##### #####;;;;;;;;;;; ##### AON EVENTS ###### EVENTS;;;;;;;;;;; ######;;;;;;;;;;; EVENTHIST15044;The French king Charles X and the ultraroyalists in his government attemped attempted to restore the ancien ancient régime, which provoked the middle and lower classes wanting more power in the government. Liberal journalists supported by the bourgeois opposed the government, an opposition which reached its peak when Charles dissolved the chamber. The new elections held in July 1830 resulted in an even larger oppsition opposition majority. Charles and the chief minister Polignac answered with establishing rigid press control, dissolving the new chamber and reducing the electorate. The result was barricades on the streets. Charles X abdicated and the duke of Orléans was elected king, as Louis Philippe. This also ignited revolts and unrest in Germany, and particulary particularly in parts of Bavaria, Hessen, Hannover, Saxony and Baden.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15102;In 1879 a constituent assembly was duly convened in Turnovo. Partly elected and partly appointed, the assembly of 230 split into conservative and luberal liberal factions similar to those that had existed before independence. The liberals advocated continuing the alliance of peasants and intelligentsia that had formed the independence movement, to be symbolized in a single parliamentary chamber, the conservatives argued that the Bulgarian peasant class was not ready for political responsibility, and therefore it should be represented in a second chamber with limited powers. The framework for the Turnova constitution was a draft submitted by the Russian occupation authorities, based on the constitutions of Serbia and Romania. As the assembly revised that document, the liberal view prevaileda one-chamber parliament or subranie would be elected by universal male suffrage. Between the annual fall sessions of the subranie, the country would be run jointly by the monarch and a council of ministers responsible for parliament. The liberals who dominated the assembly incorporated many of their revolutionary ideals into what became one of the most liberal constitutions of the time. The final act of the Turnovo assembly was the election of Alexander of Battenburg, a young German nobleman who had joined the Russians in the war of 1877, to be the first prince of modern Bulgaria.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15103;From the beginning of his reign, Alexander opposed the liberal wing in Bulgaria and the Turnovo constitution. After two years of conflict with the liberal council of ministers headed by Dragan Tsankov, Alexander recieved received Russian backing to replace Tsankov. When the Russian Tsar Alexander II was assassinated, Russian policy changed to allow a grand national assembly to consider the constitutional changes desired by Prince Alexander. The assassination had spurred conservatism in Russia, and the Bulgarian liberals had alarmed the Russians by refusing foriegn foreign economic aid in the early 1880s. To the dismay of the liberals, Russia intervened in the election of the constitutional subranie, frightening voters into electing a group that passed the entire package of amendments. Liberal influence was sharply reduced by amendments limiting the power of the subranie. But, because the conservative approach to governing Bulgaria had little popular support, Alexander made a series of compromises with liberal positions between 1881 and 1885. The Turnovo constitution was essentially restored by agreement between Tsankov and the conservatives in 1883, and the constitutional issue was resolved. In only the first two years of Bulgaria's existence, two parliaments and seven cabinents cabinets had been dissolved, but more stable times lay ahead.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15106;Independence from the Ottoman Empire brough brought drastic economic and social changes to Bulgaria at the end of the nineteenth century. Industrialization proceeded rapidly, and a new class of industrial labor formed from displaced artisans and agricultural workers. Harsh working conditions led the urban poor to the cause of socialism, and in 1891 the Social Democratic Party was formed. Town-centered trade and the guild structure were swept away by an influx of West European commerce to which Bulgaria had been opened by the terms of the Treaty of Berlin. Using his own and Ferdinand's ties with Germany and Austria-Hungary, Stambolov built a capitalist Bulgarian economic system on foreign loans, protectionism, an expanded industrial and transport infrastructure, and a strict tax system for capital accumulation. Especially important to the Bulgarian economy was completion of the Vienna-to-Constantinople Railway through Bulgaria in 1888 and the Burgas-Yambol Railway in the early 1890s. Stambolov derived strong political support from the entrepreneurs who benefited from his industrial policy. Despite industrialization, Bulgaria remained primarily an agricultural country. Liberation eliminated the Ottoman feudal landholding system. Bulgarian peasants were able to buy land cheaply or simply occupy it after Turkish landlords left, and a system of village-based small landholdings began. Agricultural production rose in spite of heavy government land taxes. Many peasants were forced into the urban work force by taxes or high interest on borrowings for land purchase. Until the end of the nineteenth century, the vast majority of the Bulgarian population were small landholders or independent small tradesmen. The Stambolov era had marked the victory of executive over legislative power in the Bulgarian political system.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15170;On the 13th of november the National-Liberal Govertnment Government of Denmark passed the November-Constitution, tying Holstein even closer to the Danish state. This was widely appreciated in the public, but it would prove to be disastrous. Prussia lead by Otto Von Bismark and Austria saw this as an excellent opportunity for war. The Prussian and Austrian troops crossed the border the 1st of februray February 1864. Naturally, Denmark was chanceless against the two large german countries and was forced to cede Holstein to Prussia in following peace.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15172;The first railway in Denmark was built between Copenhagen and Roskilde and was finished in 1847, it was later expanded to cover most of sealand during the 1850's. The development of the railways in Jutland was discussed in great length. Someeople Some people wanted it to run East-west because of the significant trade with England, Others North-south to connect it with Schleswig and Holstein. The differnt different small railway companies was added together by the danish state in 1885 into DSB, Danske Statsbaner, Danish Railways.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15174;Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1857) was the most famous writer of 19th century Denmark, his work includes numerous plays and travel-diarys. travel-diaries. He is, however, mostly known for his fairy-tales, like the ugly duckling and the little mermaid. His first fairy-tales was published in 1835 as well as his first novel. Born in poverty, he grew to be a frequent guest at the european royal courts.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15214;Steam driven railroads were probably the single most important invention of the 19th century as they totally revolutionized transport. Areas which previously had had little access to international markets now found that they could export their wares over continental distances. However the promise of massive profits from the railroad companies led to a large bubble in the stockmarkets stock markets of the time. When those profits failed to materialize the bubble burst, as did the fortunes of a lot of very influential people.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15216;As industry came to dominate the economies of the west the importance of educated workers became more apparent. Workers who were able to read, write and perform basic arithmatic arithmetic could better operate the more complicated machinery that had begun to dominate the industrial landscape. Towards the end of the century governments in many countries instituted educational systems to raise the basic literacy and numeracy of the population, however some nations balked at the huge cost of it all.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15218;When Louis XVIII reclaimed the throne in 1815 his ministers were moderats. moderates. However the ultraroyalists with the king's brother comte d'Artois (later Charles X) in the lead triumphed after the assiassination assassination of Charles Ferdinand, duc de Berry. Louis was old and sick, and did not attempt to hinder the ultraroyalists from taking control. The new regime was reactionary and new laws benefitting benefiting the wealthier classes were introduced while civil rights were curbed.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15219;The comte de Villèle became chief minister after the accession of Charles X. Villèle strove to reinstitute elements of the ancien ancient régime, ie the pre-revolutionary order. A law of 1825 that indemnified the émigrés for the lands confiscated during the revolution was met with strong disapproval, whereupon the bourgeoisie and the press heaveily heavily attacked Villèle and his cabinet, until he resigned in 1827.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15221;Having independance independence was one, but wether or not that independance independence would last? With the help of the new ruling & rich elite, Belgium prepared for war.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15229;The third faction to form in Belgium was the Socialist Party, BWP. For a long time, they would get havy heavy resistance from the other fractions, especially from the Catholics.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15232;Belgium was and still is known for the differences and troubles between Walloons and Flemings, French-speaking and Dutch-speaking people. Ever since the Declarance of Independance, Independence, Belgium was a country ruled by French-speakers, all official documents and organisations used French, while the majority of the population spoke Dutch. In 1898 the Law of Equality was signed which put the Dutch language at the same height as French IN FLANDERS! The entire equality would have to wait a few decades.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15241;Association Internationale du Congo, or AIC, was the name of the company that gave king Leopold complete ownership of Congo. Leopold had recruiter the famous Henry Morton Stanley, who had acquired some 1,000,000 square miles of land in the name of the king. The Congo area was very rich of a newly discovered product - rubber. The Belgians invented a quite effective method to collect the rubbers in the remote terrain. The method was described in manuals given to all agents: the soldiers would arriv arrive to a native settlement, loot it of any items of value, like food and animals, destroy all the buildings, capture all women and children and imprisoned them in a stockade outside the soldiers encampment/trading post. The prisoners were ransomed against a weight of rubber. The natives had to undertake the often dangerous task of collecting the rubber, often just to find out on their return that their wives or children was raped or starved to death. If the natives somehow objected this, the settlement were simply destroyed and all inhabitants with it. A black American soldier and lawyer, James Washington Williams, went to Congo to work for Leopold. However, what he saw there sickened him and he wrote a letter to Leopold and the US president, in which he both described the situation and coined a new expression - 'A Crime Against Humanity'. However it would become the British who forced through a change. The Belgians were forced to drive trough this change and in 1908 the British recognised that it had been effective. the next year Leopold died. The native death toll of Leopold's rubber-grabbing has been calculated to 7,500,000 lives.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15292;Formidable problems faced Otto and the three regents appointed in 1833 to asist assist him. The agricultural infrastructure on which the economy was based lay in ruins. At least two-thirds of the olive trees, vineyards, and flour mills had been destroyed, and only about 10 percent of Greece's sheep and goat flocks remained. Many villages were devastated, as were several of the most important commercial centers. Destitute and displaced, the rural populace looked to their new king for relief. Several groups that had supported the war for independence now demanded compensation. The military leaders who had led and financed the war wanted land, power, and pay for their men. Shipowners demanded indemnity for ther their substantial losses in naval battles. The soldiers who had fought the war wanted regular pay, land, or both. The peasants wanted land. Satisfying all these claims was impossible.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15296;The second period of Otto's rule began in March 1844, when in the aftermath of the military coup, Otto convened a national assembly to draft a constitution. When the assembly finished its work that spring, a new system of government was established. Otto would henceforth rule as a constitutional monarch. A bicameral legislature would be elected by all property-holding males over twenty-five. In theory Greece became one of the most democratic states in Europe. Otto, however, retained the power to appoint and dismiss government ministers, to dissolve parliaments, to veto legislation, and issue executive decrees. Instead of promoting political parties, parliamentary democracy spawned a new factionalism based on the patronage of prominent individuals. The politics of personality was exemplified by the career of Ioannis Kolettis, who was appointed prime minister under the new system in 1844. Kolettis managed parliament and achieved a virtual monopoly od administrative power by use of lavish bribes, intimidation, and a keen sensitivity to public opinion. Kolettis also originated the Megali Idea (Great Idea), the concept that Greeks must be reunited by annexing Ottoman territory adjacent to the republic. Otto's inability to fullfill fulfill the Megali Idea was a major cause of his downfall.Irredentism was the single idea that united the disparate factions and regions of Greece following independence. The Megali Idea influenced all of Greek foriegn foreign policy through the nineteenth century. As early as the late 1830s, Greek insurgent movements were active in Thessaly, Macedonia, and Epirus.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15297;In 1864 a constituent assembly promulagted promulgated a new constitution that vested sovereignty in the Greek people and specified precisely the monarch's powers. A single-chamber parliament with full legislative powers would be elected by direct, secret ballot. However, the king retained substantial powers. Greece's constitutional reforms seemed to yield little political change. Powerful personalities maintained their fiefdoms through patronage networks, although issues such as industrialization and government planning opened a new split between the growing liberal urban middle class and conservatives of the old tzakia elite. The most significant element of Greek political culture in the second half of the nineteenth century was the political clubs that proliferated. Such clubs of professional men and landowners fostered coherent political discourse and linked memebers members of the parliament with local power brokers. They also mobilized support for parliamentary candidates representing the political views of the clubs' members. Large landowners, for example, guaranteed the votes of their laborers on behalf of local patrons. Artisan associations and mercantile guilds such as the Athens-based Guild of Greengrocers, also provided vehicles for political acculturation and mobilized electoral support. This patchwork of clubs and guilds was the starting point of political factions and other fluid political groupings that lay at the base of Greek parliamentary democracy as it was practiced under the 1864 constitution. In spite of the new constitution, the political system was deeply flawed. From 1865 to 1875, seven general elections were held, and eighteen different administrations held office. King George could and did create and dismiss governments if legislation or a budget failed to pass, so political leaders constantly juggled competing interests to keep fragile ruling coalitions together. Often the king asked leaders of minority parties to form governments while more significant legislative figures were overlooked, actions that were a recipe for political gridlock as well as a mockery of the democratic process.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15308;The EVENTHIST15308;"The revolutionary uprisings that started in Paris in 1848 spread to the rest of Europe, including Austria. First, the rebellions were succesful. successful. The Polish Galicia, the Hungarian lands, the Italian possessions and the Czechs in Bohemia simultaneously revolted and forced the emperor to grant a liberal constitution with a more democratic assembly. However, the different nationalistic goals of the different revolutionary movements and the conflicting economic ideas of the different classes made the revolts fail, and soon the absolutism was back again. During the following years, the Hungarian people started a collective strike, refusing to work for the government, which would continue in two decades.;;;;;;;;;;X decades.";;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15445;The EVENTHIST15445;"The Prussian state had been a traditional great power on land only, and did not have a significant navy. After the consolidation of the German state, however, this began to change. German industrialists wanted more raw materials and markets and so pressed for the creation of an imperialist overseas empire. This overseas empire would require a strong navy to expand and protect it. German nationalists also wanted a strong navy as they wanted Germany to be the greatest power in the world- they wanted Germany to get it's "place ""place in the sun" sun"" as they called it. The German naval buildup threatened British world dominance and set off new Anglo-German tensions.;;;;;;;;;;X tensions.";;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15541;The reactionary rule of Ferdinand I caused the Carbonari movement to incite a revolt against hime, him, which happended happened in 1820. The king was forced to grant a constitution.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15542;In EVENTHIST15542;"In 1848 the revolts that started in Paris spread all across europe with a mission to remove feudalism forever. The following wave of nationalistic uprisings became known as "People's Spring". ""People's Spring"". Feared that it should happen in the Two Sicilies, king Ferdinand II granted a consitution constitution in 1848. However, when uprisings started anyway in Siciliy Sicily and Messina he ordered the bombardment of these places, which earned him the nickname King Bomba. His inhumane treatments of the prisoners made Britain and France withdrew their envoys.;;;;;;;;;;X envoys.";;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15668;When the Spanish throne was offered to a prince of the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen - a branch of the ruling house of Prussia - in 1870 this, was first accepted on advice from Bismarck. The French however, fearing the growing power of Prussia, protested heavily and the offer was rejected. Bismarck's answer was to publish in the so called Ems dispatch the conversation about this matter between king Wilhelm of Prussia and a French ambassador, editing the text in a way that certaily certainly would provoke the French. Which it did. A week later, France declared war.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15701;Early 1800s, Greek nationalism was inspired by the French revolution and growing nationalism sentiments in Europe. Fueled by the Ottoman adversity in the wars against Russia, the Greek movement Philike Hetairia, led by Demetrios and Alexander Ypsilanti, raised a revolt at Jassy in Moldavia and proclaimed the independence of Greece. The revolt was crushed, but it marked the start of the Greek War for Independence. The European states supported the Greek in their struggle, and in 1827, when the Ottomans refused to obey the English-French-Russian demands for peace, an allied fleet decisively defeated the Egyptian fleet at Navarino. The following year Russia declared war upon the Ottomans and in 1832 the the latter had to sign a hunmiliating humiliating peace.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15707;Guriia was a province in Wester Georgia. After the turn of the 19th century, the Socialist parties grew stronger in the district and in 1903 the inhabitants stopped paying taxes to Moscow. The official reaction was harsh, but so was the counter-reaction by the rebels - by Summer 1903 all government control had ceased to exist. The Russians acted cautiuosly cautiously in the begginning beginning to prevent further uprisings, and not until 1906 the revolt was put down.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15709;In the first half of the 18th century, Abul Kahyr of the Lesser Kazak Horder sought Russian help tp to meet the advancing Kalmyks. His intesions intentions were to form a temporary alliance, however the Russians instead gained complete control over his land. The Middle Horde survived until 1798 when it was annexed, and the Greater Horde did not fall into Russian hands until 1820. As soon as the Russian dominance was complete, the Kazakhs began to fight their oppressors. The first massive uprising happened in 1836 when Khan Kene of the Middle Horde led his followers against the Russians.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15741;After Napoleon's fall, the former king of Sardinia Victor Emmanuel I returned to Torino and revoered revoered(sp?) Piemonte, Savoy and Nice and, after the Congress of Vienna also Liguria. However he abolished the reforms of Napoleon and refused to grant a new constitution which lead to an uprising in 1821, which led to the abdication of the king.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15743;In EVENTHIST15743;"In 1848 the revolts that started in Paris spread all across europe with a mission to remove feudalism forever. The following wave of nationalistic uprisings became known as "People's Spring". ""People's Spring"". To prevent this from happening in Sardinia, king Charles Albert granted a new constitution and abolished the internal tariffs.