. Which leader lead German unification?
4. Why was the German victory during the Franco
Prussian War important? MAKE SURE TO
READ THE LINK. Click on the picture of Mr. Buck-
ley to learn more about German
Unification.

7
 SECTION 3

Italian
Unification
Since the downfall of the Roman Empire, Italy had been a loose
confederation of states loosely connected together. Throughout
their history they had been under the influence of major Euro-
pean countries, specifically the Spanish, French, Austrians and
the Pope. With the rise of Napoleon in France led to a conquer-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_historic_states_of_Italy#mediaviewer/File:Italy_1494.svg
ing of Italy by the French. This occupation by the French was
important in many ways. Revolutionary and liberal ideas began
THEME to permeate in Italy. With the Congress of Vienna came another
fragmentation of Italy. This division, politically and economi-
cally (the north was industrialized while south was agriculturally
Nationalism contributed based) did not dissuade the call for unification. While there were
many different theories to go about it one area led the way.
to the formation of two The idea of unification began early as 1831 with Guiseppe
new nations and a new Mazzini and the Risorgimento. However the failures of
revolutions in the 1840s prohibited a major push for unification.
political order in Europe. However, by 1848 the unification call reappeared with the king-
dom of Piedmont-Sardinia at the forefront. This area was
known for its wealth and embrace of liberalism. The king,

8
Victor Emmanuel II and its leading statesman Count French ended their alliance with the
Camillo di Cavour were the leaders of this new push for Italians. The Italians will “make up”
unification. Cavour was able to manipulate politics just like with the French and create a unified
Bismarck was able to do in Germany. Cavour signed an alli- Northern Italy.
ance with the French to dispel the Austrians out of Italy. This will spark revolution in the
Their victory secured the area of Lombardy for the Ital- southern areas of Italy. One man
ians. Cavour had wanted more and after the victory the Guiseppe Garibaldi and his red
shirts will prove to be the most suc-
cessful. Garabaldi moved throughout
Gallery 1.2 Images of Italian Unification Southern Italy conquering areas such
as Sicily and became a national hero. Garabaldi had been in
exile in Latin America and learned a new style of fighting
(guerrilla tactics). Cavour felt threatened by Garabaldi’s
movement as this would upset his goal of unification. While
Cavour did prevent Garabaldi from
invading the Papal States so as to
not upset the Catholics, Garabaldi
proved to be important for Cavour
and unification. Garabaldi felt that
Victor Emmanuel II was the most
qualified leader for a unified Italy
and handed over the reigns of unifi-
cation to the former kingdom.
The major area of unification that
The kingdom of Piedmont Sardinia was left was centered around Rome
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Sardinia#mediaviewer/File:Ita-sardinia.png
controlled by the Pope Pius IX.
Thanks to the Franco Prussian War the French had to leave
Rome and the Italian army was able to take the city of Rome

9
in 1870. Rome will become the new capital of the united Ital-
ian state.

Click here to access the sources used for this section.

Section 3 Review
1. Read about the life of Mazzini and explain why he is
considered to be the brains of Italian Unification.
2. Why was the kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinina impor-
tant to Italian Unification?
3. Was Cavour a political genius? Why or why not?
4. Read about the life of Garabaldi. What are his major
contributions to Italian Unification?

10
 Chapter 2

WORLD WAR I

“The War to End

All Wars”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I#mediaviewer/File:Royal_Irish_Rifles_ration_party_Somme_July_1916.jpg
Photo courtesy of Royal Engineers No 1 Printing Company, United Kingdom Government.
 SECTION 1

The Road to War

Interactive 2.1 World War I
what Kaiser Wilhelm II called a "new course" to earn its
"place in the sun." After 1871, Germany's trade and industry
increased vigorously, challenging and, in some areas, even ex-
ceeding that of Great Britain, until then the premier indus-
trial nation of Europe. A many-
sided rivalry developed between
Germany and Britain, intensify-
ing when the sometimes-bellicose
Wilhelm II assumed power and
began building a strong, ocean-
Click on the Image to Watch the World War I Trailer going navy.Territorial disputes
were another. Seeking to balance
Nationalism the rise of German power, Brit-
ain and France began to draw
There was certainly a general rise in nationalism in Europe,
closer together diplomatically as
which played a major role in the start of the conflict. Nation-
the 20th century began. Ger-
alism, or a deep devotion to one's nation can serve as a unify- Photo courtesy of Imperial War
many, meanwhile, had allowed an Museums im-
ing force within a country. However, it also can cause intense
plicit alliance with Tsarist Russia to lapse, and faced ongoing
competition among nations seeking to overpower the other.
As a result of German unity and increasing German nation- French resentment over the provinces of Alsace and Lor-
alism, as well as various other causes, Germany began on raine which Germany had annexed in 1871. The perceived

12
danger of "encirclem- lieved that to be truly great, they needed to have a powerful
ent" by hostile na- military. By 1914, all of the great powers except for Great
tions began to loom Britain had large standing armies. In addition, military lead-
in the minds of Ger- ers believed it was necessary for their militaries to be mobi-
man leaders. Austria- lized and ready for war. The belief or desire of a government
Hungary and Russia or people that a country should maintain a strong military ca-
both tried to domi- pability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or
nate a region in south- promote national interests is called militarism. (2)
east Europe, the Bal- The Alliance Systems
kans. Within this re-
A major factor which helped to escalate the conflict was the
gion there was an in-
alliance system of the late nineteenth century. Although there
tense level of national-
had always been alliances between different European na-
ism of Serbs, Bulgari-
tions, the diplomatic trend during the nineteenth century was
ans, Romanians, and
to have secret alliances, committing states to defensive mili-
other ethnic groups
tary action. These were encouraged by Bismarck who, in the
who demanded for
process of unifying Germany, sought to pacify those sur-
independence.(1)
rounding states which might proved hostile. Although Ger-
Imperialism many had originally allied itself with the empires of Austria
Another force that helped set the stage for war was imperial- and Russia at this time, by the beginning of the twentieth cen-
ism, a policy of extending a country's power and influence tury alliances had shifted. Germany found itself allied with
through diplomacy or military force. European nations were Austria-Hungary and Italy, the so-called "Central Pow-
competing fiercely for colonies in Africa and Asia. The quest ers;” together the countries formed what was known as the
for these colonies sometimes pushed European countries to "Triple Alliance." Meanwhile, France, desperate for allies
develop mistrust for one another or even bring these coun- after the Franco-Prussian war, had cultivated a friendship
tries to the brink of war. (2) with Russia. Great Britain, too, felt isolated in the increas-
Militarism ingly fictionalized European environment, and sought out an
alliance with another of Europe's great powers. This led to
Yet another developing concern throughout this time was the the Entente Cordial with France, which was to develop into
rise of a dangerous arms race. The nations of Europe be-

13
 http://preludetoawar.wikispaces.com/Triple
the "Triple Entente" between Britain, France and +Alliance+%26+Triple+Entente
Russia.(1) By 1914 most of the smaller European states had
been drawn into this web of alliances. Serbia had allied itself
with Russia whilst its enemy, Bulgaria, chose the patronage of
Germany. A number of small states maintained their neutral-
ity in this complicated network of alliances. Belgium, for in-
stance, was a neutral state, its independence guaranteed by
Britain, France, and Germany.

Crisis in the Balkans - "Powder Keg"

By the early 1900s, the Ottoman Empire (Sick Man Of
Europe), which included the Balkan region, was in rapid de-
cline. New nations including Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro,
Romania, and Serbia have already succeeded in breaking
away from their Turkish rulers. Nationalism was a powerful
factor in this region. Serbia, for example, had a large Slavic
population and hoped to absorb all the Slavs on the Balkan
Peninsula. Russia, a mostly Slavic nation, supported Serbian
nationalism. However, Austria-Hungary opposed such an ef-
fort. Austria feared that a creation of a Slavic state would stir
rebellions among it Slavic population. Austria-Hungary pre-
cipitated the Bosnian crisis of 1908–1909 by officially annex-
ing the former Ottoman territory of Bosnia and Herzego-
vina, which it had occupied since 1878. These were two Bal-
http://www.infobarrel.com/media/image/145144.jpg
kan areas with a large Slavic population, and Serbian leaders

14
 http://gmt.soest.hawaii.edu /
Gallery 2.1 The Assassination

who had sought to rule these provinces were outraged. The

Serbs vowed to take Bosnia and Herzegovina away from Aus-
Protests in Sarajevo prior to the assassination
tria, and Austria-Hungary vowed to crush any Serbian effort
to undermine its authority in the Balkans. What made this
situation even worse was when the so-called "blank check"
was created when Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph
sent a letter to German Kaiser Wilhelm II, asking for Ger- Into this hostile atmosphere of mutual dislike and mistrust
man support against Serbia. Theobald von Bethmann- stepped the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke
Hollweg, Kaiser Wilhelm II's Imperial Chancellor, tele- Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie. On June 28
grammed back that Austria-Hungary could rely on Germany 1914, the Archduke and his wife were shot dead in Sarajevo
to support whatever action was necessary to deal with by Gavrilo Princip, one of a group of six assassins coordi-
Serbia.(3) nated by a secret society called the Black Hand. The politi-
cal objective of the assassination was to break off Austria-

15
Hungary's South Slav provinces so they could be combined
into a Yugoslavia. The assassins' motives were consistent with
the movement that later became known as Young Bosnia.
The assassination led directly to the First World War when
Austria-Hungary subsequently issued an ultimatum to the
Kingdom of Serbia, which was partially rejected. Austria-
Hungary then declared war on July 28 1914. Russia, an ally
of Serbia, took action and mobilize troops towards the
Austrian border. Leaders all over Europe suddenly took no-
tice. The British foreign minister, the Italian government,
and even Kaiser Wilhelm himself urged Austria and Russia
to negotiate. But it was too late. The machinery of war had
been set in motion. (4)

Section 1 Review
1. Define the following; nationalism, alliances, militarism,
imperialism.
2. How did all of these factors contribute the beginnings
of World War I?
3. What was the significance of the assassination of Arch-
duke Franz Ferdinand?
4. Who was Gavrilo Princip?
5. Could World War I been avoided? Why or Why Not?

16
 SECTION 2

Europe Enters the War

Setting The Stage Western Front
On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Facing a two front war, Germany had developed a battle strat-
Austria-Hungary throne, was assassinated in Sarajevo. As a egy known as the Schlieffen Plan.
result, Austria declared war on Serbia. Germany declared The Schlieffen Plan was designed
war on both Russia and France. On August 4, Germany in- by Field Marshall Count Alfred
vaded neutral Belgium before the French. This precipitated von Schlieffen,who became
in Great Britain's declaration of war on Germany.(1) Chief of the Great General Staff in
The Great War Begins 1891 and submitted his plan in
1905. Out of fear of a two front
By mid-August 1914, the line in the sand was drawn. On one
war, which Germany was nearly cer-
side there was Germany and Austria-Hungary known as the
tain it could not win, it devised the
Central Powers. Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire would
plan to eliminate one of the fronts
later join in hopes to regain lost territories. The other side
of the war before the other side
was Great Britian, France, and Russia. Together they were
could prepare. The plan called for a rapid German mobiliza-
known as the Allies. Japan and Italy would join within weeks.
tion, sweeping through Holland, Luxembourg and Belgium
In the late summer of 1914, millions of happy soldiers
into France. Schlieffen called for overwhelming numbers on
marched happily off to battle, convinced that the war would
the far right flank, the northernmost spearhead of the force
be short. xx
with only minimum troops making up the arm and axis of
the formation as well as a minimum force stationed on the
Russian eastern front. Swift elimination of the French threat

17
would in theory allow Germany to better defend against a France as the German offensive rolled south toward Paris,
Russian, or a British force. However, the British involvement seemingly unstoppable. On the German side, however, a gap
was not looked for under the Schlieffen plan, not at the com- developed between the westernmost army corps, and the
mencement of action at least. In 1905 Count Schlieffen ex- rapid advance was exhausting the troops. In the First Bat-
pected his overpowering right wing to move basically along tle of the Marne , the French rushed reinforcements from
the coast through Holland. He expected the Dutch to acqui- Paris -- some in taxicabs -- to the front, and by the first week
esce and grant the army the right to cross their borders. of September, amid heavy fighting, the Germans had been
Schlieffen knew that navigating around the Belgian fortress at halted along the River
Liege in this way would speed the advance while still defeat- Marne. This battle was per-
ing the fortress simply by encirclement. Schlieffen retired haps the single most impor-
from his post in 1906 and was re- tant event of the war. This
placed by Helmuth von marked the beginning of
Moltke.In 1907-08 Moltke ad- the static trench lines which
justed the plan, reducing the pro- would define the front in
portional distribution of the Western Europe for four
forces, lessening the crucial right years.
wing in favor of a slightly more de- New Military Techniques and Technologies
fensive strategy. Also, judging Hol-
land as unlikely to grant permis- World War I introduced the first time that total war was em-
sion to cross its borders the plan ployed - that is, the full mobilization of society occurred in
now called for a direct move participant nations. In addition, it marked the end of war as
through Belgium but expected the French force to officially a "glamorous occupation," showing how brutal and horrify-
invade neutral Belgium first in an attempt to take the advan- ing war could be when fought by industrial nations with mass
tageous position at Meuse. Moltke's variation called for an ar- production of weapons, and mass armies drawn from whole
tillery assault on Liege, but with the rail lines and the un- populations.
precedented firepower the German army brought what he World War I introduced a number of new technologies and
did not expect any significant defense of the fortress.(2) techniques. The outbreak of war took the world from the age
The plan proved to be successful in the beginning of war. of coal to an age where energy was largely derived from pe-
The end of August was marked by near-panic in northern troleum, a much higher-grade fuel source used in many new

18
fighting machines and transport systems on land and sea. trenches, and attempt to attack the other side across "no
The deadliest product of this new industry was chemical war- man's land," most often with little or no success.
fare, with countless fighting men suffering and dying in gas
Click Here to Watch a Video on Trench Warfare.
attacks. Submarines also were used with effect, leading to the
advent of depth charges and sonar. Rudimentary tanks and The front in France became the focus of mass attacks that
mechanized warfare also entered the battlefield near the end cost huge numbers of lives, but gained very little. Britain be-
of the war. Finally, the machine gun took its toll for the first came fully engaged in France, raising a large conscript army
time in World War I. All this was aimed at breakthrough in for the first time in its history. 1915 saw the first attacks with
trench warfare, in which both sides would dig deep chlorine gas by the Germans, and soon the Allies responded
in kind. During much of the year 1916, the longest battle of
the war, the Battle of Verdun, a German offensive against
France and Britain, was fought to a draw and resulted in an
Gallery 2.2 The New Technology of World War I estimated one million casualties. Verdun became a symbol of
French determination and self-sacrifice. On July 1 through
November 18 1916, the Battle of Somme, a British and
French offensive against the Germans, again resulted in ap-
proximately one million casualties but no breakthrough for
either side. The opening of this offensive saw the British
Army endure the bloodiest day in its history, suffering 57,470
casualties, including 19,24vicki0 dead, on the first day
alone.(2)
Eastern Front
While the Western Front had reached stalemate, the war con-
tinued in East Europe. Initial Russian plans called for simulta-
neous invasions of Austrian Galicia and German East Prus-
Vicker Machine Gun sia. Although Russia's initial advance into Galicia was largely
Photo Courtesy of Imperial War Museums successful, it was driven back from East Prussia by German
high command General Paul von Hindenburg at Tannen-

19
berg and the Masurian Lakes in August and September
1914. Russia's less developed industrial base and ineffective
military leadership was instrumental in the events that un-
folded. By the spring of 1915, the Russians had retreated to
Galicia, and, in May, the Central Powers achieved a remark-
able breakthrough on Poland's southern frontiers. On August
5 1915, they captured Warsaw and forced the Russians to
withdraw from Poland. The Central Powers secured all sea
routes into Russia.
As the war raged on, fighting spread beyond Europe to Af-
rica, as well as to Southwest and Southeast Asia. In the years
after it began, the massive European conflict indeed became
a world war. (3) (4)

Section 2 Review
1. What was the strategy of the Scheifflen Plan?
2. Way this plan successful? Why or Why Not?
3. What were some of the new weapons introduced dur-
ing WWI?
4. What was No Man’s Land?
5. Click on the links for following battles and summarize:
Marne, Verdun, Somme, Tannenberg

20
 SECTION 3

A True World War

War Affects the World the invasion
As the war dragged on, the main combatants looked beyond force was
Europe for a way to end the stalemate. However, none of the withdrawn
alliances they formed or new battlefronts they opened did to
much to end the slow and grinding conflict.A promising strat- Egypt.(1)(2)
egy for the Allies seemed to be to attack a region in the Otto- The cam-
man Empire known as the Dardanelles. By securing this re- paign was
gion, the Allies believed that they could take the capital city one of the
Constantinople, defeat the Turks, and establish a supply line greatest Ot-
to Russia. The Gallipoli Campaign as the Allies called it, toman victo-
ries during
took place between April 25, 1915 and January 9, 1916. The
the war and
peninsula forms the northern bank of the Dardanelles, a
a major Al-
strait that provides a sea route to what was then the Russian
lied failure.
Empire, one of the Allied powers during the war. Intending
In Turkey, it is regarded as a defining moment in the nation's
to secure it, Russia's allies Britain and France launched a na-
history: a final surge in the defense of the motherland as the
val attack followed by an amphibious landing on the penin-
Ottoman Empire crumbled. The struggle formed the basis
sula with the eventual aim of capturing the Ottoman capital
for the Turkish War of Independence and the founding of
of Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul). The naval at-
the Republic of Turkey eight years later under Mustafa Ke-
tack was repelled and, after eight months' fighting, with many
mal Atatürk, who first rose to prominence as a commander
casualties on both sides, the land campaign also failed and

21
at Gallipoli. The campaign is often tion of international law. The Ger-
considered as marking the birth of na- mans finally agreed to stop attacking
tional consciousness in Australia and neutral and passenger ships. (5) In
New Zealand and the date of the land- January 1917, Germany resumed un-
ing, April 25, is known as "Anzac restricted submarine warfare, realiz-
Day" which is the most significant ing it would mean American entry.
commemoration of military casualties The German Foreign Minister Arthur
and veterans in those two countries, Zimmerman, in the Zimmermann
surpassing Remembrance Day (Armi- Telegram, Mexico to join the war
stice Day). (3) (4) as Germany's ally against the United
United States Enters the War States. In return, the Germans would finance Mexico's war
In 1917, the focus of the war shifted to the high seas. In Janu- and help it recover the territories of Texas, New Mexico, and
ary 1917, Germany declares unrestricted submarine warfare. Arizona. The United Kingdom intercepted the message and
The Germans believed that it was possible to defeat the Brit- presented it to the US embassy in the UK. From there it
ish in six months through this, and assumed it would take at made its way to President Wilson who released the Zimmer-
least one year for America to mobilize as a result of the ac- mann note to the public, and
tions. Thus, they banked on the hope that they could defeat Americans saw it as an act or event
Britain before America would enter the war.The Germans that provokes or is used to justify
had tried this policy before. At the outbreak of the war, the war. Wilson called on antiwar ele-
United States pursued a policy of non-intervention, avoiding ments to end all wars, by winning
conflict while trying to broker a peace. When the German U- this one and eliminating militarism
boat sank the British liner RMS Lusitania on May 7, 1915 from the globe. He argued that the
war was so important that the US
with 128 Americans among the dead, President Woodrow
had to have a voice in the peace
Wilson insisted that "America is too proud to fight" but de-
conference. After the sinking of
manded an end to attacks on passenger ships. Germany com-
seven US merchant ships by subma-
plied. Wilson unsuccessfully tried to mediate a settlement.
rines and the publication of the Zimmerman telegram, Wil-
However, he also repeatedly warned that the United States
son called for war on Germany, which the US Congress de-
would not tolerate unrestricted submarine warfare, in viola-
clared on April 6, 1917.(6) The United States was never for-

22
mally a member of the Allies but became a self-styled "Associ-
ated Power." The United States had a small army, but, after
the passage of the Selective Service Act, it drafted 2.8 million
men, and by summer 1918, was sending 10,000 fresh soldiers
to France every day. Germany had miscalculated, believing it
would be many more months before American soldiers would
arrive and that their arrival could be stopped by U-boats. (7)
The Allies Win the War
In March 1917, civil unrest in Russia, due in large part to
war-related shortages of food and fuel, forced Czar Nicholas
to step down and the appointment of a weak Provisional Gov-
ernment was formed. This arrangement led to confusion and Western Front. German General Erich Ludendorff drew up
chaos both at the front and at home. The army became in- plans (codenamed Operation Michael) for the 1918 offensive
creasingly ineffective. on the Western Front. The Spring Offensive sought to divide
the British and French forces with a series of feints and ad-
Discontent and the weaknesses of the Provisional Govern-
vances. The German leadership hoped to end the war before
ment led to a rise in the popularity of the Bolshevik Party, led
significant US forces arrived. The operation commenced on
by Vladimir Lenin, which demanded an immediate end to
March 21, 1918, with an attack on British forces near the
the war. The successful armed uprising by the Bolsheviks of
French city of Amiens. The front moved to within 75 miles
November was followed in December by an armistice and ne-
of Paris. Three heavy Krupp railway gun s fired 183 shells on
gotiations with Germany. At first, the Bolsheviks refused the
the capital, causing many Parisians to flee. The initial offen-
German terms, but when German troops began marching
sive was so successful that Kaiser Wilhelm II declared March
across the Ukraine unopposed, the new government acceded
24 a national holiday. Many Germans thought victory was
to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk on March 3, 1918. The
near. French General Ferdinand Foch pressed to use the
treaty ceded vast territories, including Finland, the Baltic
arriving American troops as individual replacements. These
provinces, parts of Poland and Ukraine to the Central Pow-
units were assigned to the depleted French and British Em-
ers. With the adoption of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, the En-
pire commands on March 28. A Supreme War Council of Al-
tente no longer existed. (8) Russia's withdrawal from the war
lied forces was created at the Doullens Conference on Novem-
at last allowed Germany to send nearly all its forces to the

23
ber 5, 1917. General Foch was ap- Four dynasties, together with their ancillary aristocracies, all
pointed as supreme commander of fell after the war: the Hohenzollerns, the Habsburgs, the Ro-
the Allied forces. (9) By this time, manovs, and the Ottomans. Belgium and Serbia were badly
the German military had weakened. damaged, as was France, with 1.4 million soldiers dead, not
The effort to reach Paris had ex- counting other casualties. Germany and Russia were simi-
hausted men and supplies alike. larly affected. The war also had a devastating economic im-
Sensing this weakness, the Allies led pact on Europe. The great conflict drained the treasuries of
by General Foch, launched a coun- European countries. One account put the total cost of the
terattack in July 1918. The Second war at $338 billion, a staggering amount for that time. (10)
Battle of the Marne was the last
major German Spring Offensive on
the Western Front during the First
Section 3 Review
World War. The German attack failed when an Allied
counter attack led by French and American forces, including 1. What was the purpose of the Gallipoli Campaign? Was
several hundred tanks, overwhelmed the Germans. On Sep- it successful? Make sure to read the link to answer the
question!
tember 29, 1918, allied troops broke through the German for-
tifications at the Hindenburg line, and the end of the war 2. What two events brought the United States into World
came into view. On November 9, 1918, Kaiser Wilhelm II ab- War I?
dicated, and on November 10 the German Weimar Republic 3. What was the Treaty of Brest-Litvosk?
was founded. On November 11, 1918, at eleven o'clock on 4. What was the importance of the Second Battle of the
the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, the war Marne?
ended as Germany and the Allies signed an armistice agree-
ment. (10) 5. What was the importance of November 11, 1918?

Aftermath
No other war had changed the map of Europe so dramati-
cally. Four empires disappeared: the German, Austro-
Hungarian, Ottoman, and Russian. Numerous nations re-
gained their former independence, and new ones created.

24
 SECTION 4

Formal End of the War with the Quicksand Peace

The Allies Meet and Debate 1919. The United States Senate did not ratify the treaty de-
Despite representatives from numerous countries, the meet- spite public support for it. The treaty dealt with Germany,
ing's major decisions were hammered out by a group known and building on Wilson's 14th point, brought into being the
as the Big Four: Georges Clemenceau of France, David League of Nations on June 28, 1919. The league was to
Lloyd George of Great Britain, Woodrow Wilson of be an international association whose goal would be to keep
peace among nations. (1)
the United States, and Vittorio Orlando of Italy. Rus-
sia, in the grip of civil war, was not represented. Neither The treaty stripped Germany of 25,000 square miles of terri-
were Germany and its allies. tory and 7,000,000 people. It also required Germany to give
up the gains made via the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and allow
A formal state
self-determination to the people of those nations. This meant
of war between
allowing people to decide for themselves under what govern-
the two sides
ment they wished to live.
persisted for an-
other seven The treaty was comprehensive and complex in the restric-
months, until tions imposed upon the post-war German armed forces. The
the signing of provisions were intended to make Germany incapable of of-
the Treaty of fensive action and to encourage international disarmament.
Versailles Germany was to demobilize sufficient soldiers by March 31,
with Germany 1920, to leave an army of no more than 100,000 men. The
on June 28, German navy was allowed only 15,000 men, a limited

25
amount of battleships, and was forbidden submarines. Article would give way. In a little more than two decades, the trea-
198 prohibited Germany from having an air force, including ties' legacy of bitterness would help send the world into an-
naval air forces, and required Germany to hand over all aer- other catastrophic war. This was not a war to end of all wars.
ial related materials. In conjunction, Germany was forbidden
to manufacture or import aircraft or related material for a pe-
riod of six months following the signing of the treaty. (2)
As tough as these provisions were, the harshest was Article Section 3 Review
231. This article became known as War Guilt clause as the 1. Who were the Big Four?
majority of Germans felt humiliated and resentful. It placed
2. Which countries were left out?
sole responsibility for the war on Germany's shoulders. As a
result, Germany had to pay reparations to the Allies. The 3. What was the League of Nations?
London Schedule of Payments, of May 5, 1921, established 4. What was Article 231
the full liability of the combined Central Powers at 132 bil- 5. Click on the link for the Treaty of Versailles. Read
lion gold marks. This required Germany to pay 132 billion the full article and summarize.
gold marks (US $33 billion) in reparations to cover civilian
damage caused during the war. However of this figure, Ger-
many was only required to pay 50 billion gold marks (US
$12.5 billion), a smaller amount than they had previously of-
fered for terms of peace. Reparations were unpopular and
strained the German economy but they were payable and
from 1919–1931, when reparations ended, Germany paid
fewer than 21 billion gold marks. (3)(4)
Some Allied powers, too, were embittered by the outcome.
Both Japan and Italy, which had entered the war to gain terri-
tory, had gained less than they wanted. Lacking the support
of the US and other world powers, the League of Nations
was in no position to take action on these and other com-
plaints. This peace was built on quicksand and eventually

26
 Chapter 3

RUSSIAN
REVOLUTION

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File_talk:Flag_of_the_Soviet_Union.svg#mediaviewer/
File:Hammer_and_Sickle_on_Flag_of_Soviet_Union.JPG
 SECTION 1

The Czar Resists Change

autocracy, a system of government by one person with abso-
Interactive 3.1 Russian Revolution
lute power.
Within these principles, Alexander III tried to wipe out these
revolutionaries through imposing strict censorship codes on
published material including private letters. His secret police
watched both secondary schools and universities. Political
prisoners were sent to Siberia, a remote region of eastern
Russia.
To establish a uniform Russian cul-
ture, Alexander III oppressed other na-
tional groups within Russia. Through
his reform called Justification, he
Click on the image to watch the Russian Revolution made Russia the official language of
Trailer the empire and forbade the use of mi-
nority languages, such as Polish, in
In 1881, due to the slow pace of political change, revolution-
schools. The Czar also made Jews the
aries assassinated the reform-minded Czar Alexander II. Rus-
target of persecution. A wave of po-
sia, being a firecracker with a long fuse, was heading towards
groms, organized violence against
a full-scale revolution. Alexander III, son of the assassina-
the Jews broke out in many parts of Russia.
tion Czar, halted all reforms and clung to the principles of

28
 When Nicholas II became Czar in these liberties in order to preserve the ultimate authority of
1894, he continued the tradition of the crown. (2)
Russian autocracy. Many sections of Economic and Social Changes
the country had reason to be dissatis-
fied with the existing autocracy. An elementary theory of property, believed by many peas-
Nicholas II was a deeply conservative ants, was that land should belong to those who work on it. At
ruler and maintained a strict authori- the same time, peasant life and culture was changing con-
tarian system. Individuals and society stantly. Change was facilitated by the physical movement of
in general were expected to show self- growing numbers of peasant villagers who migrated to and
restraint, devotion to community, def- from industrial and urban environments, but also by the intro-
erence to the social hierarchy and a duction of city culture into the village through material
sense of duty to the country. Religious goods, the press, and word of mouth.
faith helped bind all of these tenets together as a source of Workers also had good reasons for discontent: overcrowded
comfort and reassurance in the face of difficult conditions housing with often deplorable sanitary conditions, long hours
and as a means of political authority exercised through the at work (on the eve of the war a 10-hour workday six days a
clergy. Perhaps more than any other modern monarch, week was the average and many were working 11–12 hours a
Nicholas II attached his fate and the future of his dynasty to day by 1916), constant risk of injury and death from poor
the notion of the ruler as a saintly and infallible father to his safety and sanitary conditions, harsh discipline (not only rules
people. (1) and fines, but foremen’s fists), and inadequate wages (made
This idealized vision of the Romanov monarchy blinded him worse after 1914 by steep wartime increases in the cost of liv-
to the actual state of his country. With a firm belief that his ing). At the same time, urban industrial life was full of bene-
power to rule was granted by Divine Right, Nicholas as- fits, though these could be just as dangerous, from the point
sumed that the Russian people were devoted to him with un- of view of social and political stability, as the hardships.
questioning loyalty. This ironclad belief rendered Nicholas There were many encouragements to expect more from life.
unwilling to allow the progressive reforms that might have al- Acquiring new skills gave many workers a sense of self-
leviated the suffering of the Russian people. Even after the respect and confidence, heightening expectations and desires.
1905 revolution spurred the Czar to decree limited civil Living in cities allowed workers to encounter material goods
rights and democratic representation, he worked to limit even that they had never seen while living in the village. Most im-

29
portant, living in cities, they were exposed to new ideas about As a result of all of these factors, several revolutionary move-
the social and political order. (3) ments began to grow and compete for power. A group that
The social causes of the Russian Revolution mainly came followed the views of Karl Marx, a Ger-
from centuries of oppression of the lower classes by the Czar- man philosopher, successfully established a
ist regime, and Nicholas's failures in World War I. While ru- following in Russia. The Marxist revolution-
ral agrarian peasants had been emancipated from serfdom in aries believed that the industrial class of
1861, they still resented paying redemption payments to the workers would overthrow the Czar. In 1903,
state, and demanded communal tender of the land they Russian
worked. The problem was further compounded by the failure Marxists Interactive 3.2 Mr. Buckley’s
of Sergei Witte's land reforms of the early 20th century. In- split into Wisdom
creasing peasant disturbances and sometimes actual revolts two groups
occurred, with the goal of securing ownership of the land over revolu-
they worked. tionary tac-
tics. The more moderate
The rapid industrialization of Russia also resulted in urban
Mensheviks, who wanted
overcrowding and poor conditions for urban industrial work-
a broad base of popular sup- Click on the image to learn about
ers. Between 1890 and 1910, the population of the capital,
port for the revolution and Marxism
Saint Petersburg, swelled from 1,033,600 to 1,905,600, with
the radical Bolsheviks, will-
Moscow experiencing similar growth. This created a new
ing to sacrifice everything for change.
'proletariat' working class, which due to being crowded to-
The major leader of the Bolsheviks
gether in the cities, was much more likely to protest and go
was Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. He
on strike than the peasantry had been in previous times. In
one 1904 survey, it was found that an average of sixteen peo- adopted the name of Lenin. (5)
ple shared each apartment in Saint Petersburg, with six peo- Crises at Home and Abroad
ple per room. There was also no running water, and piles of Dissatisfaction with Russian autocracy
human waste were a threat to the health of the workers. The culminated in the huge national up-
poor conditions only aggravated the situation, with the num- heaval that followed the Bloody Sunday
ber of strikes and incidents of public disorder rapidly increas- massacre of January 1905, in which hun-
ing in the years shortly before World War I. (4) dreds of unarmed protesters were shot

30
by the Czar's troops. Workers responded to the massacre with Grigori Rasputin in the Impe-
a crippling general strike, forcing Nicholas to put forth the rial family was widely resented.
October Manifesto, which established a democratically In the eyes of many historians,
elected parliament called the Duma. The Czar undermined Rasputin was a "fatal disease" to
this promise of reform but a year later with Article 87 of the the Czarist regime. (6)
1906 Fundamental State Laws, and subsequently dismissed
the first two Dumas when they proved uncooperative. Unful-
filled hopes of democracy fueled revolutionary ideas and vio- The March Revolution of
lent outbursts targeted at the monarchy. 1917
One of the Czar’s principal rationales for risking war in 1914 The peasants were unhappy with
was his desire to restore the prestige that Russia had lost the Czar as a result of losses from
amid the debacles of the Russo-Japanese war. Nicholas World War I, the lack of real rep-
also sought to foster a greater sense of national unity with a resentation and the Czar's dismissal of the Duma, the influ-
war against a common and ancient enemy. The Russian Em- ence of Rasputin upon Alexandra, hunger, food shortages,
pire was an agglomeration of diverse ethnicities that had and industrial working conditions.
shown significant signs of disunity in the years before the As a result, on March 8, 1917, food riots broke out in St. Pe-
First World War. Nicholas believed in part that the shared tersburg; however, the soldiers refused to fire upon the riot-
peril and tribulation of a foreign war would mitigate the so- ers. At this time, two forces were in competition for control
cial unrest over the persistent issues of poverty, inequality, of the revolution. Members of the Duma executive commit-
and inhuman working conditions. Instead of restoring Rus- tee called for a moderate constitutional government, while So-
sia's political and military standing, World War I led to the viets, members of worker councils, pushed for revolution and
horrifying slaughter of Russian troops and military defeats industrial reform. On March 15, 1917, the Czar attempted
that undermined both the monarchy and society in general to return to Russia by train, but was stopped by the troops
to the point of collapse. In the autumn of 1915, Nicholas and was forced to abdicate. From March through November,
had taken direct command of the army, personally oversee- a provisional government was led by Alexander Kerensky, a
ing Russia's main theatre of war and leaving his ambitious socialist, and Prince Lvov. However, this government was des-
but incapable wife Alexandra in charge of the government. tined to fail because it took no action in land distribution,
Reports of corruption and incompetence in the Imperial gov- continued to fight in World War I, and failed to fix food short-
ernment began to emerge, and the growing influence of ages. General Kornilov attempted a coup, but Kerensky used

