Culture Of Italy

During the renaissance there was a surge of culture in art, literature, architecture, and more. The renaissance was also a time of individualism, which is the perfecting of the individual. Along with individualism, was secularism, a materialistic view of society. Humanism, revival of the classes, was also a big part of the renaissance.
The unification of Italy was when the Italian city states went from having individualistic views to becoming Itlay as we know it today. They were successful in their unification because of their extreme nationalism, which is pride in ones country, cultural unity, language, and belief. Some people who helped with Italy's unification were Gaaribaldi and Cavour.

A Political History of Spain

The modern history of Spain begins with the unification of the kingdoms of Aragon and Castille adn the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella. A major political event of this era was the Spanish Inquisition in which many Jews and Muslims living in Spain at the time were either expelled or murdered. Spain really reached a poitical climax in the 16th century with the reign of the Habsburgs Charles I and Philip II. This is known as the Spanish Golden Age for the prosperity Spain enjoyed from its colonies in the New World. However, Spain experienced strain and pressure from mounting religious difficulties, including many costly wars. A prime example of such ventures is the Spanish Armada of 1588, which failed miserably. This would mark the beginning of the end for Spanish dominance. Spain's power was further depleted during the war of Spanish Succession, which involved a dispute over who was to acend to the throne of Spain. Although Spain was technically victorious in that a Bourbon king was allowed to come to power, Spain and France were not allowed to unify. This scared Spain so much that they became completely isolationist and in turn technologically backwards. Spain experienced another political change during the age of Napoleon when it came under control of Naopoleon's brother. Still Spain remained virtually weak for the ensuing decades. Up until the 20th century, the most significant event was the Spainsh American War, which also weakend Spain. During the 1900's, there was a period of authoritarian rule followed by the establishment of a republic. Spain experienced a civil war in the late 1930's, with the nationalistic rebels being victorious. It continued to endure a sense of separatism when it was not admitted into the United Nations until 1955. Today, it still remains rather isolated and involved in its own domestic terrorist problems.

Portugal, Spain, and Italy's Social Changes

Italy has socially changed greatly throughout European History. Towards the beginning was the Italian Renaissance, where women were denied all rights and were basically under their husband's rule and where a rigid class structure was present with the nobility at the top, followed by the merchants, then shopkeepers and professionals, and at the bottom were factory workers. After the World Wars, people saw that, although there still were and still are boundaries between classes, these boundaries can be negotiated and stretched. Women have more rights now and the class structure is much less strict in that people can move from class to class and there isn't too much of the status mindset tht there once was in Italy.

Spain changed greatly throughout Modern European history. Spain went through the "golden age" in which new culture was born and socially people became more into the class system because many people, especially nobles, became more wealthy. By the time the twentieth and twenty-first centuries came around, Spain and Portugal had social classes, but not rigid ones and women began to gain more rights.

Events in Modern-Day Spain

One of the most terrifying events in modern day Spain has been the terrorist attacks in 2000. An organization known as ETA, which is most likely composed of Basque separatists, has performed numerous attacks and assassinations in order to make their goal known: they would like to separate from Spain. However, in a time of terror around the world, such cries for attention are hardly noticed.

Spain During the Cold War

Although Spain was initially isolated both economically and politically following World War II and at the beginning of the Cold War, it eventually did gain acceptance into the United Nations in 1955. However such an advancement is most likely attributed to the strategical location of Spain and teh Strait of Gilbraltar. Good relations were necessary in order to maintain control of southern Europe. Moreover, the Spanish Miracle, or economic boom in the 1960's, pushed Spain to a leader in the tourism market. Thus, although a time of tension, the Cold War offered Spain a new hope.

Spain's Influence on World War II

Our involvement in the war that has become known as teh Spanish Civil War has proven vital for the Axis powers in World War II. As a rebel soldier and supporter of Francisco, I was only concerned with our victory, not the victory of the Germans. However, it was Germany's support that allowed them to test the success of the military strategy known as blitzkrieg. Additionally, the support of Germany on one side and the Soviet Union on the other proved to be a sort of proxy war, and was just a rehearshal for a much more vicious and devestating war that is now occuring throughout Europe and the rest of the world.