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15745;Camillo tariffs.";;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15745;"Camillo Cavour (1810-1861) was the prime minister and foreign affairs minister in the Sardinian parliament. Sardnia was the only country to be left with a democratic constitiution constitution after the turmoil of the "Pepole's Spring". ""People's Spring"". Cavour wanted to unify Italy under Piemont/Sardinia, he knew tho though that the Italians weren't that strong to face Austria, and that was the chief reason he joined the Crimean War on the French and English side.;;;;;;;;;;X side.";;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15746;Though Cavour did not believe it was possible to unite all iof of Italy during his lifetime, he strove to form a united Northern italy under the house of Savoy - the rulers of Piemonte-Sardinia. In 1848 he reached an agreement with Napoleon III at Plombiéres. in exchange for Savoy, France would back up Piemonte-Sardinia in a war against Austria.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15749;Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807-1882) was an Italian patriot and soldier. After an unsuccesful unsuccessful revolt he fled to South America, where he took part in revolutions going on in Brazil and Uruguay. When the revolution swept through Europe in 1848 he briefly returned just to flee to the US in -51. When the war against Austria began in 1858 he returned. After the war, he and 1,000 volunteers - the Red Shirts - with the connivance of the king of Sardinia, he landed on Sicily and conquered the who kingdom of the Two sicilies, which led to the reunification of Italy. By supporting him, he will not longer officially fight for you, but start his own campaign against Sicily.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15781;In 1815 a revolt lead by Milos Obrenovic opposed the Ottoman rule. The goal of this rebellion was not full independence, but to put an end the years of abusive misrule. Simultaneously Napoleon was finally defeated and the Turks were anxious that the Russians would intervene on the side of their Slavic brethren. Because of this a settlement was solved and Serbia gained automony autonomy within the Ottoman empire, with Milos becoming prince and replacing the Ottoman pascha as ruler over Serbia. The treaty did not give the Serbians right of an own army, but this was evaded by Milos. In small steps - starting with palace guards and police - he could openly recruit soldier in 1830.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15782;The Serbian bishopric had been cancelled in 1766 and merged into the hierarchy controlled by the Greek. Milos pressured the sultan and patriarch, and gave state money to the Metropolitan of Belgrade. Further he withheld all funds to Greek apointees appointees and finally, by a treaty of 1830, Serbia got the right to name all candidates and this restored a Belgrade based Serbian controlled hierarchy. Controlling the Church meant controlling the schools, and a new school system was created, teaching Serbian language, Serbian literature and Serbian history, thus strenghtening strengthening the nationalistic sentiments in the new generations.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15784;Being EVENTHIST15784;"Being the tyrant he was, prince Milos kept the finest state land for himself. However, he did sell off land to the peasants, to create a strong rural peasant class. A series of "Homestead Laws" ""Homestead Laws"" were created - the first in 1836 - to protect this class from extortioners, usurers and economical catastrophe. Step by step, he also shifted the ownerships from the Turks to the Serbs.;;;;;;;;;;X Serbs.";;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15785;Around 1838 prince Milos was in bad terms with the Russians and backed by these, the Turks forced an appointment of a new Milos-hostile council and securing a new constitution. The Council members were now appointed for life and Milos could not remove them, the ministers answered for the Council instead of the prince and the Assemblby Assembly was abolished. After an unsuccesful unsuccessful coup, Milos abdicated and left Serbia. Milos 17 year old son and heir Milan was deadly ill, so the council served as a regency until the appointment of Milan's broter brother Michael.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15786;The bloody feud between the Obrenovic and Karageorgevic families started in 1817 when Karageorge (or Karadjordje) - Black George - was murdered, probably on Milo Obrenovic's instigation. In 1842 Milan Obrenovic was deposed from the throne by karageorge supportes, supporters, whereupon Alexander of the Karageorge family took over the throne.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15790;Nacertanije, meaning Program, is the name which refers to the secret Memorandum Garasanin sent to prince Alexander in 1844. The Memorandum mentioned the glories of the medieval Serbia and speculated in the revival of Serbia's greatness. The expansion of Serbia, Garasanin speculated, implied the destruction of the Ottoman Empire in Europe and a conflict with the powerful Austria-Hungary - the Eternal Enemy of a Serbian State, as he wrote. Due to Austra Austria being more powerful than the crumbling Ottoman Empire, the primary areas of interest were Bosnia, Montenegro and northern Albania, all Turkish areas with Serbian inhabitants. Albania was of special interest, as a connection to the sea would cut of the Ottoman stranglehold on the Serbian trade. Other areas wiht with Serbian minorities, like Banat, Croatia and Vojvodina were of minor interest due to Austrian dominance.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15792;When the Obrenovic family reclaimed the throne, the Council and the Constitutional party lost its powers for a decade. However, the feud between the Karageorgevic and the Obrenovic lived and thrived during the whole century. In 1868 Michael was assassinated - by whom is unknown - and his 14-year old son was left on the throne. A Regency took the power, and the power of the political parties rised rose again, and the Skupstina grew more important.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15793;When prince Michael was assassinated in 1868 the power of the Skupstina rose, and a new mass party emerged - the Radicals. This party consisted of proffessional professional politicians educated in Western Europe, and their program combined socialism and nationalism, a combination unpopular in Western Europe after the happenings of 1848, but had wide appeal in Serbia. The opponents of the Radicals was the Progressive Party which favoured a governing elite so that liberal reforms, better education and planned economic growth in the end would benefit all Serbs. However, the politics of the Progressive Party could not compete with the aggressive nationalistic and anti-capitalistic politics of the Radical party.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15796;The ruling Obrenovic dynasty humiliated the Serbian people. Milan had been cheating on queen Nathalie and his son Alexander made serious political enemies and caused a scandal by marrying the engineer widow Draga Main who was a servant of Alexander's mother's. Further Western Europe considered Serbian dynastic politics being farce and no foreign court would receive the royal couple. Alexander terrorized the voters and the Radical Party boycotted the elections and the police fired upon students demonstrating against the king. However, the army could not be cowed. In 1901 a group of officers began conspiring against the king and in 1903 twenty-eight conspirators broke into the palace and killed the king and the queen. The deed was condemned in Europe for its violence, but it was very popular among the Serbs. After a few days the partliament parliament was restored and Peter karageorgevic became the new king.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15797;A few years after the independence of Bulgaria, the Serbs and the Bulgarians concluded a treaty where they agered agreed upon a joint action to capture the remaining European parts of the Ottoman Empire. When the war broke out, also Greece and Montenegro had joined the original two allies.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15805;On February 23, 1866, army officers loyal to the country's leading boyars awoke Cuza and his mistress, forced the prince to abdicate, and escorted him from the capital. The next morning street placards in Bucharest announced the prince's departure and rule by a regency pending the electiin election of a foriegn foreign prince.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15806; EVENTHIST15806;" With the tacit support of Napoleon III, Ion Bratianu, the leader of Romania's liberals, nominated Prince Charles of southern Germany's Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen family as the new prince. Over objections from the other European powers, the Romanians elected the twenty-seven-year-old prince, who, disguised as a salesman, traveled through Austria by second-class rail and steamboat to accept the throne. Charles worked to provide Romania with efficient administration. In July 1866, the principality gained a new constitution that established a bicameral legislature, gave the prince power to veto legislation, proclaimed equality before the law, and contained guarantees of freedom, speech, and assembly. Most of the constitution's civil-rights provisions, however, were not enforced, and it extended voting rights only to the landed aristocracy and clergy. The document also limited naturalization to Christians, a measure aimed at denying civil rights to Jews living in or migrating to the principality. The Romanian Orthodox Church became the official state religion. Charles, a Roman Catholic, pledged to raise his successor in the Romanian Orthodox Church.;;;;;;;;;;X Church.";;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15807;The Franco-Prussian War in 1870 precipitated a political crisis as Francophile Liberal Party members denounced Romania's German prince. In August, pro-French activists led an abortive revolt against Charles at Ploiesti. Although the government quickly suppressed the uprising, a jury aquitted acquitted the leaders. A scandal erupted when a Prussian-Jewish contractor bungled construction of key Romanian rail links and defaulted on interest payments to Prussian bondholders the Liberals denounced Charles for pledging to back the bonds. In March 1871 the Bucharest police looked on as an angry crowd attacked a hall in which Germans had gathered to celebrate Prussian war victories. A day later, Charles handed his abdication to the regents who installed him. They convinced the prince to remain on the throne, however, and mustered conservative forces to support him.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15809;The soveriegn sovereign of Romania faced the decision of whether or not to intervene in the Russo-Turkish War and on which side.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15810;In 1881 the parliament proclaimed Romania a kingdom, and Charles was crowned in Bucharest's cathedral with a crown fashioned from an Ottoman cannon siezed seized at Plevna. Romania enjoyed relative peace and prosperity for the next three decades, and the politicies policies of successive Conservative and Liberal governments varied little. Wallachian wells began pumping oil a bridge was built across the Danube at Cernavoda in Dobruja and new docks rose at Constanta. Foriegn Foreign trade more than tripled between 1870 and 1898, and by 1900 the new kingdom had 14,000 kilometers of roadway and 3,100 kilometers of railroad. Charles equipped a respectable army, and peasant children filled newly constructed rural schoolrooms. Romania borrowed havily heavily to finance development, however, and most of the population continued to live in ignorance.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15842;Alfred Nobel had always lived in fear of dying only surrounded by a doctor and his servants and tragically his fears came through on the morning of the 10th of December 1896. Childless as he was, he had left a quite unusual will. To the resentment of his relatives, Nobel's last will was to create a fund of his huge fortune. This fund would once a year provide capital to a prize that would be given to individuals who had made great progress in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and in the name of peace. The four first was to be dispensed in Stockholm by the king of Sweden and the last-mentioned Peace Prize in Oslo by the king of Norway. In his last will Nobel had declared that the task of creating this prize would fall upon Ragnar Sohlman and Rudolf Lilljeqvis. Sohlman was Nobel's closest friend and Lilljeqvist a joint owner to one of his companies. For years these two worked constantly to fulfil fulfill the great inventor's last experiment and on the 10th of December 1901, exactly five years after Nobel's death, the Nobel Prize was distributed for the first time. The first prize, the Prize in Physics, was rewarded to Wilhemn Conrad Röntgen, inventor of the X-rays.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15844;In EVENTHIST15844;"In a parliamentary session in 1911 it was decided that the Swedish navy should be strenghtened strengthened with a new type of battleships, known under the term "F-boat". ""F-boat"". However, in October the very same year the new liberal Government refused to carry out the decision of the parliament. At this time the support of the defence was very heavy in all social classes, and a private national subscription was raised. This whip-round brought in so much money that the first F-boat, named "Sverige" ""Sverige"" (Sweden) could be built a few years later. Later, two additional F-boats were built, the "Gustav V" ""Gustav V"" and "Drottning Victoria" ""Drottning Victoria"" (Queen Victoria).;;;;;;;;;;X Victoria).";;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15845;On the Riksdag (parliament) meeting of 1863 Prime minister Louis de Geer propagated for a new parlamentary parliamentary system. His proposal was to eliminate the ancient four estates (farmers, burgers, priests, nobles) which according to the Riksdagdsordning (Order of the Riksdag) from 1617 together would form the Riksdag. Instead, de Geer wanted a two chamber system where the First Chamber consisted of 150 men elected for nine years by the provincial councils and the Second Chamber of 230 members chosen by the common people. On the next Rikdag in 1865 his proposal was approved and on the June the 22th 1866 the four estate Riksdag was disolved dissolved for the last time. There were different requirements for the the members of the two chambers, the members of the First must have an income of 4,000 RDR while the members of the Second only needed to earn 800 RDR per year. Because of this, the First Chamber only consisted of landowners and wealthier bourgeois while the other chamber mostly consisted of farmers and yeomen. This would cause antagonism between the chambers until 1911 and the decision of universal suffrage.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15846;On EVENTHIST15846;"On the Riksdag (parliament) meeting of 1840 it was decided to create a true common school, which would be called "folkskolan", ""folkskolan"", the public school. The regulations for the school of 1842 established compulsory school attendance for every child, and that the children had to start schoold school before the age of nine. Further, an approved teacher was to be found in every town and in every parish. Shortages of educated teachers and lack of school buildings made the start of the new school system slow, but later it accelerated. In 1858 the "småskolan", "Little School", ""småskolan"", ""Little School"", was created as a preparatory school. Two years later an inspection authority was created which remarkably raised the quality of the schools.;;;;;;;;;;X schools.";;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15847;In 1875 Sweden and Denmark joined in a new monetary union. Two decades earlier, in 1855, the old monetary system had been revisted revised and the decimal system had been introduced. 1 riksdaler was then divided into 100 öre. After the reform of 1875, the riksdaler was replaced with the krona (crown). The silver standard was abolished and gold standard was for the first time introduced in Sweden. 1 crown was set to 0,000403225 kg gold. The same happened in Denmark and later also Norway, and this made it possible to use the crowns all over Scandinavia regardless where they were printed.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15849;The great agricultural reform started slowly already in the late 18th century with the pioneer Rutger McLean. The farmers were not exactly over-exited over the new ideas. They had been living the same life as their ancestors had for centuries - even for millenias. millennia. The village was situated in the center of the fields, and every field was divided into endless numbers of small strips so everyone had one or more strip of each field, this to make the distribution of land as fair as possible. The new system implied a great change to this life. The fields would be divided into larger parts, the village was spread and the farms were moved to the new fields. This did mean much better harvests and therefore a larger population growth, but the unity and solidarity of the old village were weakened. The regulations about partition of the land from 1827 implied exactly this, the farms should be moved out from the village and the field should be concentrated on one spot. This regulations were the base of the remodelling remodeling of the countryside that took part during the whole century.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15850;The EVENTHIST15850;"The early 19th century saw a wave of right-wing liberalism sweaping sweeping through Europe, and so even Sweden. This had also effect on the newspaper - many new liberal papers popped up, of which Aftonbladet (Evening Paper) is the most noteworthy. Aftonbladet was founded by a man named Lars Hierta in 1830 and immidiately immediately he began assaulting those in authority. Hierta with his flagship Aftonbladet was the unappointent unappointed admiral of the fleet of liberal newspapers that continously continuously harassed the king, government and parliament, demanding freedom of press, exemption from duty, two-chamber parliament and free trade. The liberty of the press that existed in Sweden was restrained by a clausul clause that made it possible for the king to forbid the publishing of certain papers if they were "a ""a danger to the state". state"". Consequently, Aftonbladet was prohibited and Hierta got his authorization for publishing confiscated. Hierta answere answered by publishing a new paper - The Second Aftonbladet. This edition was also banned. This continued and twenty-six times Hierta published a new paper. Eventually, partly due to Hierta's stubborn mind, the Liberty of the Press was guaranteed. This was the first time the media became the fourth estate in Sweden.;;;;;;;;;;X Sweden.";;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15851;During the 19th century the industrializtion industrialization swept through Sweden. New mines and iron works were started, engineering workshops founded and sawmills began popping up along the Northern coast. Millions of tons of iron and endless loads of timber left the Swedish ports. People began understanding what a huge treasury the forest acutally actually was and in 1850 the value of the wood export was higher than the iron export income. During the next 20 years, the amount of wood export was quintupled. The 500 years of being one of the absolutely largest metals exporters of the world was soon over - now timber was given most attention. The new mills that was built along the coast tempted many to move North because of the many new work openings.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15855;Scandinavism EVENTHIST15855;"Scandinavism was a movement that began its life in the 1820s and stroke root mostly in Denmark and Sweden. The utter goal for this movement was a united Scandinavia, some sort of a revival of the Kalmar Union of the renaissance. It had its largest popularity on the universities and on common meetings where Danish and Swedish student made propaganda for the Scandinavism. The climax of the movement was at a student meeting in Stockholm and Uppsala in 1856 when king Oskar I of Sweden proclaimed that "Henceafter ""Henceafter is war between Scandinavian brethren impossible". impossible"". Seven years later king Karl XV of Sweden promised the Danish king Frederik VII that Swedish troops would help in the defence of Schlesvig if a war broke out. When the Danish-Prussian was finally broke out however, the Swedish government refused to interfere and this showed that the political support for a united North was too weak. Even if a union never came into existance, existence, the Scandinavism at least led to a common postal system, a monetary union, common legislation in some areas and even the Nordic Council of 1952.;;;;;;;;;;X 1952.";;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15858;The Swedish Allotment System from the 17th century was a unique solution of the economical problems a standing army entails. In practice, the system made it possible to maintain a large proffessional professional army without any cost. In 1793 compulsory military service in its modern form was introduced in France and the advantages of that system wasn't unobserved. Proposals of introducing the same system in Sweden were discussed at many occasions by the Riksdag. Experiments with conscription took place during many years and the conscript army served as a supplement to the regular soldier of the Allotment system. Not until 1901 the Allotment was abolished and the Swedish army became based on conscirption conscription and conscription only.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15981;The former ruler of Afghanistan Shah Shuja who had been deposed in 1809 returned in head of an army in 1834. Dost Mohammed, who recently had established control and stability around Kabul, immidiately immediately left Kabul to face this threat.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15983;The Sikhs had frequently been commiting intrusisns committing intrusions into Afghanistan, and when Dost Mohammed was away to meet his rival Shuja, Ranjit Singh took this advantage and launched an invasion. Instead of meeting the Sikhs in battle, Dost Mohammed sent a letter to the governor of British India, Lock Auckland, and asked the British to settle the affair.