Assess Louis achievements in foreign policy by 1684. Account for his success in this period.
Assess Louis' achievements in foreign policy by 1684. Account for his success in this period. After the death of Cardinal Mazarin in 1661, Louis XIV decided to rule by himself. By 1684, Louis' foreign policy had enabled him to make significant gains in terms of land, gloire and hegemony. As a result, Louis was able to considerably increase national security and French status in Europe. While between 1559 and 1661 France was the sick man of Europe and constantly exploited and invaded, there had been no question of that during Louis' personal rule. In the 17th century, France was surrounded by the Hapsburg countries of Spain and the Holy Roman Empire (Circle of Burgundy). This made Louis feel unsafe and threatened. With the added factor of the Bourbon-Hapsburg dynastic struggle, Louis had to somehow improve his country's security and make sure that France wouldn't be abused or invaded by the encircling Hapsburg powers. In terms of land, Louis was able to make strategically important gains after the two wars and the Policy of Reunions. In the Treaty of Aix-La-Chapelle, which ended the War of Devolution, Louis gained land in the Spanish Netherlands, namely Dunkirk, Aire, Lille, Tournai, and Charleroi. These areas strengthened the north-eastern border which had been the entrance for the Spanish invasion during the Frondes. Similarly, France retained Franche-Comté and towns in
chartism revision
Chartist- Introduction Key Questions ) What caused working people to protest so vigorously and so consistently for political change? 2) What did Chartists believe? 3) Was Chartist just a movement of economically depressed workers? 4) Was Chartist a national movement? 5) Can Chartist be seen as expression of working class solidarity? 6) Was Chartist a failure? Key Ideas ) Ideas for Chartist not new- Paine "Rights of Man", 1815-20, mass platform and post war radicalism, Henry Hunt. 2) Chartism's strength fluctuated- peaks 1838-9, 1841-2, and 1848. 3) Genuinely national movement- although stronger in some areas than others. 4) Chartist alarmed authorities- government's response measured- avoided creating martyrs. 5) Number of plans made for general uprising- for some Chartist revolutionary. 6) Chartist capable of uniting large numbers of working people in support of democracy. What was the Peoples Charter? ) Vote for all adult males- over 21. 2) Payment for MP's. 3) Each constituency- same size 4) Secret ballot 5) No property qualifications- MP's should be required to have property. 6) General elections once a year. Peoples Charter * Formed by London Working Men's Association- May 1838- William Lovett worked with Francis Place and Joseph Roebuck Eric Evans- "It was a highly political document: none of its terms had to do with wages, conditions of work or
To What Extent Was The South African War (1899 - 1902) A Capitalist War
To what extent was the South African War (1899 - 1902) a capitalist war? Throughout history the study of the causes of conflict has often been found more interesting that the results. The South African War (also referred to as the Boer War) was particularly fascinating for the amount of contestation over its beginnings. The difficulty it understanding how the Boer War began could be down to its nature as a war of the Empire, making Britain's role in it a slightly touchier subject and harder to make more facts known. The almost conspiratorial confusion surrounding the origins of the South African War has led many individuals from contemporary to recent years to comment upon it; from the economist J. A. Hobson and Bolshevik leader Lenin to historians Iain Smith and A. N. Porter. In examining whether the South African War could be described as a capitalist war it is important to outline the various forms of capitalism that can be taken into account. The first is that of the external forces: the war was primarily fought with the capitalist priorities of the British government in mind (particularly over South Africa's vast mineral resources). The second is that the South African War was fought domestically between the capitalist mine owners, the British-owned, South African press and the independent Afrikaner (Boer) Republic. The argument on the origins of the
Assess the political, social and cultural significance of Versailles in the reign of Louis XIV
Assess the political, social and cultural significance of Versailles in the reign of Louis XIV The Palace of Versailles, a brainchild of Louis XIV, best exemplifies the great opulence during the reign of France's greatest monarch. Built with this end in mind, the significance of Versailles during the reign of Louis XIV is unquestionable. It became a place for Louis to practise the art of government by spectacle and through ritual. Unprecedently grand, Versailles came to embody a form of court and government that would be widely admired and copied. One might wonder why Louis needed such a palace in an insignificant little town like Versailles when he had the splendid Palais Royale in Paris and other magnificent palaces elsewhere in France. The simple answer is the Frondes. As a child the Frondes had a profound impact on Louis. Louis witnessed his mother being humiliated by members of the noblesse d'epee and Mazarin being chased out of the country. This left two major effects on him. Firstly, Louis became determined not to allow the aristocracy to revolt in such a way ever again and secondly in order to do so, he required a new place splendid enough to represent him adequately. Versailles became a place for Louis to establish himself as the sole ruler of France and to erect his absolutist regime. Versailles had to perform one task in order for Louis to succeed: the fusion of
The main reason for the failure of the second crusade was the lack of a clear and unified command structure. How far do you agree with this statement?