Impact of World War I on Portugal

Ever since the revolution in 1910 and the disposal of our Portuguese monarchy, our country has been in econonmic ruin. The economy has plunged into disarray and there is little relief from the government. To worsen matters, the government intervened in World War I using military force, which proved to be very costly. Such a venture is almost suicide when a nation can hardly support itself. Thus, because of the intervention in the Great War, the coup d'etat of 1926 was completely warranted and necessary.

Chapter 31 affect Culturally

During this chapter, a new stress on the economy and open markets came about. Also, the Single European Act of 1986 was another attempt to unify Western Europe. After this and the Maastrict Treaty, Italy, Spain, and Portugal all became part of the European Union and adopted the Euro, the new currency that is still in circulation to this day. They helped to launch a global era of change in many aspects, including music and literature and culture in general.

Political Changes during the Cold War

Italy saw the birth of a new political party, along with France and Germany, known as the Catholic Christian Democrats. Also, the emmergence of communism and socialism from the war became slightly evident, but eventually the democratic republic was reestablished in Italy, and many reforms took place all over the country, including women's rights reforms. This was a time of changing governments all over Europe and Italy was a major nation who jumped into this movement full-force.

Impact of WW1

The impact of WW1 on Italy was extremely important. They were involved in the Triple Alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary. Since they were so involved with the war as all the other countries of Europe and the US, they had rewards and consequences. All of Italy's alliances empires were destroyed or communism had taken over. Italy wasn't blamed for the war even though they were allies with Germany. Italy did not have terrible losses as a whole, and the country did not suffer either.

Political Impact of World War II

Italy, along with the Soviet Union and Germany, established a radical totalitarian government. Then, Mussolini came into power by marching into Rome in 1922 and demanding that the king named him head of the government. He did this successfully and established a fascist government, which was halfway between authoritarianism and totalitarianism and consisted of only one party. The fascist leaders manipulated the people into agreeing with their beliefs and killed the previous socialist leader, Matteotti. Much of the old power system remained and Mussolini never really became a totalitarian ruler. Mussolini went on to join Germany in supporting the fascists in Spain, and Italy joined an alliance with Germany and Japan. They eventually surrendered in 1943 but continued to fight with Germany for a little while afterwards.

Political Changes in World War I

In 1914, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assinated, posing as the match that finally ignited the fire that was World War I. Tensions with France caused Italy to join Germany and Austria in becoming the Triple Alliance, banded to fight against mainly France and Great Britain. Because of this alliance and because the Italians were promised Austrian territory, Italy joined World War I, along with Bulgaria, affecting their country greatly.

Imperialism (Italian Perspective)

It seems that all of the major powers are scrambling for some peice of land whether it be India or in Africa. It is very similar to the days when the powers scrambled for the Americas. However, then it was mostly Portugal, Spain, France, and Great Britain. Now, Portugal and Spain have fallen and Germany and the Dutch have joined in the partition of Africa. What is Italy to do? It is certainly not strong enough to imperialize others, nor would that be morally sound. The only thing it can possibly do is sit back and watch.

Germany's Role in Italian Unification

Bismarck and his unification of Germany endeavor actually aided Italian unification more than most other Italians really understand. While Garibaldi managed to liberate southern Italy with his Red Shirts, unifying with the papal states and Rome would have simply been impossible had the French not been involved in the Franco-Prussian war, intentionally brought on by Bismarck. Thus, as much as we owe Cavour and Garibaldi for the unification of Italy, we owe Bismarck just the same, for German unification and Italian unification went hand-in-hand.

Social Changes in the Era of Nationalism for Italy

Nationalism broke out throughout Italy due to it's new movement for unification. Before 1850, Italy had not been a very united nation, rather being a land of city-states that competed with each other for power and land. Once Cavour and Garibaldi set the unification in motion, a huge wave of nationalism spread throughout. Everyone was pushing and rooting for Italy to become what Italy is today, "Italy": one unified country. So, socially, everyone's thought changed and the classes banded together to become one.