31
the Soviets and Bolsheviks to put down the coup. However, sional Government. The Army lost its Commander and the
this action showed the weakness of Kerensky. streets were handed over to the Bolsheviks. (7)
The March Revolution marked the first time that the class Bolsheviks in Power
struggle predicted by Karl Marx took place. Thus, the March
Revolution was a true Marxist revolution based upon the In March 1918 Lenin established the "dictatorship of the pro-
theories of Marx in The Communist Manifesto. (7) letariat," adopted the name "Communist Party," and signed
the treaty of Brest-Litovsk, withdrawing Russia from World
The November Revolution of 1917 War I. Civil war raged in
Vladimir Lenin realized that the time had come to seize the Russia from 1918 until 1922,
revolution. He authored the "April Theses," in which he pitting the Reds (Bolsheviks Interactive 3.3 Mr. Buckley’s
Wisdom
promised peace with the Central Powers, redistribution of led by Leon Trotsky) against
the land, transfer of the factories to the owners, and the rec- the Whites, which consisted
ognition of the Soviets as the supreme power in Russia. In of czarists, liberals, the bour-
this sense, the November Revolution was led by Lenin rather geois, Mensheviks, the U.S.,
than being an overall coup by the workers, and thus the No- Britain, and France. The vic-
vember revolution cannot be dubbed a true Marxist revolu- torious Bolsheviks acted to
tion. The Revolution may never have happened had not the eliminate their opposition us-
Prime Minister of the Time, Alexander Kerensky, destroyed ing secret police groups such
the power of authority within the Army and Navy by allow- as the Cheka, the NKVD, Click on the picture to learn
ing the Bolshevik and Menshevik committee’s greater powers. and the KGB. Lenin at- about the rule of Lenin.
Kerensky effectively disarmed the Man who could have pre- tempted to maintain Marx-
vented the Revolution ever happening. The man in question, ism, hoping to reach Marx's state of a property less, classless
was the Commander-in-Chief, General Lavr Kornilov who utopia. However, the pursuit of communism generally failed
attempted to bring to heel the populist Government of Keren- and the economy declined. Accordingly, Lenin enacted the
sky and instill some authority back in to the state and the New Economic Policy in March 1921, which compro-
Army. Kerensky seized the opportunity to relieve Kornilov of mised many aspects of communism for capitalism's profits.
his office and effectively gave the Bolsheviks, namely the Red (7)
Guard within the ranks of the Petrograd sailors, a Carte
Blanc to take up arms in the so called defense of the Provi-

32
Stalin Becomes Dictator
Lenin suffered a stroke in
1922. He survived, but the in- Section 1 Review
cident set in motion competi- 1. What were some of the biggest problems with
tion for heading up the Com- the Romanov Czars?
munist Party. Two of the
2. What were the pogroms?
most notable men were Leon
Trotsky and Joseph Sta- 3. Summarize the major ideas of Marxism.
lin. Stalin began his climb to 4. What is the significance of Rasputin?
the head of the government be- 5. Where were the March and November Revo-
tween 1922 and 1927. In 1922, as general secretary of the lutions?
Communist Party, he worked behind the scenes to move his
6. What was Lenin’s NEP?
supporters into positions of power. Lenin found Stalin to be a
dangerous man. Lenin died in 1924 and by 1928 Stalin was 7. Who was Leon Trotsky?
in total control of the Communist Party. Trotsky, forced into 8. How did Stalin come to power?
exile in 1929, was no longer a threat. Stalin now stood poised
to wield absolute power as a dictator. (8)

33
 SECTION 2

The World According to Stalin

Stalinist Russia economic system put forward by the first Five-Year Plan in-
At the 15th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet volved a complicated series of planning arrangements. The
Union in December 1927, Joseph Stalin attacked the left by first Five-Year plan focused on the mobilization of natural re-
expelling Leon Trotsky and his supporters from the party and sources to build up the country's heavy industrial base by in-
then moving against the right by abandoning Vladimir creasing output of coal, iron, and
Lenin's New Economic Policy which led to the creation of a other vital resources. Based on these
totalitarian government. Totalitarianism is a concept used figures the Soviet government de-
by some political scientists in which the state holds total clared that Five Year Industrial Pro-
authority over the society and seeks to control all aspects of duction Plan had been fulfilled by
public and private life wherever possible. Warning delegates 93.7% in only four years, while parts
of an impending capitalist encirclement, Stalin insisted that devoted to heavy-industry part were
survival and development could only occur by pursuing the fulfilled by 108%. Stalin in December
rapid development of heavy industry. 1932 declared the plan a success to
the Central Committee, since in-
Industrial Revolution creases in the output of coal and iron
The party under Stalin's direction established a state organi- would fuel future development. Stalin, feeling that the first
zation that would guide the socialist economy towards acceler- five-year plan was a success, declared a second five-year plan
ating industrialization called Gosplan. This was the first (1933–37), on the basis of the huge investment during the
step towards Stalin's system of government which made all first plan, industry expanded extremely rapidly, and nearly
economic decisions called a command economy. The new reached the plan's targets. By 1937 coal output was 127 mil-

34
lion tons, iron 14.5 million tons, and there had been rapid de-
velopment of the armaments industry. (1) (2)
While making a massive leap in industrial capacity, these Five
Year Plans were extremely harsh on industrial workers; quo-
tas were difficult to fulfill, requiring that miners put in 16 to
18-hour workdays. Failure to fulfill quotas could result in trea-
son charges. Working conditions were poor, even hazardous. old cadres and the rank and file of the Bolshevik Party. Ulti-
Agricultural Revolution mately, those supposedly involved in this and other conspira-
cies numbered in the tens of thousands with various Old Bol-
In 1928, the government began to seize privately owned
sheviks and senior party members blamed with conspiracy
farms and combined them into large, government owned
and sabotage which were used to explain industrial accidents,
farms, called collective farms. By 1936, about 90% of Soviet
production shortfalls and other failures of Stalin's regime.
agriculture had been collectivized. In many cases, peasants
The entire Politburo and most of the Central Committee
bitterly opposed this process and often slaughtered their ani-
were purged, along with foreign communists who were living
mals rather than give them to collective farms, even though
in the Soviet Union, and numerous intellectuals, bureaucrats,
the Government only wanted the grain. Kulaks, prosperous
and factory managers. Historians believed that an estimated
peasants, were forcibly resettled to Siberia and the Russian
8 to 13 million people were killed during this time period. In
Far North (a large portion of the kulaks served at forced la-
1936, the country adopted its first formal constitution, which
bor camps). However, just about anyone opposing collectiviza-
on paper at least granted freedom of speech, religion, and as-
tion was deemed a "kulak." (3)
sembly. Stalin successfully ushered in a period of total social
The Purges (Click Here to Watch the Video) control and rule by terror, rather than constitutional govern-
Stalin aimed to create a perfect Communist state in Russia. ment.
To realize his vision, Stalin planned to transform the Soviet
Section 2 Review
Union into a totalitarian state. He began building his vision
by destroying his enemies that were real and imagined. As 1. Identify the following: Totalitarianism,
this process unfolded, Stalin consolidated near-absolute Gosplan, Five Year Plans, Kulaks, Purges,
Politburo.
power in 1934 by launching the Great Purges against his sus-
pected political and ideological opponents, most notably the

35
 Chapter 4

THE WORLD
BETWEEN THE
WARS
1919-1939

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benito_Mussolini#mediaviewer/File:Mussolini_a_
_Berl%C3%ADn_1937.jpg
 SECTION 1

Uncertanity
Revolution in Science and Psychology
Interactive 4.1 World Between the Wars Albert Einstein was a German-
born theoretical physicist and phi-
losopher of science. He developed
the general theory of relativity. Ein-
stein theorized that while the speed
of light is constant, other things
that seem constant, such as space
and time, are not. Speed and time
can change when measured relative
to an object mov-
ing near the speed
of light. Einstein's idea had implications
Click on the Image to View the Trailer not only for science but also how people
viewed the world.
The horrors of World War I shattered the Enlightenment be- Sigmund Freud was an Austrian neurolo-
lief that progress would continue and reason would prevail. gist, known as the father of psychoanalysis.
In the postwar period, people began questioning traditional From his experiences, he constructed a the-
beliefs. Answers were being found in many sectors of society. ory about the human mind. Freud believed

37
that most of human behavior is irrational, or beyond reason. Some major leaders of this movement were Jean Paul Sar-
He called the irrational part of the mind the unconscious. (1) tre of France and Karl Jaspers of Germany. Also from
Thinkers React to Uncertainties Germany who influenced this philosophy was Friedrich Ni-
etzsche. In the 1880s, Nietzsche wrote that Western ideas
In people's search for meaning in an uncertain world, some
such as democracy and progress had muted people's creativ-
thinkers turned to new philosophies. One of those philoso-
ity and actions. He encouraged a return to ancient heroic val-
phies is existentialism. Existentialism is a philosophical the-
ues of pride and strength, seen in the ancient societies like
ory or approach that emphasizes the existence of the individ-
Greece and Rome. (1)
ual person as a free and responsible agent determining their
own development through acts of the will. In other words, Change in the Arts
there is no universal meaning to life and each person creates Artists rebelled against earlier realistic styles of painting.
his or her own meaning in life through choices made and ac- They wanted to depict the inner world through emotion and
tions taken. imagination rather than showing realistic representations of
objects. An example of this
Gallery 4.1 Exisentialists change in artistic styles was
Spanish artist Pablo Picasso
and his style Cubism. This
style transformed natural
shapes into geometric forms.
Objects were broken down
into different parts with sharp
angles and edges.

Inspired by Freud's ideas, surrealism was to resolve the pre-

Karl Jaspers viously contradictory conditions of dream and reality. Artists
http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Jaspers#mediaviewer/File:Karl_Jaspers.jpg painted unnerving, illogical scenes with photographic preci-
sion, created strange creatures from everyday objects and de-
veloped painting techniques that allowed the unconscious to

38
express itself and/or an idea/ revolutionary for his time was the type of functional style he
concept. Surrealism developed used in designing his structures. Wright believed in designing
out of the Dada activities dur- structures that were in harmony with humanity and its envi-
ing World War I and the most ronment, a philosophy he called organic architecture. This
important center of the move- philosophy was best
ment was Paris. exemplified by
Fallingwater
(1935), which has
To quote Dona Budd's The Language of Art Knowledge, been called "the best
"Dada was born out of negative reaction to the horrors of all-time work of
World War I. This international movement was begun by a American architec-
group of artists and poets associated with the Cabaret Vol- ture." (3)
taire in Zurich. Dada rejected reason and logic, prizing non-
sense, irrationality and intuition. The origin of the name
Dada is unclear; some believe that it is a nonsensical word. Composers during this time period
Others maintain that it originates from the Romanian artists Audio 4.1 The moved away from traditional styles of
Tristan Tzara's and Marcel Janco's frequent use of the words Rite of Spring music to begin finding new ways of ex-
"da, da," meaning "yes, yes" in the Romanian language. An- Purchased from pressing themselves. Russian composer
other theory says that the name "Dada" came during a meet- iTunes Igor Stravinsky used irregular rhythms
ing of the group when a paper knife stuck into a French- and harsh combinations of sounds to
German dictionary happened to point to 'dada', a French create his ballet masterpiece The Rite
word for 'hobbyhorse'." (2) of Spring. Though this is considered a
masterpiece today, many people from
the audience on the opening night of this ballet walked out
Other ways artists rebelled and expressed of the theater troubled by the sounds. In the United States
themselves was through architectural design however, a new lively, loose beat style called jazz emerged,
and music. An American architect, Frank capturing the new freedom of the age. Developed by mainly
Lloyd Wright was responsible in design- African American musicians, this style took off in the cities
ing over 1,000 structures and completed of New Orleans, Memphis, and Chicago.
532 during his lifetime. What made him so

39
Women's Roles Change Technology Changes Life
The spirit of the times was clearly shown The automobile benefited from a host of wartime innova-
in the changes women were making in tions and improvements. Cars were now more appealing to
their lives. Prior to the 19th Amendment, look at and after World War I, with prices dropping; the mid-
feminists commonly thought women could dle class could afford to buy them. This would later lead to
not pursue both a career and a family suc- lifestyle changes, where more people traveled for pleasure.
cessfully, believing one would inherently People also moved to suburbs and commuted to work in the
inhibit the development of the other. This cities.
mentality began to change in the 1920s, as After the war, international air travel became an objective
more women began to desire not only suc- and priority to this industry. In 1927, an American pilot
cessful careers of their own, but also fami- named Charles Lindbergh capture the world's attention
lies. (4) The achievement of suffrage led to
with a 33-hour solo flight from New York to Paris. Though
feminists refocusing their efforts towards other goals. Groups
most the world's passenger airlines were established during
such as the National Women's Party continued the political
this time, the rich were the only class able to afford air travel.
fight, proposing the Equal Rights Amendment in 1923 and
This still did not stop aviation pioneers including Amelia Ear-
working to remove laws that used sex to discriminate against
hart in 1932 to become the first women to fly solo across the
women, but many women shifted their focus from politics to
Atlantic.
challenge traditional definitions of womanhood. (5) Young
women, especially, began staking claim to their own bodies Radio development was a real push after World War I thanks
and took part in a sexual liberation of their generation. to Guglielmo Marconi's successful experiments with the
Many of the ideas that fueled this change in sexual thought radio in 1895. In 1920, a Pittsburgh radio station, KDKA,
were already floating around New York intellectual circles successful began broadcasting and became the world's first
prior to World War I, with the writings of Sigmund Freud, commercial radio station. Radio mania swept the U.S., lead-
Havelock Ellis, and Ellen Key. There, thinkers ousted that sex ing to families who owned a radio to listen to news, plays,
was not only central to the human experience, but also and even live sporting events.
women were sexual beings with human impulses and desires As the radio took off, so did the motion picture industry in
just like men, and restraining these impulses was self- the 1920s. Though many countries in Europe produced mov-
destructive. By the 1920s, these ideas had permeated the ies as a serious art form, 90 percent of all films were made in
mainstream. (5) Hollywood district of Los Angeles for the purpose of enter-

40
tainment. One of the most popular comic geniuses of the
Hollywood's silent screen was the English-born Charlie
Chaplin. He was known for his portrayal of the lonely
tramp, long-term homeless person who travels from place to
place bewildered by life.
These advancements brought the world in closer touch and
global prosperity came to depend on the economic stability
of many major nations including the United States.

Section 1 Review
1. Identify the following people: Albert Einstein,
Sigmund Freud, Pablo Picasso, Friedrich Nietz-
sche, Frank Lloyd Wright, Charlie Chaplin,
Charles Lindbergh, Guglielmo Marconi.
2. Why did women’s roles change in the 1920s?
3. Why could the period after WWI be called an
Age of Uncertainty?

41
 SECTION 2

A Global Depression
Europe is Politically Unstable that surrender was a "stab in the back" of an army capable
The cost of World War I was immense. However, following of winning the war. (1)
the war a sudden rise of new democracies was beginning to Immediately after the war, the Weimar Republic encountered
form. Unfortunately, many citizens of these new democracies severe economic problems. Millions of demobilized soldiers
had little experience with representative governments, since arrived home to find little or no work. Hunger was wide-
for centuries they have been ruled by kings and emperors. spread. In addition, France and Britain owed war debts to
With the development of large political parties within these the United States, and in order to pay them demanded repa-
countries, it made it difficult for these representative govern- ration from Germany. Germany was unable to pay, so France
ments to properly function. When no single party won a ma- seized the industrial towns of the Ruhr valley. The German
jority, a coalition government, or temporary alliance of sev- response was to print money to pay the un-
eral parties, was needed to form a parliamentary majority. employed workers of the Ruhr, which re-
Germany's new democratic government, the so-called Wei- sulted in massive hyperinflation in Ger-
many. (1)
mar Republic, faced serious problems following the Treaty
of Versailles. Though Kaiser Wilhelm II had abdicated and In an attempt to stabilize the German
the wartime military leadership had lost its authority, Ger- economy, an international committee
mans widely refused to admit that their army had lost the headed by an American banker, Charles
war. A significant number believed that Germany could have Dawes, provided a $200 million loan
continued to fight and eventually gotten the upper hand, and from American banks. This Dawes Plan
did help slow down inflation, set a more

42
realistic schedule for reparation payments, and by 1929, Ger- tural depression and falling prices resulted in increased agri-
man factories were producing as much as they had prior to cultural output but decreased demand. Overproduction in
World War I. This would attract more loans and investments the factories, and over expansion of credit would lead to the
from the United States. U.S. stock market crash beginning on October 29, 1929.
As Germany's economy began to recover economically, the With the markets crash, people were unable to pay the
country wanted to also improve relations between them and money they owed on margin purchases, the purchase of an
France politically. Germany's foreign minister, Gustav Strese- asset by paying the margin and borrowing the balance from a
mann and France's Aristide Briand met at Locarno, Switzer- bank or broker. Within months of the crash, unemployment
land in 1925 to sign a treaty promising that the two countries rose while industrial production, prices, and wages declined.
would never again go to war against each other. Due to this
"spirit of Locarno," it inspired the signing of the Kellogg- Interactive 4.2 Buying Stock on Margin
Briand Pact in 1928. U.S. Secretary of State, Frank Kel-
logg met with Aristide Briand and arranged this agreement
with almost every country in the world including the Soviet
Union renouncing war as an instrument that is used in diplo-
matic policies. Though this was a good start to rebuild
healthy relations amongst nations, this treaty could not be en-
forced by the League of Nations due to not having an armed
force.
Economic Depression
In the late 1920s, the United States economy became the "fi-
nancial crutch" to the world's economy. If the U.S. economy
weakened, this "crutch" would be taken away and could lead
the world's economic systems to collapse. In 1929, it did.
In 1929, American factories were producing more than half
Learn how people were using the Stock Market that caused the
of the world's industrial goods. However, low wages at the crash!
time resulted in less purchasing power and many citizens
were running to the banks to borrow the money. An agricul-

43
This long business slump would come to be called the Great banking systems. The New Deal would eventually reform the
Depression. (1) American economic system and bring faith in democratic sys-
tems. However, certain European countries were beginning
Actions pursued by the United States when the Great Depres-
to be threatened by dictators.
sion was still in its infancy involved the Federal Reserve Sys-
tem untimely raise in interest rates (in hopes to lure foreign
investment), and later on, the Smoot–Hawley Tariff created
Section 2 Review
immediate tariff backlash across the world and collapsed a
great majority of world trade. In Great Britain, the govern- 1. What were the weaknesses of the Weimar Repub-
ment cut social spending and installed 100% tariffs on for- lic?
eign goods. Unlike Britain, France had a more self-sufficient 2. What was the Dawes Plan?
economy. However, due to the unrest created by the Great 3. What was the Kellogg-Briand Pact?
Depression, the people elected a "Popular Front," a coalition
of socialists, liberals, and communists, to govern. As a result 4. What caused the Great Depression? Make sure
your read the article
of the Great Depression, fringe
groups such as fascists and commu- 5. What was Roosevelt’s plan called during the Great
nists became more appealing to the Depression?
general populace of Europe. (1)
The Slow Recovery
The U.S. recovery process would
begin in 1932 with the election of
Franklin D. Roosevelt. He im-
mediately began to create govern-
ment reform programs to help ig-
nite the country’s economy called the New Deal. These re-
forms would create large public work projects to deal with
the unemployment, create new government agencies to give
financial help to businesses and farms, spend public money
on welfare, and impose regulations to the stock market and

44
 SECTION 3

Fascism
As a result of the Great Depression, many lost faith in demo- The liberal establishment of Italy,
cratic governments throughout Europe. In response, people fearing a socialist revolution inspired
turned to an extreme system of government called fascism. by the ideas of the Russian Revolu-
This is a strong centralized government with stringent social tion, endorsed the small National Fas-
and economic control, often led by a charismatic dictator and cist Party, led by Benito Mussolini. Af-
characterized by fervent patriotism. Though this system had ter several years of struggle, in Octo-
many similarities to another system called communism, the ber 1922 the fascists attempted a
big difference was that fascism believed that every class had a coup called the March on Rome.
place and function, unlike communism which believed in a The fascist forces were largely infe-
classless society. Fascists also were nationalists unlike commu- rior, but the king, Victor Emmanuel
nists who were internationalists. III, ordered the army not to inter-
Italy vene, formed an alliance with Mussolini, and convinced the
liberal party to endorse a fascist-led government. Over the
The rise of fascism in Italy was due to frustrations over a lack next few years, Mussolini (who became known as "Il Duce",
of territorial gain following the Treaty of Versailles (1919), the leader) eliminated all political parties, including the liber-
rising inflation, and unemployment. The current democratic als, and curtailed personal liberties under the pretext of pre-
government seemed helpless to deal with the country's prob- venting revolution. (1) (2) (3)
lems. The citizens wanted someone to take action. As a re-
sult, a newspaper editor and politician named Benito Mus-
solini would answer the call.

45
With Mussolini's new form of government, he promoted ex- German Workers’ Party (NAZI). Its symbol would be-
treme nationalism and national unity by emphasizing on mas- come the Swastika.
culinity, youth, aggression, and violence. He would also pro-
The weakness of the Weimar
mote racial superiority, the use of secret police, censorship,
Republic encouraged Hitler to
and propaganda. Mussolini sought to have complete control
overthrow the government.
of the economy and by the 1920s; he had total control of It-
The Beer Hall Putsch as it
aly. However, Il Duce never had the type of total power
was called failed and Hitler
achieved by Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union and Adolf Hit-
was sentenced to five years in
ler of Germany. (1) (2) (3)
prison. It was here were he out-
Germany lined his plans for his Third Reich, which was meant to last
At the beginning of the 1930s, Germany was not far from a for a 1,000 years. It was here where he wrote Mein Kampf (See
civil war. Paramilitary troops were set up by several parties, below). (5)
intimidated voters and seeded violence and anger among the After a succession of unsuccessful cabinets on January 29,
public, who suffered from high unemployment and poverty. 1933 President Paul von Hindenburg, seeing little alternative
Meanwhile, elitists in influential positions, alarmed by the and pushed by advisors, appointed Adolf Hitler Chancellor
rise of anti-governmental parties, fought amongst themselves of Germany. On February 27, 1933, the Reichstag (lower
and exploited the emergency authority house of Germany’s legislature) was set on fire. Basic rights
provided in the Weimar Constitution to were abrogated under an emergency decree. An Enabling
rule undemocratically by presidential de- Act gave Hitler's government full legislative power. A central-
cree. (1) (4) ized totalitarian state was established, no longer based on the
A man named Adolf Hitler emerged rule of democratic law, a policy that Hitler had outlined in
onto the scene. A veteran of World War his biography Mein Kampf. Hitler also made clear in his
I and a failed artist, Hitler involved him- work how the German people were a "master race," the Ver-
self with an unknown group, the Ger- sailles treaty was an outrage, and that Germany was over-
man Worker’s Party. It was here where crowded and needed more lebensraum, or living space.
Hitler found his place and quickly be- The new regime made Germany a one-party state by outlaw-
came the leader of what became the National Socialist ing all oppositional parties and repressing the different-
minded parts of the public with the party's own organiza-

46
tions SA and SS, as well as the newly founded state security
police Gestapo. (1) (4)
Industry was closely regulated with quotas and requirements
in order to shift the economy towards a war production base.
Massive public work projects and extensive deficit spending
by the state helped to significantly lower the high unemploy-
ment rate. As a result, the number of unemployed dropped
from about 6 million to 1.5 million in 1936. (1) (4)
By the mid-1930s, the powerful nations of Europe were split
into two political camps - democratic and totalitarian. Those
who were ruled under these fascist dictators had indicated
the willingness to use military force to achieve their goals.

Section 3 Review
1. Define the following: Fascism, Il Duce, Gestapo, Swas-
tika, Beer Hall Putsch, March on Rome, NAZI, Mein
Kampf, Lebensraum.
2. Explain the rise of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.

47
 SECTION 4

The March of the Aggressors

Countries Seeking Empires a direct challenge to the League of Nations. Unfortunately,
During the 1920s, the Japanese government became more since the league did not have a standing army, it was power-
democratic and signed treaties with China and the Kellogg- less against Japan's aggressions. The result would be a "dom-
Briand Pact. However, once the Great Depression struck in ino effect" of other aggressive nations who too will want to
1929, many Japanese blamed the gov- expand their empires.
ernment. The results were militarists tak- The League's failure to stop Japan, fascist leader Mussolini
ing over control of the government, and began his plans for creating an Italian empire. Mussolini's tar-
keeping Emperor Hirohito as head get was one of Africa's three independent nations, Ethiopia.
of state. These militarists were extreme In October 1935, Mussolini orders a massive invasion of the
nationalists and planned a Pacific em- country. The Ethiopians did not stand a chance against the
pire that included China. (1) Italian airplanes, tanks, guns, and poison gas. Ethiopian em-
peror Haile Selassie appealed to the League of Nations for
Japan's first target was Manchuria,
help. The League condemned the attacks but did nothing, in
China. Due to previous treaties with
hope to keep peace in Europe. (1)
China, many Japanese businesses were
already heavily invested in this area and In Spain, a civil war (1936) broke out that was marked by nu-
it was an area rich in iron and coal. Despite objections from merous small battles and sieges, until the rebels (Nationalists)
the Japanese government in 1931, Japan seized this northeast led by Francisco Franco won in 1939 and became a Fascist
province. A puppet government was created and Japanese en- dictator. There was military intervention as Italy sent land
gineers began arriving to build mines and factories. This was forces, and Germany sent smaller elite air force and armored

48
units to the Nationalists. The civil war did The prevalence of pacifisms, general ethical opposition to
not escalate into a larger conflict, but it war and violence, in Europe meant that European nations
did lead many countries to develop a were reluctant to interfere in the actions of the revisionist
growing sense that another world war was powers. In addition, the nations of the Treaty of Versailles
imminent, and that it would be worth began to feel guilty for their treatment
fighting for. (2) of Germany. Moreover, the areas that
Germany initially invaded were all of
German heritage, and the leaders of
In 1933, Germany left the League of Na- the nations wondered if perhaps Ger-
tions. In 1936, Germany remilitarized the Rhineland, a ter- many should be allowed to take those
ritorial "buffer zone" between France and Germany. In 1938, territories. The leaders of France, Brit-
Germany annexed Austria, called Anschluss, which was pro- ain, and Italy met in Munich, Ger-
hibited by the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler made these goals many on September 29, 1938. In this
clear to his adviser because he wanted to create the Third meeting called the Munich Confer-
Reich, or German Empire. ence, British Prime Minister Neville
Chamberlain believed he could preserve peace by giving
into Hitler's demands. France and Britain agreed to allow
Germany to take the Sudetenland, a western region of
Czechoslovakia where three million German-speaking people

49
lived, in exchange for Hitler's pledged to respect Czechoslova-
kia's new boarders. (3) (4)
In 1939, however, Germany seized the rest of Czechoslova-
kia, showing that war was inevitable and that appeasement Section 4
had failed. Poland and Hungary also participated, taking sec- 1. Why was Manchuria important to Japan?
tions of Czech and Slovak territory adjacent to their borders.
2. How was the League of Nations ineffective in stop-
British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain responded to the ping Japanese aggression?
occupation of Czechoslovakia by giving a guarantee to Po-
3. Who was Francisco Franco important?
land that Britain would go to war against Germany if Ger-
many attacked Poland. The Polish government had not re- 4. What was the Rhineland?
quested this alliance. Many historians have seen the guaran- 5. What was the Munich Conference?
tee as Chamberlain opening his eyes to Hitler's aggressive
6. What was the Molotov Ribbentrop Pact?
plans, but some others hold that it foolishly made war much
more likely, by encouraging Poland to defy Germany in any
negotiations over the Polish Corridor and the city of Danzig.
(3) (4)
In response to Chamberlain's pledged to Poland and for Ger-
many to avoid a two front war, Germany and the Soviet
Union shocked the Western powers by signing a non-
aggression pact called the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.
All Europe needed was for Germany to invade Poland to
bring this continent back into a second world war.

50
 Chapter 5

WORLD WAR II
Interactive 5.1 World War II

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52
 SECTION 1

Germany Sparks A New War In Europe

Dealing with the Blitz sitzkrieg, or "sitting war." In reality this "phony war" would
On September 1, 1939, Ger- end on April 9, 1940 with a German surprise invasion of
Denmark and Norway, both falls to the German's within two
many invaded Poland with its
months. With the German's securing these two countries,
new war machine using what
they began to build bases along their coastlines so they could
was called lightning warfare or
launch strikes on Great Britain.
Blitzkrieg. This style involves
using fast-moving airplanes
and tanks, followed by a mas-
sive infantry force to overwhelm
the enemy. As a result, on September 3, 1939, Great Britain
and France declared war on Germany. On September 17,
1939, the U.S.S.R. invaded Poland. In 1940, Germany, Italy,
and Japan signed the Tripartite Treaty, forming the Axis pow-
ers. (1)
A Phony War in the West
Through the winter of 1939-40 the British and French sat be-
hind the French defense system called the Maginot Line,
wondering what would happen next. The German forces too
sat back on their Siegfried line joking that this has become

53
Fall of France Following the fall of France, one French
In May of 1940, Hitler began to invade the countries of the officer who escaped to England in 1940
Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. This strategy was to and refused to accept that France was
distract the Allies' and draw their attention to these countries out of the war was General Charles
as Hitler sends a force of tanks through the Ardennes forest de Gaulle. He organized a fighting unit
into France. France was no more prepared for the blitz than called the Free French and issued a radio
any other country. The Germans tore through France and call over the BBC saying that France had
trapped the British and large num- lost the battle, but she had not lost the
bers of French in a pocket around war. The Free French became an impor-
the port of Dunkirk. British Prime tant fighting unit, but at the time no one
Minister Winston Churchill really heard De Gaulle's appeals.
would respond by getting on the
BBC radio to plea with his people Game Over. Isn't it?
to assist these soldiers who were
trapped in this port city. In one of With the fall of France, Hitler had no issue with Britain and
the most heroic acts of the war, was happy to make peace on generous terms. Hitler wanted
about 850 ships, from battleships to to get on with this planning of the invasion of Russia. Surpris-
civilian crafts, would rescue about ingly, the British government under
338,000 soldiers in what became Winston Churchill made clear that
known as the "miracle at Dunkirk." Unfortunately, the the idea of peace with Germany was
French declared Paris an Open City, meaning that the city not an item on the menu and vowed
would not defend itself, and the Germans marched in. On that the country will fight on. Hitler
June 22, 1940 the unthinkable happened, France had fallen. gave the order for Operation Sea
The Germans took control of the northern part of the coun- Lion, the invasion of Britain.
try and left the southern part to a puppet government led by Hermann Goering, commander of
Marshal Philippe Petain, French hero during WWI. The the German air force, the Luft-
headquarters of this government was in the city of Vichy. (2) waffe, was order to first knock out
the Royal Air Force (RAF), and then land more than 250,000

54
soldiers on the English's shores. At first the German's were British forces 60 miles inside Egypt, but by February 1941,
targeting British airfields and aircraft factories. However, on the British swept across North Africa capturing 130,000 Ital-
September 7, 1940, they began targeting civilian cities to try ian prisoners. Hitler knew that if he
to "break" the morale of the British people. Despite the de- did not step in that he could lose his big-
struction, the British people did not waver. (1) gest ally in Italy. So to reinforce the Ital-
The RAF, badly outnumbered, had two technological advan- ians, Hitler sent in a tank force called the
tages against the strength of the Luftwaffe. The first was an Afrika Korps led by General Erwin
electronic tracking device known as radar. With the RAF Rommel, a.k.a Desert Fox, in March
knowing from miles away where the Luftwaffe was coming of 1941. Gen- eral Rommel caught the
from, it allowed them to get fighter planes in the air at a mo- British by sur- prise, and by June 1942
ment's notice. The other device was an Enigma, a German he seized the British controlled city of
code making machine. In the late 1930s, a complete machine Tobruk.
was smuggled into Great Britain. It enabled the British to de-
code German messages and "beat the Luftwaffe to the
punch."
The Battle of Britain continued until May 10, 1941 when
Hitler called off the operations. Instead, Hitler focused on
the Mediterranean and Eastern Europe. Though the British
taught the Allies that the blitz can be stopped, it was at quite
the cost. With the damage done from the operation, Winston
Churchill would call to the United States for help.

Put Russia on hold - Mussolini needs Help!

Germany's first target was North Africa mainly because of
his partner Mussolini. In September of 1940, Italy attacked
British controlled Egypt's Suez Canal, a key place to reach
the oil fields of the Middle East. At first the Italian's pushed

55
 through Russia killing and destroying whole villages to make
Resistance is Futile! space for German settlers. As the Red Army retreated, they
burned and destroyed any resource that the German army
As the North African campaigns continued, German gener- could use called scorched-earth.
als were already active in the Balkans. Hitler was already
planning the invasion of the Soviet Union as early as the sum-
mer of 1940. To prepare for the invasion, Hitler threatened
with military forces the countries of Romania, Hungary, and
Bulgaria to join the Axis powers.Though these three coun-
tries gave in and joined the Axis, Yugoslavia and Greece, who
had British governments, resisted. As a result, in April 1941,
Germany invaded both countries and conquered them within
28 days combined. All stages were set for Hitler's ultimate
prize, the Soviet Union. (3)

Operation Barbarossa
On June 22, 1941, the Nazi's began the invasion of the So-
viet Union. Hitler called this Operation Barbarossa, after
the great medieval German emperor and Crusader. Hitler ex-
plained that this invasion was a modern crusade against bar-
baric Russian communism, and encourages all of Europe to
join. The Soviet Red Army was not prepared for this attack
and many were quickly captured. Since the Nazi's viewed
Russians as sub-human, these prisoners were made to live
and die as slaves in German labor camps.
As the invasion went on, the Germans pushed 500 miles in-
side the Soviet Union. While the Germans pushed on to-
wards Moscow, special units called Einsatzgruppen travelled

56
The city of Leningrad endured a terrible siege for over two
years beginning on September 8, 1941. Hitler was prepared
to starve the 2.5 million inhabitants of the city, while bomb-
ing warehouses where food was stored. Though life in the
city for those two years were brutal, the resiliency of the citi-
zens would prevail. Even Stalin, who hated the city and sub-
jected it to the worst purges, gave the city the title 'Hero City'
in honor of its brave stand. (2)
Where are you U.S.A!?
Between 1935 and 1937, most Americans felt that America
should not get involved. This feeling was mutual in Congress
as a series of Neutrality Acts were passed, making it illegal
to sell arms or lend money to nations at war. As the war pro-
gressed, it became apparent that if the Allies failed that the
United States would be pulled into this war. In March 1941,
President Roosevelt convinced Congress to pass the Lend-
Lease Act, giving the president the power to lend arms and
other supplies to any country vital to the United States. Even Section 1 Review
as this was going on, Roosevelt and Churchill met secretly
1. Why was September 1, 1939 important?
and issued a joint declaration called the Atlantic Charter.
This charter would uphold free trade among nations and all 2. What was the “phony” war? When did it end?
people the rights to self-determination. This would later be- 3. Read the article on Dunkirk & summarize.
come part of the post WWII peace plans. (2) 4. Who was Winston Churchill? Read his biography.
In September 1941, the United States and Germany were in- 5. Identify, Operation Sea Lion, Operation Barba-
volved in an undeclared naval war. What was interesting is rossa.
that the attack that drew the United States into the war did
not come from Germany. Rather, it came from Japan. 6. What was the Atlantic Charter?