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15985;The letter sent to the British by Dost Mohammed was the start of the series of events that became called 'The Great Game'. The British were advancing North through India, meanwhile the Russians were on their way south through Central Asia. The British and the Russians were worried about each other's advencement. advancement. When the British received the letter from Dost Mohammed, they demanded that the Afghans should stop contact with the Russians and that they should take back any claims on the border territory as well as recognizing the independence of Qandahar. In return, the British would make the Sikhs reconcile with the Afghan and ceise cease with the intrusion, or stop them. When Dost Mohammed demanded the deal to be settled in writing, the British governor-general refused.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15993;Dost Mohammad was one of the son of the Payenda clan and head of the Barakzay clan. In 1816 the Afghan ruler Mahmud Shah killed his prime minister - who happened to be a member of Dost Mohammad's clan. This sparked a civil war that would last for eigth eight years, and eventually in 1826 the energetic Dost Mohammad had led his clan to victory and in Kabul he claimed himself amir of Afghanistan.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15994;During the 19th century the Russian Empire grew south through Central Asia. The Kazaks, the Turkmens - anyone who stood in their way - were swallowed either by diplomatic or military means, or both. The Afghani leaders were worried that the Russians would not stop when they reached the Borders of Afghanistan, and they were probably right considering the Russian inteference interference in Persian and Afghan politics and economy. From the south, the British were advancing. Persia and Afghanistan were soon the only countries in the region that separated the Russian and British spheres of influence. The Afghan rulers tried desperately not to end up in any imperial hands. Eventually, the Russians signed a treaty with the British that the northern Afghan border would remain the border of the Russian empire and the land of the Afghan amir was not Russian sphere of incluence. influence. The amir tried to persuade the British to sign a similar treaty. However, the British refused.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15995;(What-if) The Sikhs had frequently been commiting intrusisns committing intrusions into Afghanistan, and when Dost Mohammed was away to meet his rival Shuja, Ranjit Singh took this advantage and launched an invasion. Instead of meeting the Sikhs in battle, Dost Mohammed sent a letter to the Russian tsar and asked the Russians to settle the affair. This was the start of the series of events that became called 'The Great Game'. The British were advancing North through India, meanwhile the Russians were on their way south through Central Asia. The British and the Russians were worried about each other's advencement. advancement. When the Russians received the letter from Dost Mohammed, they demanded that the Afghans should stop contact with the British and that they should give up sovereignty and accept Russian dominance and protection.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15996;(What-if) When Dost Mohammad sent the letter to the tsar, it meant the start of the series of events that became called 'The Great Game'. The British were advancing North through India, meanwhile the Russians were on their way south through Central Asia. The British and the Russians were worried about each other's advencement. advancement. When the Russians received the letter from Dost Mohammed, they demanded that the Afghans should stop contact with the British and that they should give up sovereignty and accept Russian dominance and protection.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST15998;Abdur Rahman was a forciful forceful and intelligent leader that could wield his divided nations into a state. He made strong efforts to modernize and establish control of the kingdom, and made much to create the modern state of Afghanistan. He suppressed various rebellions, and followed up with harsh punishment, execution and deportation. He transplanted the warmongering Pashtun tribes and created a system with provincial governorates different from the old tribal boundaries. The governors were given large power, but was controlled with an efficient intelligence network. During his reign, tribal organizations began to erode as his governing allowed land to change hands outside the boundaries of the traditional tribal areas.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16000;Abdur Rahman not only tried to forge a nation of the competing clans, but also to modernize his country by creating a regular army, a bureaucracy, technological advancement and communications. He hired foreign physicians, engineering, geologists and printers and bought machinery from Europe to establish small factories creating commodities like soap, candle and leather goods. Roads and irrigation system were created with the help of European techical technical advice.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16001;1858 was the year the chronic civil wars broke out in Yemen. For more than twenty years different fractions was to fight for the throne, yet no one succeded. succeeded. The wars ended not in one of the warlords gaining the uper upper hand, but by annexation by the Ottoman Empire.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16142; (What-if) When the Maratha armies were crushed by the Afghans in the last half of the 18th century, the breakaway of Kashmir from Delhi was accelerated and a Sikh overlordship was founded in the northwestern parts of India. The Sikh khalsa - Army of the Pure - rose up and guerilla fighters took advantege advantage of the instability caused by the onslaughing onslaughing(sp?) Afghan and Persian forces, enriching themselves and expanding Sikh territory. In the 1770s, large areas between the Indus and Yamuna rivers were controlled by the Sikh. However, it was a loose and quarrelsome federation. Ranjit Singh (1780-1839) was the man that would change this. He was a person with modernizing vision and leadership, and under Ranjit Singh the groups were united and a kingdom created in which Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs lived together in relative equality and increasing prosperity. European officers were hired to drill the army, whereafter Ranjit began to expand his territory into Punjab, Afghanistan and Ladakh.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16163;(What-if) EVENTHIST16163;"(What-if) After the civil war and the Conservative victory and its effects, the bulk of the population lost all power and the situation for the regular man became the same as under Spanish rule. The remaining liberal party gained strong support and an army was assembling in the Western parts of the coutnry country With time, an already large force grew larger, and in spring 1865 the reports reached Bogotá that the revolutionary army was approaching. Due to these reports, the military forces of the conservative dictators choose not to act when a coup was staged. The coup was succesful, successful, the dictators were removed and the upcoming bloodbath was stopped. The "reforms" ""reforms"" of the Conservative party was upheald, upheld, and a new federal republic was declared, the Republic of Colombia.;;;;;;;;;;X Colombia.";;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16173;In 1909 Reyes unsuccessfully tried to approve of the Thompson-Urrutia Treaty with the United States, which was to reestablish relations with that country and recognize Panama. The issue of the treaty's ratification, however, provided a focal point for opposition against Reyes, and in June 1909, the Republican Union, a bipartisan group of Liberals and Historical Conservatives won a majority in the congressional elections held to reestablish the Colombian Cngress. Congress. In acknowledgment of the political current against him, Reyes secretly resigned later that month and left the country. The Republican Union represented a transformation in Colombian politics. The Liberal merchants and Conservative agriculturists found a common interest in coffee exports, which was quickly beginning to dominate the Colombian economy. Although Conservatives retained nominal control of political institutions until 1930, they accepted and applied the principle of Liberal representation and participation in government. Conservative presidents appointed Liberals to their bipartisan cabinets and although party conflict and rural unrest remained, the coalitions that the two parties formed provided a basis for political stability.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16261;Mongkut had been placed in a monastery by his father in 1824, to prevent a bloody feud over the throne. Mongkut stayed there as a monk for 27 years, and he spent his time studying - maths, math, science, Western language, religion - and having long conversations with Western missionaries and diplomats. When he became king in 1851, he was by far the most knowledgeable with Western ways, than any other king before him. He realized, that if Siam would continue on the same way as it was heading, it would end up a British or French puppet or colony. To prevent this, the king undertook reforms and measures so his country would be accepted in the West. ALthough little was accomplished during his reign, he lay the foundation for the modernization of Siam. Western experts were hired as teachers, consultants and technicians. The laws were published and he eliminated the mystique around the monarch's person by making public appearances and even letting his subject look on him. However, the Conservatives remained strong at the court, and old institutions like slavery was not changed. Mongkut died from malaria in 1868 which postponed the country's modernization.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16262;Against the advice from his court, Mongkut abolished the old royal trade monopoly and in 1855 he signed the Treaty of Friendship and Commerce with the British. According to the treaty, British merchants were permitted to buy and sell goods in Siam without intermediares. intermediaries. British subjects were granted extraterritorial rights, and a consulate was established. The following year, president Franklin Pierce of the United States sent an emissy emissary and a similar treaty were made. France followed in the same year, in 1858 Denmark and Portugal signed treaties, in 1860 the Netherlands, Prussia in 1865 and Sweden, Italy and Belgium in 1868. The treaties limited the governments authority to tax foreign companies but this meant the introduction of free trade and led to an enourmous increase in commerce with the West. Siam's economy was revolutionized and the country was connectede connected to the international monetary system.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16263;Mongkut died in 1868 and left his heir, Chulalongkorn, only a minor. A regency government that would govern the country until the little prince come to age. During the regency, the heir visited Java and India in order to study European colonial administration. He was thus the first Chakkri king to leave Siam. After his coming to age and coronation in 1873 Chulalongkorn began to reform his country after European model. The ancient practice of protasting prostrating in front of the monarch was abolished, and a number of decrees modernized the judiciary, the finances and the political structure. However, conservative powers led by Prince Wichaichan revolted against the changes in December 1874. The revolt was suppressed, but Chulalongkorn realized that his reforms could not be radical, but had to be made steo step by step.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16264;Chulalongkorn continued with his reforms when the old conservatives in the guard and the court began to die or retire. Slavery was gradually abolished, and the phrai corvee, ie the intendured indentured servants, lost most of its benefits as head tax paid in currency and wage labour - often Chinese immigrants - provided a much more efficient system. A regular army was created, manned by conscription, and the introduction of salaries for the public officials made the sakdi na (the previous system that included provisions of rice after a person's rank etc) obsolete. Chulalongkorn's reform changed the Siamese society completely and utterly.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16266;In 1887, king Chulalongkorn asked Prince Devawongse to study European forms of government and how European institutions could be introduced in Siam. A year later, the prince returned with a proposal for a cabinet consisting of twelse functially twelve functionally differentiated ministries. The plan was approved, though it would take a few years before it came in effect. In 1893, a complete overhaul was made about the antuquated antiquated system of provincial administration, and the semifeudal system was gradually replaced with a centralized government. Chulalongkorn realized the importance of education, and founded three schools for European lines. Studies abroad was encouraged and promising civil servants and military officers were sent to Europe for further education. During Chulalongkorn's reign, the railroad system was created, and the first line between Bangkok and Ayutthaya was created in 1897.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16321;When the Maratha armies were crushed by the Afghans in the last half of the 18th century, the breakaway of Punjab from Delhi was accelerated and a Sikh overlordship was founded in the northwestern parts of India. The Sikh Khalsa - Army of the Pure - rose up and guerilla fighters took advantege advantage of the instability caused by the onslaughing onslaughing(sp?) Afghan and Persian forces, enriching themselves and expanding Sikh territory. In the 1770s, large areas between the Indus and Yamuna rivers were controlled by the Sikh. However, it was a loose and quarrelsome federation. Ranjit Singh (1780-1839) was the man that would change this. He was a person with modernizing vision and leadership, and under Ranjit Singh the groups were united and a kingdom created in which Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs lived together in equality and increasing prosperity. Veterans from the forces of British East India Company joined the service of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and his army numbered some 31 000 men, whereafter he began to expand his territory into Kashmir, Afghanistan and Ladakh.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16323;The former ruler of Afghanistan Shah Shuja who had been deposed in 1809 returned in head of an army in 1834. Dost Mohammed, ruler of Afghanistan, who recently had established control and stability around Kabul, immidiately immediately left Kabul to face this threat. The Sikhs had frequently been advancing into Afghanistan, and when Dost Mohammed was away to meet his rival, Ranjit Singh took this advantage and invaded.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16325; Instead of meeting the Sikhs in battle, Dost Mohammed sent a letter to the governor of British India, Lock Auckland, and asked the British to settle the affair. This letter was the start of the series of events that became called 'The Great Game'. The British were advancing North through India, meanwhile the Russians were on their way south through Central Asia. The British and the Russians were worried about each other's advencement. advancement. When the British received the letter from Dost Mohammed, they demanded that the Afghans should stop contact with the Russians and that they should take back any claims on the border territory as well as recognizing the independence of Qandahar. In return, the British would make the Sikhs reconcile with the Afghan and ceise cease with the intrusion, or stop them. When Dost Mohammed demanded the deal to be settled in writing, the British governor-general refused. Dost Mohammed then turned towards the Russians instead. Shuja, Ranjit Singh and the British governor-general then made an agreement, virtually splitting Afghanistan between them. Shuja would gain suzerainty over Kabul and Qandahar, Ranjit Singh would gain the border provinces, Herat would be independent and the British would replace Dost Mohammed with a puppet.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16327;During the time of Ranjit Singh, the Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs of Punjab lived together, side by side, in a stable and secular society. The state of affairs were controlled by Ranjit Singh himself, and by giving different powers to the many different fractions in his lands, he played out the otherwise intriguing group against each other and let them manage different parts of the politics to keep them happy. The Dogra Hindus who had converted to Sikhism for example, handled the administration of state, like treasury and finances while the Muslim and Hindu noblemen of Lahore handled the departments of foreign affairs, medicine and science. The third group, Sikh noblemen from different parts of Punjab, handled the defense affairs. The army was separeted separated from the state, and five elected representatives handled all matters between the state and the army. This machinery worked well under Ranjit Singh. However he had neglected to prepare his son and successor, Kharak Singh. Kharak was a heavy opium addict, drank and fraternized with women instead of handling state affairs. Kharak did not trust the Dogra, and took away their powers in the administration. The Dogras believed it was Chet Singh, Kharak's mentor, who was resposible responsible and some Dogras killed him. Members of the Dogras also poisoned Kharak to death.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16330;The new maharaja Sher Singh was popular in the army, was handsome and loved by the women - but knew next to nothing about state affairs. Neither he nor his prime minister Dhyan Singh Dogra believed that the Dogras could have commited committed treachery and let them stay. However, the Dogras arranged the return of the Sandhawalia brothers, who had been living in exile in British land because of their inimical relations towards Sher Singh. The Maharaja gave them goor ranks in the army and believed they were pleased. On one occasion when inspecting the troops, Ajit Singh Sandhawalia asked for permission to show a new gun. Sher approved, and Ajit shot him. The Sandhawalia brother continued by killing Dhyan Singh Dorga and Sher's ten year old son. The Sandhwalia brothers and their followers were slaughtered by the enraged Khalsa army, but the Dogra continued their intrigues. Although the youngest son of Ranjit, 5-year old Dilip Singh became the new maharaja, Hira Singh Dogra became prime minister and de-facto ruler.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16441;Since the 15th century, the Siamese and Vietnamese had competed for control over Cambodia. The Siamese captured the capital Lovek and after common South East Asian practice, they marched off with thousands of Khmer peasants, artisans, priests and scholars and forced them to live in Ayutthaya. This crippled Cambodia's ability to recover. In the 17th century the Vietnamese captured parts after parts of Khmer land, and Cambodia could only survive as a vassal of Siam and Vietnam. It was said that Siam became Cambodia's father, and Vietnam its mother. After the Siamese recover after the Burmese had destroyed their capital in 1767, the Siamese captured more Cambodian land and established a puppet as king of Cambodia. The struggle over dominance of Cambodia gained new life in the 19th century, when Vietnamese officials tried to force Vientnamese customs upon the Khmer. Several rebellions against the Vietnamese occcured occurred and in 1843 Siam and Vietnam reached an accord that placed Cambodia under joint vassalship under the two countries.A new monarch, Ang Duong was placed on the throne by the two overlords, and at least a fairly stable period began.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16481;The Taiping rebellion was one of the most serious events in 19th century China. In 1845 the Chinese Christian convert Hung Hsiu-ch'üan declared himself the younger brother of Jesus and initiated a peasant rebellion, which succesfully successfully captured Nanjing. Due to the Manchu commanders being incompetent his Heavenly Kingdom lasted for almost two decades, until it finally was captured in 1864 and Hsiu-ch'üan was killed. The persecutions of those who refused to convert to Christianity under Xiuquan's short regime claimed over twenty million casualties.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16483;Under the leadership of Yakub Beg the Muslims in the Xinjiang province revolted against their Chinese masters in 1865. Eight years later, nearly all of Xinjiang was rebel-controlled and Beg had received recognition as an independent sovereignty by Britain and Russia. However the Chinese began to retake Kashgaria, as the nation eas was called, and a year after Yakub Beg's death in 1877 the Chinese controlled all of Xinjiang. ;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16486;Lin Zexu was an energetic and purposeful governor in Central China who was famous for his effective prohibition of the sale and smoking of opium in those provinces. Lin Zexu was considered for the task of removing the offensive opium trade from the shores of China. One entrusted with such a task needed to weed out the large-scale corruption and required eyes of an eagle to spot all of the perpetrators. Despite the fact that Lin Zexu was renouned renounced for his integrity, most of the Chinese court expected even Lin Zexu to have his price.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16498;Since Britain and the United States were able to make such favourable treaties with China upon her defeat, France decided to join in the fray. In 1844, France concluded the Treaty of Huangpu with China. France, however was less interested in trade than the United States or Britain was. France regarded herself as the protectress of all Roman Catholic missionaries. It declared that Roman Catholic missionaries could live and preace preace(sp?) and build churches at the five treaty ports. In December 1845, this protection was extended to non-Roman Catholic missionaries and Chinese converts. Thus the first Christian contact with the southern Chinese population was started.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16503;Sincethe EVENTHIST16503;Since the 15th century, the Siamese and Vietnamese had competed for control over Cambodia. The Siamese captured the capital Lovek and after common South East Asian practice, they marched off with thousands of Khmer peasants, artisans, priests and scholars and forced them to live in Ayutthaya. This crippled Cambodia's ability to recover. In the 17th century the Vietnamese captured parts after parts of Khmer land, and Cambodia could only survive as a vassal of Siam and Vietnam. It was said that Siam became Cambodia's father, and Vietnam its mother. After the Siamese recover after the Burmese had destroyed their capital in 1767, the Siamese captured more Cambodian land and established a puppet as king of Cambodia. The struggle over dominance of Cambodia gained new life in the 19th century, when Vietnamese officials tried to force Vientnamese customs upon the Khmer. Several rebellions against the Vietnamese occcured occurred and in 1843 Siam and Vietnam reached an accord that placed Cambodia under joint vassalship under the two countries.