A Peasant's View of Taming the City

A few months ago, I moved to Spain with my husband and two kids. We were all hoping to get jobs in the city and make a profit we could live off of. All of that changed when we realized how bad the city's condition was. The streets were crowded and filthy, the town houses were packed and over populated, and there were many diseases being spread. Not only were the cities dirty, but so were the factories. We barely made enough money to make a living. Finally, they decided to improve the living conditions. I am much happier now that the streets are becoming cleaner and the factories are becoming safer. it is a better place to live and i am glad that my family and i can all have a job and make a profit.

A Laborer's View of the Changing Family

Recently the change in family dynamics has been startling. First off, my parents did not arrange a marriage for myself, I was allowed and encouraged to find a wife for myself. Even more satisfying was the fact that I was not pressured to find someone for financial gains, but rather for love as described by Gustav Droz. The effects of such a marriage, one that is full of love, is much happier, in comparison to the marriage of my parents' arranged marriage. Moreover, I am capable of supporting our family in way that allows my wife to stay at home manage the house, children, and general family finances. She cares for our four children dearly and I am very grateful for that. The only thing that greatly concerncs me is the rise in premarital sex and prostitution. I do not want our children, specifically our daughters, being exposed to the idea of illegitimate children, which has increased to an alarming number. Likewise, I do not want our boys being exposed to the option of prostitution. There is not much I can do but hope that our family values will guide them away from such devilish activity.

Factory Worker's View of the Reforms and Revolutions

Dear Diary,
I think that the Revolutions and Reforms around Europe are wonderful. The fact that we are taking a stand and fighting against the aristocracy for equality and freedom for the less fortunate, like me. But, in Spain, eventually, after a revolution, the Spanish regime was restored again. So, for us it was not a great success personally, but the working class and the middle class in general got a lot of benefit out of this because we began to have a stand in the class system. Also, many other working class people around the continent gained liberalism in their countries, which was a large success.
Your Friend,
Factory Man

A Peasant's View of the Romantic Era

I truly enjoyed the Romantic Era. Since it was a time where people stressed individualism and rejected materialistic items, I fit right into it. I don' t have much of anything and the fact that romantics lived their life differently than the aristocracy, I feel less alone and more a part of my country. Also, I enjoy listening to music, wherever I may find music. Beethoven is my favorite. I hope one day that I will get to listen to him more than I do now, which is barely at all. I don't think that Spain, Portugal, and Italy necessarily love the Romantic Era, but they certainly don't hate it. New literature, music, and art were introduced and everyone enjoyed it. Maybe they didn't like the nature part of it , but overall, I think that Spain, Portugal, and Italy reacted well with the Romantic Era.

The Congress Of Vienna: Britain's Views

In the Congress of Vienna, Britain didn't really want to gain any land, but wanted a balance of power between countries in Europe. There wasn't an extremely powerful country that gained a lot of land, so Britain was pretty happy with the results of the Congress. Some power was also balanced out so that one country was stronger and bigger than another.

The Congress of Vienna: Italy's View of France

While France was at an extraordinary disadvantage at the Congress of Vienna, they did manage some small victories. As the other powers of Russia, Austria, Prussia, and at times Great Britain, ruthlessly attempted to claim as many territories as possible, regardless of the nationalism of those territories (including Italian ones), France respected the boundaries set by the nationalism of the people. While this may have been some sort of attempt at reducing the power of the other nations for protection reasons, it is still quite respectable. They managed to keep several territories independent, of which many owe some thanks to the efforts of France.

Russia's Views

During of the Congress of Vienna, Russia did not receive as much land as they hoped for. Russia was also extremely large and did not need the help from many countries despite what other countries might have thought. Russia would view Spain, Portugal, and Italy all the same way. Russia would not care all too much about them because they don't even compare to Russia (in size/army etc.). Russia also wouldn't like the fact that Italy and Spain had major outbursts due to religion and the economy.

Italy's View of Prussia

One of the goals of the Congress of Vienna was to split up Italy and its states. While Prussia did not end up getting any of these, they still had an affect on the results. Prussia was a major power at the Congress of Vienna and did have some control on the way things turned out. So, they influenced where states like Sicily went. Prussia did have interest some interest in getting Italian states, but failed. So, the Italians were not on too bad terms with the Prussians. In fact, not too long after the Congress, Italy and Prussia became allies in what is known as the Pursso-Italian alliance.

