World History – Page 57 – General History

The orchestrated Suez Canal Affair (1956)

Suez is a ship canal joining the Mediterranean Sea (at Port Said) with the Red Sea (at the Gulf of Suez). It was built to provide a sea route from Europe to Asia that did not involve having to sail all the way round Africa. It was built by French engineer Ferdinand de Lesseps between 1859 and 1869. It is unusual for a canal in that it has no locks, as the two sea levels are almost the same.

The British bought holding shares in the canal in 1875, and the entire Canal Zone was held as a British base from 1882 to 1955. Egypt nationalized the canal company in 1956, which started the Suez War and briefly closed the canal. It was closed again from 1967 to 1975 after the Six-Day and Yom Kippur Wars.

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By Dean Swift| 2025-05-20T21:02:33+00:00 October 31st, 2010|African History, Asian History, English History, World History|0 Comments

The Great Cabinet Re-shuffle: the significance

On a recent Sunday the President of the Government was asked at a meeting if he intended to remodel his government, by making changes among the ministers. Rodríguez Zapatero replied briefly to the effect that the only change considered at the time was a new post for the retiring Minister of Labour, Celestino Corbacho. Sr. Corbacho had announced his intention of returning to the normal (?) everyday debate in Catalan politics.

As writers in all the Spanish newspapers correctly predicted, this meant that on the day after, a Monday, the El Pais website duly ‘leaked’ the news that there was about to be a positively volcanic re-shuffle of responsibilities in the Cabinet, in which only Mr Zapatero himself would be untouched, one way or the other.

First, Zapatero has removed three of his most stalwart fans and supporters. María Teresa Fernández de la Vega, senior vice-president and ZP’s staunchest admirer; Miguel Angel Moratinos, Foreign Minister, and Elena Espinosa, Minister for the Environment are all out. They will be given sinecures for their pains. Moratinos learnt about his abrupt dismissal while occupying his seat in Congress, and was seen to weep.

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By Dean Swift| 2010-10-26T09:43:54+00:00 October 26th, 2010|Spanish History, World History|0 Comments

Imperialism

Called by some ‘colonialism’ – a mistake – imperialism is a term frequently abused by being used pejoratively by politicians and journalists. For historians, the word can be applied to numerous epochs, in each of which there may be detected a shade of difference, always significant.

Persia, Macedonia, Ottoman Turkey, Spain, France, Soviet Russia and Britain have extended their respective domain over other societies at different times, giving way to imperial rule. Germany has attempted to rule over others, using force. Britain used commercial enterprise backed by a powerful navy. Spain used a powerful navy backed by the immense courage of the conquistadores. Persia used vast resources and her armies, while Alexander’s Macedonia used the outstanding personality and popularity of its leader to create an empire.

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By Dean Swift| 2010-10-21T22:07:42+00:00 October 21st, 2010|African History, Asian History, English History, South American History, Spanish History, US History, World History|0 Comments

All American Presidents

Early United States history may be conveniently studied by reference to the 32 Presidents of the period 1789 – 1945:
(I) George Washington, Federalist 1789 – 97; (II) John Adams, Federalist 1797 – 1801; (III) Thomas Jefferson. Republican Democrat 1801 – 9; (iv) James Madison, Republican Democrat 1809 – 17; (v) James Monroe, Republican Democrat 1817 – 25; (vi) John Quincy Adams, Republican Democrat 1825 – 9; (vii) Andrew Jackson, Democrat 1829 – 37; (viii) Martin van Buren, Democrat 1837 – 41; (ix) William Harrison, Whig 1841; (x) John Tyler, Whig Democrat 1841 – 5; (xi) James Polk, Democrat 1845 – 9; (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2025-05-20T21:01:44+00:00 October 21st, 2010|English History, US History, World History|5 Comments

The Congress of Vienna (1814/15)

This international assembly could be said to have established the system of diplomacy that lasted throughout the 19th century, and a long way beyond. It set out to settle the affairs of Europe after the defeat of Napoleon, whom when it began was supposedly safely locked up on the island of Elba. Despite the Emperor’s escape and subsequent attempt at European domination – again – the Congress continued during the Hundred Days (March – to June, 1815) that led to Waterloo. After Bonaparte had been taken to St. Helena (where he died) the whole of Europe could, for the first time in thirty-five years, breathe freely again.

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By Dean Swift| 2025-05-20T21:01:38+00:00 October 21st, 2010|English History, South American History, Spanish History, US History, World History|0 Comments

Spanish Civil War (1936-39)

These three years saw a conflict that really was a civil war, just as the Wars of the Roses in England were not. A real civil war splits the country, regions, families, married couples and best friends in two, for purely ideological reasons. England’s feudal War of the Roses was a series of basically private battles fought between members of a powerful aristocracy, employing their private armies, with the aim of securing the throne for one family or the other.

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By Dean Swift| 2025-05-20T21:01:26+00:00 October 18th, 2010|Spanish History, World History|1 Comment

Treaty of Versailles: Facts, Causes and Effects

One of the chief contributing causes of the Second World War was the Treaty of Versailles (June, 1919), that officially ended the First World War. Its main terms were surrender of ALL German colonies in Africa and the Far East, which would be mandated to Britain, France, Belgium, South Africa, Japan and Australia. This led to a re-distribution under a series of mandates – for example, the return of Alsace-Lorraine to France, the cession of Eupen-Malmedy to Belgium; plebiscites to be held in Northern Schleswig, the cession of Prussian Poland, parts of East Prussia and Upper Silesia to Poland; (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2025-05-20T21:01:16+00:00 October 18th, 2010|English History, Spanish History, US History, World History|23 Comments

Wars in Russia and Japan, 1904 – 1921

It is often forgotten that these two vitally important countries, one massive in size, the other massive in resources and armed might, were in one way or the other involved in fighting wars with each other during a period of eighteen years at the beginning of the twentieth century.

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By Dean Swift| 2010-10-18T11:46:51+00:00 October 18th, 2010|Asian History, World History|1 Comment

Zapatero Analysis

/ infosurhoy.com

History, like Time itself, is a continuous and living process. History might be of events that happened 4000 years ago, or 400 or forty, yesterday is already history. In fifty years time the story of J.L.Rodríguez Zapatero’s rise and fall will be included in a history book written perhaps by someone not yet born. It will be the history of a small town lawyer rising rapidly through the ranks of the Socialist Workers’ Party of Spain to become Secretary General, later President of the Government which some have denounced as the worst since the death of Franco.

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By Dean Swift| 2010-10-17T20:15:45+00:00 October 17th, 2010|Spanish History, World History|5 Comments