The main reason for the failure of the second crusade was the lack of a clear and unified command structure. How far do you agree with this statement? It is without question that the Second Crusade suffered from a lack of a clear and unified command structure as the two main leaders, Louis VII of France and Conrad III of Germany, were unable to cooperate in a cohesive manner. However, it was not the only reason for the failure of the crusade as there were a myriad of other factors such as the lack of clear aims and the problems associated with the method of travel chosen by the crusaders. Arguably, the lack of a clear and unified command structure was inevitable from the inception of the crusade as Bernard of Clairvaux's success in Germany meant that there were to be two separate armies marching on the Holy Land- a situation which is both logistically demanding and likely to breed a lack of focus. An important element in the success of the First Crusade was the fact that there were no monarchs involved-the vast majority of the crusaders were humble people fuelled by religious fervour and the promise of the afterlife. Furthermore, the armies of the second crusade were collectively much larger than the army of the first crusade, a fact which made it much harder to organise and command- as evidenced by the decision taken by Louis VII and Conrad III to take separate routes to
Why Did The Wartime Alliance Break Down?
Why Did The Wartime Alliance Break Down? By the end of the Second World War, there were three main victors, Britain, The United States Of America and the Soviet Union. At the start of the Second World War, this, "Big Three", had one united goal; to bring down Germany, as it was threatening both the Capitalist West and Communist East. However, even though all three leaders; Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin were allies in their goal, it does not mean that their relationship was a happy one, but they had to work together to defeat the Nazi Germany regime. After Germany was defeated, The Big Three met up on several occasions to deal with the aftermath of the war. At this time, their true motives came to be shown. Even during the war, there was already underlying tensions between the East and West countries, but they were forced to cooperate in an, "Marriage of Convenience". As soon as their mutual enemy was defeated, tensions rose. When examining the reasons in why the Alliance broke down, there were a number of long term and short term causes. The East and West had two completely different ideologies, which would present itself as a issue. The West supported Capitalism, based on free elections and the freedom of speech. In contrast, the East supported Communism. This comprised of a dictatorship, led by Joseph Stalin, lack of freedom of speech and essentially the government
The cult of Stalin and the purges of the 1930(TM)s were two aspects of Stalin(TM)s determination to retain supreme power. How far do you agree with this opinion?