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16505;For centuries, the states of Siam and Vietnam competed over dominance of Cambodia. In The beginning of the 19th century, the Siamese had seized control. Howeverm, However, the Cambodians rose in rebellion, and sercretly secretly supported by the Vietnamese, they tried to get rid Cambodia's status as a vassal and reclaim independence.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16506;In 1802 Nguyen Anh adopted the name Gia Long to express the unity of the country - Gia from Gia Dinh (Saigon) and Long from Thang Long (Hanoi) and he also changed the name to Nam Viet. The name Viet Nam was borned born when the Chinese inverted the name. Gia Long's regime harshly oppressed any opposition and to institute greater control, he adopted the rigid Chinese bureaucracy model. The new capital at Hue was built with Beijing as a model, with a Forbidden City, an Imperial City and a Capital City. Chinese-style dressing and housing were required for the bureaucrats and women forced to wear Chinese trousers. He introduced the Chinese law code and abolished traditional Vietnamese customs such as the Hong Duc law which had been protecting the rights and status of women. Taxes that had been reduced or abolished under earlier regimes were levied again, and Buddhism, Taosim Taoism and other religions were forbidden under the Konfucian regime. The Chu Nom was kept as national script though, but Gia Long's son and successor Minh Mang replaced it with Chinese ideologies.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16884;Following the government's inabability inability to help the poor and starving during the Tempo famine, the Confucian ideolugue ideologue Oshio Heihachiro raised a revolt in Osaka seeking relief for the fvictims victims of the famine. The revolt was suppresed, suppressed, but a fourth of the city of Osaka lay in ruins after the revolt.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16887;In 1867 the Tokugawa Shogunate ended. The domestic instability was was fueled by the unequal trade agreements that was forced upon Japan since the opening of the first ports in 1854. In January 1868 samurai supported by anti-Tokugawa nobles succeded succeeded with a palace coup and restored the power of emperor Meiji. The new Meiji government, now in Tokyo, discarded the feudal system and carried through reforms that would change the Japanese society throughoutly. throughoutly(sp?). Many supported the old feudal system, and the decades after the restoration were filled with uprisings.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16888;Although the coup against the Shogunate was hindered in 1868, the situation was out of control. Five years later, the samurai once again tried to restore the power of the emperor. This time they had greater support within the ruling class, and the Tokugawa Shogunate ended its three centuries of existance. existence. (what-if).;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16889;After the Restoration Japan entered a period of incredible development, from being a feudal medievel medieval country to a modern industrialized state that challenged the countries of west, and even defeated Russia in the war of 1905. Students were sent to Europe and the US, the education system was reformed after French standards, the navy was reformed after British standards, conscription reinstated and the army after Prussian - shortly the Japanese picked the best of the West and introduced it in their homeland. ;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16890;Everyone were not happy with the new Japan. Especially the samurai, who had lost their special status with the social reforms and equalization of the different classes, were inimical to the Meiji government. Several revolts occured occurred but were easily put down by the new Western-style army. However, the samurai in Satsuma were numerous and quite well-euqipped well-equipped and a serious rebellion were raised in 1877. The defeat of that rebellion came not cheap. The treasure was emptied, the inflation went sky-high and the taxes forced down. Further, the leader of the rebellion, Saigo Takamori, became known as a hero and the cries for reforms louder.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16893;The Meiji consitution constitution was drafted in the summer of 1887 and ratified in 1889. Based on the Prussian constitution, it was very welcomed by the people even though it only gave one percent of the people the right to vote. Based on a complex set of checks and balances between the emperor, his cabinet and the Diet (the parliament), the constitution came up to the expectations - a stable government.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16894;Korea was the most important of the Chinese vassal states, but it's strategical location and for Japan badly needed natural reasources attracted the interest of Japan. In 1875 the Japanese forced the Koreans to sign trade agreements and while the Japanese intended to reform Korea after Western standards, the Chinese supported the old aristocrazy.;;;;;;;;;;X aristocracy.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16895;In 1884 a pro-Japanese attempt to overthrow the government was stopped by the Chinese, the latter who killed Japanese legation guards. War was avoided by an agreement in 1885 where China and Japan agreed upon a joint protectorate, but in 1894 Kim Ok-kyun, the pro-Japanese leader of that coup was assassinated by the Chinese. The Japanese took this as a direct afront, affront, and on August 1st 1894 war broke out. Thanks to the new and modern forces of Japan, the Chinese were soundly defeated and in the Treaty of Shimonoseki, the Liaodang penisula, Formosa and the Pescadores were ceded to Japan and Korea became indeoendent independent from Chinese supremacy. This marked to start of Japan's erea era of great power.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16896;It did not last more than a week after the Treaty of Shimonoseki until diplomaths diplomats from the West intervened. Requests from France, Russia and Germany forced the Japanese had to turn back the Liaodang peninsula.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16902;The great Sultan Sayyid Said died in 1856 and his death immidiately immediately led to a squabble between his sonw sons over the throne. The dispute was finally ended by the British viceroy in India, Lord Canning. The compromise was a split of the sultanate, where Thuwaini became the sultan of Musqat and Oman, while Majid became the sultan of Zanzibar. Separated from the African revenues, Oman went into a decline that would last for more than a century.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16904;To stengthen strengthen the foreign relations of the sultanate, Sultan Sayyid sent out envoys to the European nations and the United States, thus Oman became the first of the Arab states to have diploomatic diplomatic relations with this very new country. ;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16905;When the Sultanate was divided, the sultan in Musqat had little support with a weakended weakened merchant fleet and no African revenues. The people of the interior of the sultanate, the Ibadi, had long been antagonistic towards the sultan. Now, with a weakened sultan they took the opportunity and revolted. The sultan only managed to quell the rebellions thanks to British help, but not for nothing. The British gained more and more control of the sultanate.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16906;15 years old Sayyid Said became the sultan of Oman and Zanzibar in 1806. He was a talented ruler and after removing his opposition in Oman he reasserted the Omani claims in East Africa - with British help. The economy and trade was strenthened strengthened during his reign, during which Oman reached it's zenith.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16943;The EVENTHIST16943;"The Bahai faith is now a religion spread over the world. It dictates that there are only one god, all humanas humans belong to one family, that men and women are equal, that all prejudice are destructive etc. This has its roots in mid 19th century Persia. A merchant named `Alí Muhammad Shírází took the title "the Báb" ""the Báb"" (gate) and announced his message in Mekka in 1844. Mostly ignored, he returned to Shiraz but was expelled and left to Isfahan. There, his message was well received and his followers began spreading his word all over Persia.;;;;;;;;;;X Persia.";;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16945;Mirza Taghi was a terribly fat chief minister, but also extraordinary capable. Born in a simple family in 1807, he became a scribe in the local bureaucracy and rapidly advanced through the hierarchy. In 1829 he was a member of the Persian mission to Russia and during a tenure to the Ottoman Empire he studied the modernization of that country. Impressed by the greatness of these countries he realized Persia had to change to survive as an independent nation. When he returned in 1847 he was appointed to the court of the crown prince. When the Shah died, Taghi was responsible for ensuring the succesion succession of the crown prince. Out of gratitude Taghi, who now took the title Amir Kabir, was appointed Chief Minister and he was given the hand of the sister of the new shah. During his reign, Amir Kabir initiated reforms that was the very beginning of the modernization of Persia, and he is considered on the greatest politicians in Iranian history.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16946;Though Amir Kabir's deeds are highly valued today, this was not the case among the ruling class of Persia during his lifetime. The corrupted courtiers, realatives relatives to the shah and those who had been excluded from the government saw him as a threat to their personal interests. Among those was queen mother who convinced the shah that Amir Kabir sought to usurp the throne. In October 1851 he was dismissed and the following year he was assassinated on the order of the shah.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16947;In 1871 Mirza Hosain Khan Moshir od Dowleh, the prime minister, encouraged the shah to establish a European-style cabinet with administrative powers and a consultative council constisting consisting of princes and officials. He also granted a concession for railroad construction and other project to a Briton. However, opposition from the minister's enemies and clerical leaders fearing foreign influence made the shah to take bake the concession.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST16949;Through bribery, a British company was given monopoly on the tobacco trade by the shah. The money was very well neaded needed for the ever-ceasing Persian treasury.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17022;Muhammad Ali had became pasha of Egypt in 1805 and was a very succesful successful ruler. When the Greek war for independence began, he promised support to the Ottoman sultan in exchange for Syria.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17052;The Sikhs had frequently been commiting intrusisns committing intrusions into Afghanistan, and when Dost Mohammed was away to meet his rival Shuja, Ranjit Singh took this advantage and launched an invasion. Instead of meeting the Sikhs in battle, Dost Mohammed sent a letter to the governor of British India, Lock Auckland, and asked the British to settle the affair. This was the start of the series of events that became called 'The Great Game'. The British were advancing North through India, meanwhile the Russians were on their way south through Central Asia. The British and the Russians were worried about each other's advencement. advancement. When the British received the letter from Dost Mohammed, they demanded that the Afghans should stop contact with the Russians and that they should take back any claims on the border territory as well as recognizing the independence of Qandahar. In return, the British would make the Sikhs reconcile with the Afghan and ceise cease with the intrusion.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17101;In 1824 emperor Pedro closed the Constituent Assembly as he believed it was endangering liberty. Assembly members, including his own brothers, had drafted a constitution that limited the powers of the monarch and made him equal to the legislature and judiciary, similar to the president of the United States. Pedro then had troops surrounding the assembly and dissolved it. Instead, Pedro created his own constitution based on the Portuguese and French. The usual three branches of government was created, but also a fourth, moderating power held by the emperor, giving him the power to sign and ratify treaties as well as dissolving parliaments. The constitution made by the anti-slave Pedro was more liberal than the pro-slave assembly's in religious tolerance and the rights of the individual, but teh the other wat way around when it came to the power of the emperor.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17103;Pedro's contitution constitution was not appreciated in the sugar producing North, where the plantage plantation owners were heavily dependent on slaves. In mid 1824, five provinces lead by Pernambuco and Ceará revolted and declared themselves independent as the Confederation of the Equator.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17104;(What-if) The constitution of the assembly did not please the coffee provinces in the South. The constitution allowed slavery, which gave the coffee plantage plantation owners a worse competition situation when the slave-dense and sugar producing Northern provinces gained the advantage of free labour.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17107;Pedro once wrote that slavery was a 'cancer that is gnawing away at Brazil' and wanted to abolish slavery. However his own liberal constitution stopped him from doing so. The law-making authority had been given to the slavocrat Partliament Parliament - the emperor himself had only moderating powers. After 1826 these slavocrats policy was to take control of the court system and punish slavery revolts severly severely while being light on the white revolters, to reduce the armed forces, to keep tariffs low and eliminate the bank of Brazil in order to stop a finance-based capitalistic economy. Led by Bernardo Pereira de Vasconcelos they argued that foreign capital and technology were of no good, that slavery was not morally wrong and that railroads would just rust. Others, like Nicolau de Campos Vergueiro propagated for free European immigrants instead of slaves from Africa. In the end, the Partliament Parliament established a contract system that was none or little better than slavery.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17108;Pedro once wrote that slavery was a 'cancer that is gnawing away at Brazil' and wanted to abolish slavery. However the assebly's assembly's constitution stopped him from doing so. The law-making authority had been given to the slavocrat Partliament. Parliament. After 1826 these slavocrats policy was to take control of the court system and punish slavery revolts severly severely while being light on the white revolters, to reduce the armed forces, to keep tariffs low and eliminate the bank of Brazil in order to stop a finance-based capitalistic economy. Led by Bernardo Pereira de Vasconcelos they argued that foreign capital and technology were of no good, that slavery was not morally wrong and that railroads would just rust. Others, like Nicolau de Campos Vergueiro propagated for free European immigrants instead of slaves from Africa. In the end, the Partliament Parliament established a contract system that was none or little better than slavery.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17109;When João of Portugal died in 1826 the slavocrats spread false rumors that Pedor intended to reunite Brazil and Portugal and raised tensions by provocing provoking street violence against the Portuguese living in Rio de Janeiro. They undermined the discipline and morale in the armed forces and police. When Pedro dismissed his cabinet in 1831 street and military demonstrators demanded him to reinstitute the intriguing and false-playing cabinet. When Pedro refused they screamt screamed slogans as 'death to the tyrant', whereafter Pedro backed down. Pedro abdicated, boarded a British warship. Pedro left Brazil for the rest of his life, and with him the dream of a Liberal Empire.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17111;After Pedro's abdication, the regency that would govern the country until Pedro's son and heir came of age faced several problems. Radical appeals for federalism and republicanism swept though Brazil, as well as calls for Pedro's restauration. restoration. To weaken the calls, the regency gave considerable powers to the provinces, and the empire beacme became a rather loose federation where the government's mission was to maintain balance and order between the provinces and protect them from foreign aggression. Numerous revolts took place during the regency era, lower class people living in poverty, Indians, runaway slaves and free blacks all rose up against the federal government.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17114;Brazil was on the brink of being ripped apart during the Regency era. When Pedro II became fifteen, he ascended the throne and the second empire was born in the hope that it would be a symbol and instrument of national unity, peace and prosperity. However, it did not bide well for democracy. In 1842 Pedro II used his constitutional powers and dismissed the elected liberal Chamber of Desputies Desputies(sp?) and called for a new election, which was won by the conservatives by the means of fraud. It did mean little for the real politics though. The different parties were nothing but different groupings in the parliament without any ideological difference. The power lay in the hands of the landowners anyway.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17115;In 1850 the so called Land Law was passed. The law was driven through by the already rich landowners who cared for their own personal interests before the good of the country. The law ended the colonial practice of obtaining land through squatting and limited acquisition to purchase which in practice meant that only the already rich could puchase purchase land and the regular man ended up as a low-wage labour. ;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17116;In 1850 the British had grewn grown tired of the never-stopping slave ships shuttling between Africa and Brazilian ports. The British sent naval units capturing all slave ships even if they were in a Brazilian port. The Brazilian government, fearing not only war with Britain but also widespread slave unrest and destabilization of the empire, outlawed the African slave trade. This had, naturally, tremendous impact on the Brazilian economy and society. The Parliament passed laws to encourage European immigration and the capital freed because of the end of the slave trade was intstead instead invested in matters like communication and industries. Last, but not least, it made the British stop intervening in Brazilian politics. This was however only abolition of the trade, and those already chained on the Brazilian plantages plantations were not helped.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17117;The coffee plant was brought from Guayana in the end of the 18th century. First, plantations were created in the North, but that land was not very well suited, and the coffe coffee plant was introduced in the Southern area. The experiment was succesful successful and the plantages plantations attracted thousands of european immigrants. There, coffee came to replace sugar as Brazil's most important export product and Brazil became the largest coffee producer of the world.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17120;In the 1880s the republicans wanted to remove the stigma of Brazil being the only slaveholding country in the hemisphere. It was not that it gave the country an image loathsome to Europeans, nor it was morally reasons that made the Brazilians abolish slavery in 1888. The reason was simply economics, it was more efficient with free labour than slaves and as replacement for the slavery, systems with strict social control were introduced to discipline the free workforce. Crime was redifined, redifined(sp?), and the prisoned prisoned(sp?) were soon filled with feed slaves. No schools or bureaus were created for the freedmen and they stayed on the bottom of the social hierachy.;;;;;;;;;;X hierarchy.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17161;The Araucanians were a native people once controlling Southern Chile and Argentina. These people repelled the Incas at several occasions and defeated Spanish armies enetering entering their territory in the 16th century. The Araucanians in Chile continued controlling the land for centuries. In 1859 a French freebooter, Aurelio de Toumans, convinced the Araucanians that they could repell repel the Chileans and Argentinans. Two year later he declared himself king over Araucania and annexed all of Patagonia. He was declared an outlaw by Chile and Argentina, captured and deported in 1863, but not until 1880 the Chileans regained control of the most Southern parts of the country.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17164;The years that followed O´Higgin's resignation was dominated by the struggle between the liberals and conservatives. The conservative forces, supported by the church and the aristocracy, tried to preserve the old order, while the liberals sought to carry through a democratic constitution. Also, the antagonism was large over whether Chile should be a loose federation or a centralized state. President Francisco Antonio Pinto managed to anger all sides: the conservative aristocracy for abolishing the estates and the liberals by granting a constitution they did not like. Further, he angered the federalists by accepting a unitary form of government with different legislature and judical judicial branches, and last but not least hi anticlericism caused public uproar. The political power struggle between the Liberals and Conservatives went a step further and civil war was inevitable.