57
 SECTION 2

The Sacrifice By Fire

The Holocaust Begins 1) Germany had lost WWI because Jews and Communists un-
As part of the vision for Germany, a new racial order was cre- dermined morale.
ated proclaiming that the Germanic people, or Aryans, were 2) They were racists who believed inferior races threatened
a "master race." The Nazis misused the term Aryan, which the German blood line.
referred to the Indo-Europeans who mi- 3) Jews were not German; they were only "guests."
grated into the Indian subcontinent. The
4) The feeble-minded and deformed must be prevented from
Nazis claimed that all non-Aryan peoples
producing more of their kind.
were inferior and this message would
eventually lead to the systematic mass 5) Traditional religious teachings about duty to God and
murdering known as the Holocaust. brotherhood weakened the nation.
To build support for Hitler's racist ideas, 6) They were anxious to put their beliefs
he would refer to the deep rooted pasted into law.
between Jews and Germans in European
History. Throughout history, many Ger-
This Holocaust was a progression into
mans and other Europeans would blame
eventual genocide for over 11 million
Jews for their countries failures, in wars like WWI and even
people. This progression to genocide
their countries failing economies. The Nazis made no secret
started with Hitler's deputy Rudolph
of their beliefs from the beginning:
Hess's creation of the 1935 Nurem-
berg Laws. These laws said that Jews

58
were not German citizens, rather "subjects." Jews could not Close to a 100 Jews were killed and the main streets of cities
marry Aryans and could not employ Aryan women under 35 were littered with shattered glass. It was for this reason that
years old. The Reich Citizenship Law that was later passed the night of November 9 became known as the "Night of Bro-
took away the right of Jews to vote or hold public office.(1) ken Glass," or Kristallnacht.(2)
Though these laws were bad, the worst was yet to come. In After Kristallnacht, it was made clear that the violence
1938, a German-born Jew of Polish-Russian ancestry Her- against Jews was going to increase. As a result many tried to
schel Grynszpan in Paris was outraged flee and emigrate to other countries. Hitler favored emigra-
by the news that his father was being tion as a solution to what he called "the Jewish problem." In
deported to Poland after living in Ger- 1933, there were about 700,000 Jews in Germany and Aus-
many for 27 years. Seeking revenge, tria. In 1938 and 1939, 403,000 left. Few left behind wanted
Herschel shot a German diplomat in to stay, but it was difficult to find a country willing to take
Paris of the name Ernst vom Rath. them. In 1940, the U.S. embassy in Berlin had 248,000 immi-
When the Nazis minister for propa- gration applications on file; the U.S. quota allowed only
ganda Joseph Goebbels heard the 27,000 Germans a year into the country.(3)
news, he was secretly delighted. The When Hitler found that he could not get rid of the Jews
Nazi storm troopers launched a vio- through emigration, he turned to a new plan. This plan was
lent attack on the Jewish community. to order all Jews to be removed from their homes and placed
in segregated Jewish areas called ghettos. These ghettos

59
were not a new invention, since they did exist as far back as After the doors close, cyanide gas would released through the
the Middle Ages. These ghettos would be constructed on the showerheads and all inside would be killed. Later to prevent
outskirts of cities and be sealed off with barbed wire and the spread of disease from the dead bodies, Nazis installed
stone walls. The goal was that the Jews inside would just die crematoriums to burn the bodies.
in these ghettos from either starvation or disease. It was estimated that about 6 million Jews died in these death
Even though those in the ghettos were put in such horrible camps and other forms of Nazi massacres. Besides Jews, an-
conditions, the Jews were resilient. Those in the ghettos be- other additional 3-5 million "non-Aryans" would too be
gan to grow their own food, create theaters for entertain- killed. This included Slavs, gypsies, homosexuals, blacks, the
ment, and even taught lessons in secret schools. The most im- political left, and the disabled and mentally ill. In other
portant thing that the scholars kept in these ghettos were re- words, no one was safe from the brutal massacres.(4)
cords of their events, which allowed people in the future to
know of what was going on in these hostile environments.
By 1942, the Nazi's were not satisfied with the rate that the
non-Aryans were either leaving or "dying" out. In January
1942, a group of Nazi leaders met in Wannsee, a rather nice
Berlin suburb, to plan what they called the "Final Solution."
This plan was to implement genocide, the systematic killing
of an entire people. Hitler believed that his plan of conquest
depends on the purity of the Aryan race.
The "Final Solution" was simple. Non-Aryans would be
rounded up and put on trains, and sent off to one of a net-
work of special extermination camps in Poland, where they
would be gassed. The most notorious camp was the Nazis
largest, Auschwitz. Upon arrival, a committee of SS doctors
would evaluate you, and with a wave of the hand determine
if your strong to work the camp or too weak and will be
killed that day. If determined as weak, you would undress for
a shower and be led into a chamber with fake showerheads.

60
 Gallery 5.1 Images of the Holocaust

Section 2 Review
1. Click here to read the personal accounts of peo-
ple subjected to the horrors of the Holocaust.
Summarize their experiences and give your opin-
ion of what you read.
2. Read the story of Kristallnacht. How did this
event lead to the Holocaust?
3. Why was Joseph Goebbels important for the
Nazi policy toward the Jewish population?
4. What was the Final Solution?
5. What is the legacy of the Holocaust?

Hungarian Jews being sent to Auschwitz

"Selection Birkenau ramp" by Here from Yad Vashem's Auschwitz Album.. Via Wikipedia -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Selection_Birkenau_ramp.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Selection_Birkenau_ramp.jp
g

61
 SECTION 3

It is Time for the Allies to Win!

In 1942, the allied leaders, Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin, Trouble for the Desert Fox!
met at Yalta to discuss how to win this war, and what should In response to General Rommel's
happen afterwards. The strategy was to strike North Africa takeover of the British controlled port
first and then Italy. This angered Stalin, who felt that the city of Tobruk, Great Britain sent
western allies were purposely holding back from invading General Bernard Montgomery
Western Europe. to take control of British operations
in North Africa. By the time of Gen-
eral Montgomery's arrival, the Nazis
were already in the Egyptian city
called El Alamein. With the Germans
in complete control of the city, Mont-
gomery's only choice was to launch a
full frontal attack. On the night of October 23, 1942, about
1,000 British guns attacked the German defenses by surprise.
The Germans held their own, until the forces failed on No-
vember 4 and General Rommel ordered his forces to drop
back.
As Rommel retreated, over 100,000 allied troops, mostly
Americans, launched Operation Torch. American general

62
Dwight Eisenhower led this force to crush Rommel and take one last chance to save his country. This would not be success-
complete control of the North African situation. Caught be- ful and on June 4, 1944, the Allies arrived to Rome. There
tween Montgomery's and Eisenhower’s armies, Rommel's Af- would still be fighting in Italy until Germany surrenders in
rika Korps was finally defeated in May 1943.(1) 1945. About a year after the Allies secured Rome, a group of
You Shouldn't Have Made Stalin Mad! Italian resistance fighters ambushed a German truck near Mi-
lan. To their surprise, they discovered the once powerful
As the Germans suffered a major defeat in North Africa, they leader Mussolini disguised as a German soldier trying to es-
will also meet their doom in the Soviet Union. In the summer cape Italy. The next day Mussolini was shot and hung over a
of 1942, Hitler ordered his army led by General Friedrich gasoline sign in Milan.(2)
Paulus to capture the oil fields of the Caucasus Mountains
and the city of Stalingrad.
On August 23, 1942, the Luftwaffe went on nightly bombing
raids and reduced much of the city into rubble. By Novem-
ber of that year, the Germans controlled about 90 percent of
the ruined city. As the Russian winter set in, the Soviet ar-
mies launched a counterattack and cut off all the German
supplies. General Paulus plead with Hitler to allow a retreat,
by Hitler never gave such an order. It was a matter of time
when in February 1943, 90,000 frostbitten German troops
surrendered to the Soviets, leaving the eastern front defense-
less to a Soviet invasion into Germany.(1)
Bye Bye Il Duce!
If things for Germany could not get any worse in 1943, Ger-
many's biggest ally Italy was about to fall. On July 10, 1943,
Allied forces landed on the island of Sicily. As a result, King
Victor Emmanuel III had the dictator Mussolini arrested. On
September 3, Italy surrendered. However, the Germans were
successful in securing northern Italy and giving Mussolini

63
Get Berlin! the Allies successfully punched a hole in the German de-
As the Allies were dealing with many issues both on the home fenses near the city of Saint-Lo. This successful penetration
front and this war, since 1943, they have been secretly build- of German defenses was thanks to the United States Third
ing an invasion force in Great Britain. The objective was to Army led by General George Patton. A month later, the Al-
invade German occupied France. lies marched triumphantly into Paris and by September the
Allies liberated France, Luxembourg, and Belgium. Next on
By the summer of 1944, the invasion was ready. A military the menu was the main course, Germany.(3)
force of more than 3 million allied soldiers was to be led by
General Dwight. D Eisenhower As the Allied forces were moving towards Berlin from the
west, the Soviets were making their way from the east. Ger-
across the English Channel and strike
many was now facing a two front war, and in a desperate
the northern beaches of France called
gamble, Hitler ordered a counterattack in the west. Hitler
Normandy. The Germans knew of an
hoped that his army could split the American and British
attack coming. To keep the Germans
forces and cut off their supply line. On December 16, Ger-
honest, the Allies set up a huge
man tanks rolled through a 75 mile American front in the Ar-
dummy army to appear as if they
dennes. The Allies gave this campaign the name the Battle of
were going to attack the French sea-
the Bulge. Although the Allies were cut off guard, they even-
port of Calais.
tually pushed back the German forces. This time for Hitler,
On June 6, 1944 the Allied invasion there were no reinforcements available.(4)
code-named Operation Overlord commenced. This was
the largest land and sea invasion in all of history. Also known
as D-Day, American, Canadian, French, and British troops
fought their way onto a 60 mile stretch of beaches. The Ger-
mans had secured their defenses behind three feet thick ce-
ment bunkers and created hazardous conditions to make it as
difficult as possible to secure the beachheads, enemy shore-
line captured just before invading forces move inland. De-
spite the heavy casualties, over 2,700 Americans just in the
first day alone, the Allies secured the beachheads. Within a
month, an additional 1 million troops arrived and on July 25,

64
 vancing into Berlin. His successor Harry Truman received
the signed surrendering on May 9, and led the Allied powers
to celebrate Victory in Europe Day!

Section 3 Review
1. What was the importance of the Yalta Conference?
Read the article.
2. How did the Allies defeat the desert fox?
3. Read the article on Stalingrad and explain its impor-
tance.
4. What was the ultimate fate of Benito Mussolini?
5. How did the Allies liberate France? Read the article
on the D-Day Invasion.
Bye Bye Hitler!
6. What was the ultimate fate of Adolf Hitler?
The British were keen on getting to Hitler in Berlin before
the Soviets. The Russians under Marshal Zhukhov were the
first to arrive in Berlin. As the Soviets were shelling the city
looking for Hitler, he retired to an underground bunker.
Knowing that the war for him was over, Hitler married his
long-term sweetheart, Eva Braun, and as a special wedding
day treat, they killed themselves. The SS burned the bodies
to stop the Russians from getting them, and on May 7, 1945
General Eisenhower accepted the Third Reich's uncondi-
tional surrender. U.S. president Roosevelt will not witness the
victory as he suddenly died on April 12, as the Allies were ad-

65
 SECTION 4

Devastation in Europe
After six long years, Europe was in ruins. Close to 40 million
Europeans had died, and two thirds of them were civilians.
While certain cities were left undamaged like Paris and
Rome, other cities like London and Warsaw were in ruins. In
1939, Warsaw had a population of around 1.3 million, and
by 1945 it was reduced to 153,000! Many people were dis-
placed and wondered throughout the European landscape
years after the end of the war.(1)
With destruction of this nature, it was no surprise that de-
spairing Europeans often blamed their governments for the
war and its aftermath. When people become desperate, they
will drink the sand and convince themselves that it is water.
After the war, the Communist Party promised change, and While countries were struggling to recover both politically
millions of people were ready to listen. The communists and economically, they too wanted to deal with the major
made huge gains in the first postwar elections in countries war crimes committed by the Axis powers. During 1945 and
like France and Italy. To accelerate these political takeovers, 1946, an International Military Tribunal would host trials for
the communists staged violent strikes. Alarmed French and war crimes in Nuremberg Germany. These Nuremberg Tri-
Italians reacted by voting anti-communist parties. As the als would lead to 22 Nazi leaders to be found guilty of war
economies of these countries recovered, the popularity of the crimes and "crimes against humanity." Many of these leaders
communist party declined.(1) already committed suicide prior to the trials, while others

66
later killed themselves to avoid be executed. The bodies of
many of these executed leaders would be cremated in the
same ovens as their victims at the concentration camp of
Dachau.(2)
In the postwar world, enemies not only became allies, some-
times they became enemies. This would be true for the
world's two major powers the United States and the Soviet
Union. It soon became clear that the postwar goals for
Europe were different between these countries. These differ-
ences would stir up conflicts that will shape the modern
world for decades.

Section 4 Review
1. After reading this section and learning about
the post war trials, where they justified and was
justice served? Why or why not?

67
 Chapter 6

THE COLD
WAR

"TeamUSA1980 stamp" by uploaded by User:Eintracht4ever - [1] [2]. Licensed under Public

Domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:TeamUSA1980_stamp.png#/media/File:TeamUSA1980_stamp.png
 SECTION 1

A Little Germany for You & a

Little Germany for Me
Even before WWII ended, postwar politics was already being de-
cided. The Big Three, Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt, met in
February 1945 at Yalta, to discuss the layout of postwar Europe.
The parties agreed to the Declaration of Liberated Europe,
which promised self-determination and free elections in Eastern
Europe.

The Big Three also agreed to create the United Nations in

hopes of resolving future security issues. This international or-
"Deutschland Bundeslaender 1957". Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons -
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Deutschland_Bundeslaender_1957.png#/media/ ganization of 48 nations was based in New York. The UN estab-
File:Deutschland_Bundeslaender_1957.png
lished a large body called the General Assembly, where each UN

69
nation can cast its vote on a broad range of issues. There was different and will lead to tension between the western and
also an 11 member body called the Security Council, and eastern worlds. A major goal for the Soviet Union was to
had the power to investigate and settle disputes. Its five per- shield itself from another invasion from the west. Following
manent members were the United States, Britain, France, the conclusion of WWII, the Soviet Union ignored its prom-
China, and the Soviet Union. This was in place to give these ises at Yalta and installed Communist governments in Alba-
countries the power to veto and prevent any members of the nia, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania,
Council from voting as a bloc to override the others. and Yugoslavia. President Truman at the Potsdam meetings
The next time the Allies pressed Stalin to permit free elections in Eastern Europe. Not
will meet is in July 1945 only did Stalin refuse, in his 1946 speech, Stalin declared that
at Potsdam. During the communism and capitalism could not exist in the same
interim, Roosevelt died world.
and his successor, Harry Europe now lay divided between West and East. Germany
Truman, proved more was too divided into two separate controlled sections. These
suspicious of Stalin's in- sectors were the democratic world in control of the West and
tentions. Great Britain the soviet communist world in control of the East. Due to
also voted labor leader this divided Europe, on March 5, 1946, Winston Churchill ex-
Clement Attlee into of- plained this division in what became phrased his "Iron Cur-
fice as prime minister, re- tain" speech. Stalin felt that this speech was the beginnings
placing Churchill. The Allies agreed to host war crime trials of an act of war against the Soviet Union. (2)
of top Nazi leaders at Nuremberg, and divide Germany into
four occupation zones. The four zones were divided by giving
the north to Britain, the south to the United States, a small
part along the Rhine to the French, and the whole eastern
half of Germany to the Soviet Union. The capital city of Ber-
lin, located in the Soviet controlled zone, was also divided
amongst the four countries. (1)
Despite the positive progression of post war recovery, the
goals between the United States and Soviet Union were quite

70
As relations between the Western and Eastern Bloc worsen At the end of WWII, the United States dominated the world
by 1947, President Truman had to create a new strategy in economy. Around 80% of the world's trade passed through
handling the Soviet Union. He would American hands, and 50% of the world's productive capacity
call upon the expertise of a former was American. The U.S. stood in a unique position of help-
diplomat and historian named ing to rebuild the world economy, which it wished to do by
George Kennan to help develop promoting a free capitalist market. In 1947, U.S. Secretary
this strategy. The strategy developed of State George Marshall proposed a program named af-
was called containment. The idea ter him, the Marshall Plan. This plan would provide $12.5
was to employ a variety of tech- billion of aid to European countries who needed it. It was so
niques to halt the spread of commu- successful, that even communist controlled Yugoslavia broke
nism throughout the world. The inter- away from Soviet domination in 1948. (1)
esting question is how to do this with-
out going to war?
The Truman Show
In 1947, a civil war between the communists and their oppo-
nents raged in the countries of Turkey and Greece. The Brit-
ish were fighting to keep the countries out of communist
hands. When this got too hard, Great Britain called for the
United States to take over. This was president Truman's op-
portunity to use his policy of containment. In a speech to
Congress, he explains the importance of U.S. involvement,
and asks to send foreign aid to these two countries. Congress
authorized around $400 million in aid to Turkey and Greece.
This policy would later be called the Truman Doctrine;
the U.S. would help any country in the world trying to resists
communism.

71
Time to Sort This Mess Out in Germany As these peacetime alliance were forming, the Cold War
While Europe was beginning to rebuild, tension between the threaten to heat up enough to destroy the world. The U.S. al-
Allied countries over Germany was brewing. Concerned over ready had atomic bombs, but the Soviets successfully ex-
the economic conditions of Germany and Soviet reparations ploded their own in 1949. President Truman was determined
policies, the U.S., Britain, and France merged their zones and to make sure that his country had the more superior bomb.
introduced a new currency called the Deutschmark. In re- In 1950, the president authorized the production of thermo-
sponse to this merger, the Soviets imposed a Berlin blockade, nuclear weapons. By 1952, the United States accomplished
cutting the western part of the city off from rail and auto traf- its goal by testing an H-bomb (Hydrogen). The H-bomb's
fic, threatening to "starve it out." Rather than confronting power came from the atomic collision of atoms called fusion,
the Soviets with force, President Truman authorized a Ber- rather than what the A-bomb did which was fission, the split-
lin Airlift. For the next 11 months, Allied planes would fly ting of atoms. The Soviets will eventually catch up with their
successful test of an H-bomb in 1953.
over the blockade and parachute supplies to the West Berlin-
ers. In May 1949, the Soviets lifted the blockade and admit- If tensions between the sides couldn't get any worse, it did
ted defeat. (1) with the election of new U.S. president Dwight D. Eisen-
So I Guess this is a Cold War? hower in 1953. President Eisenhower quickly appointed
firm anti-communist John Foster Dulles as his secretary of
These conflicts marked the beginning of a Cold War be- state. Together they created a policy called brinkmanship,
tween the communist East and capitalist West. A Cold War if the Soviet Union attacked U.S. interests they would "retali-
describes the atmosphere of icy suspicion and distrust on ate instantly." This would lead both sides to build up their
each side. Luckily, both sides were able to keep their "cool," militaries and nuclear stockpile, which went on for four dec-
since both sides were armed with the latest nuclear weapons. ades.
However, it never hurts to play it safe and form alliances with
other countries to protect you from the other side's aggres- With an arms race going on between the United States and
sions. As a result, in 1949, the United States and nine other Soviet Union, it led both sides to compete in other sectors
countries entered into its first peacetime alliance called the like science and education. In 1957, the Soviets scored first
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). When with their announcement that they have developed a rocket
the West rearmed Germany in 1955, the Soviets responded that could travel great distances called an Intercontinental
with their own form of peacetime alliance called the War- Ballistic Missile (ICBM). In October of that year, they
saw Pact. used an ICBM to push the first unmanned satellite into orbit

72
called Sputnik. Americans felt that they have fallen behind down a U-2 spy plane flown by American pilot Francis
in science and technology, and the government poured Gary Powers. Powers would be detained for only nine
money into science education. In 1958, the U.S. launched its months, but the U-2 incident will heightened Cold War ten-
own satellite called Explorer. sions. (2)

Section 1 Review
1. Identify the following: United Nations, Potsdam
Conference, Clement Atltee, Iron Curtain, Ex-
In 1960, the skies would again be an open arena between the plorer, H-Bomb, U-2 Spy Plan Incident.
sides. Five years earlier, President Eisenhower had proposed
an "open skies" policy which would allow both the U.S. and 2. Identify the following based on the outside links;
Soviet Union to protect their people from any surprise nu- Containment, Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan,
Berlin Airlift, NATO, Warsaw Pact, Brinkmanship,
clear attack. The Soviet Union would reject this proposal, but
Sputnik.
it would not stop the Central Intelligence Agency from hav-
ing unauthorized flights over Soviet territories. This would
blow up in their face in May 1960, when the Soviets shot

73
 SECTION 2

The Cold War Thaws

In 1953 Stalin died, and three years the "last straw" was when Nagy was going to pull Hungary
later the Soviet Union was under the out of the Warsaw Pact. The result was Khrushchev sending
direction of Nikita Khrushchev. a Soviet army to crush the revolt, install a pro-communist gov-
Khrushchev gave a "secret speech" to ernment, and eventually execute Nagy. I guess not.
the 20th Party Congress of the Com- Despite the show of force in Hungary, Khrushchev lost pres-
munist Party condemning Stalin for tige in his country as a result of the Cuban Missile Crisis
jailing and killing loyal Soviet citi- in 1962. Party leaders in 1964 voted to
zens. As a result, Khrushchev started remove him from power and replace
a policy of de-Stalinization, or him with Leonid Brezhnev.
purging the memories of the former Brezhnev quickly adopted repressive
dictator, and suggested the possibility domestic policies like limiting basic hu-
of "peaceful coexistence" between the man rights. He also made clear that
capitalist West and communism. would not tolerate dissent in Eastern
The world sat up; did this admission Europe either. He was put to the test in
of Stalin's crimes mean that they Czechoslovakia in 1968. At the time,
were about to see a new caring, shar- Czech Communist leader Alexander
ing Soviet Union? In Hungary, liberal Dubeck loosed control of censorship
communist leader named Imre and wanted to give socialism a "human face." These events
Nagy promised to introduce free elec- known as the "Prague Spring" led armed forces from the
tions and free press. What became

74
Warsaw Pact to invade Czechoslovakia and crush this re- The policy grew out of a philosophy known as realpolitik, in
form movement. Brezhnev justified the invasion by announc- German means "realistic politics." The goal is to deal with na-
ing the Brezhnev Doctrine, whereby a perceived threat to tions in a practical and flexible manner. Though the U.S. con-
socialism in one nation is taken as a threat to socialism every- tinued to work on containing the spread of communism,
where. (1) both sides did begin pursuing detente. What better way to
practice detente but by visiting your enemies country? That
From Let's Bomb Each other To Let's Be Friends
is exactly what President Nixon did in February 1972, and be-
In the 1970s, the United States and Soviet Union finally be- came the first U.S. president to visit Communist China.
gan to back away from their aggressive policies of brinkman- Three months later he visited the Soviet Union. There after a
ship to lowering tensions. series of meetings called the Strategic Arms Limitation
In 1960, the U-2 spy plane incident prevented the U.S. and Talks (SALT), Nixon and Brezhnev signed the SALT I
Soviet Union from meeting. Then, under the John F. Ken- treaty. This five year treaty that began in 1972, limited the
nedy administration, the Cuban Missile Crisis made the use number of ICBM and submarine missiles each country can
of nuclear weapons a huge possibility. After the assassination have. In 1975, 33 nations will also join the U.S. and Soviet
of JFK in 1963, Lyndon Johnson assumed the presidency Union in signing a commitment to detente called the Hel-
and committed to stopping the spread of communism by en- sinki Accords. (1)
tering the Vietnam War. So as you can see, the 1960s was not Well at Least we Tried
the time for either side to lower their guard. (2)
Under the presidency of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford,
As the French Would Say "Chill Out!" the U.S. improved relations with China and the Soviet Un-
Widespread protests against the Vietnam War led to the U.S. ion. However, in the late 1970s, President Jimmy Carter was
withdrawal from the war. To heal the countries wounds, the concerned about the treatment of protesters in the Soviet Un-
U.S. backed away from their policies of direct confrontation ion. This jeopardized the possibility of a second round of
with the Soviet Union and began to practice detente, in SALT negotiations. In 1979, Carter and Brezhnev finally
French means easing of tensions. This policy will replace signed the SALT II treaty. Unfortunately, the Soviets could
brinkmanship starting under the presidency of Richard M. not control themselves and decided to invade Afghanistan
Nixon. later that year, resulting in the U.S. congress refusing to ratify
the treaty. As this was going on, China and India were begin-
ning to build their nuclear arsenals. (1)

75
In 1981, an anti-Communist U.S. president Ronald Reagan
took office. He increased defense spending, putting military
and economic pressure on the Soviets, and eliminating any-
thing that was left of detente. In 1983, Reagan announced
his Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) or as it became
known Star Wars, a program to protect against enemy mis- Section 2 Review
siles. Though the program never took off, it remained as a 1. Identify the following people: Nikita Khrushchev,
symbol of U.S. anti-Communist sentiment. (1) Imre Nagy, Leonid Brezhnev, Alexander Dubcheck.
Though detente was disappearing between the United States 2. How did each of the U.S. Presidents deal with com-
and the Soviet Union, the thawing out process will continue munism?
due to the self-destruction of the Soviet Union. 3. What was the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Prague
Spring?
4. Watch the video on Star Wars and describe what you
Interactive 6.1 Star Wars saw.

Click on the Image to learn more about the SDI program

76
 Chapter 7

THE FALL OF THE

SOVIET UNION

"Coat of arms of the Soviet Union" by Madden, reworked by F l a n k e r - Own work from
Image:Soviet Hammer and Sickle and Earth.svg and Image:Soviet coat of arms.svg. It was then
corrected and is believed to be close to official version, for example, one from the 3rd ed. of the Great
Soviet Encyclopedia, available online here. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons -
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coat_of_arms_of_the_Soviet_Union.svg#/media/
File:Coat_of_arms_of_the_Soviet_Union.svg
 SECTION 1

The Fall
Leonid Brezhnev and the Politburo, ruling committee of lowed churches to open, released dissidents from prison, and
the Communist Party, crushed all political disagreements. Af- allows publication of books by previous banned authors.
ter Brezhnev's death in 1982, the Communist Party began to What glasnost also did is allow Soviet citizens to complain
age and struggle to maintain a hold about the economic problems. This lead to the centerpiece
on power. The Politburo had to try of Gorbachev's reforms called perestroika, or restructur-
to find a way to make the Commu- ing, of the centrally planned Soviet economy. Gorbachev
nist Party younger and they did in wished to promote production of more consumer goods and
selecting Mikhail Gorbachev as to decentralize control of the inefficient state-owned enter-
the party's new general secretary. prise. This policy was not to throw out communism, but to
The thing that the Politburo did make the economy system more efficient and productive.
not realize is that by selecting the
Gorbachev also knew that for the economy to improve, the
54 year old leader, that it would un-
Communist Party would have loosened up their control on
leash another Russian Revolution.
Soviet society and politics. In 1987, he announced a third pol-
icy called democratization, calling for new elections of a legis-
Gorbachev recognized the problems within both the Soviet lative body. In the past the Communist Party would handpick
economy and social life. He hoped to save the Soviet system candidates for people to vote on. Now the voters can choose
by creating "socialism with a human face." To begin this process, which surprisingly led to the voting of lesser-known candi-
in 1985 he announces a policy called glasnost, or openness. dates over powerful party bosses. (1)
This policy made remarkable changes. The government al-

78
Now that Gorbachev tackled his domestic issues, well at least Poland was the first country in Eastern Europe to embrace
he thought so; he now wanted to entertain the foreign poli- the spirit of change. Unique in a communist nation, workers
cies. The military build-ups between Gorbachev and U.S. founded an independent labor union called Solidarity, led
President Ronald Reagan were so expensive that the Soviets by a militant shipyard worker Lech Walesa, which soon
could not financially compete with the U.S. $2 trillion spend- boasted a membership of 10 million workers. Emboldened
ing! Gorbachev made it his top priority to control this arms by the Catholic Church, and a newly
race. In 1987, the two sides signed the Intermediate- elected Polish pope, John Paul II, work-
Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF). This treaty banned ers demonstrated for free elections
nuclear missiles with ranges of 300 and 3,400 miles. (2) and to share in government. Fearing
Soviet intervention, a new communist
Interactive 7.1 Mr. Buckley’s Wisdom leader General Wojciech Jaruzelski de-
clared martial law in 1981. The Com-
munist Party discovered that military
rule could not revive the Polish econ-
omy, leading to the country’s foreign
debt rising to more than $40 billion.
In August 1988, defiant workers walked off their jobs. They
demanded raises and the legalization of Solidarity. In 1989,
Jaruzelski legalized Solidarity, and agreed to hold Poland’s
first free election. The result was the voters voted against
Click on the image to learn more about the Gorbachev era. Communists and chose Solidarity candidate Lech Walesa as
president. (3)
Poland and East Germany Reform While Poland was moving toward reform, the aged and in-
The aging Communist rulers of Europe resisted reform. creasingly out of touch Erich Honecker ruled East Ger-
However, powerful forces for democracy were building in many strictly with the aid of the state police, the Stasi. In
many countries. Gorbachev made clear that the Soviet Union 1989, Hungary allowed vacationing East Germans to cross
would not oppose democratic reform. into Austria borders, defecting from East Germany. In re-
sponse, the East German government closed its borders. By
October 1989, huge demonstrations had broken out all over

79
East Germany. The new East German leader, Egon Krenz,
gambled that he could restore stability by allowing people to
leave East Germany. On November 9, 1989 he opened the
Berlin Wall. Krenz’s gamble will not save communism, and Section 1 Review
by the end of 1989, the East German Communist Party had 1. How did Mikhail Gorbachev inspire another
ceased to exist. (4) “Russian Revolution”? What were his new pro-
grams that contributed to it?
2. What was the Solidarity movement?
3. What was the significance of the Berlin Wall com-
ing down? Make sure to watch the news report.

Momentum became unstoppable toward the unification of

Germany. With the approval of the four WWII allied powers,
including the Soviet Union, Germany was reunified in Octo-
ber 3, 1990 under the leadership of West German chancellor,
Helmut Kohl. Chancellor Kohl will now have to deal with
the serious problems of what 40 years of Communist rule did
for East Germany. It left this part of Germany in ruins. This
will not be the last Communist controlled country to also run
into similar problems.

80
 SECTION 2

The Fall Continued

The Soviet Union Faces Trouble In June 1991, voters chose Yeltsin to become the Russian Fed-
Gorbachev’s policies were never created with the intention to eration’s first directly elected president. (1)
remove communism. However, due to his policies, he pushed In spite of the rivalry between Gorbachev and Yeltsin, they
the first domino that will lead to the collapse of the Soviet both had a common enemy in the old guard of Communist
Union. officials. These “old-school” hard lining communists were out-
The first challenge came from the Baltic nation of Lithuania. raged at how Gorbachev allowed the Soviet Union’s control
In March 1990, Lithuania declares independence from the of Eastern Europe dissipate and vowed to remove Gorbachev
Soviet Union. Gorbachev feared that if Lithuania does se- from power and undo his reforms.
cede that other republics would do the same. In January On August 18, 1991, the hardliners detained Gorbachev and
1991, Soviet troops attacked unarmed citi- sent an army to get Yeltsin in Moscow. The August Coup
zens in Lithuania’s capital. The army failed miserably due to lack of planning, popular resistance,
killed 14 and wounded hundreds. There and the leadership of Yeltsin whom stood on those tanks in
goes giving the Soviet Union a “human Moscow and declared that the Communist Party was out-
face.” lawed and the Russian Federation voted the Soviet Union out
The attacks against Lithuania and the of existence. On August 21, the military withdrew its forces
lack of economic progress led to the dam- from Moscow and Gorbachev returned to Moscow. (2)
aging of Gorbachev’s popularity. People
began to look for new leadership in for- Thanks USSR for All Those Terrifying Memories!
mer mayor of Moscow Boris Yeltsin.

81
On Christmas Day 1991, Gorbachev announces his resigna- In 1992, Bosnia-Herzegovina, which was a mixed area of
tion as president of the Soviet Union. Following the collapse Serbs, Croats, and Muslims declared independence. The
of the USSR, 12 republics agreed to form a loose Common- Serbs retaliated with what they called ethnic cleansing.
wealth of Independent States (CIS). Yeltsin being the most This policy was intended to rid Bosnia of its Muslim popula-
powerful figure of the CIS, now faces the problem of dealing tion. Leaders of the three fractions involved signed a United
with both domestic and foreign affairs. Nation and U.S. broker peace treaty. In 1996, Bosnians
Yeltsin’s first goal was to reform the economy in Russia. He elected a three person presidency, one leader from each of
adopted a plan known as “shock therapy,” an abrupt shift the ethnic groups. Talk about a mess that the Soviets left be-
to a free market. Yeltsin lowered trade barriers, removed hind! (3)
price controls, and ended state-owned industries. This policy Click here to learn more about the genocide in Bosnia.
did definitely shock the economy, leading to an 800 percent
inflation rate in 1994! This led to a shutdown of many facto- Section 2 Review
ries, leaving many unemployed. (1) 1. What was the August Coup?
Ethnic Conflicts Plagued Yugoslavia 2. What is the importance of Boris Yeltsin?
With the collapse of the Soviet Union, it led to other Eastern 3. What is shock therapy?
European countries to find begin dealing with their own seri- 4. Read about the problems in Bosnia and describe its im-
ous issues. The country of Yugoslavia, formed after WWI, portance.
had eight major ethnic groups. Ethnic and religious differ-
ences dating back centuries caused these groups to view one
another with suspicion. After WWII, Yugoslavia became a Interactive 7.2 Mr. Buckley’s
Wisdom (Review)
federation of six republics, with each having a mixed popula-
tion.
Josip Tito, who led Yugoslavia from 1945 to 1980, held the
country together. After Tito’s death, Serbian leader Slobo-
dan Milosevic asserted leadership over Yugoslavia. Many
Serbs opposed Milosevic and his policies. Click on the image to learn more
about Post World War II Europe

82
 Chapter 8

ANCIENT
GREECE
 SECTION 1

Ancient Greece
Geography Shapes Ancient Development of Greece

Interactive 8.2 Mr. Buckley’s Wisdom

Interactive 8.1 Ancient Greece

Click on the image to learn more about how geography affected

Ancient Greece.

