Month: February 2024

According to Wikipedia “The Home Rule movement was a movement that campaigned for self-government (or “home rule”) for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was the dominant political movement of Irish nationalism from 1870 to the end of World War I.” Gladstone worked very hard to establish this, but in the end it failed and was rejected. 

The Kulturkampf. According to Wikipedia, the Kulturkampf was a “fierce conflict that took place from 1872 to 1878 between the Catholic Church led by Pope Pius IX and the government of Prussia led by Otto von Bismarck.” It began in 1871 and ended in 1887. The kulturkampf only took place in Prussia.

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

According to Wikipedia, “The Second Industrial Revolution, also known as the Technological Revolution, was a phase of rapid scientific discovery, standardization, mass production and industrialization from the late 19th century into the early 20th century.” One major innovation was the telegraph. This helped people send messages to each other quickly. One more major innovation was the Transcontinental Railroad. This railroad went from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean. 

Does Herbert Spencer deserve to be called a “Social Darwinist”? According to Wikipedia, “Herbert Spencer was an English philosopher, psychologist, biologist, anthropologist, and sociologist. Spencer originated the expression “survival of the fittest”, which he coined in Principles of Biology after reading Charles Darwin’s 1859 book On the Origin of Species.” According to Wikipedia, “Social Darwinism is the study and implementation of various theories and societal practices that purport to apply biological concepts of natural selection and survival of the fittest to sociology, economics and politics, and which were largely defined by scholars in Western Europe and North America in the 1870s.” Yes he does deserve to be called a Social Darwinist. The description fits him perfectly. 

Weak points in Karl Marx’s views. According to Wikipedia, Karl Marx was a “German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 pamphlet The Communist Manifesto and the four-volume Das Kapital.” According to ReviseSociology, “Capitalism today is less exploitative. Control of the economic base does not mean control of the superstructure. False consciousness is a problem concept in postmodern society. There is less alienation today.” 

Were the Revolutions of 1848 successful or unsuccessful? These Revolutions were many republican revolts against European monarchies. All of these revolts failed and were followed by liberals (widespread disillusionment among people).

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