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17166;(What-if, result of event choices) After the Liberal victory in the civil war the new president Fransisco Antonio Fernandéz undertook a number of liberal reforms. Free trade, weakened power of the church and abolition of the privelegies privileges of the large landowners were on the agenda as well as closing ties with the now liberal Peruvian state. This was not appreciated among the traditional power holders. The conservative opposition grew, but as their military support had been eliminated during the civil war, the liberals managed to maintain power for almost a decade.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17169;The southerner Manuel Bulnes Prieto took over the president office in 1841. His stable government was partly due to the fact he was a general, and had the support of the army. Further he included a few Liberals in his Conservative administration, thus conciliated his enemies. The southerner he was, Bulnes was able to defuse regional resentment of the dominant Santiago area. He was stern and repressive, but under his years education and economy blossomed. Intellectuals from the unstable South America gathered at the Univerity University of Chile, founded in 1842, which developed into one of the most prestigious educational institutes in its part of the world. By stepping down before the end of his second term, Bulnes gave legitimacy to the constitution.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17171;Manuel Montt grew up in a poor family, but raised to become one of Chile's most noteable notable jurists. In 1851 he succeded succeeded Bulnes as president. The change of power did not go smooth, as regionalists and liberals denounced the election as a fraud staged by centralists in Santiago ans and took up arms against the government. The rebellion was quickly put down though, but to the cost of thousands of lives. During his term, Montt completed the construction of the constitutional order begun by Portales and Bulnes. With his civilian background, Montt was less harsh then his predecessors with his liberal adversaries. He also lightened the strong antagonism between different regions by including many Southerners as well as Northerners in the Congress. Railroads were built during his regime, and a telegraph system was developed. Montt also pushed back the southern frontier, much by encouraging German immigration. All in all, Montt was one of Chile's most succesful successful presidents.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17172;Montt's two terms were the last when the government was formed from one party - from then on until 1883 only party coalitions would form governments. During the 19th century a number of new and different political parties entered the scene of politics. In 1857 the Liberal Party, 'Partido Liberal', PL, the Conservative Party, 'Partido Conservador', PC and the National Party, 'Partido Nacional', PN, were formed. Yet another party was formed in 1861, when a fraction of the PL formed the Partido Radical, PR. The last party arrived in 1887, the Democratic Party (Partido Demócrata), this had splintered from the Radical Party. The National Party considered the Liberal and Conservatives upper-class parties, who did not care for the less influential people. This party took a less proclerical and more centrist position than the Conservative. The Liberals wanted to gradually secularize society and cut the church's privilegies, privileges, while the Radical Party had less patience.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17176;The period 1891-1925 in Chile's history is called the Parliamentary Republic. It was not a pure parliamentary republic, as the executive was elected by the legislature, but nevertheless it was an unusual system in presidential Latin America. The president was completely overshadowed by the Congress, and this was teh the heyday of classical political and economical liberalism. During this time two young parties grew - teh the Democrats and the Radicals, and the parliamentary republic have been hailed for its respect for civil liberties, its exoansion expansion of suffrage and the admission of new contenders (espescially (especially reformers) to the political scene. Not all things were well though. The Congressial Congressional elections were often corrupted, the government did little to the spiraling inflation, the dependancy dependance of nitrate exports, and the massive urbanization and growing poverty of the working class.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17177;The growing urban population and the beginning industrialization made the middle class larger and stronger. In the closing years of the 19th century, these working began to gather force and created labour unions to defend their rights against the still very upper-class controlled government. The unrest and demands for better wages and working condition grew after the turn of the century, but were harshly repressed by the government under the Parliamentary Republic. The armed forces commited massacrs committed massacres against revolting miners, and a pattern of violent clashes between the military and the workers took shape. In 1909 the Workers' Federation of Chile was founded, the first national labour union. The emergence of the demands of the working-class spawned the 'social question', intellectuals and writer began to critiscize criticize the ruling class for their ignorance of the workers. New census that showed the poverty shocked the earlier so proud Chilean elite when the nation began its journey through the 20th century.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17178;The growing urban population and the beginning industrialization made the middle class larger and stronger. In the closing years of the 19th century, these working began to gather force and created labour unions to defend their rights against the still very upper-class controlled government. The unrest and demands for better wages and working condition grew after the turn of the century, but were harshly repressed by the government under the Parliamentary Republic. The armed forces commited massacrs committed massacres against revolting miners, and a pattern of violent clashes between the military and the workers took shape. In 1909 the Workers' Federation of Chile was founded, the first national labour union. The emergence of the demands of the working-class spawned the 'social question', intellectuals and writer began to critiscize criticize the ruling class for their ignorance of the workers. New census that showed the poverty shocked the earlier so proud Chilean elite when the nation began its journey through the 20th century. (This is a less severe version due to previous event choices);;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17191;In 1833 a group of army officers led by General Sardá carried out a coup which later was called the 23rd of July plot. This plot was unsuccesful, unsuccessful, although the total effect of the plot and the revolt against Urdaneta back in 1830 led to the elimination of the Bolívar military machine, the military that had liberated South America from the Spanish.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17194;The civil war had the reaction that many of the liberal reforms under earlier years were abolished, and in 1843 the Herrán government granted a new contitution, constitution, which stipulated an even greater centralization of power.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17196;The election of General José Hilario López as president in 1849 marked a turning point for Colombia both economically and politically. Capitalism began to replace the old colonial structure, and the ideological differences between the established political parties overshadowed the previous emphasis on personalism. In 1850 the López administration instituted a socalled so called agrarian reform program and abolished slavery. In order to allow landowners access to more land, the agrarian reform program lifted the restrictions on the sale of resguardo lands, as a result, Indians became displaced from the countryside and moved to the cities, where they provided excess labor. In 1851 the government ended the state monopoly on tobacco cultivation and trade and declared an official separation of church and state. In addition, López took the education system from the hands of the church and subjected parish priests to popular elections.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17222;The largest threat towards Haïtian integrity was the French refusal of recognizing the independence of its former colony. Boyar secured Haïti from French aggression by paying tribute ot to the French. However that also meant the emptying of Haïti's coffers and mortgaged the country's future to French banks.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17223;Jean-Pierre Boyer held office between 1818 and 1843, but despite his long rule he accomplished little. Haïtian society ossified and the rift between the mulattoes and the blacks grew larger despite Boyer's efforts, and the wide-spread literacy among even affluented affluent(sp?<--illiteracy?) blacks thwarted Boyer's intensions. intentions. The government did little to improve the limited educational system introduced by Boyer's predecessor Pétion and the exclusivity of the social structure was preserved.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17225;Boyer expelled Dumesle and his followers from legislature and ignored their grievances and criticism. This caused a violent uprising in the souh. south. A cousin of Dumesle, Charles Riviére-Hérard, swept through the peninsula with his revolutionary forces. When Boyer heard most of his troops had joined the rebels, he resigned and sailed to Jamaica.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17226;Disconent EVENTHIST17226;Discontent among black farmers had flared up during Boyer's rule reemerged in 1844, but this time it had larger impact. Bands of ragamuffin 'piquets' - a name derived of the pikes they used - rampaged through the countryside under the leadership of a former black army officer named Louis Jean-Jacques Acaau. The piquets demanded a change in the mullatoe-dominated politics and the election of a black president. Eventually, their demands were met when Pierre Guerrier, a black officer, was elected in May 1844.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17226;(What-if) Disconent Discontent among black farmers had flared up during Boyer's rule reemerged in 1844 when the revolution failed, but this time it had larger impact. Bands of ragamuffin 'piquets' - a name derived of the pikes they used - rampaged through the countryside under the leadership of a former black army officer named Louis Jean-Jacques Acaau. The piquets demanded a change in the mullatoe-dominated politics and the election of a black president. Boyer took no notice, but in May 1844 the piquets managed to kill Boyer and by force install a new, black president, the foremer former officer Pierre Guerrier.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17227;After Boyer had been replaced Haïti entered a chaotic era. With one execption, exception, all presidents did not maintain power for the whole term but was either deposed by revolutions or killed. The overthrow of a government became business, when merhcants merchants - often Germans - financed potential rebels in the hope of a substantial return once he rebellion succeded. succeeded. Haïti was plunged into a period of gross corruption and instability.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17228;Faustin Soulouque was considered just another one of the understudies that came into power and kept it for a year, when he was chosed chosen to become president as a compriomise compromise between the different fractions. However, once in power, the black general showed a Machiavellian taste for power. He eliminated his mulatto opponents, purged the military from antagonists and created a secret police called the zinglings to keep dissenters in check. Authocratic, he bombasticly bombastically declared himself emperor Faustin I in 1849. Although he kept power for a long time, his regime was not stabler than earlier regimes, his expansionistic policies caused several wars with the Dominican Republic and his reign was characterized by violence and rampant corruption.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17229;Faustin Soulouque was considered just another one of the understudies that came into power and kept it for a year, when he was chosed chosen to become president as a compriomise compromise between the different fractions. However, once in power, the black general showed a Machiavellian taste for power. He eliminated his mulatto opponents, purged the military from antagonists and created a secret police called the zinglings to keep dissenters in check. Authocratic, he bombasticly bombastically declared himself emperor Faustin I in 1849. Although he kept power for a long time, his regime was not stabler than earlier regimes, and his reign was characterized by violence and rampant corruption.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17230;Soulouque was overthrewn overthrown in 1859 by Fabre-Nicolas Geffrard. Geffrard who was a dark-skinned mulatto restored the old elite rule and his period could be considered progressive, at least in comparison with Soulouque's. Geffrard produced a new constitution, improved commmunications communications and education and restored the miserable relations with the Catholic church that had begun with the revolution. He created parochial schools, which also improved the relations with the Vatican.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17232;Louis Lysius Félicité Salomon was the most effective president of the late 19th century. During his one and a half terms he developed agriculture, attracted some foreign capital, established a national bank, linked the country with teh the continental telegraph system and made a few improvements on the educational system. A prominent black and member of the National Party Salomon had great support among the rural masses and that together with the enthusiasm he bridled élitist plots.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17233;After Salomon the unstability instability in Haïtian politics was revived. There was two main fractions in the power struggle, the mulatto-dominated Liberal Party and the black-dominated National Party. The names were just names as none of the parties followed any ideology. They fought each other on the battlefields, in the legislature, within the military ranks and in teh the circles of the literati. The populist Nationalists walked under their slogan 'the greatest good for the greates greatest number' while the élitist Liberals simply proclaimed 'government by the most competent'.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17248;Though not a very romantic name, the Age of Guano was a golden era for Peruvian economy. Droppings from birds from the Chincha island was collected and exported. The exports lasted for three decades, and would bring in a total sum of 500 million US dollars. The growth generated (an average 9% a year), allowed the economy and political situation to stabilize for the first time since the independence. President Castilla 'nationalized' the guano to make as large pofit profit as possible, and thus took a step back towards a colonial mercantilist economy. Later, the state commercialized the valuable bird droppings to a number of private sectors.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17249;The Age of Guano was a golden era for Peruvian economy. Droppings from birds from the Chincha island was collected and exported. The exports lasted for three decades, and would bring in a total sum of 500 million US dollars. President Castilla commercialized the guano and made it available to the private sector(what-if). Peru seemed dramatically succesful successful thanks to the gunao, however little effort was given in investing in a more lasting economic development. When the guano boom ended in the early 1870s, Peru had not managed to create this lasting economic power.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17250;Ramón Castilla (1797-1867) became the leading caudillo around 1845 and managed to get the president post the same year. He had fought under de Sucre in the liberation war and taken part in the numerous civil wars that followed. A resolute army general, he ended up as one of young Peru's most succesful successful leaders. He developed the guano industry, as well as the saltpeter and nitrate industries, he reorganized the finances, abolished the Indian tribute (the native population had to pay a special tax to their employees) and abolished slavery, but kept the slave owners calm by compensating them.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17254;José Balta (1816-1872) was president during 1868-1872, and as such he reestablished constitutional rule and undertook schemes for internal improvement. He carried through the Dreyfus act, which gave a French company monolpoly monopoly over the guano islands in exchange for servicing foreign debt. Nicolás de Piérola (1839-1913), Balta's treasury minister, signed the controversial act which was named after the head of teh the French firm, Auguste Dreyfus.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17255;The short-sighted economical projects during the Guano Boom led to economical and personal disaster. The great expenditures of the Balta administration and the great loans taken earlier made this regime a morass of corruption, incompetence and financial deficit. Balta was deposed and shot in 1872, and the international economic crisis of 1873 sealed Peru's fate. The country was forced to default on foreign debt and social and political turmoils turmoil was once again on the rise. (Previous event choices has made this the severest version of 4).;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17256;The short-sighted economical projects during the Guano Boom led to economical and personal disaster. The great expenditures of the Balta administration and the great loans taken earlier made this regime a morass of corruption, incompetence and financial deficit. Balta was deposed and shot in 1872, and the international economic crisis of 1873 sealed Peru's fate. The country was forced to default on foreign debt and social and political turmoils turmoil was once again on the rise. (Previous event choices has made this the second severest version of 4);;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17257;The short-sighted economical projects during the Guano Boom led to economical and personal disaster. The great expenditures of the Balta administration and the great loans taken earlier made this regime a morass of corruption, incompetence and financial deficit. Balta was deposed and shot in 1872, and the international economic crisis of 1873 sealed Peru's fate. The country was forced to default on foreign debt and social and political turmoils turmoil was once again on the rise. (Previous event choices has made this the third severest version of 4);;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17258;The short-sighted economical projects during the Guano Boom led to economical and personal disaster. The great expenditures of the Balta administration and the great loans taken earlier made this regime a morass of corruption, incompetence and financial deficit. Balta was deposed and shot in 1872, and the international economic crisis of 1873 sealed Peru's fate. The country was forced to default on foreign debt and social and political turmoils turmoil was once again on the rise. (Previous event choices has made this the least severe version of 4);;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17259;The Age of Guano was a golden era for Peruvian economy. Droppings from birds from the Chincha island was collected and exported. The exports lasted for three decades, and would bring in a total sum of 500 million US dollars. President Castilla 'nationalized' the guano to make as large pofit profit as possible, and thus took a step back towards a colonial mercantilist economy. Peru seemed dramatically succesful successful thanks to the gunao, however little effort was given in investing in a more lasting economic development. When the guano boom ended in the early 1870s, Peru had not managed to create this lasting economic power.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17260;The Grace Contract was a controversial proposion proposition from a number of British shareholders. In exchange for the right to operate Peru's railroad systems in sixty-six years, they offered to cancel the country's foreign debt. The nationalists was against the contract, as they saw it as a sellout to foreign interests, whilet while the liberals argued that it would get Peru's economy back on track. The Congress approved the Grace Contract in 1888, which was the beginning of the recovery of the economic growth. The exports would qunituple quintuple in 30 years and foreign capital investments raised tenfold during the same period. However, the recovery from the depression of 1873 would not be completed until 1920;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17273;In reaction to the growing conflict between the United States and Mexico, a band of Americans under the leadership of John Fremont siezed seized control of California.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17278;After Mexico declared a debt moratorium, France, Britain, and Spain launched an invasion. After Britian Britain and Spain learned of French designs to place a puppet ruler as Emperor of Mexico, they dropped out of the war. With only the French left, conservatives supported French rule under a cousin of Napoleon III, Maximilian, while liberals supported national sovereignty.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17280;After the liberals siezed seized power, they enacted a reformist Constitution, aimed at breaking the power of the land-owners and the church (as well as communal farms, largely controlled by Amerindians). The former, combined with the successive reform legislation, angered Mexico's conservatives, provoking a Civil War.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17572;The Brish British and French can intervene on the side of the CSA due to embarrasing embarrassing Union losses.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17575;Faced with labor liquidity problems, an evaporating supply of new, fertile land, and the decline in cotton prices due to new competition with Indian and Egyptian cotton, slavery was fading into obselescence. obsolescence. The Civil War gave the North the justification to emancipate the country's slaves, which occured with the passing of the 13th Amendment.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17576;After the Confederacy was crushed, Congress was militant over readmission of the South to the Union. It accordingly set relatively high requirements: that the states pass the 14th Amendment as well as universal male sufferage, suffrage, and a declaration of martial law until these terms were met.