Greece is made up of an archipelago of hundreds of islands and

narrow peninsulas. The three seas that surround this peninsula
Click on the image to view the Greece trailer are the Ionian, Black, and Aegean Seas. Due to the lack of natu-
ral resources available to these people, they relied heavily on the

84
sea as a source of life. Another reason why the sea was so im- During the 1200 B.C., the Mycenaeans fought a ten year war
portant was because about 75% of the peninsula is covered called the Trojan War. This war was fought against Troy, an
with mountains which made it difficult for cities to work to- independent trading city located in Anatolia. According to
gether. Rather, the mountains were a natural barrier between legend, the war was fought because a Trojan prince had kid-
towns, leaving each community to be self-sufficient. napped Helen, the beautiful wife of a Greek king. For years,
Who Were the First Greek Settlers? many believed that the story was totally fictional. However, in
the 1870s, German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann sug-
The first well known civilization in Europe was known as the gested that his findings could have been based on a real city,
Minoans, who arose during a Bronze Age from the island people, and events. Though the nature of the Trojan War re-
of Crete. We know about these people from Crete thanks to mains unclear, what was clear is that this attack on Troy was
English archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans. In 1894, he went to one of the last major campaigns for the Mycenaeans. (2)
Crete to look for evidence of the story of the Theseus and
the Minotaur. Evans instead discovered a huge complex pal-
ace called Knossos, which seemed to be the center of a so-
phisticated civilization. Some believe that this city is behind
the legends of Atlantis. Philosopher Plato wrote of a thriving
civilization called Atlantis that sank beneath the sea, he may
have had the Minoans in mind.
The Minoans would eventually be replaced by another south-
ern Greek civilization called the Mycenaeans, named after
their city of origin Mycenae. Unlike the Minoans, whose soci-
ety benefited from trade, the Mycenaeans advanced through
conquest. The Mycenaeans were ruled by a warrior aristoc-
racy, which even the city of Mycenae demonstrated this char-
acteristic with their 20 feet thick protective walls. Sometime
around 1500 B.C., the Mycenaeans made their way to the is-
land of Crete, center of Minoan civilization, and adopted a
form of Minoan script to write their earlier form of Greek.
(1)

85
The Dreadful Dorian Age sought to understand nature and the power of human pas-
The Mycenaean civilization collapsed around 1200 B.C. and sions, like for example the changing of the seasons.
with it the Bronze Age. Much of this collapse was contrib- Greeks attributed human qualities to their gods, making the
uted to sea raiders and a new group called the Dorians, stories of these gods more relatable to the Greeks. However,
who made themselves at home. The Dorians did speak a dia- these gods lived forever. Zeus, the ruler of the gods, lived on
lect of Greek but were far less advanced than the Mycenae- Mount Olympus with his wife Hera. Hera was always jeal-
ans, resulting in a dark age which no written record exists ous of Zeus' relationships with other women. Zeus also had a
from the 400 year period between 1150-750 B.C. (2) daughter named Athena, goddess of wisdom, whom became
Due to lack of writing, the Greeks of this time had to rely on the guardian of one of Greece's greatest cities Athens. (2)
the spoken word to learn about their history. According to leg- Click here to learn all about the Greek Gods in 4 short minutes!
end, a blind storyteller called Homer would be responsible
to composing his epics, narrative poems celebrating heroic
deeds like the Iliad and the Section 1 Review
Oydessey. The stories of 1. After reading Mr. Buckley’s wisdom, how impor-
the Iliad would be about the tant was geography in the development of
Trojan War and the battle Greek civilization?
between Greek warrior 2. Explain the important of the first Greek civiliza-
Achilles and Hector of Troy. tions?
With stories like these it's no 3. What was the Trojan War?
wonder that the Greeks de-
4. Who was Homer and why was he important?
veloped a rich set of myths,
or traditional stories about 5. What was the important of Greek mythology?
their gods. The works of
Homer and other storytell-
ers were the source of much
of Greek mythology.
Through myths, Greeks

86
 SECTION 2

The Polis
Living in a Polis State The most powerful city-states in Greece were Athens and
As the Greeks began their exit from the Dorian Age around Sparta. What is intriguing about these two city-states is that
750 B.C. they set up self-governing cities called a polis, or they were both equally successful, but completely different
fundamental political unit in Greece. Most city-states con- from one another. (1)
trolled between 50 to 500 square miles of land and hosted This is Sparta!
fewer than 10,000 residents. What was consists between these
city-states was where they conducted their political business.
This would either be in the cities marketplace called the
agora, or on a fortified hilltop called the acropolis.
Due to each polis having to be self-sufficient, each city-state
had many different forms of government. These govern-
ments ranged from monarchies, one person rulers, to direct
democracies. However occasionally due to repeated clashes
between rulers and common people, powerful individuals
could seize the power of government and form a tyranny.
Unlike today, tyrants generally were not viewed as harsh and
cruel. Rather, they were looked upon as leaders who would This powerful polis was located in the southern part of
work for the interest of the people. Greece called the Peloponnesus. Around 725 B.C. Sparta
conquered a neighboring region of Messinia, making these

87
people helots, peasants forced to stay on the land that they The women too led hardy lives. They received some military
worked. Around 650 B.C., the helots would revolt against the training, and performed in many athletic events. Like the
Spartans, outnumbering them 8 to 1. The Spartans barely boys, women were taught to put Sparta above all. Legend has
put down the revolt and realizing their vulnerability, dedi- said that Spartan women told their husband and sons going
cated themselves to creating a strong city-state. to war to "come back with your shield or on it." Women were
highly respected by the men of the city-state, which surprised
Spartan government was run by an oligarchy, power rested
their rival city-state Athens. (1) (2)
with a small number of people. This system had several
branches, consisting of all Spartan citizens. The Council of Athens Builds a Demos Krotos
Elders, made up of about 30 members, proposed laws by the Like other city-states, Athens also went through power strug-
assembly. These laws were carried out by 5 elected members gles between the rich and poor. In the beginning, the Atheni-
called the ephors. These men also controlled both the educa- ans decided that for full rights, you had to be a native born
tional and judicial sectors of the city-state. At the top of the citizen of Athens. If you were born elsewhere you were a me-
system there were two kings who ruled over Sparta's military. tic and had few rights. Surprisingly for a place that will give
The social order was quite structured as it consisted of the birth to a direct democracy, women had no rights at all.
original inhabitants who owned the land, non-citizens that In time of war or emergency, all power was handed over to
were free and worked in commerce and industry, and the hel- one called a tyrant. In 621 B.C., a nobleman named Draco
ots. The helots, at the bottom of Spartan society, were a little took power of Athens. Once in power, he drew up a set of
better than slaves, worked in the fields or as house servants. laws for Athens, so harsh that we still talk of 'draconian' laws
By 600 B.C., Sparta had the most powerful military in all of today.
Greece. However, it came at quite the cost. Spartans did not Luckily for Athens, a new ruler, Solon came to power in 594
value any form of artistic and intellectual pursuits. B.C. Solon repealed Draco's laws and introduced a fairer sys-
The men of Sparta were obligated to serve the military until tem of government, which outlawed debt slavery. Though his
the age of 60. Their daily lives were completely centered on system was fairer, Solon made enemies and was forced to
military training. The boys were taken from their homes at leave Athens. Cue for a civil war, an Athenian aristocrat
the age of 7 and moved to army barracks. Their style of called Cleisthenes in 500 B.C., set up a new system called a
training was so rigorous that it produced tough, resourceful limited democracy. He broke up the power of the nobil-
soldiers. ity, increased the size of the assembly to allow all citizens to

88
submit laws, and created the Council of Five Hundred. This
council proposed laws and counseled the assembly. (3)
The Persian Wars
During the Dorian Age, only the rich could afford tools and
weapons since they were made with bronze. Eventually
bronze would be replaced with iron, and made it affordable
for all citizens to acquire tools and weapons. Since all citizens
were now armed, it led to advancements in military combat.
A Greek foot soldier, or hoplite, would now stand side by
side with fellow hoplites and form a formation called a pha-
Ionian Greeks revolted, Athens sent aid to support the rebel-
lanx. This fearsome formation became the most powerful
lion. The Persians crushed the revolts and Persian King
fighting force in the ancient world.
Darius decided that he wanted to teach these Greeks a les-
son. In 490 B.C. Darius invaded the Greek mainland and the
Persian War had begun. (1)
The Persians arrived with over 25,000 men north of Athens
on the plains called Marathon. There over 10,000 Athenian
hoplites awaited in their phalanx formation. Thanks to the
professionalism of the highly discipline formation, the Per-
sians were unexpectedly defeated. However, the city of Ath-
ens was left defenseless. A young Athenian runner named
Pheidippides ran all the way to Athens with the news from
Marathon and then dropped dead from exhaustion. The Per-
sian navy arrived to find the city-state well defended and re-
treated back to the Persian Empire in defeat.
This fearsome formation will be put to the test when Greece
and the Persian Empire began a war in Ionia on the coast of
Anatolia. The Greeks had long settled in this region but
around 546 B.C., the Persians conquered the area. When the

89
 would eventually drive the Persians from the territories of
Greece and ended all future attacks. In the 470s, the league
would grow to some 200 city states, and Athens emerged as
the leader of the league. Moving forward Greece, in particu-
lar Athens would enter into a Golden Age. (1) (3)

Interactive 8.3 Mr. Buckley’s Wisdom

In 480 B.C., Persian King Xerxes led a massive invasion to

avenge Marathon. In the beginning the Persian army had no
trouble making their way down the eastern coastline of
Greece. When Xerxes arrived to the narrow pass of Ther-
Click on the image to learn more about
mopylae, he was greeted by 7,000 Greek hoplites which in-
cluded 300 Spartans. These Greek would block the pass and Athens & the Persian Wars
for three days until a traitor revealed a secret path around the
hoplites, ending this brave stand. Once the Persians got past Section 2 Review
them, they took Athens, and burned the Acropolis. Themisto-
1. What is a Polis?
cles, an Athenian leader, lured the Persians into a great sea
battle off the island of Salamis. King Xerxes sat and watch a 2. Compare and contrast Athens vs. Sparta.
third of his entire fleet sink to the bottom of gulf thanks to 3. What is the importance of Athenian Democracy?
the brilliant engineering of the Greek warship called a tri-
4. Describe the Persian Wars.
reme.
As Xerxes suffered another defeat in 479 B.C. in the Battle
of Plataea, the Greek states decided to stand together and
form the Delian League against the Persians. The league

90
 SECTION 3

The “Golden Age”

The "Golden Age" Under Pericles ponnesian War, which would embroil all Greece in the dec-
From 480 to 404 B.C., Greece, but mostly the city-state of ades following his death. (1)
Athens experienced a time of growth in intellectual and artis- Pericles had three goals under his 32 year leadership. The
tic learning. This so called golden age will bring areas of first of these goals was to strengthen the Athenian
drama, poetry, philosophy, and science to all new heights. democracy. He wanted to increase the number of paid pub-
The so-called golden age of lic officials so not just the wealthy Athenians could partici-
Athenian culture flourished un- pate in government. Now that Athens has more citizens en-
der the leadership of Pericles gaged in self-government, it introduced a direct democracy.
(495-429 B.C.), a brilliant gen- This is a form of government in which citizens rule directly
eral, orator, patron of the arts and not through representatives. (2)
and politician—”the first citi- The second goal was to strengthen the empire. After
zen” of democratic Athens, ac- the second Persian invasion of Greece in 479, Athens and its
cording to the historian Thucy- allies throughout the Aegean formed the Delian League, a
dides. Pericles transformed his military alliance focused on the Persian threat. Following a
city’s alliances into an empire failed Athenian attack on the Persians in Egypt in 454, Ath-
and graced its Acropolis with ens’ leaders pushed to transfer the League’s treasury from De-
the famous Parthenon. His poli- los to Athens. Three years later, a coinage decree imposed
cies and strategies also set the Athenian weights and measures throughout the league. By
stage for the devastating Pelo-

91
the time Pericles was elected strategos, the league was well admission for poorer citizens to allow them to see perform-
on its way to becoming an Athenian empire. (1) ances like tragedy and comedy. A tragedy was a serious
The final goal was to glorify Athens. During the 440s drama about common themes such as love, hate, war or be-
trayal. On the other hand, comedy contained scenes filled
and 430s Pericles tapped the league’s treasury to fund vast
with slapstick situations and crude humor. (1)
cultural projects in Athens, most notably a series of struc-
tures on the city’s hilltop Acropolis: the temple of Athena Pericles maintained close friendships with the leading intel-
Nike, the Erechtheion and the towering Parthenon. Built to lects of his time. The playwright Sophocles and the sculp-
the highest standards of aesthetics, engineering and mathe- tor Phidias were among his friends. Pericles’ consort Aspasia,
matics, these white marble structures were decorated with in- one of the best-known women of
tricate statues and friezes carved by the era’s greatest sculp- ancient Greece, taught rhetoric to
tors. (1) the young philosopher Socrates.
Pericles himself was a master ora-
tor. His speeches and elegies (as re-
corded and possibly interpreted by
Thucydides) celebrate the great-
ness of a democratic Athens at its
peak. (1)

All Good Things Come to an End -

Peloponnesian War
As Athens grew in power under Pericles, Sparta felt more
and more threatened and began to demand concessions from
the Athenians. Pericles refused, and in 431 B.C. conflict be-
Pericles’ social innovations were equally important to the era.
tween Athens and Sparta’s ally Corinth pushed the Spartan
He worked to democratize the fine arts by subsidizing theater
king Archidamus II to invade Attica near Athens. Pericles

92
adopted a strategy that played to the Athenians’ advantage as Philosophers Search for Truths
a naval force by evacuating the Attic countryside to deny the Emerging from the end of the
superior Spartan armies anyone to fight. With all his people "Golden Age" were three classical phi-
collected within the walls of Athens, Pericles was free to losophers who founded their thinking
make opportunistic seaborne attacks on Sparta’s allies like on two principles. The first was that
Syracuse. This financially costly strategy worked well during the universe is put together in an or-
the war’s early years, but a plague hit the concentrated Athe- derly way and subject to absolute and
nian population, taking many lives and stirring discontent. unchanging laws. The second was peo-
Pericles was briefly deposed in 430, but after the Athenians’ ple can understand these laws through
efforts to negotiate with Sparta failed, he was quickly rein- logic and reason.
stated. (1)
Socrates believed that absolute stan-
In 429 Pericles’ two legitimate sons died of the plague. A few
dards did exist for truth and justice. He would empower his
months later, Pericles himself succumbed. His death was, ac-
students to look deeper into their moral character and be-
cording to Thucydides, disastrous for Athens. His strategies
lieved that "The unexamined life is not worth living." In 399
were quickly abandoned and the leaders who followed lacked
B.C. his teachings would cost
Pericles’ foresight and forbearance, instead “committing even
him his life when he was found
the conduct of state affairs to
guilty for corrupting the youth
Interactive 8.4 the whims of the multitude.”
in Athens.
Mr. Buckley’s Wisdom The glory of ancient Greece
was far from over, for "lovers A student of Socrates, Plato
of wisdom" or philosophers wrote in 370 B.C. The Repub-
will emerge to search for cer- lic. In his work, he would ex-
tain truths. (1) plain his vision of a perfectly
govern society. It was not a de-
Learn more about the
mocracy, but all citizens would
Peloponnesian War by fall naturally into three groups.
clicking here. These groups were farmers,
The Peloponnesian War
warriors, and the ruling class.
The person with the greatest

93
intellect would be chosen as a philosopher-king. Plato's writ-
ing would dominate European thinking for 1,500 years. The
only to rival in importance was his teacher Socrates and his Interactive 8.5 Mr. Buckley’s Wisdom
own pupil Aristotle.
Aristotle questioned the nature of the world and of human
belief, thought, and knowledge. He invented a method for ar-
guing according to rules of logic. This method would later be
applied to problems in the field of science and later become
the basis for the scientific method. One of Aristotle's most fa-
mous students was the young Alexander of Macedonia. (2)

Click on the picture to learn more about Greek Philosophy

Section 3 Review
1. Who was Pericles?
2. What was the Peloponnesian War?
3. What were the teachings of Socrates, Aristotle &
Plato?

94
 SECTION 4

Macedonia and Alexander the Great

Following the Peloponnesian War, many Greek city-states
were weakened militarily and economically. In a nearby king-
dom called Macedonia, located in the mountains of north-
ern Greece, King Philip II took great interest to conquer
Greece and eventually the Persian Empire. In 359 B.C. when
Philip II became king, he transformed a bunch of peasants
into one of the most well trained armies in Greece. He would
advance the phalanx by placing the
men into 16 across and deep forma-
tions and lengthening the spears. Once
these larger divisions broke an enemy’s
line, he used fast-moving cavalry to
crush his disappointed opponents. It
did not take long until Philip con-
quered all of Greece. In 336 B.C.,
Philip had his eyes now set on the Per-
sian Empire until he was murdered.
The task of fighting the Persians now
fell to his 20 year old son Alexander.

95
Alexander showed that he could conquer Persia. In 332 B.C. As Alexander was going down in history as Alexander the
he conquered Egypt, Asia Minor, and destroyed the Persian Great, he was founding cities named after him anywhere he
army at the Battle of Gaugamela in modern day Iraq. King went. However, he helped spread Greek ideas and language
Darius of Persia would eventually be murdered by his own across a huge territory that later was called the Hellenistic
men, and Alexander became King of Persia. Alexander did Age.
not want to stop there and pressed on into Afghanistan and Section 4 Review
even northern India. Eventually Alex's men wanted to turn 1. After researching Alexander, how
back and in 323 B.C. Alexander caught a fever and died in should history view Alexander?
Babylon at the age of 32.

96
 SECTION 5

Hellenistic Age
As a result of Alexander's poli- would promote the work of gifted scholars and allow them to
Interactive 8.6 Mr. Buckley’s cies, a new culture emerged. produce commentaries that explained these works.
Wisdom This new Hellenistic culture Alexandra's museum contained a small observatory in which
was made up of Egyptian, astronomers could study the planets and stars. Though there
Persian, and Indian influ- were some who began to claim that the sun was larger than
ences. Among the cities of the Earth like Aristarchus, one astronomer Ptolemy incor-
the Hellenistic world, the rectly placed Earth at the center of the solar system. Many
Egyptian city of Alexan- refused to support Aristarchus theory and astronomers ac-
dria became the center of cepted Ptolemy's view for the next 14
the Hellenistic civilization. centuries.
Alexander & Hellenistic Civilization
The attractions of the city In the realm of geometry, Euclid was a
possessed such beauty. Broad highly regarded mathematician who
avenues lined with statues of Greek gods, the elaborate glass taught in Alexandria. His book, Ele-
coffin of Alexander the Great, and soaring over 350 feet over ments, contained 465 geometry proposi-
the harbor stood the Pharos lighthouse. This lighthouse con- tions and proofs. His work is still used as
tained bronze mirrors that reflected light from a blazing fire. the basis for geometry. Archimedes of
The city also had the first true research library in the world. Syracuse was also a renowned scientist
Its collection contained half a million scrolls including many who studied in Alexandra. He estimated
masterpieces of ancient literature. The work in this library the value of pi, the ratio of the circum-

97
ference of a circle to its diameter and the law of the lever. Colossus of Rhodes. This bronze statue stood over 100
Philosophy and Art feet, and became one of the seven wonders of the ancient
world. Due to an earthquake in 225 B.C., the sculpture col-
The teachings of Plato and Aristotle would influence Helle- lapsed and the bronze was sold as scraps.
nistic philosophers. These "lovers of wisdom" would focus on
how people should live their lives. Two By 150 B.C., the Hellenistic world was in decline. However,
major philosophies will emerge from the Greeks had some different neighbors to worry about
this type of thinking. called the Romans.

A Greek philosopher named Zeno

would found a school of philosophy
called Stoicism. Stoics believed peo-
ple should live virtuous lives in har-
mony with the will of god or natural
laws that God established in the uni-
verse. They preached that human de-
sires, power, and wealth called vices
could become distractions that should
be checked.
Epicurus founded the school of thought called Epicurean-
ism. He taught that god had no interest in humans, and that
the only real objects were those that the five senses perceived.
It proposed that the main goal of humans was to achieve har-
mony of body and mind. Though the word epicurean today Section 5 Review
means a person devoted to pursuing human pleasure, Epicu- 1. How important was the city of Alexandria?
rus advocated moderation in all things.
2. Who was Ptolemy, Euclid, Archimedes,
Sculptures flourished during the Hellenistic age. Wealthy rul- Zeno and Epicurus?
ers, merchants, and cities all purchased statues to honor
many things. The largest known sculpture was known as the

98
 Chapter 9

ANCIENT
ROME

"Roman SPQR banner" by Ssolbergj - Own work. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via
Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:Roman_SPQR_banner.svg#/media/File:Roman_SPQR_banner.svg
 SECTION 1

Way to Run a Roman Republic?

spot for trade in the
Interactive 9.1 Rome Mediterranean Sea.
The earliest settlers be-
gan to arrive to the pen-
insula around 1000 to
500 B.C. There were
three groups of inhabi-
tants, the Latins, origi-
nally built the city of
Rome, the Greeks, and the brilliant metalworkers from north-
Click on the image to watch the Rome Trailer ern Italy called the Etruscans. Eventually the Romans would
adopt much of the Etruscans system of writing, alphabet,
According to legend, the city was founded in 753 B.C. by and their architectural brilliance like the use of the arch. (1)
two brothers Romulus and Remus. These two brothers In the early days, Rome was ruled by kings according to tradi-
were abandoned by the god Mars and a Latin princess. Left tion. The worst king of Rome was Tarquin the Proud,
for dead, a she-wolf would find the abandoned brothers and who set up a murderous regime of terror. When his son, Sex-
raised them as her own. Though the story is "catchy," there tus, attacked and raped a married Roman lady, the Romans
was a geographical reason for the building of this great city. had enough. Around 509 B.C., the Romans threw Tarquin
Rome was built along seven rolling hills along the Tiber and his son out and vowed that they never again be ruled by
River. This area not only provided fertile soil, it was a prime

100
a king. Instead, they set up a res publica or "public affairs" tant victory for the plebeians was in 451 B.C. when Rome’s
called a republic. A republic is a form of government in first written laws were displayed in the Forum, heart of politi-
which power rests with citizens who have the right to vote for cal life, called the Twelve Tables. This provided the idea
their leaders. that all free citizens had a right to the protection of the law.
(2)
Interactive 9.2 Mr. Buckley’s Wisdom
Government Under the Republic (3)
Consuls - Two men who served a year's term. They were
elected by the Assemblies and were the chief executives of
the government. They also served as commanders of the
army.
Senate - The Senate was the most important governing
body. Its 300 members passed laws, elected officials, and de-
termined foreign policy. Members of the Senate were patri-
cians. They were chosen for life. Senators advised the Con-
Click on the image to learn about the foundations of Early suls. The Assemblies could veto this advice.
Rome
Assembly of Centuries - The patricians controlled voting
Just like the Greeks, the Romans were not a big fan of equal- in this Assembly. It elected the magistrates - the main adminis-
ity, even within a republic. To be a citizen, you and your par- trative body of the government.
ents had to have been born in Rome. Even if you all were Assembly of Tribes - The plebeians controlled this Assem-
born in Rome, one group called patricians, wealthy land- bly. It elected the tribunes and gradually gained the power to
owners, could vote or stand in elections to the Roman Sen- make some laws.
ate. The other group was known as plebeians, common Magistrates - The magistrates had supreme administrative
farmers, artisans, and merchants who made up the majority authority. They had the right to interpret and execute laws.
of the Roman population. At first, plebeians were barred by At first, the magistrates had to be patricians. Later, plebeians
law from holding important government positions. However, could hold this office.
in time the patricians will allow the plebeians to form their
own assembly and participate in the government. An impor-

101
Tribunes - The Assembly of Tribes elected 10 tribunes each divisions of cavalry. Due to the organized fighting skills of
year. Tribunes could veto the act of any magistrate. the Romans, it was no wonder why Rome will rise to great-
Dictator - In times of crisis, the consuls and senate could ness.
elect a leader who had absolute power to make laws and com-
mand the army. This dictator's power lasted for only six
months.

There Is No Room for Both of Us: Rome vs. Car-

thage
By 265 B.C., Rome extended its control from Italy to Spain
and Greece. As the Roman legions conquered these vast terri-
Roman Army tories it would offer it's captives a chance to become a citizen
Rome placed a great value on its military. All citizens who of Rome with all rights except the right to vote. If the cap-
owned land were required to serve in the army. Those who tives declined, then an alliance was made between the sides.
were seeking a future career in politics had to serve a mini- It was this type of expansion that would eventually lead this
mum of ten years. Roman soldiers were organized into mili- city to becoming an empire. There was only one little prob-
tary units called legions. These legions were made up of lem. A powerful trading city located in North Africa too
some 5,000 armed foot soldiers which were subdivided into wanted a piece of the pie, Carthage.
groups of 80 called a century. They would be supported by

102
 them by 241 B.C. It is true that the First Punic War lasted 23
years!
To cheer up after their first embarrassing defeat, The Cartha-
ginians decided to conquer Spain. However, the Romans
were allied with some Spanish cities, and in 219 B.C. both cit-
ies entered round two in the Second Punic War. This time
the Carthaginians' brilliant young commander, Hannibal,
took an army from Spain and attacked the Romans where
they did not expect it, over the Alps Mountains. Since Hanni-
bal's army was larger than the Romans, the only way the Ro-
mans could force Hannibal to go home was by attacking Car-
thage itself. Hannibal did rush back, but met his match in the
Battle of Zama in 202 B.C. against Roman general
Scipio. Following the battle Hannibal was hunted down and
he eventually killed himself to avoid capture.

Interactive 9.3 Mr. Buckley’s Wisdom

At first the two cities left each other alone. This was until 264
B.C. when both cities wanted the island of Sicily. The Ro-
mans were better at fighting on land, as the Carthaginians
were good at fighting at sea. It came to be a surprise for the
Carthaginians in the First Punic War when the Romans Click on the image to learn about the Punic Wars
would copy and advance their Carthaginian ships and defeat

103
Following the Second Punic War, a famous Roman statesman
named Cato convinced the republic that, "Carthage must be
destroyed!" In the Third Punic War (149 - 146 B.C.), the Ro-
mans did destroy Carthage and sold the surviving inhabitants
into slavery. The Romans evened salted the farmlands so that
the crops would not grow back.
Rome's victories in the Punic Wars gave it dominance over
the Mediterranean world. By 70 B.C., Rome's empire
stretched from Spain to Anatolia. However, with such growth
and power came new problems within the empire. (1)

Section 1 Review
1. Explain the early origins of Rome?
2. How is the Roman Republic similar to the Ameri-
can Republic?
3. What was the importance of the Punic Wars?

104
 SECTION 2

The Republic is Unstable

No sooner had the Romans defeated Carthage than the peo- Senate felt threatened and it would result in the violent
ple of Rome began fighting each other. As Rome increased deaths of both brothers (Tiberius in 133 B.C. and Gaius in
its wealth and boundaries, growing discontent among the 121 B.C.).
lower classes of society began a breakdown in military order. A period of civil war, war between groups of the same coun-
Many of Rome's rich landowners lived on huge estates called try, followed the brother's death. A Roman general named
latifundias. Small farmers could not compete with these Gaius Marius allowed plebeians to become soldiers, which
huge estates run by the labor of enslaved people. Many of scared the patricians that the poor were now armed. General
these small farmers, once were soldiers of Rome, would be Marius was challenged by Consul Cornelius Sulla, and a
forced to sell their lands and power struggle between the two erupted. General Marius was
become homeless. The ple- viewed as the peoples champion, while Consul Sulla was
beian class wanted more of standing up for order, class, and discipline. The result would
a say in running the repub- be a victory for Sulla, who was able to take power and rule
lic. temporary as a dictator. To prevent any future uprisings,
Emerging from these trou- Sulla ordered many of Marius's followers to be put to death.
bles were two plebeian broth- However, he was not able to catch Marius's nephew-by-
ers, Tiberius and Gaius marriage, an ambitious and able officer named Julius Caesar.
Gracchus who will attempt to help Rome's poor. As mem- (1)
bers of the tribune, the brothers suggested a reform that
would limit the size of the latifundias and the remaining land
be returned to the poor. As nice as this sounded in theory, the

105
War, Seduction, Murder: So This the next year, Caesar will chase Pompey all over the Mediter-
is The New Roman Empire? ranean. In 48 B.C. Pompey makes his last stop in Egypt, hop-
ing to get help from the King of Egypt against Caesar. The
Following Cornelius Sulla's retire-
king, thinking of a good present to send to Caesar, decided to
ment, a loyal follower named Gnaeus
cut off Pompey's head and send him that.
Pompey made himself popular by de-
feating sea pirates and Rome's sworn Caesar returned to Rome in 46 B.C. with the support of the
enemy, King Mithridates of Pontus. masses and the senate appointed him dictator for a year and
However, even Pompey could not ig- consul for the next five. Julius Caesar governed Rome with ab-
nore Julius Caesar, whose hired solute authority. He started a number of reforms like grant-
men were building a power base ing citizenship to many people, expanded the senate by add-
among the ordinary people of Rome. ing friends and supporters, creating jobs for the poor, order
In 59 B.C., Pompey agreed to share the construction of new public buildings, and increased the
power with Caesar and another of pay for soldiers. During this process, Caesar won some more
Sulla's wealthy henchmen Crassus to battles for Rome so the Senate in 44. B.C. declared him dicta-
form a triumvirate, or three-man tor for life, put his portrait on coins, and decided that his per-
rule. son was sacred and probably divine.
As you can imagine this triumvirate would not work out. Within time many nobles and senators expressed worries that
Now forget Crassus, he went on a campaign and got himself Caesar's growing power would lead to losing their influence
killed. As for Caesar, after serving his one year term as con- in government and possibly the death of the republic. A num-
sul, he appointed himself governor of Gaul (ancient France). ber of important senators led by Marcus Brutus and Gaius
The senate did not trust Caesar so they were happy to see Cassius, plotted Caesar's assassination. On March 15, 44
him leave and hopefully be forgotten. Instead by 50 B.C., Ju- B.C. (Ides of March), they stabbed him to death in the
lius Caesar conquered all of Gaul, and became popular with senate chamber. (2)
the people of Rome. Pompey, who had become his political No sooner was Caesar was killed that three of his supporters
rival, urged the senate to order Caesar to disband his legions banded together to capture the assassins. These three men
and come home. Julius Caesar ignored that request by the were an experienced general named Mark Antony, a power-
senate and in 49 B.C.; he led his legions back to Rome. Pom- ful politician Lepidus, and the adopted son of Julius Caesar
pey fled once he received the news of Julius's return and for

106
Octavian. In 43 B.C., these three men formed the Second called the Pax Romana. Under the rule of the Julio-Claudian
Triumvirate. emperors, the Roman Empire covered over 3 million square
miles and hosted over 80 million people. Even the city of
Their alliance, however, ended in jealousy and violence. Octa-
Rome was populated with over 1 million people.
vian forced Lepidus to retire, leaving Octavian and Mark An-
tony in control of the triumvirate. What happened next was Caesar Augustus was considered the most able emperor dur-
all Queen Cleopatra of Egypt's fault. ing this time period. He stabilized the frontiers, glorified
Rome with splendid marble public buildings, and created a
While leading troops against Rome's enemies in Anatolia,
system of government that survived for centuries. The reason
Mark Antony met Queen Cleopatra and the two fell in love
why Augustus's government survived for centuries, even after
and returned to Egypt. Octavian accused Mark Antony of
he died in 14 A.D., was because he set up a paid civil service.
trying to form an alliance with the Queen of Egypt against
This system allowed Augustus to pay plebeians to maintain
Rome and another civil war erupted. Octavian will defeat the
the affairs of government. (2)
combine forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the naval
Battle of Actium in 31 B.C. To avoid being captured Mark Socially, Rome throughout its history emphasized values of
Antony and Cleopatra did what all good Romans do and discipline, strength, and loyalty. A person with these qualities
committed suicide. (2) was said to have the virtue of gravitas. To help the family
and its members to grow up practicing this virtue, the oldest
Upon Octavian's return to Rome, he will restore some as-
male in the household would have the title paterfamilias. The
pects of the republic, but did be-
"father of the family" was responsible to the everyday opera-
come the unchallenged ruler of
tions of the household and had the legal power to beat or im-
Rome. Eventually, he will take on
prison his children and divorce his wife if she grew ugly or
the title of Augustus, or "ex-
talked too much.
alted one." Rome was now an
empire ruled by one man. Slavery was a significant part of Roman life. Almost one
third of the entire Roman population was made up of slaves.
The Emperor's New Empire
These slaves would be used in many ways, working the farm-
Rome would enter the peak of lands, tend to their master needs, and even become trained
their power under Augustus's rule fighters to provide entertainment at the colosseum. The gov-
in 27 B.C. These 207 years of Ro- ernment provided free games, races, and gladiator contests to
man peace and prosperity became distract and control the masses.

107
Though the Pax Romana was the greatest time to live within
the Roman Empire, under the weight of an increasing num-
ber of both foreign and domestic problems, the mighty Ro- Interactive 9.4 Mr. Buckley’s Wisdom
man Empire eventually began to crumble.

Click on the image to learn about Augustus’ family tree.

Section 2 Review
1. Who was Tiberius Gracchus & Gaius Gracchus?
2. How important was Julius Caesar to the develop-
ment of Rome?
3. Explain the significance of the First & Second
Triumverate.
4. What did Caesar Augustus do for the expansion
of Rome?

108
 SECTION 3

The Beginning of the End of the Empire

The first of many reasons for this decline was due to the em-
Interactive 9.5 Mr. Buckley’s Wisdom pire running out of money. Hostile tribes and pirates were dis-
rupting Rome's oversea trade, and with the empire "maxed
out" in expansion, Rome lacked new sources of gold and sil-
ver. To save money the emperors debased the coinage, so
there was hardly any silver in it. This caused inflation, a dras-
tic drop in value of money coupled with the rise in prices.
The population of the empire had fallen, possibly by about
one-third. The Romans now depended more than ever on
non-Romans who lack a sense of loyalty to the empire. This
would be a huge problem with it came to the army. To save
on army pay, the Romans started taking prisoners to use
Click on the Image to learn more about the Roman Emperors slaves, and even as troops. The government began to recruit
mercenaries, foreign soldiers for hire, which most of these for-
Many people would say that the end of the Pax Romana was eigners were Germans known as foederati. The empire was
around A.D. 180 with the death of the emperor Marcus Aure- already becoming more and more German even before the
lius. The rulers following in the next century had a limited real trouble began! (1)
knowledge of rule, and while the Empire continued to grow,
it will lead to a decline of this once amazing empire.

