The tariff imposed by the American government, commonly referred to as the Wilson-Gorman Tariff of 1894 was an important contributing factor to the Spanish-American war of 1898. The conditions imposed by this tariff acutely damaged the economy of Cuba, which was then a Spanish colony. As the political and economic condition of Cuba was deteriorating,…
Category: History
Ideological, economic and historical factors that led a revolutionary vanguard to declare independence from England in 1776
The American declaration of independence from an unfair British rule was a major event in modern world history. The implications of the revolution go beyond America, for modern electoral democracy is largely a consequence of it. The revolution in America effectively began in 1763 when people of the American colonies revolted against the principle of…
In what way was WWII the single most consequential event in Soviet history between 1921 and 1985?
Both the first as well as the second world wars are landmark events in modern world history. Both wars are marked by involvement of the prevailing world powers of the day. In the case of the First World War, the principal actors were the European powers of Britain, Germany, Austria, etc with nominal participation from…
Problems & Benefits Caused by the Industrial Revolution
The industrial revolution, which had its beginnings in eighteenth century England, is regarded as one of the most important events in modern history. The prevailing capitalist world order can be traced back to the revolution. With the onset of the industrial revolution, the then prevalent feudal social systems where gradually dismantled and a new economic…
Compare and Contrast: American and French Revolutions
The uprising in France against an oppressive aristocracy and the American declaration of independence from an unfair British rule are two major events of modern world history. In this respect, both events were revolutions for freedom and share many aspects. The implications of these two revolutions go beyond France and America, for modern electoral democracy…
Contrasting perspectives on the Vietnam War
The Vietnam War that was started by President John F. Kennedy and later continued by President Lyndon Johnson was one of the most debated and discussed war in the period after the Second World War. At the time of its initiation, there was hardly any public protest. Even the leading intellectuals of the time were…
The relationship between Ethiopia and Eritrea and how it affects U.S. interests
There are several reasons for the protracted and continuing conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea, two countries that are situated in the horn of Africa. While Eritrea had been formerly part of the larger Ethiopia, it won its independence in 1993 after thirty years of struggle. Ever since, there have been contentions over territory, trade rules…
George Washington’s Farewell Address
George Washington’s farewell address has now become a masterpiece of American political literature, alongside writings by other founding fathers such as Benjamin Franklin, Tom Paine and Thomas Jefferson. It is even comparable in significance to the farewell address by President Dwight Eisenhower, who famously forewarned about the dangers of “military-industrial complex” dominating the political landscape….
Causes of the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party; the death of Hindenburg; and the Holocaust
The rise to power of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Party is one of the defining moments of the history of twentieth century. It was in the year 1933 that Adolf Hitler led his National Socialist Party to power in what was then a united German nation, by winning the largest number of seats in the Reichstag….
Review of Stephan Shennan’s introduction to Pattern and Process in Cultural Evolution
Evolutionary biology as a field of inquiry is fairly well entrenched, with detailed and documented studies carried out over the last 150 years. The same cannot be said about cultural evolution, which is a synthesis of anthropology, archaeology and the study of human history. While evolutionary biology has come to depend on well-established methods of…