"The cult of Stalin and the purges of the 1930's were two aspects of Stalin's determination to retain supreme power". How far do you agree with this opinion? There is little doubt that Joseph Stalin made drastic and continual efforts to retain his supreme power during the 1930's. The two main methods and perhaps the most memorable are 'the great purges' (otherwise known as the 'great terror') and 'the cult of Stalin'. Although Stalin had been triumphant in the 'power struggle' against Leon Trotsky in 1929, rather than alleviating his insecurities, Stalin became increasingly paranoid. It seems that the more power and control he gained over Russia and its people, the more irrational and mistrustful he became. This was more than likely because he had more to lose and this encouraged him to instigate a more brutal and controlling regime. Other examples of his vindictive rule were the purging of kulaks during collectivisation and the excessive demands he made during industrialisation and the five-year plans. He also conducted purges targeted at Bolshevik opposition. He insisted on members reapplying for their membership to the party using excuses like corruption, drunkenness and being politically inactive to dismiss them, thus frightening members into submission. This was because if they lost their party cards they could lose their jobs, which ultimately meant they lost
The Death of Mao
The Death of Mao Following the Cultural Revolution * Three main power groups emerged - Lin Biao and the PLA - Jiang Qing and the Shanghai radicals - Zhou Enlai and bureaucracy Lin Biao * Despite being named as Mao's successor he was one of the first casualties after the Cultural Revolution's violent phase ended by 1969. * Marx had taught Mao to be wary of strong military leaders. * Mao wanted to abolish the post of President but Lin disagreed, Mao thought Lin wanted it himself. * In 1970 Mao began to undermine Lin's position in the PLA. Lin Biao * In February 1971 it was clear that Lin no longer carried Mao's favour and he decided to fight back with the help of his son. * However when Mao became aware of the plan they decided to flee to southern China instead. Lin Biao * Zhou Enlai found this out and tried to stop them. The plane was forced to take off before being fully fuelled and so plans were made to go to the USSR instead. * However the plane crashed in outer Mongolia killing all 8 people on board. After Lin Biao * Who would succeed Mao? * Zhou Enlai was too old. * Jiang Qing was Mao's wife, but hated. After Lin Biao * Zhou Enlai - Wanted to increase contact with the west and organised a visit from President Nixon in 1972. - This began a relaxation of cultural policy and western orchestras were allowed to visit. - In 1973 exams were
How important was the role of the princes in bringing about the success of the Lutheran Reformation in Germany in the years 1525 to 1555?
How important was the role of the princes in bringing about the success of the Lutheran Reformation in Germany in the years 1525 to 1555? The princes played a very important role in bringing about the success of the Reformation with certain princes making a larger impact than others. Philip of Hesse, John and Maurice of Saxony and all that were part of the creation of the League of Schmalkalden all helped the Reformation's success. However Elector Frederick the Wise dies early in 1525 and his contributions with helping Luther's volatile situation after the Diet of Worms and beyond cannot be counted. The actual princes themselves were anyone with sovereign powers so could have been a number of people in power including emperors, one of the electors or even rich noblemen. Also the fact that some princes did very little to prevent the spread and success of Lutheranism was important as this could have hindered their chances significantly. However it was not just the princes that had a hand in the success, as the actual concept of Lutheranism was very pleasing to many of the people and that was the start of the whole conflict along with Luther himself being a great preacher and the help of the printing press to help the ideas spread. Most notable for his actions in the bringing about of the success of the reformation was Philip of Hesse who worked alongside many other
Gandhi was instrumental in India achieving its independence. Gandhi was able to procure Indias independence by unifying the people of India, by reforming the Indian National Congress and by staging peaceful protests against the British authority.
Gandhi was a human being subject to all its faults and yet he became known as the Mahatma, the great soul. What Gandhi did for India is unthinkable. It sounds nearly impossible for one man to accomplish what Gandhi did alone and yet Gandhi accomplished it. Many of Gandhi's contemporaries, such as Martin Luther King Jr., took their ideas from Gandhi. Albert Einstein has said about Gandhi that, "It may be that in years to come men will scarce believe that one such as this ever in flesh or blood walked upon this earth (1)." Gandhi was instrumental in India achieving its independence. Gandhi was able to procure India's independence by unifying the people of India, by reforming the Indian National Congress and by staging peaceful protests against the British authority. Gandhi was born on October first 1869. When he was born no one ever expected him to become the man who liberated India. He was a normal child brought up in a conservative family. At the age of nineteen Gandhi sailed to London to obtain a law degree. In 1891 Gandhi with his law degree in hand returned to India to practice law. Within India Gandhi felt boxed in. For this reason Gandhi traveled to South Africa in 1893. In South Africa Gandhi worked as a legal advisor for an Indian firm. Gandhi was appalled by the level of discrimination that he saw. While in South Africa he was once thrown out of a first class train
