1.British politics after the Second World War

Britain after the IIWW lost its empire, power and status. Two events illustrated this. First, Suez. In 1956, Egypt, without prior agreemnet, took over the Suez canal from the international company owned by Britain and France. British and French military steps to stop this was a diplomatic disaster. The US did not support them and their troops were forced to withdraw. Second, Cyprus. When this country left Britsh empire, Britain became one of the guarantors of its independence from other countries. Britain tired to hold onto its international position through its Commonwealth, which all the old colonies were invited to join as free and equal members. This has been successful, because it is based on the kind of friendship that allows all members to follow their own policies without interference.

In 1945, Britain considered itself to have a major world rule. It is still the world’s 3th economic and military power, because with the help of the Marshall Aid Programme its economy recovered quickly and Britain reduced the large standing army and introduced a small, professional forces staffed by specialists. Modern military meant nuclear weapons. Since the 1950s, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) has argued, on both moral and economic grounds, that Britain schould cease to be a nuclear power. Britain still have nuclear force, although it is tiny compared to that of the USA.

After the IIWW and throughout the 1950s, it was understood that a conference of the world’s great powers involved the USA, the SU and GB. However, in 1962, the Cuban missle crisis was resolved without reference of Britain. By the 1970s it was generally accepted that a superpower conference involved only the USA and the SU. But strong British foreign policy (Bevin, Eden – Foreign Secretaries) was vital to world peace and Britain was still a grat power with global interst to protect eg.: developing NATO and Commonwealth. Morover, since the IIWW, British government often referred to the ’special relationship’ which exists between GB and and the USA. The base of this relationship is the history, the culture and the language.

After the IIWW many reforms were introduced, both by the Conservative and the Labour Party. It is called the consensus politics. Britain can claim to have the first large country in the world to have accepted that it is part of the job of government to help any citizen in need and to set up a ’welfare state’. During the first half of the 20C a number of welfare benefits were introduced. These were a small old-age pension scheme (1908), partial sickness and unemployement insurance (1912). The real impetus for the welfare state came in 1942 from a government comission, headed by William Beveridge, and its report on social insurance and allied services. In 1948 the National Health Act turned the report’s recommendation into law and the National Health Service was set up. The Labour government went further, taking over control of credit (Bank of england), power (coal, iron, steel) and transport (railways and airlines). This mixed economy meant 4/5 private sector and 1/5 public sector, which were run by the government on Keynesian lines in such a way as to maintain full employement.

During the 1950s and 1960s Britain began to slip rapidly behind its Europian neighbours economically. This was partly the result of a new and unpleasant experience, a combination of rising prices, high inflation, balance of payment crises and growing unemployment. Government was uncertain about how to solve the problem, and no longer agreed that the state had a responsibility to prevent unemployment. The special relationship with the USA weakened and the Commonwealth as a political unit and trading partner started to fall apart, so Britain decide to join the Europian Communitiy to share their new Europian wealth. It took more then 10 years to became the member of the EC (1973).

Margaret Thatcher had been elected in 1979 because she promised a new beginning for Britain. The old conservative and Labour agreement on the principles of the welafer state had broken down. The Conservative party moved right and the Labour party moved left and lost its power. Mrs Thatcher wanted free trade at home and abroad, individual enterprise and less government economic protection or interference. At home she reduced inflation, stabilized prices but the unemployment still was high. She reformed welfare state and continued the privatization of the public sector industries. She also tried to find the way to reduce public spendings. The conservative government tired to restore Britain’s national prestige and great power status internationally. So they revivaled the special relationship with USA, promoted Britain interest in EC more aggressivly, and decided to use armed fore when it is necessary (eg. Falklands war).

In 1997 Tony Blair (Labour Party) became the PM. Britain is a middle-racking, post-imperial Europian state but with nuclear weapons and still possessing cultural, diplomatic and military resources enables to play a significant role. In the EU, Britain is still playing an ambiguous part (eg. not accepting the EURO). They have good relationship with the USA (Clinton) as it could be seen during the Iraq crisis and the intervenion in NI peace process. In domectic policy, his priority is to maintain low inflation economy, to keep the taxes low, to recover the power of trade union, to continue privatisation, but with tighter regulation, and reforms in education, health and housing, and also constitutional reforms.

Tony Blair was reelected in May 2001.

