Western Civ. Test III

Question 1

What are the three central tenets of the Declarations of the Rights of Man?

Answer 1

• Declared natural rights
• Declared freedom of speech, religious toleration, and liberty of the press to be inviolable
• Private property
• Liberty, security, and resistance to oppression
• Equality before the law

Question 2

Why was the Committee on Public Safety formed?

Answer 2

By 1794, it was not going well.
Externally: European nations combined to “restore order” in France
Internally: Food shortages crippled the nation
The revolution was grinding to a halt

Question 3

Why was the Declaration of the Rights of Man considered to be such an important document in modern history?

Answer 3

Cornerstone for future republics. Reformed society and was revolutionary in theory.

Question 4

What did the committee on public safety advocate?

Answer 4

To assume dictatorial powers, which suspended the constitution and reorganized to include new blood.

Question 5

What did the Committee on Public Safety advocate?

Answer 5

To drink the blood of the enemies of humanity and punish not only traitors, but even the indifferent.

Question 6

Why did Robespierre advocate the reign of terror?

Answer 6

Reform was taking too long which required eliminating those that oppose the revolution.

Question 7

Why was Robespierre executed?

Answer 7

He was too radical. Wanted to redistribute wealth and eliminate private property.

Question 8

How did Robespierre’s execution pave the way for Napoleon?

Answer 8

Conservatives regained power but there was fear of the revolution being crushed. Peasants were still in poverty and voting rights were restricted to property owners. There was talk of returning to a monarchy.

Question 9

What were three colossal mistakes that Napoleon made?

Answer 9

First, he crowned himself as emperor.
Second, his rivalry with England.
Third, can’t win the sea.

Question 10

Why did Napoleon attempt to take Russia?

Answer 10

Can’t win the sea so attempts to continue to win on land. Beats Russia in Borodino, but after waiting in Moscow, Russians burn it down. 500,000 soldiers freeze to death in retreat. Napoleon is exiled in Elba.

Question 11

Discuss the two central objectives of the Congress of Vienna after the Napoleonic era.

Answer 11

Legitimacy and Balance of power.

• European states were returned to their own legitimacy.
• Distributed achievements to victorious states.

-Removed all hopes for the rights of man. No country should be as powerful as France.

Question 12

Please examine four of the industrial revolutions major attributes and their implications.

Answer 12

• Replacement of human and animal muscle by machine driven by power from mineral sources.
• Centralization of production in march larger units.
• Increase specialization - Assembly lines
• Parts standardization. Leads to mass production of parts, ends special crafters.

Question 13

What are four reasons the industrial revolution began in Britain?

Answer 13

• Abundant supply of cheap labor (massive unemployment rate)
• Abundance of natural resources (British empire had it all)
• Availability of capital and sound banking structure
• Revolution in British agriculture (one farmer can feed much more people)
• Infrastructure (Britain owned half the worlds ocean-going ships and contained half the worlds railway)

Question 14

How did the notion of laissez-faire

play a role in Britain’s rise in stature?

Answer 14

Government was very sympathetic to big business. The mass of legislation that protects workers today did not exist.

Question 15

Discuss the poor and the disease, sanitation, food, drink, and the working conditions.

Answer 15

Housing: Disease was a physical manifestation. 19th century Europe was plagued with regular and massive outbreaks of cholera and typhoid fever and dysentery.
Food: In the case of meat, not how much the lower classes got, but its quality (no refrigeration)
Drink: Substituted malt with strychnine to make beer cheaper. Causes serious mental health issues.

Question 16

Explain working conditions for women during the industrial revolution.

Answer 16

20-25% were prostitutes. Lock hospitals for infected women.

Paid less, few options for those that got sick, injured or pregnant. Their role as mothers suffered greatly.

Question 17

Why is German unification considered to be one of the most important
developments in Europe between 1848 and 1914?

Answer 17

They were able to establish themselves, economically, militarily, politically

Question 18

Please examine the concept of

militarism on the eve of World War One.

Answer 18

Most European countries viewed militarism as not only feasible, but necessary. War was anticipated, so most began planning.

Question 19

How did nationalistic militarism manifest itself through a continuing
arms race? Please provide three examples.

Answer 19

Modern artillery (1914)
Rifled guns
Smokeless gunpowder
Machine guns
New types of bullets

Question 20

While the causes of World War I are complex and disputed by various
historians, most will agree that several issues do come into play. Please
examine three areas.

Answer 20

First: Dying empires grasping for power
Second: Network of entangling alliances
Third: nations relished their new found militarism
Fourth: it was about nationalism, particularly in the Balkans where the Serbians, Bosnians and Croatians had been fighting for centuries

Question 21

What event is considered the trigger to WWI?

Answer 21

Assassination on June 28th, 1914 of Archduke Francis Ferdinand, Heir to the Austrian throne, in the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo

Question 22

By 1915, the battlefield in Europe had settled down to siege warfare on an
unprecedented scale. This was made possible largely because of two reasons.

Answer 22

-Modern weapons combined with out-dated military tactics
In total, 10 million soldiers perished, over 6,000/day
-The enormous war-making power of industrial societies
Industrial society vs. industrial society

Question 23

Analyze how propaganda played a role in

keeping morale high on both sides.

Answer 23

Whole societies were now pitted against one another. Civilian casualties are estimated at around 9 million.
While civilians have been targeted throughout history, these were neither so systematic nor broad in their scale.

Question 24

Please discuss the three major flaws contained in the Treaty of Versailles.

Answer 24

• The Allies disagreed on how best to treat Germany
• Germany refused to accept the terms of reparations
• Germany’s refusal to accept the “war-guilt” clause

Question 25

How did these failures influence future events in Europe and the world?

Answer 25

It left a major conflict unresolved and did nothing to address the underlying issue of national militarism.