109
Can Anyone Save this Empire!? took the East while he appointed General Maximian co-ruler
Surprisingly, the Roman Empire survived intact for another of the West.
200 years. This was due largely to two emperors, Diocletian Constantine will gain control of the western part of the em-
and Constantine. pire in A.D. 312. He would continue to follow Diocletian's so-
In A.D. 284, Diocletian became the new emperor and ruled cial and economic policies, resulting in securing control of
with an iron fist. Though he limited his citizens of certain the Eastern Empire in A.D. 324. What he did next would
freedoms, he did stabilize the frontier and controlled inflation have great consequences for the empire. Constantine moved
by setting fixed prices for goods. Diocletian was smart the capital from Rome to the Greek city of Byzantium. With
enough to realize that the empire was too big just for one this city now being the center of power in the empire, it was
man to rule. To deal with this he divided up the empire in later renamed Constantinople. Following Constantine's
the Greek-speaking east and Latin-speaking West. Diocletian death, the empire would be divided again, but the East would
survive while the West would fall.
The Western Roman Empire Crumbles
In the fourth century A.D., a fierce, warlike, and utterly ruth-
less people had come charging across the plains of Russia
from China, the Huns. These Mongol nomads from Asia
moved in and destroyed everything in their path. In an effort
to flee from the Huns, various Germanic people, Romans
called them "barbarians," kept moving deeper into the Ro-
man Empire. The situation became so bad that in A.D. 410 a
Germanic group called the Visigoths led by their king Alaric
overran Rome itself and plundered it for three days.
In the meantime, the Huns, who have been only indirectly re-
sponsible for the Germanic assaults on Rome, now became a
direct threat. In A.D. 444, the Huns were united under a pow-
erful chieftain named Attila. With over 100,000 soldiers, At-
tila terrorized both halves of the empire. In A.D. 452, Attila's

110
forces marched on Rome. However, due to famine and dis-
ease, it kept the Huns from capturing the city.
The last Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was ousted
by German forces under the leadership of Odoacer in A.D.
476. After that, no emperor even pretended to rule Rome
and its western provinces. Roman power in the western half
of the empire had disappeared. (2)

Interactive 9.6 Mr. Buckley’s Wisdom

Section 3 Review
1. Look at Mr. Buckley’s handout on the Emperors.
Who in your opinion was the most important and
why?
2. Explain in full detail what caused the end of the
Roman Empire.

Click on the image to read about the Fall of the Roman Empire

111
 SECTION 4

What is Rome’s Legacy?

Under the Roman Empire, hundreds of territories were knit- to see these works of
ted into a single state. By the second century B.C., Romans art in Roman villas,
conquered Greece and became great admirers of their civili- the country houses of
zation. This would result in the mixing of Greek, Hellenistic, the wealthy.
and Roman cultures becoming the Greco-Roman culture or The best examples of
"classical civilization." From this creation, Rome will adapt Roman art could be
them for their own purposes and create a style of their own. found in the Roman
Art and Literature city of Pompeii. In
Romans learned the art of sculpture from the Greeks but un- A.D. 79, Mount Ve-
like Greek art, much Roman art was practical in purpose, in- suvius erupted, cover-
tended for public education. Romans would further their de- ing the city in a thick layer of ash and
velopment of a type of sculpture called bas-relief. In bas- killing about 2,000 residents. The ash
relief, or low-relief, images project from a flat background. actually acted to preserve many build-
Romans used this style to tell stories and to represent crowds ings and works of art today.
of people and landscapes.
Romans were also particularly skilled in the creation of mosa- The Romans would borrow much of
ics. Mosaics were pictures or designs made by setting small their inspiration for literature from
pieces of glass, stone, or tile onto a surface. You would tend the Greeks. The poet Virgil spent ten
years writing the Aeneid, the epic of

112
the legendary Aeneas. Virgil modeled this work in praise of from distant sources into their cities and towns, supplying
Rome and Roman virtues, after the Greek epics of Homer. public baths, latrines, fountains and private households.
As for history, even this ancient civilization had their great his- Waste water was removed by complex sewage systems and re-
torians. Tacitus was notable among the ancient historians leased into nearby bodies of water, keeping the towns clean
because he presented the facts accurately. In Animals and His- and free from effluent. Aqueducts also provided water for
tories, he accurately recorded the actions of the Emperor mining operations, milling, farms and gardens. (3)
Nero, who many considered to be one of Rome's cruelest rul- Rome's most lasting and important contribution to civiliza-
ers. (1) tion was law. As the empire continued to grow, Romans be-
lieved that law should be equal and fair to all people. The
The Legacy of Rome
principles of Roman law have endured to form the basis of
Latin, the language of the Roman Empire, would last be- legal systems throughout Europe and the United States of
yond the existence of the Empire and became the official lan- America.
guage of the Roman Catholic Church. Today the Romance
Rome's influence on us today cannot be ignored, but we also
languages, which comprise all languages that descended from
need to remember that this civilization will flourish until
Latin, are spoken by more than 600 million native speakers
1453 in the eastern empire called the Byzantine Empire.
worldwide, mainly in the Americas, Europe, and Africa. Addi-
tionally, the vocabulary of Germanic languages like German
Dutch, or English contains a large percentage of Latin Section 4 Review
words. In the case
of English, the pro- 1. After reading Section 4 what is the biggest
impact that Rome left on western society.?
portion of words
with a Latin or Ro-
mance origin is esti-
mated to be over
50%. (2)
The Romans con-
structed numerous
aqueducts in or-
der to bring water

113
 SECTION 5

The Byzantine Empire

the Byzantine Empire moved into territory of the former
western half of Rome including Italy and North Africa.
It was considered that the empire was
at its highest period under the rule of
a nobleman named Justinian (A.D.
527-565). His reign saw great expan-
sion across the once Western Roman
Empire.
In one sense, Justinian was one of the
last to use Latin as the official royal
The Byzantine Empire was the direct continuation of the
language. After his death, the Latin
eastern half of the old Roman Empire. Long after Rome fell
tradition began to die out and Greek
under the domination of the Germanic invaders, Byzantium
became the official language of the eastern empire. This
continued on with an emperor on the throne in the capital
caused the Byzantines to think of themselves as different
city called Constantinople.
from the Romans and loosened the historical ties between
This empire, despite being only half of what was once the Rome and Constantinople.
vast old Roman Empire, spread along the southern shores of Great strides were taken by Justinian during his reign. He
the Black Sea and the eastern Mediterranean. By A.D. 500, oversaw the construction of a great church in the city that
would prove to be the shining example of Byzantine architec-

114
 ture. Known 1453. It was during this period of decline that Christianity of-
as the Church ficially split between the Roman Catholic Church in the West
of the Hagia and the Orthodox Church in the East.
Sophia, or
Holy Wisdom, Interactive 9.7 Mr. Buckley’s Wisdom
it was a monu-
mental work.
The building
measures 250
feet by 235
feet and fea-
tures a great dome measuring 107 feet across and peaking at
a height of 185 feet. The building took five years to complete
with 10,000 men working on it. Inside, the great church was
adorned with marble, elaborate columns, intricate mosaics, Click on the image to learn about the Byzantine Empire
and gold. (1)
Click here to go the Hagia Sophia Museum Website.
Another contribution of Justinian was the reforming and
Section 5 Review
codifying of Roman law. He ordered the creation of a com-
mission to study Roman law and to bring it together in a uni- 1. What is the importance of Justinian to the
fied form known as the Justinian Code. The result of the Byzantine World?
code included all Roman law up to A.D. 534. Also, the com-
mission arranged the Digest, which included all the cases that
served as interpretations of the law. This new work commis-
sioned by Justinian gave new prestige to old Roman law. (1)
Following another great period for the Byzantine Empire
from A.D. 700 - 1000, four hundred years of decline fol-
lowed, ultimately leading to the Empire's fall to the Turks in

115
 Chapter 10

THE MIDDLE
AGES

"Charlemagne denier Mayence 812 814" by PHGCOM - Own work by uploader, photographed at Cabinet des
Médailles, Paris.. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/
wiki/File:Charlemagne_denier_Mayence_812_814.jpg#/media/File:Charlemagne_denier_Mayence_812_814.jpg
 SECTION 1

Early Middle Ages

Invasions of Western Europe Germanic Kingdoms Emerge
Following the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Europe en- Unlike the Roman Empire, barbarian culture focused on loy-
tered a period called the Middle Ages (A.D. 500-1500). This alty to persons rather than institutions. Rather, than adhering
period would have roots in the classical heritage of Rome, to abstract legal concepts or ideals, Germanic society re-
the beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church, and the customs volved around tribal identities, which allowed in many ways
of various Germanic tribes. (1) for a greater amount of freedom than had existed in the Ro-
In the fifth century, Germanic invaders continued to invade man Empire. However, this freedom came at the cost of po-
the western half of Europe. These repeated invasions caused litical unity, economic vitality, an active civic culture, and led
disturbances in the economy, government, and culture. Due to the development of major language barriers between the
to the breakdown of trade, cites were no longer economic kingdoms.
centers and money became scarce. Following the fall of It can become confusing with all the dif-
Rome, there was no longer a centralized government or cen- ferent Germanic tribes running amuck
ter of administration. As these two factors collapsed it left throughout Western Europe. Just remem-
many people to abandon the cities and return to the rural ber this: the Franks came out on top. In
countryside to survive. the Roman province of Gaul, modern
day France, a Germanic people called the
Franks held power. The king of the
Franks, Clovis I of the Merovingian
dynasty, converted to Catholic Christian-

117
ity in A.D. 496 as a promise for victory in battle. Immedi- named Benedict pondered on the point of such behavior.
ately, the Franks became the Romans' favorite barbarians, Benedict agreed that Christians should withdraw from the
and there was nothing Rome or Constantinople would not do world and devote themselves to prayer, but thought the Egyp-
to help them. The Church too supported Clovis's military tian style of practice was unhealthy. So, when Benedict set up
campaigns against other Germanic people, and in A.D. 511 a monastery near Naples, he drew up a set of rules for how
Clovis united the Frank into one kingdom. The alliance be- to run a monastery. These monasteries became Europe's best
tween the Church and Clovis will mark the start of a beauti- educated communities where monks maintained libraries and
ful relationship. copied books. The Rule of St. Benedict was one thing that
Christianity in the West set the western Church apart from the eastern Church. The
other thing was the growing power of the Bishop of Rome -
The first big difference between Christianity in the East and the Pope.
West concerned monks. We quickly come to think of the
monks having long brown habits, cord tied around the waist, Papal Power Expands Throughout Christendom
bad haircuts, and living together in a monastery (Church The man who almost
built religious communities). Rather, the earlier monks were single-handedly made the
inspired by the readings about St. John the Baptist living in papacy into the leading
the wilderness and eating locusts. So the monks dug them- power in Western Europe
selves holes in the Egyptian desert and lived off scrapes. was Pope Gregory I. Be-
An Egyptian monastery looked yond the spiritual role he
like a shanty town and the behav- had, the papacy also be-
ior of these monks was bizarre. came a secular, or worldly,
Monks competed with each other power involved in politics.
to show how holy they were. St. Gregory used church reve-
Simon Stylites, for example, de- nues to raise armies, repair
cided to get closer to heaven by roads, and help the poor.
spending his life living on top of a He also negotiated peace
pillar, never sitting or lying down, treaties with Rome's biggest
not even to sleep. Really!? barbarian threat the Lom-
bards. Gregory's most im-
Around A.D. 520, a young Italian

118
portant work was in extending his authority to help in his vi-
Interactive 10.1 Battle of Tours
sion called Christendom, or spiritual kingdom on earth.
Meanwhile, secular rulers expanded their political kingdoms.
An Empire Evolves
The rise of a new ruling power in Gaul, the Carolingian dy-
nasty, was the result of the expanded power of the major
domo, or "mayor of the palace." Merovingian kings gave
their major domo extensive power to command and control
Click on the Image to Watch about the Battle of
their estates, and some of them used this power to command Tours
and control entire territories. Pepin II was one of the first to
expand his power so much that he held power over almost all precedent for European absolutism, by arguing that it was
of Gaul. His son, also a major domo, Charles Martel, won the Christian God's will to declare someone a king. (3)
the Battle of Tours in A.D. 732 against invading Islamic ar-
Pepin the Short was the founder of the Carolingian dy-
mies, keeping Muslim influence out of most of Europe. "Mar-
nasty, which culminated in his son Charlemagne, "Char-
tel," meaning "The Hammer," was a reference to his weapon
les the Great." Charlemagne was
of choice the war hammer. (3)
also the first king crowned Holy
Charles Martel's son Pepin the Roman Emperor in A.D. 800--
Short, after requesting support of the supposed successor to the Cae-
the papacy, disposed of the sars and the protector of the
Merovingian "puppets." The papacy Catholic Church. Charlemagne,
gave Pepin permission to overthrow whose empire expanded its
the Merovingian’s in order to secure boundaries by conquest to encom-
Frankish support of the Papal pass most of present-day Ger-
States, and protection against Lom- many and France, created some-
bard incursion. Pepin was declared thing of a renaissance for the in-
rex Dei gratia, "King by the grace tellectual world in the Frankish
of God," thereby setting a powerful kingdom. Charlemagne set up
monasteries and had monks copy

119
out the Bible, in illuminated manuscripts, in rooms called authority. The lack of strong rulers led to a new system of
scriptoria. For women, the cloth was one of the few ways governing and landholding: feudalism. (1)
they were allowed to expand their intellectual horizons and
do something aside from birth children and work in the Interactive 10.2 Mr. Buckley’s Wisdom
fields. (3)

Click on the image to learn more about the Frankish Kings

Section 1 Review
1. What happened to Western Europe after the fall
of the Rome?
2. How did Western Europe begin to rebuild? Be
specific.
A year before Charlemagne died in A.D. 814; he crowned his 3. What role did the Catholic Church play in the de-
only surviving son, Louis the Pious, as emperor. Louis was a velopment of Western Europe?
religious man and decided to give the empire to his three 4. Identify Clovis, Charles Martel, Pepin the Short,
sons: Lothair, Charles the Bald, and Louis the German. As Charlemagne.
you can imagine, the three sons will fight one another for con-
trol of the empire. In A.D. 843, the three will sign the
Treaty of Verdun, dividing the empire into three king-
doms. As a result, Carolingian kings lost power and central

120
 SECTION 2

Feudalism in Europe
Charlemagne's three grandsons will break up their grandfa- but one feature of their trade networks, which spanned the
ther's kingdom and continue following Germanic traditions. Atlantic and Europe from Newfoundland to Byzantium.
Part of these territories will become a battlefield for a new What made these Vikings so feared was how they carried out
wave of invaders. The political turmoil and constant warfare their raids with terrifying speed. They were able to attack
led to the rise of European feudalism. with such speed due to the engineering of their longships.
Enter the Invaders: Vikings, Muslims, Magyars These warships at times would weigh around 20 tons, but still
have the ability to sail in a mere three feet of water. Viking
Oh My! activity continued until Norway and Sweden reluctantly ac-
The year 793 a gang of armed men from a wintry wooded cepted Christianity in the 11th and 12th centuries. England,
region of Northern Europe called Scandinavia made their de- Ireland, and French Normandy all saw substantial Viking set-
but in Europe by burning down famous monasteries, slaugh- tlement in this period, with important historical conse-
tering the monks, or making them slaves. The Vikings had quences. (1)
arrived. As Viking invasions declined, Europe was welcomed by two
The Vikings, also called other invaders. The first of these two were a group of no-
Northmen or Norsemen, madic people that attacked from the east from what is Hun-
were Germanic people gary today called Magyars. They were superb horsemen
whose gods included Thor that swept across Western Europe in the late 800s. What
and Odin, and whose made Magyars different from Vikings was that they did not
raids on wealthy Christian settle in conquered lands. Instead, they took captives and sold
cities and churches were them as slaves. The second were the Muslims who attacked

121
from the south. They already secured North Africa and fees, rituals, and taxes. As warfare required continuous train-
Spain in the 600s and 700s. Muslims were expert seafarers ing and expensive equipment (a result of the invention of the
who were able to strike any settlement on the Atlantic and stirrup allowing heavy mounted warriors), only an elite few
Mediterranean coasts. The invasions by these groups caused could engage in the practice. Society became divided, at least
widespread disorder and many Europeans lived in constant in theory, into those who fought (nobles and knights), those
danger. Kings could not effectively defend their lands and who prayed (the clergy), and those who worked (peasants and
this resulted in people no longer looking to a central ruler for artisans). (3)
security. Instead, the people turned to local rulers who had The Economic Side of Feudalism
their own armies. (2)
The manor was the lord's estate. The lord would provide
The New Social Order the serfs with housing, farmland, and protection. In return,
Based on the decentralized na- the serfs tended to the lord's lands and performed certain
ture of Germanic political cul- tasks to maintain the estate. All peasants whether free or serf
ture and the insecurity of the owed the lord certain duties. These estates were self-
Early Middle Ages, the system contained worlds that peasants rarely traveled more than 25
of feudalism emerged. The miles from their own manor. The manor was a self-sufficient
earliest example of this system community where serfs and peasants raised or produced al-
existing was in A.D. 911. Rollo most everything that they and their lord needed.
was the head of a Viking army, These peasants and serfs paid a high price to live on the
who had been plundering France for years. Charles the Sim- lord's land. They paid a tax on all grain grounded in the
ple was the king of France but held little power. Charles lord's mill. Not paying your taxes was treated as a crime. Peas-
granted Rollo French territory today called Normandy in ex- ants also paid a tax on marriage, and families owed the vil-
changed for Rollo's pledge of loyalty to Charles. lage priest a tithe, or church tax.
Relationships between lord and vassal, person receiving a Despite the hardships that a serf endured, like most Chris-
fief (land), were based on specific contractual obligations of tians during the medieval times, believed that God deter-
loyalty and protection. In return for protection, peasants pro- mined a person's place in society. (2)
vided labor and gave loyalty to feudal elites, who controlled
peasants and serfs, people who could not lawfully leave the
place they were born, through an intricate set of obligations,

122
 Interactive 10.3 Mr. Buckley’s Wisdom

Feudal Pyramid

Monarch
Click on the image to learn about Feudalism

Nobles & Section 2 Review

Church Officials 1. What impact did the new invaders have
on the development of Western Europe?
2. How did feudalism influence society in
Western Europe?
Knights

Peasants and Serfs

123
 SECTION 3

The Knight
During the Middle Ages, nobles constantly fought between fighter for a lord, with payment in the form of land holdings.
one another. Through warfare, feudal lords defended their es- (3) The lords trusted the knights, who were skilled in battle
tates, seized new territories, and increased their wealth. By on horseback. Since the early modern period, the title of
the 1100s a code of behavior began to rise because of a class knight is purely honorific, usually bestowed by a monarch, as
of guided warriors known as knights. (1) in the British honors system, often for non-military service to
The Knight the country.

A knight is a person granted an hon-

orary title of knighthood by a mon- Interactive 10.4 Knights
arch or other political leader for
service to the Monarch or country,
especially in a military capacity. His-
torically, in Europe, knighthood has
been conferred upon mounted warri-
ors. (2) During the High Middle
Ages, knighthood was considered a
class of lower nobility. By the Late
Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals
of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Chris- Click on the video to learn more about the Knights
tian warrior. Often, a knight was a vassal who served as a

124
Knights were expected, above all, to fight bravely and to dis- more ethereal virtues of "faith, hope, charity, justice,
play military professionalism and courtesy. When knights strength, moderation and loyalty."(5)
were taken as prisoners of war, they were customarily held It was not only literature and epic poetry that explained the
for ransom in somewhat comfortable surroundings. This code of chivalry during this time period but also love poetry
same standard of conduct did not apply to non-knights (arch- and songs. Traveling poet-musicians called Troubadours
ers, peasants, foot-soldiers, etc.) who were often slaughtered composed short verses and songs about the joys and sorrows
after capture, and who were viewed during battle as mere im- of romantic love. Duke William IX of Aquitaine was one of
pediments to knights' getting to other knights to fight them. the most famous troubadours. Being a troubadour was more
(4) a phase you went through than a career choice, rather like
The Code busking.
Chivalry developed as an early standard of professional eth- Women's Role
ics for knights, who were relatively affluent horse owners and
As with many periods in history, women's roles in the Middle-
were expected to provide military services in exchange for
Ages were bound by legal and economic prescription. How-
landed property. Early notions of chivalry entailed loyalty to
ever, medieval women of different classes often found ways to
one's liege lord and bravery in battle, similar to the values of
express autonomy, initiative, and talent within these parame-
the Heroic Age. During the Middle Ages, this grew from sim-
ters. The nature of medieval warfare often left noblewomen
ple military professionalism into a social code including the
to manage large manors, engage in politics, and organize the
values of gentility, nobility and treating others reasonably. In
defense of castles. Younger noblewomen often joined con-
The Song of Roland (c. 1100), Roland is portrayed as the
vents, where they could pursue intellectual and spiritual inter-
ideal knight, demonstrating unwavering loyalty, military prow-
ests outside the control of men. Women also played major
ess and social fellowship. In Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzi-
roles in movements of religious change or in so-called here-
val (c. 1205), chivalry had become a blend of religious duties,
sies. Further, the ideal of courtly love and chivalry placed
love and military service. Ramon Llull's Book of the Order
women at the center of an important cultural tradition. Cit-
of Chivalry (1275) demonstrates that by the end of the 13th
ies and towns relied on the labor of women in artisan fami-
century, chivalry entailed a litany of very specific duties, in-
lies, often as guild members in food preparation, brewing,
cluding riding warhorses, jousting, attending tournaments,
and cloth production. Peasant and serf women labored along-
holding Round Tables and hunting, as well as aspiring to the
side their husbands in mowing hay, tending to vegetable gar-
dens, or in harvesting. Since peasant homes were simple, do-

125
mestic chores actually played more of a minor role for
women. (6)

Section 3 Review
1. Explain the role of the knights and women during
the feudal period.

126
 Chapter 11

HIGH MIDDLE
AGES

"Husité - Jenský kodex" by Unknown - Vavřinec z Březové - Husitská kronika; Píseň o vítězství u
Domažlic (nakladatelství Svoboda, 1979). Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons -
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Husit%C3%A9_-_Jensk%C3%BD_kodex.jpg#/media/
File:Husit%C3%A9_-_Jensk%C3%BD_kodex.jpg
 SECTION 1

Putting the Puzzle of Western Europe Back

Together Again
The Crusades sades demonstrated Europe's newfound assertiveness and in-
A sign of the increasing power of Europe was the Cru- terest in the outside world, stimulating a spirit of exploration.
(1)
sades. Due to the expansion of commerce, population, and
political organization, Christian Europe was able to go on Interactive 11.2 Mr. Buckley’s Wisdom
the offensive against Islamic rule of the Holy Land. The first
crusade was launched in A.D. 1095, and subsequent efforts
succeeded in establishing kingdoms in Palestine and surround-
ing areas. However, many of these efforts were driven by
prejudice and
Interactive 11.1 Mr. Buckley’s Wisdom sheer bloodlust, of-
ten producing
atrocities and
tragic conse-
Click here to learn about the Cathedrals in
quences, like the
Medieval Europe
needless sack of
Constantinople in Formation of Western Europe
A.D. 1204 (Fourth
Click on the image to learn more about how Crusade). Despite While Church reform, cathedral building, and the Cru-
the Crusades changed Western Europe some of the baser sades were taking place, other important changes were occur-
motives, the Cru- ring in medieval society. The sectors of agriculture, trade,

128
and finance were making significant advances resulting in the quality of goods and license its members' skills, it also acted
opening up of cultural interaction with the East and sparked as a civic institution, reflecting the corporate nature of medie-
growth in learning. (2) val society. With the continued growth and attraction of cit-
Growing Food Supply ies in western Europe, feudalism, especially serfdom, declined
in importance, to be replaced by a more commercial and
Improvements in agriculture, such as three-crop field rota- money-oriented economy. (1)
tion, the iron plow, horse collar, and use of windmills, sup-
ported an increasing population. More land was brought un-
der cultivation, in places producing a surplus, which helped Interactive 11.3 Mr. Buckley’s Wis-
to stimulate an increase in trade. By A.D. 1300, Europe had dom
reached a population of 75 million, which was double of
what it was around A.D. 1000. (1)
New Places of Town and Commerce
As the economy improved throughout the High Middle Ages,
its effects were felt most strongly in the growth of towns. Me-
dieval towns were not the teeming urban centers of the indus-
trial era, but did act as magnets for skilled labor, ideas, and
goods. Towns lay outside the feudal Click on the image to learn about the
structure and jeal- ously guarded their Medieval Church
liberties, which were generally con-
firmed by char- ters. Towns often Revival of Learning
banded together in leagues to protect With the rise of towns came a quickening of intellectual life.
their independ- ence or promote Informal meetings of students and teachers evolved into the
their commerce, as with the Hanse, formal founding of the first universities in the early twentieth
the German trad- ing centers in the century. Universities taught a variety of subjects in their
Baltic. A central institution of most various faculties, but our current separation of spiritual and
towns was the guild, which con- material subjects did not exist in the medieval worldview. In
trolled the produc- tion of goods in a fact, theology stood as the "queen of the science," and liber-
particular craft. Not only did the guild ensure a minimum

129
ally borrowed from other disciplines to elaborate its truths.
Students were expected to study the Bible and the fathers of
the early Church, and to debate them in public, but they also
studied the works of the great classical writers from Greece
and Rome, especially Aristotle. This was of learning from the
ancients was known as scholasticism. Pagan ideas govern-
ing logic and the natural world were synthesized into Chris-
tian dogma, especially by scholars such as St. Thomas
Aquinas (Summa Theologica), to explain divine truths. (1)
The teachings of law and government from universities influ-
enced the thinking in the kingdoms of England and France.
Accordingly, they will begin to develop their kingdoms under
these influences.

Section 1 Review
1. What was the importance of the Crusades?
2. What were the characteristics of the Cathe-
drals?
3. With all the new changes going on at this
time, was Western Europe changed for the bet-
ter? Why or why not?
4. How important was the Catholic Church for
the development of Western Europe?

130
 SECTION 2

Politcal Development of England & France

Gradually, the growth of towns and villages, and the breakup For many years, England was invaded from various regions in
of the feudal system were leading to more centralized govern- Europe. However, the Angles and the Saxons stayed, forming
ment and the development of nations. Two particular nations their own ways and creating an Anglo-Saxon culture.
will pioneer this development, England and France. Around A.D. 800, Britain was bat-
England tered by fierce raids from the Dan-
ish Vikings. The Anglo-Saxons
Interactive 11.4 England Before and After were desperate to rid themselves of
this threat. Anglo-Saxon king Al-
fred the Great managed to turn
back the Viking invaders and by
A.D. 871, he was able to unite the
kingdom under one rule calling it
England, "land of the Angles." (1)
In A.D. 1016 the Danish Vikings re-
turned, and this time they were successful in taking over the
"land of the Angles." The Danish king responsible for this vic-
Click on the image to look at England in 878 tory was Canute. Rather than destroying the Anglo-Saxon
versus today!
culture, he molded it with his Viking culture. Eventually in

131
A.D. 1042, King Edward the Confessor, descendant of for an oath of loyalty to him personality. William unified con-
Alfred the Great, took back the throne. trol of the lands and with him centralizing the government
A.D 1066 Edward the Confes- of England, he became known as William the Conqueror.
sor died without an heir to his England's Evolving Government
throne. With the crown of Eng- Over the next centuries, William the Conqueror's descen-
land up for grabs, it came dants owned land in both England and France. The English
down to two men. The first king Henry II was able to add to his French territory by mar-
was an Anglo-Saxon who rying Eleanor of Aquitaine. What made this woman so in-
claimed rights to the throne
teresting is that she is the only women in history to have mar-
named Harold Godwinson. ried two kings and have given birth to two kings. Henry ruled
The second was a Norman, de- England from 1154-1189. He would strengthen his rule by
scendant of Viking, and cousin sending royal judges to tax collect at least once a year. Henry
of the late King Edward named William, Duke of Nor- also strengthened the English courts by creating a jury sys-
mandy France. On October 14, 1066, Normans and tem, and forming a unified body of law that became known
Anglo-Saxons fought in the battle that will change English as common law.
history called the Battle of Hastings. Eventually, the Nor-
Sometimes people make their name in the history books be-
mans will win this battle and Harold Godwinson will be
cause they were a failure during their time. This would be
killed. Following the victory, William quickly gained the sup-
true for our next English monarch King John. When Rich-
port of the English lords by granted them land in exchanged
ard the Lion Hearted died in A.D. 1199, his brother King
John took the throne. He was later nicknamed John Softs-
word because he failed as a military leader because he lost
control of Normandy France. The loss forced confrontations
with his nobility.
Another problem of King John's was his cruelty towards his
subjects and his efforts to squeeze as much money out of
them. By 1215, John raised taxes to all time high to finance
his wars and the nobility revolted. What came next was for
King John to put his mark into history by reluctantly signing

132
the most celebrated document in English history. On June goals at weakening the power of the English kings in France.
15, 1215, King John signed the Magna Carta (Great Char- Philip had little success against King Henry II and King Rich-
ter). This document guaranteed certain basic political rights. ard the Lion Hearted, but when it came to King John, well
These rights included no taxation without representation, a that was another story. Philip took control of Normandy
jury trial, and the protection of the law. from King John in 1204, and within two years tripled the
lands under his control. Now that Philip had so much land to
Another important step in the democratic government devel-
control, he wanted to strengthen his central government. To
oping in England would fall into the hands of King Ed-
fulfill this interest, he created royal officials called bailiffs to
ward I. Edward needed to raise taxes to assist him in financ-
preside over the king's courts and collect taxes. (2)
ing wars against France and Scotland. In 1295, Edward sum-
moned two burgesses (citizens of wealth and property) from Philip's centralized government would continue to get
every county to serve as a parliament. Later on knights, bur- stronger under his grandson, Louis IX rule from 1226-1270.
gesses, bishops, and lords met together to create a Model Par- Unlike his grandfather, Louis was pious and saintly. Louis
liament because of the new makeup of the system. By the would create a French appeals court, which could overturn
1400s, Parliament gradually formed two assembly's called the the decisions of the local courts. These courts would
House of Commons (knights and burgesses), and the strengthen the monarchy while weakening feudal ties. (1)
House of Lords (nobles and bishops).
France Interactive 11.5 Before and After
After the breakup of Charlemagne's empire, France was di-
vided into 47 feudal territories. In 987, the last member of
the Carolingian family, Louis the Sluggard, died with no
successor. Hugh Capet, a duke from the middle of France,
succeeded him and began the Capetian dynasty of French
kings that ruled from 987-1328.
Click on the image to see France in 1180 and France
One of the most important Capetian kings was Philip II, or
today
also known as Philip Augustus. During his youth, Philip
watched how his father lost land to King Henry II of Eng-
land. When he took the throne at the age of 15, he set his

133
 England and France were just beginning to establish a demo-
cratic tradition. However, before these two kingdoms can
move forward in this direction, they had to contend with a
century of chaos that included plague and war.

Section 2 Review
1. Read the biographies of all of the monarchs men-
tioned in this section and explain their importance to
either England or France.

In 1302, Philip IV, who ruled France from 1285-1314, was

involved with some issues with the pope. Philip wanted the lo-
cal priests of his kingdom to pay taxes, which the pope re-
fused to allow. Philip believed that the power of the pope
only goes as far as Church affairs and not political. For Philip
to get the type of support he needed to push this policy he
called for a meeting of the Estates-General. This meeting
would include the First Estate (Church), and Second Estate
(Lords). However, to get more support for himself and
against the pope, Philip decided to invite commoners to join
and form the Third Estate. (1)

134
 SECTION 3

The Plague & Hundred Years’ War

The 1300s were filled with disasters with the arrival of a the symptoms were fever, weakness, delirium, lung distress,
plague and wars between the kingdoms of England and and dark-colored swellings (buboes) in the neck, armpit and
France. It is no wonder that by the end of the century, the me- groin areas. Quite often, those infected died within 1-2 days,
dieval way of life was beginning to disappear. including young and previously healthy individuals.
The Black Death (1) Cause of Plague (1)
Black Death, or Bubonic The cause of its arrival was
Plague, hit Europe in 1347. due to the revival of trade
Interactive 11.6
Transmitted primarily by and commerce increased the
Mr. Buckley’s Wisdom
fleas and rats, the bacteria potential for the spread of
Y. Pestis swept across the communicable diseases.
continent, killing one third Europe had not suffered a
of the population by 1351. continent wide plague since
The bacteria is thought to the plague of Justinian in
have been endemic among A.D. 535, and the unex-
rodent populations on the posed populations of 1348 had no inherited immunity.
Asian steppes, and jumped Though prosperity had risen, nutrition and sanitation for
to humans in Europe with Click on the image to learn most Europeans were very poor by modern standards, de-
great virulence. The onset more about the Black Death creasing immune resistance in general. Many adults had also
of the disease was sudden; suffered as young children in the Great Famine of 1316-

135
 cally, this became a common practice for Europeans in castle
siege. From there, merchants spread the disease to Constan-
tinople, where it propagated throughout Europe, first by ship
to Mediterranean ports such as Messina and Genoa, and
then by land in all directions.
A shortage of wood fuel, due to cutting of forests for agricul-
ture, resulted in the shutting down of bath houses which re-
lied on burning wood to heat the water. Particularly in win-
ter, only the rich could afford to bathe. This further contrib-
uted to poor hygienic conditions. Cities were also very poorly
designed for hygiene. Citizens commonly dumped waste into
the street which attracted rats, and thus fleas. Living in cities
was also very close, which meant that fleas had little area to
travel to infect another person.
The plague was blamed on many things in particular the
Jews were a common scapegoat for the plague, including city
leaders claiming that members of the Jewish community had
poisoned the water supply, or spread a poisonous salve on the
gates of the city.
It is important to understand that Europeans did not under-
1321, when several years of cold and wet weather caused stand the real cause of the plague. To them the plague was a
crops to fail across the continent. This experience in child- curse brought on them by their lack of piety, or the failings
hood may also have compromised their resistance to the of the church, the cities' Jewish population, or even the con-
plague bacillus in later life. figuration of the stars. Others even attributed the plague to
The plague is thought to have been brought to Europe dur- bad air. To combat it, they carried kerchiefs or bags of "aro-
ing a Mongol attack on Kaffa (in the Black Sea); when sick- matics" that they could hold to their noses as needed.
ness forced the Mongols to abandon their attack, they cata-
pulted a few plague victims into town before leaving. Ironi-

136
Response and Consequences (1) Additionally, the plague resulted in the improvement of liv-
Some people thought the plague was punishment by God ing standards for the peasantry and the urban working popu-
against sinners. The flagellants arose as a result. Flagellants lation. Peasants and artisans now had more luxuries and a
whipped themselves to bleed, prayed for mercy, and called better diet, and production shifted from manufacturing for a
upon their congregations to repent sins. Wandering over mass market to a small luxury market. However, the mone-
plague-stricken central Europe, many groups of flagellants tary disparity grew, as fewer people possessed proportionately
turned to banditry and violence. Towns and feudal lords even- greater money.
tually prohibited them or even tried to wipe them out. In ad- Finally, Europeans saw that the church's prayer did not cure
dition, violence against Jews broke out, and mobs killed all the plague, and that even leaders of the church were dying.
who refused baptism. Many Jews were forced to flee their This caused the general populace to lose a great deal of faith
homes. in the church, and opened the door to many new and local
Physicians in medieval Europe used a mixture of trial-and- religious movements which had previously been suppressed, a
error methods and classical Greek or Roman sources to care factor which helped prepare the coming of the Reformation
for their patients. Without knowledge of microorganisms, or a century later.
the role of rats and fleas in spreading the infection, doctors The Hundred Years' War (2) (3)
were unable to cure infected victims or limit the spread. As a
National monarchies were young creations, and therefore
result, plague sufferers survived or perished according to the
fragile. Dynastic instability (e.g., the inability to produce male
general state of their health, and whatever genetic resistance
heirs) plagued many states throughout the fourteenth century
they happened to possess.
and led most seriously to the Hundred Years' War. Really
Massive death opened the ranks for advancement in society, a series of wars, this conflict started when the last Capetian
and as a result landlords made more concessions to obtain king of France died without a successor. King Edward III
new tenant farmers. The supply of laborers plummeted, re- of England, grandson of Philip IV, claimed the rights to the
sulting in higher wages for workers. A low grain demand re- throne.
sulted in the drop of overall grain prices. Noblemen lost a
portion of their wealth, and became more dependent upon This war 1337-1453, dealt a fatal blow to the medieval idea
monarchs and war for income and power. of warfare. At times throughout the war, some combatants
were still operating under medieval ideals of chivalry. This
concept would change with the English bringing the longbow
into warfare. Time and again, English longbow men demon-

137
 land held only the city of Calais on the continent. Each na-
Interactive 11.7 Mr. Buckley’s Wisdom tion then turned inward to resolve pressing political conflicts.
Some historians considered the end of the Hundred Years'
War as the end of the Middle Ages. However, a rebirth was
beginning to take shape in Europe which will lead people
into the Renaissance.