Declaration of Rights of Man [angoltortenelem]

Declaration of Rights of Man

1. French Revolution

Causes: - contradictions in economy

- contradictions in society

- political crises (Louis XVI. in "trouble")

=> The outbreak of the revolution

-May.5., 1789: opening session - National Assembly (with one vote for each repr.)

-BUT: the king dissolved it => Tennis Court Oath

-People attacked and destroyed the Bastille (July 14., 1789) => Fr. revolution started

-Aug. 4., 1789 - abolition of feudal privileges

2. Declaration of Rights of Man (Aug. 26., 1789)

Content: - individual freedom

- right to property

- equality in front of the law

- equal taxation

- principles of representation

=> freedom of speech and thought

=> freedom of religion

=> freedom of the press

BUT Louis XVI. refused to sign it

=> Oct. 5.: March of Women: The king was forced to go to Paris; the National Assembly followed him

By 1791: Constitution

What are the five pillars of Islam? [angoltoretenelem]

What are the five pillars of Islam?

I. Muhammed (570-632)

-born in Mecca in about 570

-his parents died, he was raised by his relatives

-he got married at the age of 25 and became a successful merchant

YET: he was troubled by the problems he saw in the world.

--he often went to the desert to pray.

He believed the Gabriel angel spoke to him saying that God had chosen him as his

prophet. His duty, said the angel, was to proclaim that Allah was the one and only God.

=>opposition in Mecca => he fled to Medina in 622.

Hejira: departure (Mohammed’s journey from Mecca to Medina)

-622 is the first year of the Muslim calendar.

In Medina he gained power as both a religious and a political leader.

-630: M. returned to Mecca with an army and captured the city; destroyed hundreds of

idols, but left the kaaba (black stone) untouched, because he believed it had come

from God.

=>pilgrimage

=>Mecca remained the Holy city

II. Teachings of Islam

"Submission to God"

5 pillars: -there is only one God, Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet.

-prayer 5 times a day turning towards Mecca.

-fasting during the holy month of the Ramadan.

-pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime.

-act of charity

III. No formal church or clergy. All worshippers are considered equal.

Mosque: Muslim meeting place

the imam leads the worshippers in prayer.

The Qur'an : -contains the word of God as it was revealed to his prophet.

-the basis for government and law throughout the Islamic world

-written in Arabic ----universal language of Muslims from many different cultures.

-rules for ethical behaviour: -charity

-humility

-mercy

WHAT WAS THE TRUMAN DOCTRINE AND THE MARSHALL PLAN? [angoltortenelem]

WHAT WAS THE TRUMAN DOCTRINE AND THE MARSHALL PLAN?

I. The Cold War

1. March 5, 1946: Fulton, Missouri

Churchill: speech: iron curtain dividing the continent

2. Bi-polar world

· tensions between the US and the SU

over: - the fate of Germany and Berlin

- the fate of Central and Eastern-Europe

· by 1948 in every country the government was put under communist

control

® communist movements, civil wars

Þ policy of containment (George Kennan)

- to prevent the spreading of community

II. March, 1947: Truman Doctrine

The US should (and would) support free people resisting attempted domination

by armed minorities (communists) or outside pressure (SU).

® $ 400 million to Greece and Turkey

III. Marshall Plan (» Dawes Plan)

· Offered massive economic aid to help the recovery of European economy

· 1948-1953: $ 13 billion of aid were given to the European countries

· All European countries were invited, but the SU attacked as "Yankee imperialism" and refused it.

It also kept its satellites from it.

Describe the causes, the course and the outcome of the Great Depression [angoltortenelem]

Describe the causes, the course and the outcome of the Great Depression

I. October 24, 1929: Black Thursday

The New York Stock Market collapsed

=> investors panicked and sold at a loss

At first the crash appeared to influence only those who gambled and lost at the stock market. BUT soon: -signs of the crises

~ unemployment grew

~ industrial production, prices, wages fell

Reasons: -overproduction by business

-underconsumption

-1920s: rising productivity => enormous profits ~ unevenly distributed

II. Consequences

-cut back on production

=> downward economic spiral

>> unemployment

>> narrowed down the market => further cut backs on production

-the Great Depression (1929-33) meant financial, industrial and agricultural crisis.

-social tensions ~ political unrest

Solutions: -radical

-democratic

III. Solutions (the New Deal)

1929: Herbert Hoover (Am. president) expected that the crises would be over very

soon. 'prosperity is just around the corner.'