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17578;With the exploding American population land was in great demand by Western settlers. The Georgia legislature accordingly declared the Cherokee tribal council illegal and asserted its own authority in their land. This was successfully appealed by the US Supreme Court, but the President, Jackson, refused to recognize their authority. Instead, Jackson supported and Congress passed the 'Indian Removal Act,' forcing over 100,000 Amerindians to uproot themeselves themselves from their land. In the forced marches to their new homes in the 'Indian Territory' (now known as Oklahoma) through the 'Trail of Tears,' thousands of natives died.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17579;Faced with labor liquidity problems, an evaporating supply of new, fertile land, and the decline in cotton prices due to new competition with Indian and Egyptian cotton, slavery was fading into obselescence.;;;;;;;;;;X obsolescence.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17623;Venezuela was Spain's most succesful successful agricultural colony and cocoa was the main product. Around the time of the liberation however, Venezuelan agriculture and economy was based on coffee which was exported to Europe. Before Colombia and Brazil ventured into the market, Venezuela was one of the world's largest producers, and the coffee boom with raising prices in the 1830s meant good times for Venezuela.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17626;In the beginning of the 1840s coffee prices plunged. The Venezuelan economy and inner stability rested on good revenues from the coffe coffee exports, but when the prices went down, so did the stability of the nation. The elite divided into two fractions, those who supported Páez and called themselves Conservatives, and their opponents calling themselver themselves Liberals. In 1846 Páez surprised both sides, by choosing the Liberal General José Tadeo Monagas to become his successor. Monagas showed his gratitude by ousting the Conservatives from his government.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17627;José Tadeo Montegas and his brother José Gregorio ruled with dictatorial powers after Páez's term. The only positive they contributed with was the abolition of slavery in 1854. In 1857 they introduced a new constitution in an attempt to install a Monagas ruling dynasty. This sparked the elite from both corners to unite and oust the government. However the both sides did not manage to agree upon a succesor successor and a violent civil war broke out. The war was later called the Federal War, as the Liberals favoured federalism. Besides the main combattants, combatants, the Liberals and the Conservatives, local caudillos and other groups fought against rural repressions repression and confiscations confiscation of their properties. The war was so chaotic that very few sources have even bothered giving any details.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17628;(What-if, due to event choices) Santos Michelena Rojas wsa choosen was chosen to becom become Páez successor, and the first years of his term was peacful. peaceful. However in 1856 he began to rule with dictatorial powers, backed up by the military. Rojas cared little about the people and the economy, and the country started to crumble around him. In the end both sides realized they had to do something and ousted him and his government. However they could not agree upon a successor, and civil war broke out. The war was later called the Federal War, as the Liberals favoured federalism. Besides the main combattants, combatants, the Liberals and the Conservatives, local caudillos and other groups fought against rural repressions repression and confiscations confiscation of their properties. The war was so chaotic that very few sources have even bothered giving any details.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17629;When the Liberals triumphed in the Federal War, Juan Cisóstomo Falcón was made president. The federalism practice under liberal rule was a disaster. Falcón was a weak president, and the local caudillos exerted oppressive rule in their fiefdoms. In the constitution of 1864, Venezuela was divided into twenty states which were given large autonomy, and the autonomy was strenghtened strengthened by the president's poor governing.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17630;The coffe coffee boom ended in the beginning of the 1840s, when coffee prices went down to a very low level. For Venezuela, with the economy based on coffe coffee exports, this was a serious blow. The coffee prices were on the rise again, but at this time Venezuela had gotten stronger and stronger competition from Colombia and especially Brazil, so the economy were not better than decent. The caudillos trusted Páez, who stabilized the country for the first time in many years. Páez remaind remained in power until his death in 1873.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17633;Falcón was removed from power in 1870, and his former boss Antonio Guzmán Blanco took his place and kept it for eighteen years. Guzmán was a pompous man and liked to call himself the 'Illstrious 'Illustrious American', but unlike his predecessor, he knew how federalism worked. He removed illoyal disloyal Conservative caudillos in the states and replaced them with loyal Liberals. THe rapid expansion of the coffee production gave Guzmán accesability accessibility to large resources, which were partly used as subventions to keep the caudillos loyal. Backed up by federal troops, this was a good recipe of federalism, and Venezuela was blessed with almost two decades of stability. Guzmán used the revenue from the agriculture and the foreign loans to build up communications - railroads, roads, ports and telegraphs, and invested much in education, which had a huge upswing during his reign. He also crushed the power of the church. His project did much to improve the economy and infrastructure, but Venezueala's Venezuela's foreign debt increased tremendously.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17634;(What-if, due to event choices)Páez died in 1873 and the liberal federalist Antonio Guzmán Blanco took his place and kept it for eighteen years. Guzmán was a pompous man and liked to call himself the 'Illstrious 'Illustrious American', but he knew how federalism worked. He removed illoyal disloyal Conservative caudillos in the states and replaced them with loyal Liberals. THe rapid expansion of the coffee production gave Guzmán accesability accessibility to large resources, which were partly used as subventions to keep the caudillos loyal. Backed up by federal troops, this was a good recipe of federalism, and Venezuela was blessed with almost two decades of stability. Guzmán used the revenue from the agriculture and the foreign loans to build up communications - railroads, roads, ports and telegraphs, and invested much in education, which had a huge upswing during his reign. He also crushed the power of the church. His project did much to improve the economy and infrastructure, but Venezueala's Venezuela's foreign debt increased tremendousl.;;;;;;;;;;X tremendously.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17635;Guzmán made regular trips to Europe where he spended spent parts of public funds he had pocketed. In 1888 he was in Paris, meanwhile students were rioting in Caracas. Guzmán decided it was wise to stay in Paris - which he did for the rest of his life - and an intense powerstruggle power struggle began about the power. Intense because every caudillo considered himself the most suitable for president. Dr. Juan Pablo Rojas Paúl held office until 1890, when Raimunda Andueza Palacios replaced him. The coming years, he and Joaquín Crespo Torres virtually took turns as president.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17637;In 1898 Crespo was killed, and the following year Cipriano Castro usurped the government. Castro came marching with his private army from his home state Táchira in the Andean mountains in 1899, and met little resistance. Called the 'Lion of the Andes' by his followers and 'crazy brute' by the US secretary of state Elihu Root, Castro was a firm and despotic caudillo. Castro did improve the nation's economy, but due to corruption and ealier mismanagment earlier mismanagement his administration managed to caused an international crisis. Foreign granters of loans demanded their capital back, however Castro neither wanted nor could appease them. Great Britain, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands sent naval expeditions to Venezuela, shelling ports and capturing the tiny Venezuelan navy. In the end, the Hague Tribunal settled the issue in favor of the blockading nations.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17638;Juan Vicente Gómez grew up as an illiterate cattle herder, but when he led his guerilla henchmen together with Castro in 1899 his life changed rapidly. He became vicepresident vice president under Castro, and president in 1908 when Castro went to Europe for the rest of his life. He remained unmarried, but had between 80 and 100 children, who he gave high civil positions. Gómez was a simple and cordial man, but as a dictator he was ruthless. His secret police ferreted out opponents, imprisoned them and tortured them. Gómez' regime coincide with a period of favourable coffee prices for the Venezuelan export economy. Coffee exports boomed, Gómez financed railroads and highways and developed the industry. His dictatorial regime was also maintained by the national army, which was supplied with modern weapons and inctructors instructors from the Prussian-trained Chilean army.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17761;In the first half of the 18th cenury, century, during the rule of king Agaja, Dahomey expanded along the Benin coast, conquering the trade center of Ouidah in 1727. However, in 1730 the country was overrun by Oyo and Dahomey was obliged to pay tribute. In 1823 king Gezo eventually defeated the Oyo and the vassalization was over.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17781;As soon as Tewodros entered the throne he started to reform his country. He welcomed European counsels and eagerly listened to their advice. Not only advisors, but teachers and regular workers were kindly recepted received and under their guidance, roads, infrastructure and even a weapon manufacory manufactory was built. Tewodros introduced equal taxes and customs and fought hard to introduce Christianity in the still moslem areas.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17782;Tewodros strived to strenghten strengthen the relations with the rest of the Christian world: being an Orthodox island in an ocean of Islam Ethiopia was not hurt by having friends. Letters of introduction were sent to several European countries, most noteably notably Britain and France. The Ethiopian king also tried to expand his realm South and East to areas populated mainly by moslems.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17786;Menelik was very succesful successful in limiting the power of the Ras, thus strenghtening strengthening the central government. Foreigners were invited to build up the country, and many came to do so, among other a Swiss named Ilg who became the king's friend. The transportation system was improved and so was the foreign trade. Menelik built a capital which he named Addis Abeba, a city that soon became a rich center of trade. But that is not the end, he also reformed the army and started importing French rifles.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17861;in EVENTHIST17861;"in 1769 Abyssinia, or Ethiopia, disintegrated into minor fraction. Each of these fractions, among which Amhara, Tigray and Shewa was the most powerful, were ruled by there own Ras or chief. From this the name "Age ""Age of Rases" Rases"" is derived, a term that covered the almost century long struggle between the principalities. The Ethiopian emperor did reside in Gondar, Amhara, but he was only emperor in the name. In the middle of the 19th century, a man named Kassa of Amhara succeded succeeded to unite all principalities but Tigray and Shewa. After a succesful successful war against Tigray he took the name Tewodros and was crowned Negusa Nagast, King of Kings, in 1855 and thus reunited Ethiopia.;;;;;;;;;;X Ethiopia.";;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17801;Umar bin Sa'id al-Futi, later al-Hajj Umar, was born in a village called Halwar in 1793 as the son of a learned Muslim teacher. When he grew up he memorized the Quran and studied Arabic grammar and Islamic law. In the mid tewnties, twenties, he decided to journey to Mecca and visit the tomb of the great Prophet. Travelling from West Africa, this was not an easy task, but in 1826 he finally started. Two years later he and his following arrived. During the years he spent in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, he became the leader if the Tijaniyyah Sufi Brotherhood, initiating a movement to establish Islamic law in West Africa, stopping the Muslim slave trade and most importantly, what he considered his divinly divine mission - to revive the purity of Islam.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17802;Al-Hajj Umar, who left for the holy city in 1826, returned to Futa Toro in 1840. The local Muslim rulers in Futa Toro were concerned with all new titles, the knowledge and the huge folowing following Umar brought with him. Of this reason, Umar explained that Imam Bubakar had given him refuge in Jegunk. Between 1840 and 1847 Umar developed the local community and shought sought to revivie revive Islam to its purest form.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST17821;Al-Hajj Umar, a Fulani Islamic cleric, who left for the holy city in 1826, returned to Futa Toro in 1840. The local Muslim rulers in Futa Toro were concerned with all new titles, the knowledge and the huge folowing following Umar brought with him. Of this reason, Umar explained that Imam Bubakar had given him refuge in Jegunk. (what-if from here) However, the leaders of Futa Toro did not dare to host such an influential person, so they expelled him. Instead, Umar sought refuge in the neighbouring Fulani state of Futa Djalon.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST18043;Marabouts were wandering holy men, seers and mystics who predated Islam, but were incorporated into that religion when the Arabs accepted the teachings of the prophet Mohammed. The Algerian-born Muhammad bin Ali was such a man. He was also a very respected and widely-travelled religious scholar. In 1830 he was honoured the title Grand Sanusi by the tribes and towns of Tripolitania. On the basis of his perception of Islam as in state and need of a revival, he founded a religious order - the Sanusi Order - in Mecca in 1837. However, disagreement with Turkish authorities made him leave the holy city and go to Cyrenaica. First he planned to return to Algeria, but foreign occupation made him stay in Tripolitania. There, the tribesmen and bedouins were very receptable receptive to his teachings. The Grand Sanusi did not tolerate fanaticism and all such act was forbidden. The Grand Sanusi accepted neither the wholly intuitive ways described by the Sufis mystics nor the rationality of the orthodox ulama - isntead instead he picked from them both. As a marabout Sanusi won the allegiance of the bedouins and Sanusi lodges were founded throguhout throughout Cyrenaica and linked together the different tribes but also worked as religious centers, havens of the poor, courts of law and centers of trade.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST18107;After the civil war, Keenadiid was driven into exile in Arabia. However, ten years later he returned with a force of Hadhrami musketeers and a band of devoted lieutenants. This time, Keenadiid succeded succeeded to carve out his little own kingdom in Hobyo. ;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST18141;Umar bin Sa'id al-Futi, later al-Hajj Umar, was born in a Futa Toro village called Halwar in 1793 as the son of a learned Muslim teacher. When he grew up he memorized the Quran and studied Arabic grammar and Islamic law. In the mid tewnties, twenties, he decided to journey to Mecca and visit the tomb of the great Prophet. Travelling from West Africa, this was not an easy task, but in 1826 he finally started. Two years later he and his following arrived. During the years he spent in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, he became the leader if the Tijaniyyah Sufi Brotherhood, initiating a movement to establish Islamic law in West Africa, stopping the Muslim slave trade and most importantly, what he considered his divinly divine mission - to revive the purity of Islam. In 1831 he left Mecca and started the journey back. on his way back, he stopped in Sokoto in 1832 where he became a friend of Mohammad Bello. in Sokoto, he spread his learnings and his folow following grew.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST18142;Bello was generour generous in his support to al-Hajj Umar, and during Umar's time in Sokoto the aggressivness aggressiveness of Umar's politics was manifested. When October 1837 Mohammad Bello died Umar showed his political ambitions - he challenged Mohammad's brother, Abu Bakr 'Atiqu, over the throne, claiming that the dead king gave the throne to Umar at his death. Atiqu, however, refused and asked Umar to leave, this to prevent bloodshed.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST18241;John Kirk - from 1881 Sir - was the British consul in Zanzibar between 1866 and 1887. During his time the strong British influence reached its peak, and certain periods he was the virtual ruler of the sultanate. Without changing the Arabic type of government, Kirk succesfully successfully abolished the slave trade in 1873 and prevented the Germans from gaining too much influence in Zanzibar. Kirk was also a naturalist who had taken part in Livingstone's second expedition, and several species of the Afreican flora and fauna are named after him.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST18313;In the late seventeenth century the Salor confederation splitted split - yhe yhe(sp?) Salor was one of the surviving Oghuz tribes. Yomud one one of the groups that left the confederation and settled in the region near the Amu Darya, in Khorazan and along the Kopetdag. The Yomud made several invasions of Khorazm, in 1743, 1767-70 and between 1855 and 1867 the area was shaken by a series of Yomud rebellions.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST18331;After the civil war, the civilian president Prudente de Morais decided to weaken the political weight of the army, due to the disunity it had showed in the war. The most politically involved officers were dismissed and new officers interested in creating a proffesional professional army was promoted. This was meant to make the army a tool of the authorities, always loyal to the government. Among other things, a new General Staff was created after German model and units were trained in Germany.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST18333;Nationalism was on the rise in Brazil in the end of the 19th century. There had never been a national economy in Brazil, as each state exported it's own specialty product to Europe and North Ameria America and land transportation systems simple did not exists (except mule caravans). However the states were drawn closer together with the creation of telegraphs and the rising nationalism. Nationalism rose because of several reasons, Brazil gained Latin America's first cardinalate, cardinalate(sp?), it hosted the Third Pan-American Conference, the Washington legation was upgraded to an embassy and purchased two of the world's largest dreadnaughts dreadnoughts to the navy, all things contributing to a higher level of pride of the homeland.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST18334;(What-if) Emperor Pedro began his rule by cutting his own salary and selling most of the royal horses and mules. He intended to create a liberal empire and issued decrees banishing torture, seizure of private property and eliminating the royal salt tax. However the selfish forces in the parliament continously continuously counteracted his plans of reforms. However, after the violence caused by the happening of 1831, Pedro dismissed the cabinet and made sure that young liberals supporting his ideas gained positions in the cabinet. Though a minority, they could at least drive through small reforms and laws limiting the power of the landlords, and dividing royal land to freemen. The liberal empire Pedro dreamt about could never become reality though, as the power of the elite was too overwhelming and the hierachical hierarchical structure of society to rooted.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST18336;In 1876 smugglers brought rubber tree seeds to England, despite the Brazilian restrictions. The seeds were sent to Ceylon, the Malay area and Java, thus beginning the huge South East Asian rubber production. The Amazonian rubber dimished diminished in importance.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST18913;The revolt year of 1848 did not go unnoticed in Germany. In March 1848 a liberal reovolution revolution swept through the German states and a parliament in Frankfurt was created with the purpose of uniting Germany. As head of a united Germany the Archduke of Austria was chosen, but as things turned out this did not happen. The liberal parliament of the states offered the crown to Frederick Wilhelm of Prussia, but he refused. After his denial the parliament was dissolved. Afterwards, Frederick himself tried unsuccesfully unsuccessfully to create a union scheme.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST18984;The revolt year of 1848 did not go unnoticed in Germany. In March 1848 a liberal reovolution revolution swept through the German states and a parliament in Frankfurt was created with the purpose of uniting Germany. As head of a united Germany the Archduke of Austria was chosen, but as things turned out this did not happen. The liberal parliament of the states offered the crown to Frederick Wilhelm of Prussia, but he refused. (what-if from here) After his refusal, the offer was given to Maximilian II of Bavaria, who agreed. However even if Bavaria had grown in size, Maximilian was not recognized as emperor through all of Germany and the failed.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19062;This election represents the pivotal politcal political battle between the mercantilist North, represented by Lincoln, and feudal South, represented by Brackenridge. Lincoln's victory lead to enormous tariff increases, drastic increases in federal power, substancial substantial subsidies to rail-roads and canal companies, and the final word on the fate of the peculiar institution in the territories. His electoral victory enraged the South, and was a major catalyst for the American Civil War.