The French Revolution and Napoleonic Era

Spain: Spain was impacted in many ways from the French Revolution. After seeing all the new ideas and creations being spread throughout France, many of the people in Spain wanted to do the same. This caused revolts, new rules, and many new ideas that were spread across the country.

Portugal: The Napoleonic Era played a bigger part in Portugal because of the Peninsular War. the British troops helped Portugal to become less isolate and stay fighting in the war.

Italy: The Napoleonic Era also played a big role in Italy when Napoleon declared his brother Joseph Bonaparte king of Sisily and Naples.

The Napoleonic Era and The French Revolution

Portugal was greatly affected during the Peninsular War, with the help of British troops. This war helped to not isolate them any longer. This war was very long.

Many of Spain's colonies got revolutionary ideas and decided to revolt. Also, when Napoleon appionted his brother as King of Spain, Spain became weaker because he was a bad ruler.

Napoleon again appointed a bad ruler, this time to Italy. Joseph was appointed to the position of King of Sicily and Naples.

Impact of the French Revolution & the Napoleonic Era

Spain was greatly affected by both the French Revolution as well as the age of Napoleon. During the French Revolution, many colonies of Spain got ideas that revolution was necessary and would eventually revolt, such as Venezuela. Moreover, Napoleon appointed his own brother as King of Spain, thus weakening Spain under an intolerable king. The Peninsular War, which relied heavily on guerilla warfare, also rendered Spain a weaker country, although he did end the Spanish Inquisition.

Portugal was taken out of its geographical isolation when Napoleon began his Peninsular War. The war extended until the end of his reign in 1814. The Portuguese were aided by British forces and participated in both traditional and guerilla warfare. Subsequently, Napoleon was unable to win a decisive victory, which dragged the war and its battles out.

Italy was affected greatest by the appointment of Napoleon's younger brother, Joseph Bonaparte, to the positions of King of Sicily and King of Naples.

Impact of Enlightenment on Italy

Italy was favorably impacted by the Enlightenment, specifically in its northern provinces. Although Italy was highly influenced by Austria at the time, this did not stop many native Italians from expanding on enlightened ideas of their own. Some of these intellectuals included Vico, Beccarria, and Verri.

However, Italy was mostly influenced by Austria, rather than forming ideas based upon political unrest or economic hardships in their own country. In fact, Italy continued to exist as fundamentally separate states as it had for three hundred years.

Besides from Galileo's influences in the prior centuries, Beccarria's ideas concerning capital punishment spread as far as Great Britain. Thus, although parts of Italy were intellectually effected, this did not directly effect Italy socially, culturally, economically, and politically until much later.

Trade was an important part of living and a way to make a profit. Many families relied on trade to gain money so they could afford things like food and water. Great Britain at this time ruled many of the seas where trade was popular and it was hard to sell things without them knowing. This effected many of the families in Itlay and many other countries too.

Impact of Population Growth and the Cottage Industry

Previously, plague, famine, and wars had killed off many people throughout Europe. But, in the 1700s, Italy had nearly 11.5 million people, but by 1800, the population had jumped to about 17.5 million. So, socially, Italy, and the rest of Europe, more peasants came about and less jobs were available due to this. So, as a result, peasants created the "cottage industry" which was farming with the use of hand tools to make their own raw materials. This was very helpful because then the peasants didn't need a steady job as much because they were more independent and could provide for themselves. Economically, this had a positive impact because now the production of wool and silk and other raw materials were very prevelent in Italy. Many people had jobs, which also helped to boost the economy. Politically, a system known as the "putting-out system" was seen as capitalist. A merchant would sell raw materials, such as wool, to a worker and they would make it into something useful, such as spinning the wool. Culturally, many new things were introduced to society such as new textiles (linen, woolen, and cotton cloth), roads and new forms of transportation were brought about, and population grew tremendously. Peasants were learning how to make themselves a living, without depending on anyone else. All of these things were huge in forming the world that is today.