Section 3 Review
1. Identify the pros (if any) and cons associated with
the Black Death.
2. Summarize and outline the 100 Years’ War.
Click on the image to learn more about the 100 Years War

strated the power of massed infantry against France's heavily

mounted feudal knights in battles like: Battle of Crecy
(August 26, 1346), Battle of Poitiers (September 19, 1356),
Battle of Agincourt (October 25,
1415).
French fortunes revived upon the
back of a divinely inspired peasant
girl. In 1429, Joan of Arc believed
the voice of God called her back to
break the siege of Orleans. Despite
her success, Joan was tried for witch-
craft and burned at the stake once
captured by the Burgundians and
handed over to the English. Yet the
tide had turned, and by 1453, Eng-

138
 Chapter 12

THE
RENAISSANCE
 SECTION 1

The Rebirth Begins!

The Italian Renaissance of the 13th and 14th centuries After all, if artists wanted
spread through the rest of Europe, representing a time when to imitate classical motifs,
Europe sought knowledge from the ancient world and moved they need look no further
out of the Dark Ages. There became a renewed interest in sci- than their own Roman
ence and experimentation, and a focus on the importance of backyard. Ideas followed
living well in the present as opposed to the afterlife as pro- in the wake of trade, par-
moted by the Church. The Renaissance brought on an explo- ticularly as humanists es-
sion in art, poetry, and architecture. New techniques and caped the declining Byz-
styles developed as these art forms moved away from the antine Empire, being be-
colder and darker styles of the Middle Ages. This period, in sieged by the Turks
this view, represents Europe emerging from a long period of around 1453. (2)
backwardness and the rise of trade and exploration. The Ital- While in most of Europe
ian Renaissance is often labeled as the beginning of the "mod- only ten percent of the
ern" epoch. (1) population lived in cities,
Why Italy? up to twenty five percent
Italy was the first area of Europe to experience the Renais- of Italians partook di-
sance. Several reasons account for this early lead. Italy was rectly of the civic culture so essential to Renaissance human-
not only the center of the Mediterranean, which made it a ism. Cities often act as magnets for trade, ideas, and culture;
crossroads of trade; it also boasted centers of ancient culture. this was no less true during the Renaissance. (2)

140
Nobles played a vital role in Italy, just as they did in every which made the popolo minuto even poorer. After a while,
European nation, though their attitudes tended to be more the Ciompi Revolt led to a four-year reign by the popolo mi-
oriented to money-making and cultural accomplishments nuto until Cosimo de’ Medici came into power in 1434 and
than elsewhere. A common blending of families in Italy in- restored the stability of Florence. (1)
volved cash strapped aristocrats and an up-and-coming Since the late 1200s, the city-state of Florence had a republi-
wealthy merchant, thus creating new elites, where wealth and can form of government. Following the Ciompi Revolt, Flor-
worldly achievement mattered more than simply status. (2) ence came under the rule of one powerful banking family,
In the fourteenth century, Italy was a collection of small and the Medici. The family had banks throughout Italy, and Co-
large city-states. No centralized authority existed to stamp simo de' Medici was the wealthiest European of Europe at
out potentially threatening ideas. If artists or intellectuals the time. With his wealth, he was able to influence members
found difficulty in one place, they could simply move to an- of the Florentine government by giving them loans. For over
other and continue their work. This disunity later became a thirty years, Cosimo ruled as a dictator of Florence. When
liability, but at that time, Italy benefited from the multiplicity Cosimo died in 1464, his family continued to control Flor-
of completing political centers. (2) ence. Cosimo's grandson, Lorenzo de Medici, came into
The Medici Family power in 1469. Later in life he became known as Lorenzo the
Magnificent. It would be powerful men like Lorenzo that will
The citizens of Florence fell into one of four main social help finance the Renaissance movement. (4)
classes. These included the grandi (the great), the rulers of
the city; the popolo grosso (big people), the capitalist mer- Humanism (1)
chants (these challenged the grandi for power); the smaller At the time, Italy was the center of culture in Europe. Middle-
business people, and the popolo minuto (little people), the class writers were supported by noble patronage, and as a re-
lower economic classes, such as the paupers, who, despite con- sult, during the beginning of the Renaissance literature blos-
stituting a third of the Florentine population, had no wealth somed alongside classic revival. This resulted in the rise of hu-
at all. (3) manism, an intellectual movement that advocated the study
This division of society was prone to conflict, and eventually of history and literature as the chief means of identifying
resulted in the successful Ciompi Revolt of 1378. The with the glories of the ancient world. Humanism advo-
Ciompi Revolt was that of the poor, who revolted because of cated classical learning and active participation of the individ-
the constant feuds between the grandi and the popolo grosso, ual in civic affairs.
the anarchy from the Black Death, and the collapse of banks,

141
Renaissance scholars advocated the concept of "returning to ample of this was written by a fame diplomat named Baldas-
the sources," attempting to reconcile the disciplines of the sar Castiglione. In his book, Book of the Courtier, it became a
Christian faith with ancient learning. In addition, the con- how-to-manual on winning fame and influence among the
cept of civic humanism arose, which advocated participation rich and powerful. To gain position and fortune, Castiglione
in government. Civilization was inspired by the writings of counsels the "Renaissance Man" to be widely read in the clas-
Roman emperors, and by the end of the 1400s intellectuals sics, including history, poetry, music, and philosophy, as well
had a command of the Latin language. as know how to conduct himself in public. The courtier will
The Renaissance conception of life and man's role on earth be skilled in the military arts, not to mention cultured and
was more secular than in the past, but in no way was it nonre- polished. In addition, Castiglione advocated education for
ligious. It was now believed that God holds people above eve- women, but of a particular kind: a musical instrument, po-
rything else, and that the greatest thing about being human is etry, and literacy. Abstract subjects such as math and science
the human's free will to choose. People were celebrated, as were reserved for men. (2)
Renaissance scholars argued that men are made in God's im- According to The Courtier, upper-class women also should
age, and that we should celebrate our God-given talents and know the classics and be charming. Often called the "First
abilities. People believed that life on Earth was intrinsically Lady of the World," Isabella d'Este married into the famous
valuable, and that citizens should strive to be the best that Gonzaga family of Mantua. After her husband departed for
they can. The emphasis of the Renaissance was on the indi- war, d'Este conducted diplomacy on his behalf. She also
vidual rather than the collective. found time to establish schools for girls, attract humanists to
Patrons and the Renaissance Man and Women her court, and write hundreds of letters of literary quality. (2)

Even with this "rebirth," none of it would be possible without

the patrons of the arts financially supporting the artists. Ren-
aissance merchants and wealthy families would have their por-
traits painted or by donating art to the city to place in public
squares, the wealthy demonstrated their own importance. (1)
Renaissance writers introduced the idea that all educated peo-
ple were expected to create art. The ideal was to encourage
people to master every area of study. A man who excelled in
many fields was praised as a "Renaissance Man." An ex-

142
Renaissance Revolutionizes Art
As the Renaissance advanced, artistic styles changed. Renai-
sance art tended to focus on the human body with accurate
proportions, and the most common subjects of art were relig-
ion, mythology, portraits, and the use of classical (Greco-
Roman) subjects. Artisans of the Renaissance used oil paint Gallery 12.1 The Works of Michelangelo
to add shadow and light, and the use of the vanishing point
in art became prominent during this time. (1)
One particular artist named Masaccio (1401-1428) rediscov-
ered the technique of the perspective, which shows three di-
mensions on a flat surface. Masaccio employed perspective
geometry for the first time in his Holy Trinity, and also real-
ized a depth of realism and three-dimensional space in a se-
ries of frescoes in the Brancacci Chapel. (2)
Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564): With a name syn-
onymous with genius, Michelangelo excelled in all the artistic
media - sculpture (David, Pieta), painting (Sistine Chapel,
Last Judgement), and architecture (St. Peter's Basilica Dome,
Laurentian Library). The master's nudes offer a heroic vision
of the human form influenced by neo- The Last Judgement
Platonic philosophy, though his later
works express a darker vision. In addi-
tion, Michelangelo composed poetry
and was working on another Pieta at the
age of 89 when he died. (2)

143
Donatello (1386-1466): Donatello Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519): Per-
revived the free-standing sculpture. haps the foremost "Renaissance Man,"
His depiction of David is the first da Vinci gained fame for just a few
full-size cast in bronze since an- paintings - Mona Lisa, The Last Sup-
cient times. The sculptor imbued per, and Madonna of the Rocks. His di-
his forms with psychological detail verse interests led him into science, engi-
and expression, representing Ren- neering, and anatomy. Da Vinci intro-
aissance naturalism. (2) duced the notion of systematic observa-
tion, which he tracked in his notebooks,
written backwards to make it difficult
for imitators to steal his ideas. (2)
Gallery 12.2 The Works of Donatello
Gallery 12.3 The Works of Leonardo

St. John the Baptist Study of the Womb

144
Raphael (1483-1520): The youngest of the great masters, Renaissance Writers Change Literature
and considered a rival of Michelangelo's, Raphael often Renaissance writers produced works that reflected their time,
sought artistic patronage in Rome, but they also used techniques that writers rely on today. Like
where the Renaissance refocused after many writers prior to this time period, many wrote in the ver-
about 1490. Raphael's School of Athens nacular, writer’s native language, instead of Latin.
stands as a tribute to the ancient world
and his fellow artists, as the Greek phi- Petrarch (1304-1374): Often called the "Father of Human-
losophers take on the physical appear- ism," Petrarch helped popularize the notion that Italy was en-
ance of his contemporaries. In addition, tering a new age of learning and individualism, distinct from
Raphael painted numerous portraits of the age of "ignorance" characteristic of the Middle Ages.
the Madonna, and the Mother of Jesus. Petrarch concerned himself with reviving a more pure form
(2) of Latin and, as such, spent most of his literary energies com-
posing verse in the language, much of it related to a psycho-
logical portrait of humans and the theme of love, where he
Gallery 12.4 The Works of Raphael wrote in sonnets, fourteen line poems, of his beloved Laura.
(2)
Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-1375): Wrote The Decameron, a
short story about the lives of people living during the Black
Death. The book focused on people's responses to the plague
rather than God's wrath. In this sense, the book was not
about religion, but rather about people, a relatively new con-
cept at the time. (1)
Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527): Wrote The Prince which
became an essential work of the Renaissance. For the first
Christ with Two Angels time, politics was presented as an objective science. Machiav-
elli recorded successful rulers and then drew conclusions with-
out judgments. In other words, Machiavelli's politics were di-
vorced from morality and religion.

145
Machiavelli's research showed that a successful leader of a na-
tion acted in a number of ways:
• His power should be held as more important than ethics
and morals.
Section 1 Review
• It is better to be feared, not loved, but he should never be
hated. 1. Why did the Renaissance start in Italy?
• His advisers should be truthful and loyal, he should avoid 2. What does the term Renaissance mean?
flatterers, and he should select old and experienced advis- 3. What does humanism and Renaissance Man mean?
ers because they lack ambition to attempt to steal his
4.
power.
• He should be both the lion (brave) and the fox (cunning).
• He should break treaties and promises when it benefits him
and he should assume everyone else will do the same. (1)
Toward the end of the 15th century, Renaissance ideas began
to spread north from Italy to a region of France called Flan-
ders. The Northern Renaissance will be our next stop on this
journey through history.

146
 SECTION 2

The Northern Renaissance

The Southern Renaissance in Italy occurred earlier, from Northern Renaissance Art
about 1300 to 1600, while the Northern Renaissance oc- Albrecht Durer (1471-1528): A German painter, print-
curred later, ending in about 1630. The Southern Renais-
maker, mathematician, and theorist from Nuremberg. His
sance emphasized pagan and Greco-Roman ideals, and as a
high-quality woodcuts (nowadays often called Meisterstiche
result was considerably more secular, while the Northern Ren-
or "master prints") established his reputation and influence
aissance advocated "Christian" humanism, or humility, toler-
across Europe when he was still in his twenties, and he has
ance, focus on the individual, and the importance of earnest
been conventionally regarded as the greatest artist of the
life on earth. While the Southern Renaissance emphasized
Northern Renaissance. His vast body of work includes altar-
art and culture, the Northern Renaissance emphasized the sci-
pieces, religious works, numerous portraits and self-portraits,
ences and new technology. This failed to occur in the south
and copper engravings. The wood-
primarily because the Roman Catholic Church stunted learn-
cuts, such as the Apocalypse series
ing and the sciences. While the Northern Renaissance was re-
(1498), retain a more Gothic flavor
ligiously diverse, with the rise of Protestantism and a great
than the rest of his work. His well-
deal of religious division, the Southern Renaissance was en-
known engravings include the
tirely Roman Catholic. The Southern Renaissance saw far
Knight, Death, and the Devil
fewer universities, while the Northern Renaissance saw more
(1513), Saint Jerome in his Study
universities and education. Also, Northern Renaissance hu-
(1514) and Melencolia I (1514),
manists pushed for social reform based on Christian ideals.
which has been the subject of exten-
This northern movement happened first in Flanders, which
sive analysis and interpretation. His
was a rich from long-distance trade and the cloth industry. (1)
watercolors also mark him as one

147
of the first European landscape artists, while his ambitious Hans Holbein (1497-1543): A Ger-
woodcuts revolutionized the potential of that medium. (2) man artist and printmaker who
worked in a Northern Renaissance
style. He is best known as one of the
Gallery 12.5 The Works of Albrecht Durer greatest portraitists of the 16th cen-
tury. He also produced religious art,
satire, and Reformation propaganda,
and made a significant contribution to
the history of book design. Holbein
would eventually immigrate to Eng-
land where he painted portraits of King Henry VIII and
other members of the English royal family. (3)

Gallery 12.6 The Works of Hans Holbein

St. Jerome

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed

do tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

148
Jan van Eyck (1395-1441): An early Netherland painter, Pieter Bruegel (1525-1569): A Dutch Renaissance painter
and one of the most significant Northern Renaissance artists and printmaker from Brabant, known for his landscapes and
of the 15th century. He was known for perfecting the oil peasant scenes like Peasant Wedding (so called genre paint-
painting techniques, which enabled artists to produce strong ing). He is sometimes referred to as the "Peasant Bruegel."
colors on a hard surface that could survive for centuries. Out- From 1559, he dropped the "h" from his name and signed his
side of the Ghent Altarpiece completed with his brother Hu- paintings as Bruegel. (5)
bert van Eyck, only about twenty five surviving works are con-
fidently attributed to him, all dated between 1432 and 1439.
(4) Gallery 12.8 The Works of Pieter Bruegel

Gallery 12.7 The Works of Jan van Eyck

The Peasant Wedding

The Arnolfini Portrait

149
Northern Writers and Playwrights let, Othello, Romeo and Juliet, and the comedies A Midsummer Night's
Dream and The Taming of the Shrew. (7)
Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536): Stood as the most fa-
mous intellectual of his day and his name today remains a Printing Spreads Renaissance Ideas
symbol of tolerance and scholarship. Raised in monastic envi- Johann Gutenberg (1395-1468): Thought the Chinese in-
ronment, he never took vows, claiming he had "a Catholic vented the printing press, they did not capitalize on their suc-
soul but a Lutheran stomach." With humor and style, Eras- cess. Johann Gutenberg and his colleagues perfected the skill
mus poked fun at the clergy and its abuses in works such as of moveable type in the 1450s, publishing their famous
the Praise of Folly, which was eventually placed on the Index Gutenberg Bible, of which several dozen still exist. Books con-
of Prohibited Books. Erasmus's primary message, as seen in tinued to be expensive luxury items for the upper classes, but
Handbook of the Christian Knight and On Civility in Children, lay in the dye had been cast. No longer could church or state exer-
the power of education to promote true reverence for God cise a monopoly on education or intellectual life. Certainly,
and in living out the Gospel message. Protected by powerful the printing press assisted in the spread of the Renaissance
patrons, Erasmus condemned fanaticism of all kinds, and and helped to establish standard versions of texts, but it’s
while his reputation remained undiminished by his death, his most important impact was to secure the success of the Prot-
voice of moderation had been drowned out by extremists on estant Reformation. Few would deny that the invention of
all sides. He might have opposed the sentiment, but it is often the printing press stands as one
said that "Erasmus laid the egg that Luther hatched." (6) of the most, if not the most, sig-
William Shakespeare (1564-1616): An English poet, play- nificant technological develop-
wright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in ments of the past millennium.
the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. (6)
He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of
Avon." His extant works, including some collaborations, con- Section 2 Review
sist of about thirty eight plays, one hundred and fifty four son- 1. Identify all the artists
nets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses, of and authors and explain
which the authorship of some is uncertain. His plays have their importance & sig-
been translated into every major living language and are per- nificance to the Renais-
formed more often than those of any other playwright. Some sance.
of his most famous plays include the tragedies Macbeth, Ham-

150
 Chapter 13

ABSOLUTE
MONARCHS

"Louis XIV, King of France, after Lefebvre - Les collections du château de Versailles" by After
Claude Lefèbvre - Les collections du château de Versailles. Licensed under Public Domain via
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File:Louis_XIV,_King_of_France,_after_Lefebvre_-_Les_collections_du_ch
%C3%A2teau_de_Versailles.jpg#/media/File:Louis_XIV,_King_of_France,_after_Lefebvre_-
_Les_collections_du_ch%C3%A2teau_de_Versailles.jpg
 SECTION 1

Absolute Monarchs
Spanish Empire Philip's empire provided
At the center of the religious con- him with great wealth. By
flicts of the second half of the six- 1600, the New World
teenth century stood Philip II (America), supplied Spain
with 339,000 pounds of
(1556-1598), ruler of Spain and the
gold and around 16,000
Low Countries, parts of Italy, and
tons of silver. With this
the New World. Like his Hapsburg
wealth, Spain was able to
father, Charles I (V Holy Roman
support a large army of
Emperor), Philip saw himself as the
about 50,000 soldiers.
political protector of Catholicism in
Philip was also able to em-
Europe, though Philip lacked Char-
brace a golden age in the
les's more cosmopolitan back. Philip
arts.
was a Spaniard and was influenced
by that nation's strong Catholic tradition and crusading men- El Greco (1541 – 1614):
tality. El Escorial, Philip's palace on the barren plains outside A painter, sculptor and ar-
Madrid, reflected the ruler's personality. Part residence, part chitect of the Spanish Ren-
monastery, and religious retreat, the Escorial acted as the cen- aissance. El Greco, "The
tral governing point of a huge empire stretching across Greek," was his nickname
oceans. (1) and often puzzled the peo-
ple of his time by painting

152
with clashing colors, distorted the human figure, and ex- and tried to become one. Some critics believe that Cervantes
pressed emotion symbolically in his paintings. His techniques was mocking chivalry and the Middle Ages, while others be-
showed a deep Catholic faith of Spain with his paintings of lieved that it was about an idealistic person who was frus-
saints and martyrs. trated with his materialistic world. (3)
Diego Velazquez (baptized in Spanish Empire Weakens and Lose the Dutch (4)
1599 – 1660): A Spanish painter In 1566, on the Assumption of the Virgin day, a group of
who was the leading artist in the Calvinists in the Netherlands stormed Catholic churches, de-
court of King Philip IV and one of stroying statues and relics in a town just outside of Antwerp.
the most important painters of the Dutch Calvinists resented the Catholic religion and their con-
Spanish Golden Age. He was an in- flicts with the religion, as well as Spanish King Philip II's
dividualistic artist of the contempo- deep devoutness and close-mindedness toward other relig-
rary Baroque period, important as a ions. The high nobility pleaded with him for more tolerance
portrait artist. In addition to numer- but some of them were put to death for their insolence. One
ous renditions of scenes of histori- of the underlying reasons was that Philip wanted to establish
cal and cultural significance, he an absolute monarchy in the Netherlands and the religious
painted scores of portraits of the Spanish royal family, other issue gave him a way to put pressure on the parliament. Wil-
notable European figures, and commoners, culminating in liam of Orange escaped to Germany from where he tried to
the production of his masterpiece Las Meninas (1656). (2) incite a rebellion from 1568 onwards
Miguel de Cervantes (1547– but with little success at first. In 1570
1616): A Spanish novelist, poet, and the coastal regions got hit by a
playwright. His major work, Don Qui- weather-related disaster, the All Saints
xote, considered to be the first mod- flood that left many regions devas-
ern European novel, is a classic of tated and the Spanish authorities
Western literature, and is regarded showed little compassion. William
amongst the best works of fiction of Orange, then encouraged Sea
ever written. It was about a Spanish Beggars, or pirates, to invade the
nobleman who went crazy after read- ports of the coast. In 1572 the small
ing too many books about knights town of Brielle was taken by what

153
were no more than outlaws, greeted enthusiastically by the On July 10, 1584, William of Orange was assassinated, and
population. The town declared itself for the prince of Or- after his death, the Duke of Parma made progress in his re-
ange and this example was followed by a number of other conquest, capturing significant portions of the Dutch Repub-
towns in the relatively inaccessible provinces of Holland and lic. However, England, under the leadership of Elizabeth I,
Zealand. assisted the Dutch with troops and horses, and as a result
Philip sent Spanish troops in response. They took Naarden Spain was never able to regain control of the north. Spain fi-
and Haarlem and inflicted terrible suffering on the popula- nally recognized Dutch independence in 1648.
tion. Other towns proved far harder to take and this caused Independent Dutch Prosper
Philip to run out of money. In what became known as the During the 1600s, the Netherlands became what Florence
Spanish Fury, in November of 1576, Philip's unpaid merce- had been during the 1400s. It boasted not only the best banks
nary armies attacked the city of Antwerp killing 7,000 in 11 but also many of the best artists in Europe.
days. Antwerp was by far the richest city at the time and the
influential merchants got the parliament to convene and raise Rembrandt van Rijn (1606 – 1669): A Dutch painter and
money to pay off the marauding mercenaries. By doing so etcher. He is generally considered one of the greatest paint-
the parliament basically took over control from the king in ers and printmakers in European art and the most important
far Madrid and this was the last thing the king wanted. He in Dutch history. His contri-
sent more troops with an ultimatum to the parliament to sur- butions to art came in a pe-
render or else and appointed the Duke of Parma as the new riod of great wealth and cul-
governor of the Netherlands. In 1579, the southern ten prov- tural achievement that histo-
inces of the Netherlands, which were Catholic, signed the Un- rians call the Dutch Golden
ion of Arras, expressing loyalty to Philip. During that same Age when Dutch Golden
year, William of Orange united seven northern states in the Age painting, although in
Union of Utrecht, which formed the Dutch Republic that many ways antithetical to the
openly opposed Philip and Spain. In 1581, the Spanish army Baroque style that domi-
was sent to retake the United Provinces of the Netherlands, nated Europe, was extremely
or the Dutch Republic, who had just declared their independ- prolific and innovative, and
ence. gave rise to important new
genres in painting. He was
known for painting portraits

154
of wealthy middle-class God's representatives on Earth. An absolute monarch an-
merchants. (5) swered only to God, not to his or her subjects. Only with
Jan Vermeer (1632 – such freedom could they rule absolutely, as did the most fa-
1675): A Dutch painter mous monarch of his time, Louis XIV of France.
who specialized in domes-
tic interior scenes of
middle-class life. Vermeer Section 1 Review
was a moderately success- 1. How is Philip II a great example of an absolute
ful provincial genre monarch?
painter in his lifetime. He 2. How does the art of Spain reflect the time pe-
seems never to have been riod?
particularly wealthy, leav-
3. How important was the Dutch revolt to the
ing his wife and children
downfall of the Spanish absolute rule? Explain.
in debt at his death, perhaps because he produced relatively
few paintings. (6)
Vermeer worked slowly and with great care, using bright col-
ors and sometimes expensive pigments, with a preference for
lapis lazuli and Indian yellow. He is particularly renowned for
his masterly treatment and use of light in his work. (7)
Absolutism in Europe (8)
Even though Philip II lost his Dutch possessions, he was a
forceful ruler in many ways. During the next few centuries,
many European monarchs would also claim the authority to
rule without limits on power.
These rulers believed in being an absolute monarch, kings or
queens who held all of the power within their states' bounda-
ries. Absolute monarchs believed in divine right, the idea that
God created the monarchy and that the monarch acted as

155
 SECTION 2

Reign of the Sun King

France's Wars of Religion (1)
France's long series of religious conflicts grew from religious
and political roots. Despite Catholic kings attempts to stamp
out the spread of Protestant faiths, Calvinism continued to
grow in the kingdom. Calvinism found fertile ground among
the French aristocracy in particular, perhaps because mem-
bers already believed themselves as "the elect." By 1560, fully
forty percent of French nobles advocated the Huguenot
faith (as French Protestants were called), which, because no-
bles held important positions in the government and military,
posed a threat to the Catholic Valois monarchy.
thousand French Protestants were killed, though Henry Bour-
Religious conflict in France was really played out in a series bon escaped by converting to Catholicism (a conversion he
of thirteen short wars. In 1572, Henry Bourbon agreed to quickly renounced). The event seemed to show the corrup-
marry Catherine de' Medici's daughter as a sign of reconcilia- tion of the Valois monarchy and deepened resistance to it.
tion. However, during the wedding celebration in Paris, ru-
The final stage of France's civil war is called the War of the
mors flared that Protestants were plotting to take over the gov-
Three Henry’s. In 1588, Henry Guise (leader of the ultra-
ernment. What followed was a slaughter of the Protestant no-
Catholics) took the city of Paris, threatening the Valois hold
bles, in Paris and throughout France, known as the St. Bar-
on the nation. Henry III, of Valois, felt he had no alternative
tholomew's Day Massacre. In all, approximately ten but to form an alliance against the ultra-Catholics with

156
Henry Bourbon, whom he promised to make next in line to selves with curbing the power
the throne. On the pretext of compromise, both Henry’s in- of the nobility. To this effect,
vited Guise to the palace and had him assassinated. In repri- Richelieu banned dueling, em-
sal, a fanatical monk killed Henry III in 1589, making Henry ployed spies to monitor the pro-
Bourbon (IV) ruler of France. However, Henry IV's way to vincial nobility, and appointed
Paris was barred by Spanish troops, and he would spend the intendants, or local officials,
next decade winning control of the nation. To bring peace to whose job it were to be the
France, Henry converted back to Catholicism, supposedly say- "eyes and ears of the monar-
ing "Paris is worth a mass," and then engineered the chy." (1)
Edict of Nantes, which allowed Huguenots to practice The efforts of Henry IV and
their religion outside of Paris and fortify towns to protect Richelieu to strengthen the
their hard-won liberties. Over the next several years, Henry French monarchy paved the
IV became one of the most beloved monarchs in French his- way for the most powerful ruler
tory and established a strong Bourbon dynasty, laying the in French history - Louis XIV.
foundations for absolutism. Early in Louis's reign, the real
The Growth of the New French Dynasty ruler of France was Cardinal Mazarin, who continued many
of the policies of his predecessor,
Henry IV's strong rule al-
Richelieu. Upon Mazarin's death
lowed France to survive his
in 1661, Louis at the age of
assassination in 1610 and the
twenty three took personal con-
regency of his wife, Marie de
trol of government. (1)
Medici’s, on behalf of their
son, Louis XIII. Louis XIII Louis XIV Bourbon of France
relied strongly on the advice rose to power in 1643. He was
of his talented and shrewd married to Maria Theresa, daugh-
advisor, Cardinal Riche- ter of Philip IV. His power
lieu, who increased direct stemmed from the fact that dur-
and indirect taxes. Louis and ing his reign he maintained a pow-
Richelieu concerned them- erful, unified France. Louis and

157
William III Stuart of Orange were arch-enemies during this upon him for advancement and thrived on his goodwill.
time; however, Louis maintained the upper hand and was on Louis also established the palace at Versailles, which took
the offensive against William during that time. (2) fourteen years to construct. Versailles was modeled by every
Louis desired control over the Netherlands because of its eco- other major European country, and it successfully kept nobles
nomic power as a result of trade, because he wanted to crush occupied, distracting them from the desire to have a say in
Calvinists and Protestants, and because he desired increased government. In 1685, Louis revoked the Edict of Nantes,
territory. Indeed, he advised his heir, Louis XV, "Do not imi- stripping Calvinists of their rights in France. (2)
tate me in my taste for war." His aggressive policy demanded
to finance the largest European army of 280,000 men. (2)
Gallery 13.1 Palace at Versailles
Louis' wars resulted in horrendous results and poverty for the
French people, and Protestants despised Louis. His economic
policy was headed by Jean Baptiste Colbert, and his nation
was a model in enacting mercantilism. During his reign,
France became the dominant country in language, culture,
and dress. (2)
Louis allegedly famously declared, "L'etat c'est moi," or
"I am the state," and his reign exemplifies absolutism.
French Bishop Bossuet declared that it was the divine right of
monarchs to rule, concluding that kings were God's anointed
representatives on earth. Louis acted upon this belief, govern-
ing France as if he were placed on earth by God to rule. (2)
Overall, Louis' foreign goals were territorial expansion and
the spread of Catholicism. (2)
"Palace of Versailles" by Pierre Patel - Scan from the original workISBN 7-
Louis was highly successful in his domestic ambitions to 5347-1397-8. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons -
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achieve absolute power through centralized bureaucracy. He File:Palace_of_Versailles.gif
successfully controlled rebellious nobles and made himself
the center of French power and culture. People depended

158
 the European balance of power. The war resulted in the
Interactive 13.1 The History of Versailles Peace of Utrecht (via the Treaty of Utrecht), at which
it was agreed that the ruler of Spain had to give up his or her
claim to the French throne. Thus, Philip was recognized as
the King of Spain, but the unification of France and Spain
was barred. Spain also lost its territories in Belgium and Italy
at the Peace of Utrecht, a source of much resentment of
Spaniards towards their new government. (2)
Louis XIV died in 1715. Absolute rule did not die with Louis
XIV. His enemies in Prussia and Austria had been experi-
menting with their own forms of absolute monarchies.