-he introduced only a few measures: ~ public works projects

~ government agency that lent money

BUT: these measures were not enough to overcome the crises.

1932: F. D. Roosevelt became the Am. president

-he introduced an economic and social program that was known as the

New Deal.

-New Deal was about state intervention

1. -to restore confidence in banks: ~ certain banks were reopened under

government supervision

2. -to solve the problem of unemployment and overproduction

~ AAA (agricultural adjustment act)

-it restricted the production of certain crops.

-paid bounties for uncultivated land

~ CCC (civilian conservation corps)

-national reforestation program

~ NIRA (national industrial recovery act)

-it meant the public works projects (building roads, bridges,

schools...)

~ TVA (Tennessee valley act)

-regulation of the river controlling river floods

-reforestation

-electricity was provided for the rural areas along the river

3. Social program

~ Social Security Act

-it provided unemployment benefit

-old-age benefits/pension

~ National Labour Relations Act

-it guaranteed the rights for workers to organise trade unions

The American economy could gradually recover but since the 1930s the American

government has played a greater role than before.

The age of discoveries [angoltortenelem]

The age of discoveries

1. From the middle of the XV. century there was slow development.

- industry and agriculture developed

- overpopulation arrow Western-Europe couldn’t provide food for its population arrow more and more agricultural goods for import.

- Trade was arranged by the navigation on the Atlantic coast.

- The precious metal-mines of Europe couldn’t provide enough precious metal arrow after 1453 the Turkish empire got all the benefit from the trade of the Mediterranean-sea.

- 1471 Portuguese sailors travelled through the Equator

- 1498 Vasco de Gamma shipping around Africa he reached the western coasts of India.

- 12^th October 1492 Christopher Columbus disembarked at Guanahani-peninsula.

- Cortez, Alvarando, Pizarro: they wanted to loot the natives and conquer America.

- 1521-1600 a huge amount of silver, gold and precious metal were given to the poor Europe. The biggest treasures of America, its plants spread in Europe also. For example: corn, potato, tomato, sunflower, tobacco and pineapple. Rubber, cocoa and vanilla also come from America.

- The native Indians had to work in mines and on different plantations. If they were weak black slaves were shipped from Africa so the shipping of slaves became very common in the Atlantic navigation.

The Eastern question [angoltortenelem]

The Eastern question

1. The Eastern question

Who would take over the role of the weakening Turkish Empire in the Balkans?

1829:Greece

1859:Roumania ( Moldavia, Valachia )

1867:Serbia

2. 1877-1878 Russia against the Turkish Empire

Berlin: conference Russia had to withdraw

- Bulgaria autonomy ( East-Rumelia )

- Bosnia Herzegovina arrow Austrian-Hungarian monarchy

- Macedonian under Turkish rule

- Russia excluded

- Independence of Romania, Serbia

1912: Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia against the Turkish empire

1^st Balkan war took most of the European possessions of the Turkish Empire and created Albania

BUT debates about the borders

1913:2^nd Balkan war

Bulgaria against Serbia ( Bulgaria got nothing, Serbia got Greece)

- uneasy peace

Balkans: powder keg of Europe

Describe the war communism and the new economic policy [angoltortenelem]

Describe the war communism and the new economic policy

War communism is a strong, strict government control of most industries, railways and banks at the time of the Russian Civil war. Peasants had to turn over their surplus ( centrally collected and redistributed) to the government.

Terror was used to silence the critics of the revolution plus censorship

On 30^th July 1918 the tsar and his family were executed. Secret police (Cheka) was introduced.

Outcome: The civil war devastated famine so certain changes were needed

1921-28 NEP ( New Economic Policy )

- reintroduction of certain capitalist measures

- government controlled heavy industry, banks, BUT small manufactures were allowed to have their own business

- surplus arrow market arrow money

- terror eased

- economic pluralism ( capitalists, socialists) BUT no political pluralism

- only one party ( Bolshevik party )

A few changes in politics

1922: USSR

Changes:

- elimination of titles of nobility

- Orthodox Church loss of influence

- Laws: equality of men and women, 8 hour working day

1924: Lenin died

-struggle to take over the power

Trotsky against Dzhugashvili ( Stalin, man of steel )

It led to world revolution ( Trotsky ) against socialism in one country