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19082;With the accension accession of James K. Polk to the Presidency, the government of the United States sought territorial expansion in any way possible. In particular, the United States sent its army into the territory contested between Mexico and recently-annexed Texas to provoke a Mexican attack.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19083;With the accension accession of James K. Polk to the Presidency, the government of the United States sought territorial expansion in any way possible. In particular, the United States sent its army into the territory contested between Mexico and recently-annexed Texas to provoke a Mexican attack.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19100;The US Secretary of State, William Seward adamantly demanded the purchase of Alaska from Russia. Even without Presidential authorization, Seward began negotions negotiations of the sale with Russia. In the end, the US purchased the land for $7,200,000. After a gruelling battle with Congress, Seward was able to get the treaty passed, though he became the butt of many jokes due to this purchase.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19121;Brazil did not have a mighy mighty military machine. On the contrary, the Brazilian standing army on one of the smallest in the area - three times smaller than that of the small landlocked country of Paraguay. Military careers were not very coveted by the young either. The fiscal problems of the 1870s slowed down promotion and salaries were frozen. The regular soldiers were considered the scum of society, which didn't make things better. The war cabinet demanded reform, like better equipment and obligatory military service, but the parliament was not interested in the military. When the war heroes the duke of Caxias and Marshal Osório died in the later part of the 1870s, the officer corps were filled with people not very committed to the throne. It did not look well for the military.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19122;In 1870 the republicans had manifested that 'We are in America and we want to be Americans', meaning that Brazil was the only monarchy in the Americas and that they demanded change. Not until two decades later it happened though, and it happened by mere accident. Field Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca intended to remove the cabinet, but instead he was manipulated to proclaim a republic. Pedro II was deposed and Fonseca elected president. Even though the regime wanted to associate itself with an offsprin offspring to the French and American revolutions, it was not - while most of the countries in Europe and the United States and neighbouring Argentina were expanding suffrage, Brazil limited it to less than 2% of the population. Anyhow, the United States of Brazil was declared, the provinces were renamed to states and a federation of the semi-autonomous states were formed.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19123;The Constitution of 1891 was drewn drawn up by the Constituent Assembly. Radical authoritarians, known as Jacobins, who opposed the oligarchy of the plantage plantation owners wanted to strenghten strengthen the presidential powers, while others wanted to limit the already dictatorial mandate of the president. A bicameral National Congress and a judiciary were created, but for at least a decade, the true power remained in the hand of the local potentates. Article 14 regarded the military and was of special importance. The article declared the army and the navy permanent national institutions and was given the moderating powers earlier possessed by the emperor. The article made the officers the only constitutionally mandated elite in Brazil.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19124;(What-if) After the unsuccesful unsuccessful coup d'etat in 1889 the republicans continued with their demands of a republic and the new empress Isabel, who had succeded succeeded Pedro II in 1891, carried through a new constitution in 1895 that limited the powers of the monarch to a seat in the parliament, giving up the moderating powers guaranteed in the constitution of 1824. Also, the authority was decentralized and the provinces gained greater autonomy. The ruling elite settled with this, they had not been demanding a republic of ideological reasons, but because the centralized powers of the monarch run counter to their desires of local governments.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19162;The revolt in Wallachia in June 1848 was far more succesful successful than the one in Iassy, Moldavia, a month eariler. earlier. The reason was that it was better planned. A group of revolters spread out over the province and started different uprisings at the same time. Facing a widespread rebellion, the ruling prince fled Bucarest, but before that the agreed to grant a new consitution. constitution. However, a combined Ottoman-Russian army marched to Bucarest the same autumn and put down the revolution.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19251;The Aristocratic Republic began with the popular 'Revolution of 1895', which was led by the charismatic and irrepressible José Nicolás de Piérola (1895-99). He overthrew the dictarorial dictatorial Cáceres, who had gained the presidency in 1894. The period 1895-1914 became known as the 'Aristocratic Republic', during which Peru was not only stable but also had a rapid economical growth and political and social reforms. The Civilista party held office up to the Great War, and kept it by manipulating the election results. The Civilistas were the architects of the new Peruvian republic. The administration was modernized, the Indian tributes reabolished, reabolished(sp?), the mining properties were bought back from their foreign owners and devloped developed into modern industrial complexes. Industry was developed and the peasants migrated to the cities to create a new proletariat. Educational facilities and railroad was improved, and Peru entered a new period in its history.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19279;In the beginning of the 19th century, British merchants smuggled opium ot to China to balance the tea import. The Chinese prohibitions of opium import led to confiscating and destruction of a large quantity of opium smuggled by British merchants. The British answered with by sending gunboats attacking Chinese ports. The Chinese had no chance in withstanding the moderna modern arms and was forced to open it's harbours for the British, and ceded Hong Kong to Britain.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19284;By the 1850s, London was the world's greatest city, the fast growing heart of a fast growing empire. As with all cities, this caused problems. Not the least of these was that there was at best an imformal informal sanitation network. While things were better than the days when waste was thrown onto the streets, cesspits were served by rivers that over time had been covered and turned into primitive sewers, such as the Fleet and Holborne. These fed straight into the Thames, the primary watersource water source for Londoners. While debate raged over whether cholera was a waterborne disease or not, four outbreaks in the first half of the century killed thousands. In 1858, the hot summer made the smell literally unbearable. Some rich families fled the city, while parliament hung curtains soaked in chlorine over the windows to mask the smell. The time had come for action. The answer was presented by Joeseph Bazalgette, Chief Engineer to the Metropolitan Commission for Sewers. His plan dictated for a mass program to sanitise the city. Eventually 13,000 miles of sewers linked up to filtering plants and holding tanks. Meanwhile the banks of the Thames were shored up, creating the embankments that became centres of social life.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19285;As patronage declined in the choice of crown servants, a meritocratic body of civil servants took their place. The proposals set out in the Northcote Trevelyan report took many decades to fully implement, but recommended selection by examination, promotion based on ability and a single, unified, standardised service of minesterial ministerial advisors and helpers. The Civil Service commission was set up in 1855 to oversee recruitment, and competitive examination was introduced in 1870. The report marked the begining beginning of a true Civil Service, which would serve as a model for others worldwide right up to the present day.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19286;As trade with the Far East intensified, the settlement at Singapore grew. From a few hundred souls when the lease was arranged, it rapidly became a global trading hub. Immigrants, mostly Chinese, flocked to the city to make their fortunes, bringing with them their cultures and traditions. Meanwhile, the rubber plantations of the port's hinterland and improved communictions communications via the Suez canal led to a period of sustained growth, both in wealth and population.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19408;Formed by skilled workers: members pay a weekly subscription and in return are paied paid sickness and old age benifits. benefits. These skilled workers are well paid. These unions aim to work with and not against the employers.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19411;Following EVENTHIST19411;"Following the Matchmakers Strike of 1888 London dockers staged a strike on the working conditions at the docks. The strike itself parylised paralyzed the docks. But the dockers thenselfs themselves suffered great hardship. But many were on their side like major newspapers such as "The Times" ""The Times"" After 4 weeks obitter obitter(sp?) struggle the employers agreed to almost all of the dockers demands.;;;;;;;;;;X demands.";;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19412;In 1900 London was regarded as the greatest city in the world. It was certainly the largest. In 1801 1 million people lived their by 1901 7 million lived their. London was also the heart of the British Empire, the largest Empire ever. Many people thought London represented the pinacle pinnacle of human achievement and everything was best about life. It was said at the time, if your bored of London then your bored of life.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19471;(What-if) After the unsuccesful unsuccessful coup d'etat in 1889 the republicans continued with their demands of a republic and the new empress Isabel, who had succeded succeeded Pedro II in 1891, carried through a new constitution in 1895 that limited the powers of the monarch to a seat in the parliament. Also, the authority was decentralized and the provinces gained greater autonomy. The ruling elite settled with this, they had not been demanding a republic of ideological reasons, but because the centralized powers of the monarch run counter to their desires of local governments.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19472;After the constitution of 1891, dictatorial president Deodoro da Fonseca had difficulties sharing his powers with the Congress and thus dissolved it in imperial manners in November 1891. This provoked rebellions and he resigned in faovr favour of his vice president, Peixoto. Peixoto, known as the iron marshal, ousted all governors that had supported Deodoro. This caused the outbreak of a bloody civil war. Liberal monarchists were pitched against the republicans who gained privat private support from the United States. Both sides acted atrociously, and the war became known as the cruelest in Brazil's history.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19502;Charles X and the ultraroyalists in his government attemped attempted to restore the ancien ancient régime, which provoked the middle and lower classes wanting more power in the government. Liberal journalists supported by the bourgeois opposed the government, an opposition which reached its peak when Charles dissolved the chamber. The new elections held in July 1830 resulted in an even larger oppsition opposition majority. Charles and the chief minister Polignac answered with establishing rigid press control, dissolving the new chamber and reducing the electorate. The result was barricades on the streets. Charles X abdicated and the duke of Orléans was elected king, as Louis Philippe.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19504;Guizot began a legal career in 1805 which he abandoned quite quickly and began a literery literary work and soon became a proffessor professor at the University of Paris. His friendship with the statesman Royer-Collard and his moderate royalist sympathies drove him into the politics and later the July Revolution. In 1840 he became the chief power in the ministry and his leadership provided a stable government.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19507;Dissatisfaction with the rulers grew within the lower classes during the reign of Louis Philippe and his reactionary policy carried out by Guizot. The economic crisis of 1846-47 did not make the discontended discontented happier. On the 23rd of February 1848 government troops fired at demonstrants demonstrators and street fighting began. The following day the king abdicated. As the different groops groups could not coordinate their goals, as bourgeois revolutionaries could not agree with the radicals etc, made the revolution fail. A provisional government was created and a republic proclaimed, but the reforms that was made to appease the workers and other revolters did virtually nothing. The happenings of February 1848 turned the revolutionary flare through all of Europe, but also there, most revolutions failed.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19510;As the nephew of Napoléon I, Louis Napoleon had a great political advantage in his name. He was chosen to become president of the Second Republic after the revolution of 1848, but the constution constitution only allowed him to sit one term. Vaguely promising support to various different groups his position grew stronger, also because of that his name evoked dreams of the glory of France. In 1851 a constitutional amendment made sure he could sit as president longer than one term and on the summer the same year he began planning a coup. Largely engineered by his half-brother the duc de Morny, the coup of December 1851 was highly succesful. successful. The assembly was dissolved, universal suffrage granted and the constitution was put in revisioning. A plebiscite was created, where the majority was controlled by Morny. The following year, on the behalf of the plebiscite, Louis Napoleon became Napoleon III, emperor of the French.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19511;After loosing popularity, emperor Napoleon III initiated more liberal politics. The powers of the assembly was widened and many restriction on civil liberties was lifted. Outstanding politicians like Favre, Ollivier (who wrote l'Empire libéral) and Thiers figurated figurated(sp?) during the time of the Liberal Empire.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19513;After putting Viet Nam under French control, the French consul general in Bangkok notified the Siamese that the French were about to open a consulate in the Siamese vassal state Luang Prabang under the conditions of the French-Siamese Friendship treaty of 1856. The Vietnamese and Siamese had long been squabbling over the banks of Mekong, and acceding to a colonial lobby campaign, the French sent armed forces to Luang Prabang to remove all Siamese outposts. The French gave an ultimatum to the Siamese to give upp up all claims of the the left banks of the river and acknowledged the Vietnamese/Frenech claims of those areas.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19515;After putting Viet Nam under French control, the French consul general in Bangkok notified the Siamese that the French were about to open a consulate in the Siamese vassal state Luang Prabang. The Vietnamese and Siamese had long been squabbling over the banks of Mekong, and acceding to a colonial lobby campaign, the French sent armed forces to Luang Prabang to remove all Siamese outposts. The French gave an ultimatum to the Siamese to give upp up all claims of the the left banks of the river and acknowledged the Vietnamese/Frenech claims of those areas.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19641;Te Kooti Arikirangi te Turuki was a major Maori rebel leader in in the mid 19th century. When imprisoned on the Chatham Islands, he once received a religious vision. In that vision, the archangel Michael told him to found a new religion for his people, the Church of Ringatu (meaning 'the upraised hand'). Te Kootki was in his earlier years a supporter of the British crown and was educated at the mission school at Whakato and een een(sp?) a lay leader of the Anglican church. In the beginning of the conflict between settlers and Maori in the beginning of the 1860s he fought for the government, but in 1866 he was falsely accused for treason an imprisoned. During his time in prison, he had the vision and founded the church. In 1868 he fled, and began to take revenge on the Europeans...;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19701;Whatever noble intentions al-Hajj Umar may have had, many of his followers seemed more concerned about creating fortunes for themselves instead of converting the subject to the one true faith. Many of the followers commited committed crimes, unacceptable injustice towards the people in the conquered areas.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19705;In 1864 al-Hajj Umar was killed in a skirmish with revolters. His empire was after his death divided amon among his sons and commanders. His eldest sun, Amadou Tal was installed in Segou and from there he tried to retake all the land of his father's empire. Through a series of civil wars against his brothers and his father's old commanders he tried, but failed.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19709;Ahmedu Seku inherited a realm with serious internal problems. To secure the internal order, he disbanded parts of his army and increase his reliance on the loyalty of the subject peoples. However his policies failed utterly. The Tukulor people themselves saw this as a threat to their own privilegies privileges and he failed to win the loyalty of the subject peoples.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19931;The politician Kharilaos Trikoupis began to address the problem of gridlock in 1869. After Trikoupis wrote a newspaper article identifying the king's toleration of minortiy minority governments in 1874, the writer was arrested for treason.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19932;The king agreed that a government could be formed only by the leader of the strongest party in parliament. If no party could obtain the pledged support of a plurality, then the king would dissolve the parliament and call for a general election. The result of this reform was a relatively stable twenty-five-year period at the end of the century, in which only seven general elections were held.Trikoupis and his arch-rival Theodoros Delyannis were the dominant political figures of the last quarter of the nineteenth century - Trikoupis the Westernizer and modernizer, Deliyanis the traditionalist and strong advocate of irredentism. Trikoupis saw Greece as needing to develop economically, become more liberal socially, and develop its military strength in order to become a truly 'modern' state. During his terms as prime minister in the 1880s, altogether seven terms, interspersed with the three of Deliyannis's five terms, Trikoupis made major economic and social reforms that pushed Greece significantly to develop in these ways.Trikoupis emphasized expansion of Greece's export sector and its chief support elements - the transportation network and agricultural cultivation. In the last decades of the 1800s, agricultural reforms, which were only moderately successful, aimed at increasing the purchasing power of the rural population as well as fostering large estates that could improve Greece's chronic balance of payments deficit. However, land-allotment patterns failed to raise most peasants above the level of subsistence farming, and foreclosures of peasant properties created large estates whose single-crop contributions made the Greek agricultural export structure quite fragile. Between 1875 and 1895, steamship tonnage under Greek ownership rose by a factor of about sixteen. Industrialization, especially textile production, also developed under the paternal eye of the Trikoupis government. Between 1875 and 1900, the steam horsepower of Greek plants increased by over 250 percent. In addition, by greatly expanding public education, Trikoupis fostered a new cultural climate that drew on Western trends in dress, architecture, art, and manners. The only engine to drive such reform programs was extensive foriegn foreign loans.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19934;No one was more aware of political corruption and military weakness, or more susceptible to patriotic embarassement, embarrassment, than the officers in the Greek army. In July 1909, 1300 junior officers organized themselves as the 'Military League' and drew up a petition asking for financial and tax reforms, to be used to pay for expansion and improvement of the military. King George installed a ministry that promised reform, but within a few days the new prime minister, the unremarkable Mavromichalis, went back on his pledge, and installed the usual cronies in key posts. The officers' protest seemed to have become an excuse for the usual factional politics. Mavromichalis then began court martial proceedings against the Military League's leaders, and refused to meet with a delegation of officers.In response, the Athens garrison marched to the suburb of Ghoudi, then threatened to occupy the capital to enforce demands for reforms and amnesty. The small craft guilds of the city came out in favor of the league, which was also calling for lower taxes. Another reform ministry took power but this time the Military League placed the government on notice: unless specified laws were passed, the League would assume power as a military dictatorship. The measures were promptly passed.As in Serbia in 1903, a dangerous precedent had been set: the civilian government now functioned at the mercy of junior officers in the army. In the next months, the Military League forced some civilian officials and ambassadors out of office, repressed a mutiny by naval personnel who wanted a share of the power seized by the army, and forced the legislature to pass a list of economic bills, many of which were unworkable. Lower taxes, for example, could not be reconciled with demands to spend more on the military.