Click on the image to watch about the history of this famous

royal residence Section 2 Review
1. How did the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre
shape the absolute monarchy in France?
The War of Spanish Succession 2. Explain how Louis XIII and Louis XIV rose to
Philip IV Hapsburg of Spain married Marianna Hapsburg power in France.
of Austria, and the two of them produced Charles II, the 3. How does Louis XIV personify what it means
physically and mentally retarded ruler of Spain. Since Char- to be an absolute monarch?
les was incapable of producing heirs, upon his death bed he
4. How important was the palace of Versailles to
was left to decide who would rule Spain after his death. the reputation of Louis XIV?
France argued that they had the best claim to the throne,
since they were Catholic, strong, and Charles' half-sister was 5. What was the War of Spanish Succession?
married to Louis XIV. As a result, Charles left the throne to
Philip V Bourbon, the grandson of Louis XIV. War broke
out as a result, pitting a coalition led by William III Orange
of the Netherlands against France in an effort to maintain

159
 SECTION 3

Central Europe
The Thirty Years' War
Prior to the world wars of the twentieth century, the most
devastating conflict in European history was the Thirty
Years' War. The conflict began as a civil war over religion
in Germany but escalated into a continental conflagration in-
volving territorial and political ambitions. Years before war
started, German Catholics and Protestants geared up for bat-
tle by forming alliances with outside powers. These alliances,
the Protestant Union and Catholic League, ensured that
when war did come, it would involve the great powers of
Europe. (1)
Following the Peace of Augsburg, Germany stood divided be-
tween Lutheran and Catholic states. However, the treaty did
not take into account the fastest growing denomination, Cal-
vinism. It became apparent that neither Protestant nor Catho-
lic leaders had any intention of treating Augsburg as a perma-
nent settlement to Germany's religious division. What compli-
cated matters was the elective nature of the Holy Roman Em-
peror, nominally the political leader of Catholicism and still a

160
position of importance. According to the Golden Bull of •Weakened the Hapsburg states of Spain and Austria
1356, the emperor was elected by seven states, three of which •Strengthened France by awarding it German territories
were controlled by Catholic rulers and three by Protestants. •Made German princes independent of the Holy Roman em-
To gain control of the last electoral state Bohemia, the next peror
Hapsburg in line Ferdinand II, promised the Bohemian no- •Ended religious wars in Europe
bles he would respect their religious liberties if they would •Introduced a new method of peace negotiation whereby all
elect him the king of Bohemia. After Ferdinand was elected participants meet to settle the problems of a war and decide
king in 1618, he betrayed his promise to the Bohemian no- the terms of peace
bles, thus initiating the conflict. (1) Historians often view the Westphalian settlement as the "final
The Thirty Years' War lasted from nail in the coffin of the Middle Ages" because it recognized
1618 to 1648. During the first twelve the internal sovereignty of each nation over its own religious
years, Hapsburg armies crushed the affairs and ended any hopes of the future religious unity of
troops hired by the Protestant princes. Europe.
The Hapsburg victories would not last.
In 1630, Sweden's great military
leader, Gustavus Adolphus, entered
the conflict to revive the Protestant
cause and to secure trade in the Baltic.
With the help of Cardinal Richelieu
and Louis XIII of France, Gustavus's
armies drove the Hapsburg armies out of northern Germany.
However, Gustavus Adolphus was killed in battle in 1632.
Peace of Westphalia (2)
The war did great damage to Germany. The population
dropped by four million people. Both trade and agriculture
were disrupted, and Germany's economy was ruined. The
Peace of Westphalia ended the war. The treaty had these im-
portant consequences:

161
Central Europe Frederick William, the "Great
One of the powerful families of Central Europe was the Elector" (1648) was the first in a line
Hapsburgs of Austria. In 1711, Charles VI became the of great Prussian rulers. To gain the
Hapsburg ruler. With the diversity of people he was responsi- support of the Prussian nobility, the
ble for - Czechs, Hungarians, Italians, Croatians, and Ger- Junkers, Frederick William gave them
mans, it made it difficult at first to rule. Only the fact that important positions in the army and
one Hapsburg ruler wore the Austrian, Hungarian, and Bohe- allowed them almost complete power
mian crowns kept the empire together. (2) over their serfs. In exchange, the aris-
tocracy agreed to accept Hohenzol-
Charles VI spent much of his lern leadership and an excise tax to
reign persuading leaders of fund the activities of the state. With these funds, Frederick
Europe to sign an agreement to William erected the skeleton of the Prussian state. To collect
recognize Charles's eldest daugh- the taxes, Frederick William created the General War Com-
ter Maria Theresa as the heir missariat, which at first provisioned the army but later
to all his Hapsburg territories. In evolved into a state bureaucracy. The Hohenzollern rulers
theory, the agreement guaran- generally lived a Spartan existence, allowing most of the
teed Maria Theresa a peaceful state's revenues to flow into the army. Frederick William's rais-
reign. However, that will not be ing of a large army was not intended to be used for expan-
the case since her main enemy sion but rather protection of Prussia. (1)
was Prussia, a state north of Aus-
During the War of Spanish Succession,
tria. (2)
the Hapsburg emperor called on the
The rise of Prussia in the seventeenth century was a surprise. support of Prussia to drive out the
A scattered nation with a small population and few natural French from Germany. As a reward for
resources, Prussia relied heavily on three factors for its amaz- his support, the duke of Prussia earned
ing rise to power: himself a new title, King of Prussia.
•Skillful & resolute leadership from the Hollenzollern dynasty The first great King of Prussia proved
•Efficient use of resources & an outstanding military tradi- to be Frederick William I, not to be
tion confused with Frederick William, the
"Great Elector." Frederick William's per-

162
sonality and approach to governing were strict, paternalistic, Years' War is the second phase).
and austere. State funds were used judiciously to augment the Frederick was almost equally matched to Maria Theresa. In
size of the army (up to 83,000 at Frederick William's death) the act of political theater, Maria Theresa held aloft her new-
and often came at the expense of the royal household born son (the future Joseph II) before the Hungarian nobles
budget. Another curiosity of Frederick William's was his pen- in 1741 to appeal for their support, which they gave in a
chant for tall soldiers. In the Potsdam Regiment, men were spasm of chivalric fervor.
required to be between 6 to 7 feet in height, perhaps to intimi- Though Maria eventually
date the potential enemies. However, Frederick William lost Silesia, she did well to
fought no wars in the region. This feat he left for the son with hold onto most of her other
whom he never got along, Frederick II. (1) possessions by the Treaty of
War of Austrian Succession, 1740 - 1748 (1) Aix-la-Chapelle. The treaty
The War of Austrian Succession began with a cynical attack reflected an Anglo-French
by Frederick II "The Great," King of Prussia, on Austria agreement in which the Haps-
in defiance of the Pragmatic Sanction. Like a swarm of vul- burg ruler had little say.
tures, other nations (Bavaria, Saxony, Spain) rushed in to Seven Years' War, 1756 - 1763 (1)
claim territorial prizes from the threatened empire. In con- The Seven Years' War stands as Frederick II's darkest and
tinuance of their longtime opposition to the Hapsburgs, the finest hour. Though outnumbered by his enemies almost 10
French joined the assault in alli- to 1, Frederick fought brilliantly, even when his capital Berlin
ance with Prussia. To prevent the was burned to the ground and all seemed lost. Britain pro-
dismemberment of Austria and vided primarily financial support in order to concentrate its
maintain the balance of power on energies on the colonial conflict in America with France. Fre-
the continent, Britain joined the derick was aided by the disorganization of his opponent, who
fray on the side of the new Haps- never seemed able to coordinate their attacks, and the French
burg ruler, Maria Theresa. In this lack of enthusiasm for their new Austrian alliance. Despite
way, the two primary rivalries in his sometimes desperate situation and aging seemingly 20
European politics merged into a years in 7 years' time, Frederick once again was able to hold
complex conflict, which would be onto Silesia by the Treaty of Hubertusburg.
fought in the two phase (Seven

163
Fighting between France and Great Britain proved more deci- When Ivan died in 1584, the throne was left to his second
sive. Under the brilliant leadership of William Pitt the Elder, and weakest son (the older one was killed three years earlier
Britain won victories on land and sea in North America, the by his own father). Ivan's son was weak and died without an
Caribbean, and in India. France found itself again depleted heir and in 1613, representatives from many Russian cities
by fighting major wars on the continent of Europe and over- choose Michael Romanov, grand-
seas. France and Britain both used their East India compa- nephew of Anastasia to rule. The Ro-
nies to exploit the decaying Mogul Empire in India, enlisting manov dynasty was formed and will
local rulers and warlords in pursuit of their interest. How- last for 300 years. However, it is con-
ever, with its superior naval forces, Britain emerged victorious sidered that the greatest of Czar's
on balance, a fact that was reflected in the Treaty of Paris was Peter the Great. (2)
(1756). This treaty gave Great Britain sole access to North Peter installed an absolute monarchy
America east of the Mississippi in Russia, with absolutely no concept
River and gained the dominant of the social contract. Serfdom still
position in India. remained strong in Russia, with no
Russia middle class nor urbanization. In
Ivan IV, called Ivan the Terrible Russia, advancement was based upon merit rather than birth
was three years old when he be- or blood line. (3)
came into power in 1533. His The ultimate goal of Peter's foreign policy was to obtain
young career was disrupted by warm water ports for his nation, which were essential for
struggles for power among Rus- trade, naval power, and access to the west. He battled Swe-
sia's landowning nobles called den for a port on the Baltic and with the Ottoman Turks for
boyars. Ivan's "bad period" of a port on the Black Sea. In the Great Northern War against
rule began in 1560 after Anastasia Sweden, Russia defeated the Swedish army in Poltava by us-
died and he blamed the boyars of ing the scorched earth policy, in which the Russians retreat,
poisoning his wife. He turned on burn the crops or villages in the town, and wait for winter to
his people and organized a police take its toll upon the enemy troops. As a result, the Russians
force, whose job was to hunt down successfully obtained their warm water port on the Baltic,
and murder people Ivan considered traitors. (2)

164
which was named St. Petersburg and known as the "window
to the west." (3)
Peter enacted the "Great Embassy," which was a tour of Pe-
ter and his nobles through many Western European nations.
The ultimate goal of the Great Embassy was to use the infor-
mation collected to westernize Russia, as Peter was afraid of
increasing Western power. Through the Great Embassy, Peter
acquired many important technological skills, especially mili-
tary technology, such as naval instruments, army tactics, ship
building techniques, and naval strategy. He imported foreign
workers with technological skills as well, and introduced new
attire that was being worn across the rest of Europe. He im-
plemented the Julian calendar, which although was not the
modern Gregorian calendar at the time, was more modern
than what was being used in the past. He established much
better education, and he also established the first modern
Russian army with 200,000 men. Nobles were required to
perform state service in either the army or the bureaucracy.
(3)

Section 3 Review
1. Summarize the Thirty Years’ War, War of Aus-
trian Succession and the Seven Year’s War.
2. Identify what you consider who are the most im-
portant people in this section and explain why
they are important.

165
 SECTION 4

England
Stuarts England 1603-1714 (1) rule of England, followed by his family for the next several
In 1603, Elizabeth I died without leaving an inheritance and generations. James advocated the divine rights of kings, and
her nephew, James VI of Scotland (who was also the son of in turn wrote a book advocating the divine right of kings enti-
Mary Queen of Scots who was ordered to be executed under tled The True Law of Free Monarchies in 1598.
Elizabeth's orders in 1589) took the English throne as James
I, making both Scotland and England ruled under the same Charles I (1625-1649) (1)
monarch, and establishing the Stuart dynasty. However the When Charles took the throne,
two nations were anything but united - they each had differ- he inherited an angry Parliament,
ent religions, laws, courts, parliaments, churches and cus- but he shared his father James I's
toms, not forgetting a 700 year old mistrust and hatred. beliefs in autocracy. He appointed
Archbishop Laud to make the An-
James I (1603-1625) (1) glican Church more ceremonial,
like Catholicism, instilling fears
James I Stuart ruled as an absolute
among the populace about a re-
monarch, who despised Parliament. He
turn to Catholicism. In 1628 the
went as far as to dissolve parliament,
Parliament issued the Petition of
and ruled without the voice of the peo-
Right. This document declared
ple. He declared that the monarch was
that Charles could not enact taxes
God's Lieutenant and reigned supreme
without Parliamentary consent.
over the land. He began the absolute

166
Charles proceeded to levy the ship money tax without Parlia- In 1649, Cromwell and the Puritans brought Charles to trial
mentary consent, ordering all towns to pay taxes to support for treason against Parliament. They found him guilty and
the English navy. This angered most of the populace as ship sentenced him to death. The execution of Charles was revolu-
money was traditionally paid by coastal towns. The Parlia- tionary. Kings had often been overthrown, killed in battle, or
ment of 1640, dominated by Puritan landowners, fired Laud put to death in secret. Never before, however, had a reigning
and repealed taxes imposed by Charles. These occurrences monarch faced a public trial and execution.
resulted in the outbreak of the English Civil War. The Governments of Cromwell (1)
Afterwards, Cromwell formed a new government called the
English Civil War (1642-1649) (1)
Commonwealth, which lasted from 1649 until 1653. This gov-
The war pitted supporters of the Parliament against support- ernment was a democratic republic. However, in 1653, Crom-
ers of the king, and at stake were both political power and well formed the Protectorate, which was effectively a military
control of English economics. dictatorship. He created the New Model Army, a paid
The war also pitted Puritans, force of devoted Puritans. His reign involved strict laws, in-
known as "roundheads," cluding no playing cards or dancing. He, like many English
against Anglicans, or "cava- monarchs, found Parliament difficult to control. It was when
liers." The supporters of Parlia- he disbanded Parliament the only English Constitution was
ment were led by Oliver written called the Instruments of Government.
Cromwell.Other movements Stuart Restoration and Charles II Stuart (1)
sprang up during this time, includ-
ing Baptists, and Quakers who In 1660, Cromwell resigned, resulting in the restoration of
equated the clergy with Charles II Stuart and thus the Stuart line to the throne. Char-
nobles.Charles I was captured, les II is commonly known as the "Merry Monarch" because
and members of Parliament were torn. Presbyterians op- he engaged in highly festive court life and encountered many
posed the killing of the king, while Independents advocated mistresses. He did, however, drive England deeply into debt,
the regicide, or the killing of the king. In "Pride's Purge," and continued a war with the Dutch started under Cromwell
Cromwell forcibly removed all members of Parliament who from the 1650s until the 1670s. He practiced mercantilist poli-
opposed the killing of the king. cies. During Charles II's reign, England encountered the
Great Plague in 1665 and the Great Fire in 1666.

167
In 1670, Charles signed the Secret Treaty of Dover with of worship. Angry Protestants would call in William of Or-
Louis XIV, secretly pledging France and England as allies to ange and Mary to bail them out.
work together to return England to the Catholic Church. In Glorious Revolution of 1688 (1)
1673 he signed the Declaration of Indulgence, which stated
that Catholics could hold political and military office. Parlia- Out of fear of James' open Catholicism and the birth of a
ment responded that same year, issuing the Test Act that male Catholic heir, Parliament invited Mary Stuart and
stated that citizens would have to profess Anglicanism to join William Stuart of Orange to rule England in 1688.
the Parliament and military by taking Anglican Communion. Known as the Glorious Revolution or Bloodless Revolution
because it was peaceful, William and
In 1679, Parliament passed an important guarantee of free-
Mary took the throne and signed the
dom called Habeas Corpus. This law gave every prisoner
Bill of Rights. The bill guaranteed
the right to obtain a writ or document ordering that the pris-
that the king would call Parliament
oner be brought before a judge to specify the charges against
every three years and not dismiss
the prisoner. The judge would decide whether the prisoner
them and that taxation and war
should be tried or set free. Because of the Habeas Corpus
must be approved by Parliament.
Act, a monarch could not put someone in jail simply for op-
England was no longer an absolute
posing the ruler. Also, prisoners could not be held indefinitely
monarchy but rather a constitu-
without trials.
tional monarchy.
James II (1685-1688) (1)
During the 1700s, if both Parlia-
James II, an overtly Catholic mon- ment and the King came to a standstill on a topic, this poten-
arch, took the throne in 1685. With tial problem was remedied by the development of a group of
his first wife he bore two daughters, government ministers, or officials, called the cabinet. These
Mary and Anne, who were both Prot- ministers acted in the ruler’s name but in reality represented
estant, but with his second wife he the major party of Parliament. Therefore, they became the
bore a son, James, who was baptized link between the monarch and the majority party in Parlia-
Catholic. He upset Parliament at his ment.
demand to repeal the Test Act, and
instituted the Declaration of Indul-
gences, which allowed for freedom

168
Queen Anne Stuart and the End of the Stuart Line
(1)
Queen Anne ruled from 1702 until 1714, and issued the Act
of Union in 1707, creating Great Britain by combining
Wales, Scotland, and England. Under her, the House of
Commons took dominance in Parliament. When she died in
August 1714, she was succeeded by George I, the first of the Section 4 Review
Hanoverian line to rule in Britain. The expansion of parlia- 1. Identify James I, Charles I, Charles II, Oliver
mentary power at the expense of the Crown that had taken Cromwell, James II, William and Mary,
place since 1688 would continue under the Hanoverian mon- Queen Anne.
archs, with the first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole, tak- 2. Who were the Roundheads?
ing office in 1721. By the accession of George III in 1760,
3. What was the Petition of Right?
the Crown had very little ability to influence national politics,
and largely left the formation of governments to the parties 4. What is Habeas Corpus?
that were slowly evolving in Parliament. 5. What is a constitutional monarchy?

169
 Chapter 14

THE
ENLIGHTENMENT

"Oer-Weimarer Musenhof" by Theobald von Oer. Licensed under Public Domain via
Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oer-
Weimarer_Musenhof.jpg#/media/File:Oer-Weimarer_Musenhof.jpg
 SECTION 1

The Enlightenment
The great philosopher Immanuel Kant wrote the mixture of science and relig-
eighteenth-century Enlightenment: "We live in an age of En- ion and to modern readers
lightenment, but not an enlightened age." Kant considered may come across as unusual
the eighteenth century a time of significant reform and a though it must always be
questioning of established traditions, optimistically pointing borne in mind that Ptolemy
toward progress. At the same time, Kant realized how far was building upon the works
Europe still had to go toward the ideals of reason, equality, of earlier astronomers. Surpris-
individualism, and secularism - all principles of the Enlighten- ingly a Greek philosopher
ment. (1) called Aristarchus (B.C 310 BC - B.C 230 BC) suggested that
the earth moved around the sun and though this was com-
Science and Technology
mon knowledge amongst all who studied astronomy it would
The Scientific Revolution began with discoveries in astron- be over a thousand years before he was proved right. The
omy, most importantly dealing with the concept of a solar sys- early christian church adopted the Ptolemaic system since it
tem. These discoveries generated controversy, and some were was in accord with biblical teaching. A universe without the
forced by church authorities to recant their theories. earth at its center would negate divine purpose and Ptolemy's
Pre-Revolution: Aristotle and Ptolemy idea of the spheres in harmony strengthened the creationist
argument. The Enlightenment, which is also referred to as
The geocentric (earth-centred) view of the universe had
the Age of Reason, was a period when European philoso-
been taught since the days of Aristotle. Ptolemy's Almagest
phers emphasized the use of reason as the best method for
was the standard text used to teach students astronomy and
learning the truth. (2)
remained so for hundreds of years. Ptolemy's theories are a

171
A Revolutionary Model of the Universe Tycho Brahe created a mass of scientific data on astronomy
During the Renaissance, study of astronomy at universities during his lifetime; although he made no major contributions
began. Regiomontanus and Nicolas of Cusa developed new to science, he laid the groundwork
advances in mathematics and methods of calculation. for Kepler's discoveries. (2)

Nicolaus Copernicus, although After Brahe's death in 1601, his as-

a devout Christian, doubted sistant, Johannes Kepler, used
whether the views held by Aristotle Brahe's body of data to write Kep-
and Ptolemy were completely cor- ler's Three Laws of Planetary Motion,
rect. Using mathematics and visual most significantly noting that plan-
observations with only the naked ets' orbits are elliptical instead of
eye, he developed the Heliocentric, circular. (2)
or Copernican, Theory of the Uni- An Italian scientist named Galileo
verse, stating that the Earth re- Galilei is generally given credit for
volves around the sun. Fearing ridi- invention of the telescope; although the device itself is not of
cule or persecution, Copernicus Galileo's design, he was the first to use it for astronomy. With
did not publish his findings until 1543, the last year of his this tool, he proved the Copernican
life. He received a copy of his book, On the Revolutions of Theory of the Universe. In his work
the Heavenly Bodies, on his deathbed. (2) (3) Starry Messenger, he announced that
While revolutionary, Co- Jupiter had four moons and that the
pernicus's book caused lit- sun had dark spots. He also noted
tle stir because he was un- that the earth's moon had a rough,
able to scientifically prove uneven surface. This shattered Aris-
Heliocentrism. However, totle's theory that the moon and stars
over the next century were made of perfection. Though
other scientists will build warned by Protestant leaders and the
off the foundation that Church to stop defending Coperni-
Copernicus started. A cus's ideas, Galileo continued his research. In 1632, Galileo
Danish astronomer,

172
published Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems which Bacon has been called the father of empiricism, the theory
supported Copernican theory. (2) (3) that all knowledge is derived from sense-experience and
Galileo spread news of his work through letters to friends stimulated by the rise of experimental science. His works es-
and colleagues. Although the Church forced him to recant tablished and popularised inductive methodologies for scien-
his ideas and spend the rest of his life under house arrest, his tific inquiry, often called the Baconian method, or simply the
works had already been published and could not be disre- scientific method. His demand for a planned procedure of in-
garded. vestigating all things natural marked a new turn in the rhe-
torical and theoretical framework for science, much of which
The Scientific Method still surrounds conceptions of proper methodology today. (4)
The revolution in scientific thinking that Copernicus, Kepler, In France, Rene Descartes developed analytic geometry,
and Galileo began the development into a new approach to
which linked algebra and geometry. Rather than using experi-
science called the scientific method. This method is a logical
mentation, Descartes relied on mathematics and logic. He be-
procedure for gathering and testing ideas. This method was
lieved that everything should be doubted until proved by rea-
not developed overnight. Two important thinkers who as-
son - "I think, therefore I am."
sisted in the advance of this approach were Francis Bacon
and Rene Descartes.
Francis Bacon was an English
philosopher, statesman, scientist, ju-
rist, orator, essayist and author. He
served both as Attorney General
and Lord Chancellor of England.
After his death, he remained ex-
tremely influential through his
works, especially as philosophical
advocate and practitioner of the sci-
entific method during the scientific
revolution. (4)

173
Newton Explains the Law of Gravity
Newton is often considered the greatest scientific mind in his-
tory. Newton studied mathematics and physics at Cambridge
University. He was able to develop breakthroughs under a sin-
gle theory of motion. His 1687 work called The Mathematical Section 1 Review
Principles of Natural Philosophy included Newton's Law of Grav- 1. What was the difference between the geocen-
ity, an incredibly ground-breaking study. It also explained the tric and heliocentric theory?
universe like a giant clock and also support Copernican the- 2. Identify the following: Copernicus, Kepler,
ory. (2) Galileo, Bacon, Descartes, Newton.
3. Explain in your own words the quote:
“I think therefore I am.”

174
 SECTION 2

The Views on Government

In the wake of the Scientific Revolution, and the new ways sovereign, Hobbes also developed some of the fundamentals
of thinking it prompted, scholars and philosophers began to of European liberal thought: the right of the individual; the
reevaluate old notions about other aspects of society. These natural equality of all men; the artificial character of the po-
people efforts spurred the Enlightenment, a new intellectual litical order (which led to the later distinction between civil
movement that stressed reason and thought and the power of society and the state); the view that all legitimate political
individuals to solve problems. (1) power must be "representative" and based on the consent of
Some would say that the Enlightenment was started by two the people; and a liberal interpretation of law which leaves
English political thinkers of the 1600s. Both men grew up people free to do whatever the law does not explicitly forbid.
during the political turmoil of the English Civil War but had (3)
totally two different views of government. John Locke took a rather more opti-
Thomas Hobbes was an Eng- mistic view of human nature, and spe-
lish philosopher, best known to- cifically refuted Hobbes humanity is
day for his work on political phi- only governed by laws of nature,
losophy. His 1651 book Leviathan man has right to life, liberty, and
established the social contract property. Locke felt there is a natu-
theory, the foundation of later ral social contract that binds the
Western political philosophy. (2) people and their government to-
gether. This contract is that the peo-
Though on rational grounds a ple have a responsibility to their gov-
champion of absolutism for the ernment, and their government like-

175
wise has a responsibility to its people. In his most famous •Equality - Though many phlosophes noted that crushing
work Two Treatises on Government, Locke goes on to justify the inequality present in European institutions, few trusted the
supremacy of Parliament. (4) masses to rule. Belief in the betterment of the lower classes
The Philosophes Advocate Reason did not necessarily translate into support for democracy. (5)
The Enlightenment reached its height in France in the mid- •Progress - A natural byproduct of belief in human reason,
1700s. Paris became the meeting place for people who the notion of progress lay at the heart of the Enlightenment
wanted to discuss politics and ideas. These social critics in project. According to the foremost American advocate of the
France were called philosophes. The philosophes believed Enlightenment, Benjamin Franklin, the pursuit of knowledge
that people could apply reason to all aspects of life, just as should ultimately yield practical benefits for humankind. (5)
Isaac Newton had applied reason to science. These philoso-
phes had certain core principles: Voltaire Combats Intolerance
•Reason - Belief in human reason's ability to discover the Francois-Marie Arouet took the fa-
relevant laws of nature and humanity expresses the assump- mous pen name "Voltaire" because
tion that the world itself is inherently "knowledgeable" to the he attacked the absurdity and incon-
human mind and optimism in the advance of human under- sistencies of contemporary society
standing. (5) with such delicious wit that, ironi-
•Secularism - Not all philosophes demonstrated hostility to cally, he became popular in the pam-
organized religion or advocated atheism. Most Enlighten- pered and privileged aristocratic cir-
ment thinkers did believe that the dogmatism often accompa- cles he was criticizing. Voltaire's
nying organized religion should not be allowed to intrude most famous work was Candide, and extended fable about a
into public affairs. In place of organized religion, many intel- naive young lad who trust in the assurances of his teacher,
lectuals adhered to belief in God based on reason, not revela- Pangloss, that 'All is for the best in the best of all possible
tion. This deism portrayed God as kind of Newtonian "clock- worlds' despite abundant evidence in their travels that it is
maker" who designed the world with scientific natural laws anything but that belief. (5)
and then simply allowed it to function. With this "natural re-
ligion," the prophets, holy books, dogma, clergy, and rituals
of organized religion were considered unnecessary. (5)

176
Montesquieu and Separation of Power seau believed in handing more power over to the people. He
Montesquieu's experiences as a would make clear of this in his work The Social Contract.
French Protestant and member of Rousseau wrote that the fundamental dilemma of any politi-
the Bordeaux parliament influ- cal system was to find a form of political association in which
enced his writings. Keeping with the General Will of the entire society could be realized
the new travel literature, Montes- through pursuit of the common good. (5)
quieu's most important work was Beccaria Promotes Criminal Justice
The Spirit of the Laws (1748). This Governments of the eighteenth century lacked modern po-
book was based on his investigation lice forces and prisons. When criminals were captured, pun-
of history and contemporary na- ishments tended to be public and harsh in order to set an ex-
tions, to determine the forms of ample. An Italian jurist, Cesare Beccaria, condemned the
government and laws of each na- traditional approach in his On Crimes and Punishments. Accord-
tion. Large nations tended toward despotism (like Russia), ing to Beccaria, reason and the certainty of punishment
medium-sized nations toward monarchy (like France), and should act as guides to law and the penal system. Torture,
smaller nations toward republics (like Switzerland). Montes- breaking on the wheel, and drawing and quartering all served
quieu favored a government like Britain's which incorporated as horrifying spectacle but tended to excite people's bloodlust
checks and balances to restrain the vices associated with each and fear of power rather than respect for the law. (5)
major political interest: monarchy - tyranny, oligarchy - fac-
tionalism, democracy - anarchy. (5) Women and the Enlightenment
Jean -Jacques Rousseau Champi- The philosophes challenged many assumptions about govern-
ons Freedom ment and society. But they often took a traditional view to-
ward women. Women writers tried to push the envelope to
This Swiss philosopher built on Locke's improve the status of women. In 1694, Mary Astell published
idea that people are born equal, except A Serious Proposal to the Ladies to address the lack of educa-
that, of course, in reality they're not: tional opportunities for women and how the social roles be-
"Man is born free but everywhere he is tween men and women need to change. (1)
in chains." Rousseau argued that ine-
quality was not only unnatural and
wrong, but ultimately inefficient. Rous-

177
Women clearly participated in the culture of the Enlighten-
ment. Importantly, Mary Wollstonecraft, a writer and col-
laborator in radical political movements, penned the first
Section 2 Review
modern statements of the feminist movement. Wollstonecraft
defended the movement for equality with A Vindication of the 1. Explain the major philosophies of Thomas Hob-
Rights of Women, which held that no legitimate basis, other bes, John Locke, Baron de Montesquieu, Jean-
than physical strength, could be devised to discriminate be- Jacques Rousseau, Voltaire, Cesare Beccaria, Mary
Astell, Mary Wollstonecraft.
tween men and women. (5)
During the Enlightenment, reason took center stage. The
greatest minds of Europe followed each other’s work with in-
terest and often met to discuss their ideas. Some of the kings
and queens of Europe were also interested and will seek to
apply some of the philosophes’ ideas to create progress in
their own countries.

Interactive 14.1 Mr. Buckley’s Wisdom

Click on the image to learn more about the political theo-

ries of famous Enlightenment thinkers.

178
 SECTION 3

The Ideas Spread

The philosophes' view of society usually led them into trou- Madame de Geoffrin also helped finance a project that was
ble with the monarchy and the church. Nevertheless, the En- taken on by philosophe' named Denis Diderot. Diderot
lightenment spread throughout Europe with the help of achieved fame for his editing of the Encyclopedia, a seventeen
books, magazines, and word of mouth. In time, Enlighten- volume reference work that ambitiously set out to arrange the
ment ideas influenced everything from the artistic world to sum total of human knowledge alphabetically, deference to
the royal courts across the continent. ecclesiastical (religious) or political authority. In addition, the
The World of Ideas Encyclopedia provided illustrations designed to convey practi-
cal knowledge of science, the military arts, and manufactur-
To really experience the Enlightenment, one needed to be in ing. Salons and the Encyclopedia helped spread the spirit of
Paris. Many of the great philosophes' hailed from France, the Enlightenment to all people throughout Europe. (1)
and French served as the unifying language of intellectual dis-
course. The movement took its tone and spirit from the sa- New Artistic Styles
lons of Paris. The women who ran the salons, known as salon- Though the Baroque style in the arts and music continued-
nieres, attracted philosophers, economists, and writers from well into the eighteenth century, by the 1720s the neoclassi-
all over Europe in an effort to stimulate an ongoing conversa- cal style had taken hold, especially in France. Whereas the
tion regarding the key issues facing Europe. For twenty five Baroque expressed power, illusion, and movement, the arts of
years, Madame de Geoffrin hosted intellectuals at her din- popes and kings, neoclassical style drew from stories of an-
ner, acted as mediator and financial patroness, and invited cient Greece and Rome. With works of Joseph Haydn,
foreign thinkers and rulers to her famous Parisian salon. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ledwith von Beetho-
(1) ven, we move into the great Age of Classical Music. Compos-

179
ers experimented with full orchestration, writing symphonies In order to understand the actions of the European mon-
of several movements that develop simple themes into com- archs of this period, it is important to understand their key
plex musical patterns. (1) beliefs. Enlightened despots rejected the concept of absolut-
Writers in the 18th century also developed new styles and ism and the divine right to rule. They justified their position
forms of literature. A number of European authors began based on their usefulness to the state. These rulers based
writing novels, which are their decisions upon their reason, and they stressed religious
lengthy works of prose fic- toleration and the importance of education. They enacted
tion. Samuel Richardson’s codified, uniform laws, repressed local authority, nobles, and
Pamela is often considered the the church, and often acted impulsively and instilled change
first true English novel. It tells at an incredibly fast rate.
the story of a young servant Frederick II the Great (1740-1786)
girl who refuses the advances Frederick II Hohenzollern of Prussia declared himself "The-
of her master. Another Eng- First Servant of the State," believing that it was his duty to serve
lish masterpiece, Tom Jones, the state and do well for his nation. He extended education
by Henry Fielding, tells the to all classes, and established a professional bureaucracy and
story of an orphan who trav-
els all over England to win
Interactive 14.2 Mr. Buckley’s Wisdom
the hand of his lady. (2)

Enlightenment and the Monarchy (3)

A new form of government began to replace absolutism
across the continent. Whilst monarchs were reluctant to give
up their powers, many also recognized that their states could
potentially benefit from the spread of Enlightenment ideas.
The most prominent of these rulers were Frederick II the
Great Hohenzollern of Prussia, Joseph II Hapsburg of Aus-
tria, and Catherine II the Great Romanov of Russia.
Click to learn more about Prussia and the Enlightenment.

180
civil servants. He created a uniform judicial system and abol- Catherine the Great (1762-1796)
ished torture. During his tenure, Prussia advanced agricul- Catherine the Great came to power because Peter III failed
tural techniques by using potatoes and turnips to replenish
to bear a male heir to the throne and was killed.
the soil. Also, Frederick established religious freedom in Prus-
Her enlightened reforms include:
sia.
•Restrictions on torture
Joseph II Habsburg (1765-1790)
•Religious toleration
Joseph II Habsburg (also spelled
as Hapsburg) of Austria could •Education for girls
be considered perhaps the great- •1767 Legislative Commission, which reported to her on the
est enlightened ruler, and he was state of the Russian people
purely enlightened, working •Trained and educated her grandson Alexander I so that he
solely for the good of his coun- could progress in society because of his merit rather than his
try. He was anti-feudalism, anti- bloodline
church, and anti-nobility. He fa-
mously stated, "The state should
provide the greatest good for the
greatest number." He created
equal punishment and taxation
regardless of class, complete free-
dom of the press, toleration of all religions, and civil rights
for Jews. Under Joseph II a uniform law code was estab-
lished, and in 1781 he abolished serfdom and in 1789 or-
dered the General School Ordinance, which required compul-
sory education for Austrian children. However, Joseph failed
because he angered people by making changes far too swiftly,
and even the serfs weren't satisfied with their abrupt freedom.

181
She was friends with Diderot, Rousseau, and Voltaire. How-
ever, Catherine also took a number of decidedly unenlight-
ened actions. In 1773 she violently suppressed Pugachev's Re-
bellion, a massive peasant rebellion against the degradation Section 3 Review
of the serfs. She conceded more power to the nobles and
eliminated state service. Also, serfdom became equivalent to 1. What was the importance of the salons and the
slavery under her. Encyclopedia for the spread of Enlightenment
ideas?
Foreign Policy
2. Click on the names of the classical musicians
Catherine combated the Ottoman Empire. In 1774, Russia and listen to pieces of their musical accomplish-
gained a warm water port on the Black Sea. ments.
Inspired by Enlightenment ideas, the people of France de- 3. How important was Prussia in changing the
cided to do the unthinkable: they started a revolution! mindset of how a monarch should rule?
4. Identify the importance of Joseph II and Cath-
erine the Great.
Interactive 14.3 Mr. Buckley’s Wisdom

Click on the Image to learn more about Peter and

Catherine the Great.

182
 Chapter 15

FRENCH
REVOLUTION

"Bataille de Fleurus 1794" by Jean-Baptiste Mauzaisse - http://www.fontainebleau-photo.com/

2012/10/le-bas-breau.html. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bataille_de_Fleurus_1794.JPG#/media/
File:Bataille_de_Fleurus_1794.JPG
 SECTION 1

The Causes
The French Revolution is where modern history began. The The biggest privilege by far was that the nobles did not have
revolution started as a struggle for human rights against a to pay taxes. (1)
bankrupt and corrupt monarchy, but soon the French revolu- The vast majority of French people belonged to the Third
tionaries instituted rule by terror. Napoleon tried to instill or- Estate, obviously not a monolithic group. Members of the
der by imposing military rule, which certainly brought stabil-
Third Estate varied from the wealthiest merchant down to
ity but did nothing for human rights. Nevertheless, the ideals
the few serfs or landless laborers still existing in France. The
of the revolution have inspired people to our own day.
bourgeoisie increased in numbers and economic power sig-
The Old Regime: Social Causes nificantly in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries with
France remained separated into three estates, each with its the growth of commerce. In addition to their mercantile and
own legal status and privileges. The First Estate, the clergy, professional interests, the bourgeoisie owned about twenty
amounted to around one percent of the population, and was five percent of the land in France. Many resented the privi-
a social, cultural, and economic force. The church owned leges of the aristocracy while at the same time envying their
about ten percent of land in France and collected the tithe, a status and imitating their fashions and interests. The bour-
tax that amounted to about three to five percent of individ- geoisie of artisans, shopkeepers, and small business owners
ual income. (1) felt the pinch of rising prices for goods, while on the other,
stagnant wages. (1)
The Second Estate, the nobles, comprised of about two
percent of the population, and owned approximately twenty
five percent of France’s land. The French nobility had privi-
lege in spades and got all the top posts in the government.

