The Meiji Restoration of Japan

For a long period of time, the nation of Japan isolated itself from the rest of the world. This was known as the Tokugawa period. The Shogun and the samurai believed that outside contacts could potentially threaten their power. This period of isolation lasted for over 250 years. In 1853, four American warships appeared in Edo Bay. They were under the command of Commodore Matthew Perry. He came with a request from the United States government asking for Japan to open up its ports and to establish diplomatic relations between the two nations. Perry came with the sails of his ships down to show the Japanese the technological progress that the West has made. The Japanese also saw the guns on the ships and knew that no Japanese vessel can stand up against Western ships. The Japanese knew they could not reject any of the United States' requests because those requests were backed up with force. The Japanese decided to sign the Treaty of Kanagawa with the United States which opened up ports to United States ships. This allowed other Western nations to sign treaties with Japan.

There was much unrest afterward and the Shogun no longer ruled Japan. The Meiji Restoration was when power was "restored" to Emperor Meiji. During the Tokugawa period, the Emperor had no real power and only had ceremonial duties. Emperor Meiji wanted to modernize Japan and used Western nations as his model. He sent envoys to study the West's political system's. What was learned was used to shape Japan's government. Their old feudal system was done away with. A new system was set in place which allowed citizens to elect their legislators. They also imitated the education systems and the military of the West which made Japan a very powerful nation.

Karl Marx and Communism

Communism was a economic system created by Karl Marx in the 19th century. He believed that capitalism was responsible for the poor working conditions that workers faced. He believed that capitalism was driven by the exploitation and alienation of workers by the business owners. He wanted the workers of the world to unite and violently overthrow the business owners and aristocrats. They would form a society in which all the people would share their wealth. There would no longer be exploitation of workers and oppression would be non existent

Karl Marx and the Industrial Revolution

Karl Marx was a German philosopher who lived during the 19th century. He was known for the creation of communism. He created communism because he believed that capitalism was going to fail and be replaced by another economic system just like feudalism before it. He believed that industrialization and capitalism were driven by the exploitation of workers. He did not agree with the way workers were treated for their small payments. He decided to make an economic system in which people had full freedom. In this type of society, people would be in conditions in which there would be no need for exploitation and where everyone would a fair share of products. He believed that in order for this society to be realized, a class struggle will have to take place with the working class having a victory and a communist society would established.

Nationalism and the Creation of Italy

Nationalism is the belief that one should be loyal to their people whom they share a common ancestry and history. I really don't see myself as nationalistic. I don't do anything that would be considered nationalistic. I don't really have a loyalty to any one culture or people.

Nationalism helped Italy become its own nation by unifying the Italian people. Before Italy was a nation it had rulers from foreign kingdoms. The provinces of Venetia and Lombardy were ruled by Austria and the southern part of Italy was ruled by Bourbon family who were Spanish. In 1832, Giuseppe Mazzini stated a nationalist group called Young Italy. In 1848, revolts broke out in eight Italian states. A republican government was briefly led by Mazzini but Italy's former leaders drove the nationalist leaders into exile. After 1848, Italian nationalists needed leadership. They had the Kingdom of Peidmont-Sardinia to help them. Sardinia had a liberal constitution so the middle class were able to have a unification under Peidmont-Sardinia instead of a democratic government. In 1852, Camillo di Cavour was named as Sardinia's prime minister. He wanted to expand Sardinia's power. He was able to do this and unify Italy. In 1858, Sardinia was able to drive Austria out of northern Italy with the help of France. Cavour wanted to control sourthern Italy so he helped nationalist rebels there. In May 1860, Giuseppe Garibaldi and the Red Shirts were able to take over Sicily and then the rest of southern Italy and unify them with Sardinia.

Simon Bolivar and Latin American Revolutions

Simon Bolivar was a major leader of the Latin American Revolutions and considered a great hero in South America. He is often referred to as El Liberator or the "George Washington of South America." He helped liberate the northern portion of South America from the Spanish rule. This consisted of the present-day countries of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bolivia.

Simon Bolivar was born on July 24, 1783 in Caracas, Venezuela. He was born to wealthy Creole parents and received a good education. In 1804, he traveled to Europe after his wife died in Venezuela. While there, he studied the philosophies of Enlightenment thinkers and learned of the accomplishments of Napoleon I. In 1807, he then returned to Venezuela after a trip to the United States. In 1808, Caracas declared independence from Spain. Bolivar was sent to Britain on a diplomatic mission. In 1812, the Spanish took over Venezuela and Bolivar fled after returning. In 1813, Bolivar was able to invade Venezuela with assistance from New Granada and declare it a republic. Bolivar was also able to get help from Haiti in 1817. In 1819 Bolivar was declared president of the newly founded Gran Colombia. In the following years Spanish opposition was eliminated. In 1823 Bolivar and Sucre were able to liberate Peru and drive all Spanish presence from South America.

Robespierre and The Reign of Terror

The Reign of Terror described the period when Maximilien Robespierre was in control of France.
It lasted from July 1793 until July 1794. It stated when Robespierre became the leader of the Committee of Public Safety. Robespierre wanted to wipe out all traces off France's past from before the French Revolution and suppress counter-revolutionaries and those loyal to the crown. Also since Robespierre was a radical, many moderates were considered "enemies of liberty". Religious things were considered old-fashioned and were banned. Many churches were closed and the calendar was changed to be more scientific. Anybody who opposed the actions of the Committee of Public Safety and Robespierre were beheaded with the guillotine. Many common people were also beheaded for very small reasons because they were thought to oppose the Revolution. Most of the people executed during the Reign of Terror were commoners. Robespierre defended his actions by saying that they stayed true to the ideas of the Revolution. Members of the National Convention were afraid of losing their heads so they kept quiet. However some members of the National Committee conspired against Robespierre and had him beheaded, thus ending the Reign of Terror.

The French Revolution

1. The French people were critical of the nobility, clergy, and King because they had more power than them. The commoners had no control in the government. Also, they had to pay a majority of the taxes while the rich were mostly tax free and got money from the peasants.
2. A French peasant in 1789 would either be complaing about his harsh life or talking about the Revolution.
3. The cartoonist was showing how the clergy and feudal lords relied on the peasants to do everything for them. Both the clergy and feudal lords didn't pay taxes or serve in the military while the peasants did. The peasants also pay money to the clergy and feudal lords. The quote in the cartoon shows how much people this dislike this kind of society and that they want to change it.
4.The author writes that the French people's lives are harsh. He wrote that the people had to pay a large amount of livestock and crops to multiple lords as dues. They also had to pay a large amount of money to the King. This left them with very little bit of food and money.
5. The poor highly resented the rich. They had to pay the king a high amount of taxes while the rich didn't. They also had to pay the feudal lords a high amount of their food. They did all of this only getting 200 livres a year at best while nobles and clergy made at least 10,000 livres a year.
6. Commoners would have been inspired by Rousseau's words. Rousseau wrote "No man has any natural authority over others; force does not give anyone that right." which made people realize that life under oppression was not inevitable and that they are able to stop being oppressed. Rousseau also said "The power to make laws belongs to the people and only to the people." which told people they were able to form a new government and actively participate in it.
7. The pamphlet was banned because it encouraged the people to start a revolution. The nobility and clergy wanted it banned because they did not want to lose their power over everyone else.