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19935;Eleutherios Venizelos was the most influential Greek politician of the first half of the twentieth century, and he left a permanent mark on the country's social and economic life. A Cretan lawyer with a brilliant intellect, Venizelos worked tirelessly for reunification of Crete with Greece in the 1890s then he burst into national politics when the leaders of the Ghoudi coup, conducted in 1909 by disaffected military officers, chose him to direct a new civilian government away from the military and financial disasters of the 1890s. The first years of the 1900s witnessed mass demonstrations against social conditions and a chaotic upheaval of new political factions, but no strong party or leader emerged. Venixelos became leader of the new Liberal Party, which drew support from nationalist professionals, workers, and merchants and tried to fill the needs of all those classes. In 1910 and in 1912, the Liberal Party won two national elections, making Venizelos prime minister and passing reform legislation at a frantic pace. New state bureacracies bureaucracies were established, and the powers of the governmental branches were substantially reworked by constitutional amendment. Social laws established workers' rights and simplified taxes while Venizelos built military support by expanding and reequipping the army. The first years of Venizelos's power stabilized Greece's finances and stemmed the massive social unrest that had promised major upheaval.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19954;In April 1847, after a mob attack upon some Englishmen at Fatshan, near Guangzhou, General D'Aguilar stormed the Bogue Forts, blew up a powder magazine and destroyed a number of cannon. Qiying, the High Commissioner appointed by the Emperor to deal with foreign affairs at Guangzhou, then agreed that the British should have a larger area in which to reside, and should be allowed to enter Guangzhou. This did not sit well with the Guangzhou residents, who deeply despised the unruly English. In December 1847, six young Englishmen were mudered murdered near Guangzhou. Qiying punished the offenders promptly and severely several were beheaded in the presence of British officials. The emperor was not happy at Qiying's actions and was reprimanded for being over-friendly towards foreigners. Xu Guangjin, a man who was just as anti-foreign as the Chinese court, as recommended by government officials to take Qiying's place.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19955;In 1851, the Yellow River breached the north embankment near Kaifengfu in Honan and caused great devastation over the countryside. It required some fifteen or more years to repair damages from this outbreak, and to confine the stream by new embankments. After that there was for a time comparative immunity from inundations, inundation, but in 1882 fresh outbursts again began. The most serious of all took place in 1887, when it appeared probable that there would be again a permanent change in the river's course. By dint of great exertions, however, the government succeeded in closing the breach, though not till January 1889, and not until there had been immense destruction of life and property. These disasters were indication to the Chinese people that the Manchurians were losing the Mandate of Heaven, the right to rule and govern China.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19980;Empress Dowager Cixi was born in 1835 in Lu'an Prefecture of Shanxi Province. She was of Manchurian nationality and her father was a provincial governor from South China. When she was 17 years old, she was selected to become a concubine of Emperor Xianfeng and moved into the Forbidden City. She gave birth to a son named Tong Zhi when she was 21 years old and was made a concubine the following year. She was one of the eight regents named by the emperor to rule during Tong Zhi's youth. For he was only 5 years old when he took the throne. The other seven regents could have removed her from power but she had allies. With the support of Jung Lu and his banner men, revoultionary eunichs, revolutionary eunuchs, the empress seized control of the government. The Empress Dowager was afraid that and westernization of the government would reduce her power in court. As a result, she made every effort to stop the westernization of China.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19985;A mob of anti-Christian Chinese appeared before the Sisters of Mercy Orphanage. Hearing false rumours about Catholics tearing out the eyes of children, and kidnappings, the mob was very angry and wanted Christian out of China. Many Chinese appeared before the French Consulate also. Shortly before they appeared, the French Consul, excited and angry, had fired his pistol in the presence of a Chinese official. The mob, enraged, burnt down the orphange orphanage and church and murdered the Consul. Twelve missionaries, several other foreigners and a number of Chinese servants emploted employed at the orphange orphanage were also killed. The Tianjin Massacre marked a return by the Western powers to gunboat diplomacy, happily abandoned for some years past. French, British and American warships proceeded to Dagu to demand compensation and apology.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19986;Many new factories were established in the last decade of the 19th century. Under official patronage and with the investment of high officials, new industrial works were founded in many big cities in the country. In 1879, Zuo Zengtang established a weaving works of woolen goods in Gansu. In 1882, Li Hungzhang started a cotten cotton weaving factory in Shanghai. In 1890, Zhang Zhidong founded the Hanyehping Iron and Steel Works. In 1893, Chang established in Wuchang, Hankow, Hanyang many cotton mills, weaving works, silk mills, tanneries and other factories. Li Hungzhang, Zuo Zengtang and Liu Mingzhuan memorialized to the Emperor urging the building of railways.The first telegraph line was built in 1881, connecting Tianjin and Shanghai. Later it was extended to Beijing. By 1896, the Imperial Post for mail for all China was established. A dockyard was also built at Port Arthur from 1881 to 1891.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST19997;After the Sino-French war over Annam, relations between the Chinese and the French plummeted. Further misunderstandings, particularly border disputes, led to histilities, hostilities, though neither side declared war. Zuo Zengtang's arsenal and the shipyard at Fuzhou were destroyed by the French, who also threatened Taiwan. The Chinese had some success in engagements in Indo-China. Both sides probably realised the futility of the undeclared war. The French, with the exception of their Prime Minister, had shown little enthusiasm for the venture. Negotiations conducted by Li Hungzhang and Sir Robert Hart resulted in the signing of the Convention of Tianjin and hostilities ended.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST20002;With a raising frequency, foreign warships and whaling vessels passed through Japanese waters. The Japanese answered by strenghtening strengthening the coastal defences, and artillery batteries were placed along the coasts.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST20015;As early as 1862, a division of musketeers equipped with Russian firearms was organised with Yung Lu as one of the commanders. After 1871, German officers, because of their exemplary performance in the Franco-Prussian War, were appointed to train the new provincial forces by Li Hungzhang and Zhang Zhidong. In 1876, seven army army officers were sent to Germany for further training. By 1885, Li Hungzhang founded a Military Academy in Tianjin. As to the building of the navy, an unsuccesful unsuccessful attempt was first made in 1863, when Horatio Nelson Lay, head of the Imperial Maritime Customs, bought seven vessels for the Chinese Empire. Disagreement about putting command of the small fleet in the hands of Imperial or provincial government resulted at its disbandment disbanding and return to the sellers. In 1875, students of the Fuzhou shipyard were sent to France for further training while Li Hungzhang was planning to buy naval vessels. By 1880, a Naval Academy was established in Tianjin.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST20016;There was a division of opinion between the Dowager Empress and her nephew, Emperor Guangxu. The people of Beijing, gossiping of palace affairs, joked about 'the two sets' - the Old Mother Set and the Young Lad Set, the Dowager's Party and the Emperor's Party. The former group, consisteing consisting largely of Manchus and northern Chinese was reactionary. The Young Lad set numbered among many southern Chinese. These men, whose contacts with the west were relatively long and close, sincerely invested in reform. In June 1898, Kang Youwei, a Cantonese, after sending various memorials to the throne, was granted an audience with the emperor. Though a monarchist, Kang held advanced ideas he spoke of the necessity for educational change in China, whose existence, because of its inefficient scholar-administrators, was threatened. The emperor was moved by his speech.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST20034;More than 200 missionaries and 50 foreign children were murdered. Most horrible was the slaughter in a single day at Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi province, of 45 missionaries and a number of native converts - by order of the Governor, You Xian. The uprising also caused the deaths of many thousands of converts and harmless peasants and, of course, of many Boxers. The terms of the Boxer Protocol or settlement were finally agreed upon in September 1901. China's humilitaion humiliation was great. China was not to import arms or ammunition for a period of at least two years. The Legation Quarter in Beijing was to be permanently guarded by foreign troops. Edicts decreeing the death penalty for membership of any anti-foreign society were to be displayed in all cities. Certain further rights were to be enjoyed by the allied powers. Finally, an indemnity of 450 million taels was to be paid by China over a period of years.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST20108;With the Americans firmly in control, the Hawaiian government petitioned the US to annex Hawaii. Because the US President Cleavleand Cleveland did not recoganize recognize the authority of the provisional government in Hawaii, the treaty of annexation did not pass until McKinley took power in Washington.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST20112;Due to the bloody struggle, the Phillippine Insurrection ended, although rebellions intermitantly intermittently popped up in the American territory.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST20131;The US Secretary of State, William Seward adamantly demanded the purchase of Alaska from Russia. Even without Presidential authorization, Seward began negotions negotiations of the sale with Russia. In the end, the US purchased the land for $7,200,000. After a gruelling battle with Congress, Seward was able to get the treaty passed, though he became the butt of many jokes due to this purchase.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST20201;After the Juarez narrowly won his re-election in 1867, one of his two main opponents, Porfirio Diaz, raised the banner of rebellion with accuastions accusations of election. Ironically, given his later political career, one of his main grievances was the fact that Juarez ran a second term. Diaz's rebellion was rapidly crushed, and he went into hiding.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST20212;Mexico has repayed repaid its debts to France!;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST20213;After Mexico declared a debt moratorium, France, Britain, and Spain launched an invasion. After Britian Britain and Spain learned of French designs to place a puppet ruler as Emperor of Mexico, they dropped out of the war. With only the French left, conservatives supported French rule under a cousin of Napoleon III, Maximilian, while liberals supported national sovereignty. The ensuing war drained French finances.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST20214;After Mexico declared a debt moratorium, France, Britain, and Spain launched an invasion. After Britian Britain and Spain learned of French designs to place a puppet ruler as Emperor of Mexico, they dropped out of the war. With only the French left, conservatives supported French rule under a cousin of Napoleon III, Maximilian, while liberals supported national sovereignty.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST20215;With the destruction of the Mexican Empire, its southern provinces rebelled and formed their own country, the United Provicnes Provinces of Central America.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST20221;Noah Webster was an American lexicographer and philologist who wrote several books that help standardize and define the American English language. HisGrammatical Institute of the English Language, in threeparts-speller, grammar, and reader (1783-85)-was the first of thebooks the books that made him for many years the chief American authority on English. Webster's efforts contributed to passage of a national copyright law (1790). The first part, the Elementary Spelling Book, helped standardize American spelling. His Compendious Dictionary (1806) was followed by his greatest work, The American Dictionary of the English Language (1812) 12,000 of its 70,000 words had not appeared in such a work before. He completed the 1840 revision through many revisions since then the dictionary has retained its popularity.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST20223;Nat Turner an African-American slave and revolutionary belived believed himself divinely appointed to lead his fellow slaves to freedom, he commanded about 60 followers in a revolt (1831) that killed 55 whites. Although the so-called Southampton Insurrection was quickly crushed and Turner was caught and hanged six weeks later, it was the most serious uprising in the history of U.S. slavery and virtually ended the organized abolition movement in the South.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST20227;The EVENTHIST20227;"The Seneca Falls Convention, held in Seneca Falls, New York, on July 19-20, 1848, was the first public political meeting in the United States dealing with women's rights. It issued the "Seneca ""Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments" Sentiments"" (modeled on the Declaration of Independence), enumerating the ways in which men had oppressed American women. It was organized by was organized by Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.;;;;;;;;;;X Stanton.";;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST20228;Know-Nothing movement was a U.S. political movement in the mid-19th Century. Started as a reaction to the increased immigration of the 1840s of Roman Catholics in the Eastern cities. As a result local nativist societies were formed to combat foreign influences and uphold what they saw as the American view. The movement started a national party in 1854 known as the Native American party. Many secret orders also sprang up, and when outsiders made inquiries of supposed members, they were met with a statement that the person knew nothing hence members were called Know-Nothings. The Know-Nothings sought to elect only native Americans to office and to require 25 years of residence for citizenship. The party's strenght strength was broken by 1856 over the issue of slavery.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST20229;Inveted EVENTHIST20229;Invented the Bessemer process, the industrial process for the manufacture of steel from molten pig iron. The process is carried out in a large steel container called the Bessemer converter which makes it possible to mass-produce low-cost steel, spurring industrialization.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST20230;Fredrick EVENTHIST20230;Frederick Douglass, an American abolitionist who Escaping from slavery in 1838, he took the name Douglass from Sir Walter Scott's Lady of the Lake. In 1845 he published his Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and in 1847, after English friends had purchased his freedom, he established the North Star (Rochester, N.Y.), which he edited for 17 years, advocating abolition through political activism. During the Civil War he urged African Americans to join the Union ranks and was an advisor to President Lincoln.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST20231;Black EVENTHIST20231;"Black Friday of 1969 was the first day of financial panic to have this name. To corner the gold market, speculators, including Jay Gould and James Fisk, sought the support of federal officials of the Grant administration. The attempt failed when government gold was released for sale. The drive ended on a Friday, when thousands were ruined.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST20232;The ruined.";;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST20232;"The first Klan flourished during the Reconstruction era and was all but exclusively southern in its membership and concerns. Its objective was to perpetuate white supremacy following emancipation and the conferral of civil and political rights on blacks. It was founded at Pulaski, Tennessee, in 1866 as a social fraternity, but rapidly became a local regulator or vigilante organization similar to others at the time. By 1868 the Klan emerged as a terrorist group dedicated to defeating the Republican party and keeping blacks in "their place" ""their place"" socially and economically. The group was crushed by the federal government in 1871-72 and would not be signifigant significant again until the 1910's.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST20233;Thomas 1910's.";;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST20233;"Thomas Edison made a lasting mark on the daily lives of Americans by what he did and on their minds by the way he did it. As a boy in Milan, Ohio who had lost most of his hearing and had only a fragmentary formal education, he first made money selling candy and newspapers to railroad passengers. Later, chiefly do to his fascination with electricity, he became a journeyman telegrapher where he moved from job to job. In 1868 he arrived in Boston, the de facto capital of American science and technology, where he turned full-timeinventor. full-time inventor. There we woked worked in the electrical shop of Charles William along with Alexander Bell. In 1869 he moved to New York to seek greater oppertunities, opportunities, and in 1876 opened his own shop in Menlo Park. The 1860's and 70's were the peak of his inventing career with such inventions as the quadruplex telegraph, carbon-button telephone transmitter, phonograph, electric light, and system of electrical generation and distribution. In the 1880's he helped developed motion pictures. Even after more than half a century after his death, his image remains incandescent in the public's memory.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST20234;Alexander memory.";;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST20234;"Alexander Graham Bell was a Scottish-American scientist, and most known as the inventor of the telephone. For many years he studied and experimented in the area of teaching the deaf to speak, conducting his own school of vocal physiology in Boston. As early as 1865 he conceived the idea of transmitting speech by electric waves, and in 1876 he perfected and demonstrated the first telephone apparatus. In addition under Bell's influence the magazine Science was founded (1880) his patronage of scientists, interested in aviation resulted in the development of the hydrofoil.;;;;;;;;;;X hydrofoil.";;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST20237;A EVENTHIST20237;"A Skyscraper, which is modern building of great height, constructed on a steel skeleton, its constuction construction was the result of many late 19th century technological developments. The first fully steel-frame building was the Home Insurance Building in Chicago (1883), designed by William Jenney. Chicago subsequently became the center of skyscraper development. Early New York City examples include the Flatiron Building (1902) and Cass Gilbert's Woolworth Building (1913), which epitomized, with its Gothic ornamentation, the adaptation of earlier styles to modern construction.;;;;;;;;;;X construction.";;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST20238;Wilbur & Orville Wright were aviaton aviation pioneers of the earlt early 20th century. Financing their flying machine experiments solely from the profits of their joint business enterprises. Between 1899 and 1905, Wilbur and Orville constructed seven aircraft. The first was a kite, followed by three gliders. The disappointing performence performance of the gliders lead to key wind tunnel experiments in 1901. These test, coupled with their glideing gliding experience lead to the powered, sustained, and controlled flights with a heavier-than-air flying machine at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903. By 1905 they manage to go from the marginal flying machine into the world's first practical airplane. In 1908 they became famous for their public demonstrations of flight. Their invention would revolutionize travel and war from the 1930's onward.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST20239;Henry Ford is best known as a pioneer automobile manufacturer and industrialist. While working as a machinist and engineer with the Edison Co., in his spare time he built (1896) his first automobile. In 1903 he organized the Ford Motor Co. By cutting production costs, controlling raw materials and distribution, adapting the assembly line to automobiles. In 1908 he introduced an inexpensive, standardized car, the Model T, which sold over 15 millions cars before the model was discontinued in 1928. Because of these pratcies practices Ford became the largest automobile producer in the world.;;;;;;;;;;X EVENTHIST20311;Habibullah succeded succeeded his father Abdur Rahman in 1901. His mother was a slave, and his brothers with a more distinguished mother sought the throne. However, Abdur Rahman had sown shown support for his son in the army, and by the virtue of that, Habibullah could remain on the throne. During his reign, religious leaders gained power, but also Mahmoud Beg Tarzi, a highly educated poet and journalist. Tarzi chad reated a newspaper with Adbur's agreement, and in that he opposed the clerical critiscism of the Western-influenced changes in government and demanded new reforms.;;;;;;;;;;X ## ## ##;;;;;;;;;;; ##;;;;;;;;;;;