184
Political Causes for her extravagance, extreme even
The conflict between the resurgent nobility and a theoreti- for a queen, and the most quoted re-
cally absolute monarchy constitutes the fundamental political mark never said; when told that the
cause of the revolution. French aristocrats accepted and of- peasants of France were so poor
ten admired the monarchy, but wished it to evolve along Eng- that they could not put bread on the
lish lines. However, many condemned the nature of the mon- table, she was said to have replied,
archy. Hated symbols of arbitrary government were the let- "let them eat cake," which suppos-
tres de cachet, which allowed the king to arrest and imprison edly "proved" that she was out of
any individual without judicial procedures. The personalities touch with the general populace. Al-
of King Louis XVI and his Austrian wife, Marie An- though it is unlikely that the queen
ever said such a thing, it is still an ex-
toinette acted as a magnet for discontent with the regime.
ample of the French citizens' opinion of their royalty, that
By all accounts, Louis
they would create such a story. As the historian Munro Price
was a pious, well-
suggests, though, much of the criticism of Marie-Antoinette
meaning family man.
came from the fact that there was no one else to blame for
However, as events un-
bad policies. Under Louis XIV and Louis XV, both of whom
folded, it became clear
were prolific womanizers who had many official mistresses
that Louis lacked the en-
during their respective reigns, public opinion often leveled
ergy and purpose to see
the blame for society's ills at the King's current ministers
his nation through its cri-
who, more often than not, owed their position to the royal
sis. The king's behavior
mistress. (2)
during key moments of
the revolution often esca- Intellectual Causes and The Events of 1789
lated conflict and fueled Countless ideas from the Enlightenment contributed to the
radicals' demands for a French Revolution. Locke's ideas of overthrowing govern-
republic. (1) ment that does not respect the social contract, as well as Rous-
As for Louis XVI's wife seau's ideas of the general will and the French government's
Marie Antoinette, she failure to represent the general will of the people, were major
was widely condemned factors. The Enlightenment also stripped away at religion, es-

185
pecially Catholicism, directly attacking the divine right the- To the Bastille!
ory that Louis XVI of France used to justify his position. (2) In response to these recent events, Louis XVI employed a
Additionally, there were massive food shortages across mercenary army of Swiss guards to be surrounded around
France; there was a constant war, anger over social inequality, Versailles. In Paris, rumors flew as some people suggested
and a weak queen and king. Moreover, a harsh winter had re- that Louis was intent on using military force to dismiss the
sulted in no harvest and the lack of food, especially bread, National Assembly. Others charged that the foreign troops
causing poverty, death, and destruction. (2) were coming to Paris to massacre French citizens.
The immediate spark of the French Revolution, however, was
the financial crisis in France. This problem stemmed from a
number of issues. One of the most prominent of these issues
was the fact that the nobles were tax-exempt, and the nobles
resisted any attempt by Louis to tax them. In addition,
France had accrued massive debt from assisting in the Ameri-
can Revolution, as well as from the Seven Years War. Finally,
French tax collectors were corrupt. As a result, Louis called
the Estates General for assistance and advice to resolve the
financial crisis. (2) On July 14, 1789, the revolting Paris mob stormed the Bas-
The Estates General consisted of three estates and met at the tille. The Bastille was a major prison and armory in Paris.
Palace of Versailles. The third estate, angry over their dispro- While only seven prisoners were housed behind its walls,
portionate representation and their inability to act according none of whom could be considered political in any way, this
to their needs, rebelled, and declared itself the National As- event was essential because it symbolized that the people
sembly. Three days later members of the third estate took were no longer standing for the power of the nobles and the
the Oath of the Tennis Court, swearing allegiance to the king, or the rising of the people against the tyranny of abso-
French nation and drawing up a list of grievances (cahiers de lutism. The fall of the Bastille was also the first time, but cer-
doléances) against the king. They aimed to democratically tainly not the last, during the Revolution that popular mobs
represent the will of the people and give the people a consti- would rise up and take action outside of the legislature.
tution, and they were clearly motivated by the Glorious Revo- These later risings, known in French as journees, would prove
lution of 1688 in England. (2) to be both extremely influential on public opinion and a

186
cause for major hand-wringing on the part of the legislature,
who did not want to risk a massive popular revolution as op- Interactive 15.1 Mr. Buckley’s Wisdom
posed to the controlled "bourgeois" revolution. (2)
The terrified King Louis XVI, Queen Marie Antoinette their
two young children on the October 6, 1789 were forced back
to Paris from Versailles by a mob of market women. In a car-
riage, they traveled back to Paris surrounded by a mob of
people screaming and shouting threats against the King and
Queen. The mob of people forced the King And Queen to
have their carriage windows wide open. At one point a mem-
ber of the mob waved the head of a royal guard killed at Ver-
sailles in front of the terrified Queen. Despite Marie An-
toinette's best efforts to please the mob in giving out bread Click on the image to learn more about the causes of the
from the carriage, it was thrown back, as the people refused French Revolution.
to eat it as "It is sure to be poisoned." This senseless wave of
panic throughout France called the Great Fear was only the
beginning of this revolution. (2)
Section 1 Review
1. Identify the First, Second and Third Estate
and their role in the early French government.
2. Identify Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette’s
role in the causing the Revolution.
3. How important was the Third Estate in start-
ing the Revolution?

187
 SECTION 2

The Revolutionary Spirit Grows

Louis XVI Gets One Last Chance... Frenchmen who applauded the "bringing home" of the
In August of 1789, the National Assembly took a number of church, the subsequent punitive measures taken against
actions to remake society. They established social equality, clergy who did not swear the oath (also known as the refrac-
and signed the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citi- tory clergy) would be a cause of great resentment in the West-
ern provinces. (1)
zen, which was a social contract. It provided for freedom of
religion, taxation of equality, legal equality, and freedom of
press and expression. They wrote a constitution that estab-
lished a constitutional monarchy with a parliament. The par-
liament was to be run by the bourgeois, who were considered
"active" citizens, while the rest of the citizens were consid-
ered "passive" citizens and would not be allowed to take part
in government. People in government were to progress based
upon merit. Finally, the National Assembly established the
Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790), which clergy-
men would eventually be required to swear an oath to in ... and Blows It!
1791. In addition to nationalizing church property, the civil
When the Pope condemned this new Civil Constitution of
constitution also abolished religious vows and turned all
the Clergy, Louis decided that the time had come to get out.
church clerics (including monks and nuns) into civil servants
In June 1971 at the dead of night, Louis and his family crept
who received their pay and assignments not from Rome, but
out of Paris and headed for the Austrian frontier. As they
from Paris. While this was initially well-received by many

188
neared the border, however, they were apprehended and re- Prussians would punish the citizens of Paris if they did any-
turned to Paris under guard. Louis’s attempted escape in- thing to harm Louis XVI or Marie Antoinette. Prussia and
creased the influence of his radical enemies in the govern- Austria allied for the balance of power, in order to weaken
ment and sealed his fate. France. The draining of war on the newly formed govern-
Divisions Develop ment also contributed to its downfall. (1)

With the king proving that he cannot be trusted, in Septem- In September 1792, rumors were spreading that the royal
ber 1791, a constitution was created and formed a limited family and political prisoners in France were going to break
constitutional monarchy. It stripped the king of much of his out and aid the advancing Austrian-Prussian army. In re-
authority. It also created a new legislative body called the sponse, revolutionaries broke into prisons across France and
Legislative Assembly. However, the Legislative Assembly massacred thousands in what became called the September
Massacres. At the same time the Parisian sans culottes busted
failed quickly for a number of reasons. The lower third estate
into the Tuileries palace, massacred the king's Swiss guards,
felt abandoned by the bourgeois politically. In addition, the
and hauled Louis and Marie Antoinette off to prison. Under
Legislative Assembly failed to fix the food and unemployment
pressure from radicals in the streets and among its members,
problems. As a result, the working men of France, or the
the Legislative Assembly set aside the Constitution of 1791.
sans-culottes, rose against the Legislative Assembly. (1)
It declared the king deposed, dissolved the assembly, and
At the same time another group called Emigres, or nobility called for the election of a new legislature. This new govern-
that had fled France during the Revolution, in Austria ing body, the National Convention, took office on Septem-
wanted the Austrian government to crush the Revolution. ber 21. It quickly abolished the monarchy and declared
Other nations feared revolution in their own countries. Aus- France a republic. (2)
tria signed the Declaration of Pillnitz (1791), which
Rule by Terror
stated that if the other powers attack France, so would Aus-
tria. The French interpreted this as a virtual declaration of At this point of the revolution most people involved in gov-
war. In April 1792, the Legislative Assembly declared war on ernment were part of a radical political organization called
Austria. Prussia would also join Austria in this war to crush the Jacobin Club. This club became popular because of
the revolution. (1) people like Jean Paul Marat, a vehement journalist who de-
In July 1792, with the war going badly for France, Austria manded the deaths of traitors and for heads to roll, and
and Prussia stood on the verge of invading Paris. Together Georges Danton, skilled politician who worked to create a
the nations issued the Brunswick Manifesto, stating that the

189
revolutionary government in the capital called the Paris Com- leaders in the Convention took extreme steps to protect the
mune. (3) revolution. (2)
The National Convention had reduced Louis XVI’s role The Convention became an emergency republic with univer-
from that of a king to that of a common citizen and prisoner. sal male suffrage. The leading body of the Convention was
Now, guided by radical Jacobins, it tried Louis for treason. the Committee of Public Safety, who worked to suppress dis-
The Convention found him guilty, and, by a close vote, sen- sent and protect the revolution. The Committee was com-
tenced him to death. On January 21, 1793, the former king posed of twelve members, of whom the dominant individual
walked with calm dignity up the steps of the scaffold to be be- was Maximilien de Robespierre.
headed by a machine called the guillotine. (2) The leadership of the Convention
In response to the execution of the king, Great Britain, Hol- split into two factions: the Montag-
land, and Spain joined Prussia and Austria against France. nards (or "Mountain"), who was
Forced to contend with so many enemies, the French suffered more radical and included Robespi-
a string of defeats. To reinforce the French army, Jacobin erre, and the Girondin, which was
more middle class. (1)
The Convention had a number of is-
sues to address. First, and perhaps
most importantly, they were actively
engaged in war with Prussia and Austria. They instituted the
first draft, called the levee en masse, and a nationalist feeling
rose among troops. In 1794, the French army invaded Aus-
tria and was successful. (1)
In addition, the Convention needed to remake society. Mem-
bers instituted "dechristianization," which was essentially the
purging of Christians in France. (1)
The Convention also needed to address the food problem,
and established the "General Maximum" that controlled
bread prices and wages. (1)

190
Finally, the Convention needed to stop the counter-revolution The Directory
and write a new constitution. During a period known as The Directory was the first constitutional republic, which
"The Terror," Robespierre and the Committee of Public had an executive body of five directors, as well as a bicam-
Safety utilized the guillotine to kill tens of thousands of eral legislative body consisting of the Council of Ancients
counter-revolutionaries. The Convention successfully wrote a and the Council of 500. In 1797, the first free elections were
new constitution, establishing a government known as the Di- held, and the people of France astonished members of the
rectory as a permanent republic. (1) Directory by electing a majority of royalists to the legislature.
On July 27, 1794, Robespierre himself was arrested, and was People grew fearful of a possible return of the Terror, thus,
executed the next day. The resulting "Thermidorian Reac- when Napoleon Bonaparte launched the coup to end the Di-
tion" was a response to France's swing to the left, during rectory and instead establish the Consulate, there was little
which the government briefly went to the right, and finally opposition. (1)
back to the center. The Jacobins and other Montagnards
were replaced with the more moderate Girondins (Bour-
geois), and many Montagnard members were executed. (1) Interactive 15.2 Mr. Buckley’s Wisdom

Click on the Image to Learn More about all of the Events

of the French Revolution

191
 Section 2 Review
1. Look at the Declaration of the Rights of Man.
Which sections in your opinion are the most im-
portant and why?
2. What was the Civil Constitution of the Clergy?
3. What was the role of the National Assembly, Leg-
islative Assembly, National Convention and the
Directory?
4. Did the Reign of Terror help or hinder the goals
of the French Revolution?

192
 SECTION 3

The Rise of Napoleon

The Rise of Napoleon protect the National Convention and in 1796, the Directory
Some have labeled Napoleon Bonaparte the "first modern appointed Napoleon to lead a French army against the forces
of Austria and the Kingdom of Sardinia. With every victory
man." His rise to power owed nothing to traditional aristo-
his reputation continued to grow. It grew so much that in the
cratic or political institutions. Napoleon was a self-made man
newspapers he was no longer addressed by his name rather
of immense talent and ambition, qualities that account for
he was addressed as "The General." However, it would in
both his stunning successes and his
Egypt that the great general would receive a bruised ego. In
crushing defeats. Born into a minor
an expedition to strengthen French sea trade while weaken-
Italian family on the island of Cor-
ing British trade in India, Napoleon would confront his mili-
sica, which the French had annexed
tary rival British Admiral Horatio Nelson. Though Nelson
in 1768, Napoleon set out to prove
will successfully disrupt Napoleon's plan, the general made
he was the equal to every French-
sure that news of this defeat never make it back to France.
men he encountered in his military
academy and the army. (1) By 1799, the Directory had lost control of the political situa-
tion and the confidence of the French people. When Napo-
In October 1795, fate handed the
leon returned from Egypt, his friends urged him to seize po-
young officer a chance for glory.
litical power. Joined with two other conspirators, Napoleon's
When royalist rebels marched on
the National Convention, a govern- coup d' etat succeeded in creating a new government, the
ment official told Napoleon to de- Consulate (with three Consuls). Chosen as First Consul, Bona-
fend the delegates. He was able to parte quickly outmaneuvered the other two consuls and in
1801 proclaimed himself First Consul for life. At the age of

193
thirty two, Bonaparte commanded France and set out to insti- Napoleon Crowned as Emperor
tutionalize the principles of the revolution. (1) In 1804, Napoleon decided to make himself emperor, and
Napoleon's Domestic Policies the French voters supported him. On December 2, 1804,
To present himself as a man of the people, Napoleon used dressed in a splendid robe of purple velvet, Napoleon walked
plebiscites, "vote of the people," on specific issues, often af- down the long aisle of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The
ter the fact, such as whether the people agreed with Napo- pope waited for him with a glittering crown. As thousands
leon's proclamation of the empire. Napoleon also enhanced watched, the new emperor took the crown from the pope and
industry by establishing the Bank of France. The bank placed it on his own head. With this gesture, Napoleon sig-
helped in finally eliminating the budget deficit and moderniz- naled that he was more powerful than the Church, which had
ing the tax system. As for educational policies, to modernize traditionally crowned the rulers of France. (2)
France and promote opportunity, Napoleon established a na-
tionwide system of secondary schools called the lycee. These
schools were open to all social classes. However, out of all of
his domestic policies the most important one was the Napole-
onic Code. These set of laws represented the revolution's ide-
als of merit and equality and was guided by the enlightened
impulse toward rational systemization. Napoleon created a
single legal code for all of France, as well as many nations he
conquered, which stand to this day. (1)
Though Napoleon did live up the many of the revolutionary
ideas, the one policy that he did not embrace the revolution
was in his relationship with the church. Napoleon ended the
war between the revolution and the Catholic Church with his
signing of the Concordat of 1801 with Pope Pius VII. Time for An Empire!
Both sides agreed to stay out of each others affairs (powers of
Napoleon was not just contempt in controlling France.
church and state). (1)
Rather he wanted to not only control the rest of Europe but
he wanted to establish an western empire. He believed where

194
this western empire began was on the sugar-producing col-
ony of Saint Domingue (now called Haiti) on the island of
Interactive 15.3 Mr. Buckley’s Wisdom
Hispaniola.
In 1789, when the ideas of the Revolution reached the plant-
ers in Saint Domingue, they demanded that the National As-
sembly give them the same privileges as the people of France.
Eventually, enslaved Africans in the colony demanded their
rights too—in other words, their freedom. A civil war
erupted, and enslaved Africans under the leadership of Tous-
saint L’Ouverture seized control of the colony. (2)
In 1801, Napoleon decided to take back the colony and re-
store its productive sugar industry. However, the French
forces were devastated by disease. Following these events Na-
poleon wanted to cut his ties with his western empire and ba- Click on the Image to Learn About Napoleon’s Foreign Affairs
sicly "cashed out" and focused all of his attention to his Euro-
pean expansions. The French Empire was huge but unstable. Section 3 Review
Napoleon was able to maintain it at its greatest extent for
only five years, from 1807 to 1812. Then it quickly fell to 1. Read the biography of Napoleon and outline his
pieces. Its sudden collapse was caused in part by Napoleon’s life.
actions. (2) 2. How effective was Napoleon as a ruler in the early
days of his leadership?
3. What was so important about the foreign policy of
Napoleon? Read Mr. Buckely’s document!

195
 SECTION 4

The Collapse of the French Revolution

The Collapse of the French Empire
Napoleon declared himself French Emperor and became a
military dictator. Napoleon was undefeated against his three
main continental enemies, defeating Austria, Russia, and
Prussia multiple times. During his tenure, he took control of
large amounts of mainland Europe. However, Napoleon
failed to subdue England, and was defeated in his attempt to
crush the English Navy at the Battle of Trafalgar (1805)
by Admiral Horatio Nelson. (1)

196
Strike One - Continental System support, the Spanish bogged the French down in a guerilla
As a result, Napoleon employed the Continental System, a war, sapping resources and men. (2)
method of economic warfare. He prohibited trade with the Strike Three - Invasion of Russia
British by blockading all coasts of Europe from English ex- After Alexander I of Russia withdrew from the Continental
port. Unfortunately for Napoleon, this failed, as the British System, Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812. For the first time,
still were able to smuggle goods into Europe, and were also Napoleon failed, as the Russian army employed scorched
able to trade with their colonies, Asia, and the United States. earth tactics to defeat Napoleon's army. However, Napoleon
Napoleon eliminated the Holy Roman Empire, and in 1806 quickly raised a new army, but this army was crushed by the
consolidated it into 40 states and named it the Confederation Quadruple Alliance of England, Austria, Russia, and Prussia
of the Rhine. (1) at the Battle of Nations/Leipzig in 1813. Napoleon was
Strike Two - Peninsular War exiled to the island of Elba, but he managed to escape and
In 1808, Napoleon coerced the Bourbon king of Spain to ab- return in 1815 in a period known as the Hundred Days. The
dicate and then replaced him with his brother Jerome. The Quadruple Alliance again crushed his new army at the Bat-
tle of Waterloo, led by the great British General Wolsey
(Duke of Wellington). Napoleon was then exiled to the island
of Saint Helena where he died in 1821. (1)

Interactive 15.4 Mr. Buckley’s Wisdom

Spanish resented Napoleon's high-handed tactics and tolera-

tion of religions other than Catholicism. Due to the people
of Spain's insubordination towards Napoleon, he orders Click on the image to learn more about Napoleon’s
300,000 soldiers to invade Spain and Portugal. With British Costly Mistakes

197
 Section 4 Review
1. After studying the costly mistakes of Napoleon, write
a detailed essay as to why each one caused Napoleon to
lose his power.

198
 SECTION 5

Congress of Vienna
After the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars, the great •Legitimacy - "Rightful" monarchs were restored to those
powers of Europe met in Vienna to rebuild a stable diplo- nations that experienced revolutions. This meant the Bour-
matic order. Twenty-five years of violent upheaval and war- bons back in France (Louis XVIII, brother of the executed
fare had convinced conservatives of the need to reestablish king), Spain, and Naples. Though some monarchs conceded
"legitimate" governments and create mechanisms to subdue constitutions in deference to public opinion, power remained
revolutionary movements. Negotiations were interrupted by in the hands of conservative interests - "throne, altar, and es-
the escape of Napoleon from Elba and his Hundred Days tate" - that is, monarchy, church, and aristocracy. (1)
campaign culminating with his •Balance of power - Key to the Congress's deliberations,
defeat at Waterloo. (1)
balance - of - power considerations led to the creation of a
The Congress of Vienna, led series of buffer states to quarantine to quarantine France
by foreign minister of Austria should revolution break out there again. The new Kingdom
Klemens von Metternich, of the Netherlands combined the former Dutch republic and
was guided by the following Austria Netherlands. Prussia gained extensive territory on the
three principles: Rhine, and Piedmont-Sardinia in Italy was strengthened on
France's southern border. (1)
•Alliances - To ensure peace and stability, the great powers
formed the Quadruple Alliance, which was termed the Quin-
tuple Alliance with the inclusion of France after 1818. In ad-
dition, the three conservative central and eastern European

199
powers - Austria, Prussia, and Russia - created the Holy Alli-
ance, envisioned by Alexander I as a break on revolutionary
movements. (1)
•Collective Security - To ensure peace and stability, the
great powers agreed to meet periodically to discuss issues of
mutual concern, especially related to war and revolution.
The Concert of Europe provided a degree of informal secu-
rity in the first half of the nineteenth century. However, Brit-
ain disagreed with Metternich's vision of collective security
as committing the members to the suppression of revolution-
ary movements. (1)
Many of the territories occupied by Napoleon during his Em-
pire began to feel a new sense of nationalism. During the oc-
cupation, Napoleon destroyed and disallowed many nations’
individual cultures, and the people of these nations greatly
resented this. As a result, Napoleon's conquests spurred a
new nationalism in the occupied nations, particularly in Ger- Section 5 Review
many and Italy, at a level that had never previously existed.
1. After researching the Congress of Vienna, explain
(2)
its importance to restructuring Europe after the
French Revolution.
2. Did the Congress of Vienna hinder the future de-
velopment of Europe? Explain.

200
 Chapter 16

INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION

"Marshall's flax-mill, Holbeck, Leeds - interior - c.1800" by No picture credit in book -

From The Story of Leeds by J. S. Fletcher, available from the Internet Archive. Licensed
under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/
wiki/File:Marshall%27s_flax-mill,_Holbeck,_Leeds_-_interior_-_c.1800.jpg#/media/
File:Marshall%27s_flax-mill,_Holbeck,_Leeds_-_interior_-_c.1800.jpg
 SECTION 1

The Beginnings of Industry

The shift that precipitated many of the conflicts of the early Agricultural Revolution
nineteenth century was the industrial revolution. The grow- For any industrial revolution to happen, society needed to
ing industrial base of many European countries was to en- find ways to produce more food so there were no longer a
courage urbanization, often at the expense of the living con- high demand for farmers. This process would begin with the
ditions of the workers. This was coupled with new agrarian use of enclosures. After buying up the land of village farm-
technologies which required fewer people to work the land, ers, wealthy landowners enclosed their land with fences or
whilst producing greater agricultural yields. In some coun- hedges. The increase in their landholdings enabled them to
tries this precipitated an industrial revolution, where urban cultivate larger fields. Within these
industry played an increasingly dominant role in the econ- enclosures, landowners experi-
omy. This process was first seen in Britain, Prussia and the mented with more productive seed-
Netherlands in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth cen- ing and harvesting methods to boost
tury whilst other countries, such as France, Italy and the crop yields. This would be success-
United States of America were to industrialize in the late fully done through proper crop rota-
nineteenth century. Some states, such as Russia and Austria, tion and the creation of an invention
failed to industrialize significantly in this period, a factor that called the seed drill. Jethro Tull
would lead to later difficulties during the First World War. (1)
was one of the first of these scientific
farmers. He saw that the usual way
of sowing seed by scattering it across
the ground was wasteful. Many seeds
failed to take root. He solved this

202
problem with an invention called the seed drill in about plemented each other in industries with multiple steps, such
1701. It allowed farmers to sow seeds in well-spaced rows at as textile production. Further, mechanization did not pene-
specific depths. A larger share of the seeds took root, boost- trate production in other industries for several generations.
ing crop yields. (2) (3)
Why Britain? •John Kay (Flying Shuttle - 1733) - Allowed single loom
Britain's unique island status insulated it from continental operator to work with wider cloth by creating a shuttle that
strife, freeing it from supporting a standing army while at the could be operated with one hand.
same time promoting an overseas empire. No place in Britain
was more than seventy miles from the ocean. Profits from
trade could be reinvested in manufacturing enterprises. In ad-
dition, Britain possessed natural resources, such as coal and
iron ore, necessary for industry. (3)
Promotion of the Agricultural Revolution allowed for a
larger population and the resulting mobile labor force to man
the new factories. Also, no nation could boast a better finan-
cial network of banks and credit institutions able to supply en-
trepreneurs with the capital necessary for industrial enter-
prises. (3)
Textile Innovations
Textiles led the way in the early Industrial Revolution. The
many processes of textile production lent themselves to the
development of cottage industry, which took hold in Britain
in the eighteenth century. Several simple technological break-
throughs, beginnings in the 1730s, paved the way for the
mechanization of spinning under one roof, or the first facto-
ries. It is important to keep in mind that production processes
such as mechanization and the putting-out system often com-

203
•James Hargreaves (Spinning Jenny - 1768) - Allowed the •Samuel Crompton (Spinning Mule - 1780) - Crompton
operator to spin eight or more threads with the additional combined the mechanical principles of the jenny and the wa-
spindles. ter frame.

•Edmund Cartwright (Power Loom - 1785) - Quickly

•Richard Arkwright (Water drove the many handloom weavers out of business after sev-
Frame - 1771) - Added water eral generations to perfect.
power to the principle of the
jenny allowed the development
of factories near rivers.

204
Improvements in Transportation predetermined structure that would be more durable and less
The first steam engines in the early eighteenth century muddy than soil-based tracks. (5)
pumped water out of coal mines, but did so inefficiently, us- Modern road construction still reflects McAdam's influence.
ing more energy than they produced. James Watt, in part- Of subsequent improvements, the most significant was the in-
nership with the entrepreneur Matthew Boulton, perfected troduction of tar (originally coal tar) to bind the road sur-
the steam engine by employing a separate condenser to cool face's stones together – "tarmac" (or Tarmacadam.) (5)
the steam and later added ro- In the eighteenth century water transportation proved to be
tary motion, essential to the de- the most reliable and cut the costs of bringing good to mar-
velopment of locomotion. ket. However, with the advent of cheaper iron and the power
Watt's invention provided a of the steam engine, railroads replaced canals as the most effi-
much-needed source of power cient form of transportation. At first, railways consisted of
for factories, which could now horse-drawn wagons over wooden rails, used to transport
be located anywhere. (3) coal out of mines to foundries. In 1804, Richard Tre-
Watt's engine would be used in vithick designed and built the first steam-powered locomo-
a variety of ways. The engine tive. Soon after, engineer George Stephenson created a faster
did spark interest to an Ameri- engine, "The Rocket," which could travel at the amazing
can engineer and inventor
named Robert Fulton. Fulton
was widely credited with developing a commercially success-
ful steamboat called Clermont. That steamboat went from
New York City to Albany with passengers over a 300-mile dis-
tance in 62 hours. In 1800, he was commissioned by Napo-
leon Bonaparte to design the "Nautilus," which was the first
practical submarine in history. (4)
British roads improved, too, thanks largely to the efforts of
John McAdam, a Scottish engineer. He invented a new proc-
ess, "macadamisation," for building roads with a smooth hard
surface, using controlled materials of mixed particle size and

205
speed of twenty four miles per hour! Across Britain, railroads
were providing cheaper goods and new form of reliable pas-
senger transportation. Railroads decreased isolation and al-
lowed for geographic and social mobility, making them one
of the most important inventions of the nineteenth century.
Like a locomotive racing across the country, the Industrial
Revolution brought rapid and unsettling changes to people’s
lives. (3)

Section 1 Review
1. How important was the agricultural revolution in
relationship to the industrial revolution?
2. In your opinion, which textile invention was the
most creative and vital to the growth of industry?
3. Identify how transportation was made easier dur-
ing the Industrial Revolution.

206
 SECTION 2

The Social Impact & Responses to

Industrialization
The Industrial Revolution profoundly influenced first British up with the onslaught of new residents. Public drunkenness
and later European society. Problems such as overcrowding, as a reaction to the dismal lifestyle became prominent, and
pollution, worker discontent, and inequality compelled gov- the cities were filthy and living conditions tight. Life expec-
ernments, reformers, and radicals to devise a range of con- tancy was short, and disease was rampant. The standard of
tending responses to such issues. (1) living decreased for many, with low wages and high prices. (2)
Population Increase
Industrialization supported a marked increase in population.
From 1750 to 1850, the population of the British Isles rose
two hundred percent, from ten to thirty million. This popula-
tion would find themselves flooding towards the factory jobs
creating a movement of urbanization, city building and the
movement of people to cities. Though many found work in
the new factories and mills, urban problems followed closely
behind. (1)
Working and Living Conditions
The Industrial Revolution resulted in poor urban living condi-
tions with no sanitation. Urban and industrial growth went
beyond the state's control. Cities found that their infrastruc-
ture of streets, housing, and sewage disposal could not keep

207
Initial factory conditions were deplorable. Workers were ex- hard work, exemplifying the ideal of social mobility through
pected to labor up to fourteen hours per day with inadequate self-help. (1)
light and ventilation. Strict rules punished tardiness and frat- Noticing the poor crowded city conditions and impoverished
ernization among workers. Owners, often preferred children workers in industrial Europe, several economists expressed
as laborers, for their small hands able to reach into machin- their pessimistic predictions on the future of the industrial so-
ery, as well as women, considered more docile and willing to ciety. (2)
work for lower wages than men. In coal and factories, labor-
ers were exposed to toxic substances and particulates, causing
lung and other diseases. Finally, because machines often de-
termined the pace of labor, workers found themselves living Section 2 Review
by a regimented schedule and subject to fatigue that could be
deadly if they should fall into the moving parts of machines. 1. After reading this section, what were some of the
(1) positive and negative aspects of industrialization?

New Industrial Classes

Industrialization created new classes. At the top, the indus-
trial middle class gained wealth and status from the profits of
industry. Though they were still few in number, this growing
bourgeoisie set a social tone of frugality, respectability, and

208
 SECTION 3

Reforming the Industrial World

In industrialized countries in the 19th century, the Industrial named Adam Smith. In his work The Wealth of Nations, ac-
Revolution opened a wide gap between the rich and the poor. cording to Smith, economic liberty guaranteed economic pro-
Business leaders believed that governments should stay out of gress. As a result, government should not interfere. Smith’s
business and economic affairs. Reformers, however, felt that arguments rested on what he called the three natural laws of
governments needed to play an active role to improve condi- economics:
tions for the poor. Workers also demanded more rights and • The law of self-interest— People work for their own
protection. They formed labor unions to increase their influ- good
ence. (1)
• The law of competition— Competition forces people to
The Rise of Capitalism make a better product
Economically, the Enlightenment em- • The law of supply and demand— Enough goods
braced a laissez-faire, "let people would be produced at the lowest possible price to meet de-
do what they do," feeling between the mand in a market economy (1)
government and its work force. The
These basic ideas were strongly supported by two British
term laissez-faire refers to the eco-
economists Thomas Malthus and David Ricardo.
nomic policy of letting the business
and industry owners set working con-
ditions without government interfer-
ence. This feeling was strongly sup-
ported by a professor from Scotland

209
 Thomas Malthus, an English upset the free market system, lower profits, and undermine
economist with a grim prediction the production of wealth in society. (1)
for the future. An Essay on the Princi- The Rise of Socialism
ple of Population stated that the popu-
lation was outgrowing the food sup- In contrast to laissez-faire philosophy,
ply, and that this would inevitably which advised governments to leave
cause a "great hunger," or massive business alone, other theorists believed
food shortage. Malthus suggested, that governments should intervene.
as a solution to this problem, marry- These thinkers believed that wealthy
ing later in life to slow the popula- people or the government must take
tion growth, but he was not optimistic that this plan would action to improve people’s lives. (1)
ever come to fruition. (2) British philosopher Jeremy Ben-
David Ricardo, in his Principles of Political Economy and tham articulated the related approach
Taxation, he predicted that the income of wage-earning of utilitarianism, wherein "good" was de-
workers would remain below or just near subsistence levels, fined as providing pleasure and "evil" as causing pain. Hold-
despite any attempts to raise wages. Ricardo believed that a ing that the purpose of government was to promote the
permanent underclass would al- "greatest good for the greatest number," Bentham argued for
ways be poor. In a market system, separation of church and state, women's rights, and the end
if there are many workers and of slavery. (3)
abundant resources, then labor Following the utilitarian tradition,
and resources are cheap. (1) John Stuart Mill later provided in
Laissez-faire thinkers such as his On Liberty one of the most elo-
Smith, Malthus, and Ricardo op- quent defenses of freedom of ex-
posed government efforts to help pression and the dangers of the "tyr-
poor workers. They thought that anny of the majority." Mill also col-
creating minimum wage laws and laborated with his wife, Harriet Tay-
better working conditions would lor, and defended the cause of fe-
male suffrage in Parliament. (3)

210
Socialists believed the capitalist system was unequal and un- was an attempt to create political tension between economic
just, and wished to replace it with social and economic plan- classes around the world. He also wrote Das Kapital, a critique
ning. One of the earlier socialist, ironically, was textile entre- of capitalism that argues as to why Marx believed capitalism
preneur, Robert Owen. Robert should fail. He sought to incite the violent revolution of the
Owen was a Welsh manufacturer. proletariat against the bourgeois. The proletariat described
In his mills at New Lanark in Scot- the working class, while the bourgeois described the middle
land he proved that investing in and upper classes that owned the means of production. This
the welfare of employees could be revolution would be caused by what Marx described as a his-
profitable. He provided his work- toric class struggle between these two groups. After this revo-
ers with schools and free accom- lution, Marx argued for the formation of a classless society,
modation. By doing this Owen in which no private property, religion, or government existed.
was rewarded with a hard- (2)
working and loyal workforce, and Marx also advocated the concept of dialectical materialism.
his mills were some of the most The theory states that history is driven by economic condi-
profitable and productive in Britain. (2) tions and material private property inequality. This theory
Owen was later to invest his profits in the community of New was based on Hegel's dialectic theory, in which a thesis and
Harmony in the United States of America. The community antithesis are resolved into a synthesis. The end of Marx's
was heavily reliant upon the leadership of Owen and quickly concept of dialectical history is the synthesis of communism
foundered. Although Owen's communities did not long out- because private property is prohibited. Marx believed that
last his lifetime, his thinking was highly influential amongst the rise of the proletariat was inevitable, even if he had never
later socialists, and the term communist was originally coined existed and written his book. This is what separates Marxism
to describe Owen's followers. (2) from Utopian Socialism - Utopian Socialism required the be-
nevolent and peaceful surrender of the means of production
Radical Socialism by capitalists. (2)
Probably the most important socialist thinker of the nine- Make sure to refer to Mr. Buckley’s Wisdom in Chap-
teenth century was the German writer Karl Marx. Marx's ter 3 to refresh your memory on Marxism!!
rise to prominence began in the Year of Revolutions, 1848,
with the publication of The Communist Manifesto, a volume
which he wrote with the help of Frederick Engels. The book

211
Working Class Responds to Industrialization in Eng- Trade Unionism
land The Luddites were, in essence, part of a reactive movement,
Luddism fighting against the modernization of methods of produc-
tion. An alternative, and often more effective, method of ac-
The Luddites were a group of workers opposed to the effects
tion was the organization of workers into trade unions,
of the mechanization of industry, particularly in textiles. The
where rights could be secured through collective bargaining
advent of large scale spinning and weaving machines meant
and the threat of strikes. Whilst such movements were often
that textiles could be produced at lower costs than previously,
not illegal in themselves, many of their actions were. It was,
undercutting the prices of the traditional cottage industry of
for instance, considered a criminal offence for a workman to
handloom weavers. (2)
break his contract and striking workers could be charged for
The attacks of the Luddites began in 1811 and were targeted offences relating to conspiracy or breaches of public order.
at the machinery of factory and workshop owners. The cam- (2)
paigns of the Luddites were often closely targeted at specific
Despite this there was a sustained demand on the part of the
forms of machinery and, despite the modern connotations of
workers that their rights be recognized and the persistent
the name; the group were not opposed to progress in princi-
campaigns of workers eventually achieved the legal recogni-
ple. (2)
tion of unions. (2)
The name of the group is derived from its fictional leader,
In the 1820s and 1830s, for example, Parliament began inves-
Ned Ludd. This figure was used as a focal point for demon-
tigating child labor and working conditions in factories and
strations, and to distract attention from the real leaders of
mines. As a result of its findings, Parliament passed the Fac-
various protests. (2)
tory Act of 1833. The new law made it illegal to hire chil-
The Luddites were followed some years later by the Swing ri- dren under 9 years old. (1)
oters who, following a mythical leader, Captain Swing, op-
During the 1800s, democracy grew in industrialized coun-
posed the mechanization of agriculture. The Swing riots
tries even as foreign expansion increased. The industrialized
mostly occurred during the early 1830s and were put down
democracies faced new challenges both at home and abroad.
with often severe force. (2)

212
 Section 3 Review
1. Identify every philosopher from the Indus-
trial period and summarize their main
points.
2. Of all of the philosophers, whose idea was
the most relevant and why?

213
 CITATIONS

"Hagia Sophia Southwestern entrance mosaics 2" by

File:Hagia_Sophia_Southwestern_entrance_mosaics.jpg: Photograph: Myrabelladerivative
work: Myrabella - This file was derived from: Hagia Sophia Southwestern entrance
mosaics.jpg:. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hagia_Sophia_Southwestern_entrance_mosaics_2.jpg#/
media/File:Hagia_Sophia_Southwestern_entrance_mosaics_2.jpg
CITATIONS
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16

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