United States of Enotita

     This was based on Reader's Digest: The Story of the Filipino People - Parts 6 and 7 ( Under the Stars and Stripes  and The Japanese Occupation ) by Milagros C. Guerrero and Ricardo T. Jose.      Now that I think about it, I would call the Spanish occupation "the first storm," the American occupation "the second storm," and the Japanese occupation "the third storm." The "between the storm" parts would be 1898 - 1901 and 1935 - 1941.  Part 1 - The Second Storm (1901 - 1935)     After the Philippine-American War, the United States turned the Philippines into a colony. They gained it in the Treaty of Paris along with Puerto Rico, Cuba, and some other islands. The Americans needed to keep it away from Spain, France, and Germany.      Under Spanish rule, the Filipinos were taught Catholicism. But the Americans were mainly Methodist (a sect of Protestantism). American missionaries were sent to the Philippines, although most ...

     This was based on Reader's Digest: The Story of the Filipino People (Part 3) by Jose S. Arcilla.  Magellan's Early Expeditions and the Way to Asia     There was a man named Ferdinand Magellan. He was born in Portugal to the lower part of the nobility. In 1511, Magellan explored India, Malacca, and Indonesia.      Now, here's the problem. To go to Asia, he would have to go around Africa. In 1492, Christopher Columbus, an Italian explorer working for Spain, explored the Americas. To the Europeans, it was a new continent. Since most explorers knew the world is round, they knew Asia would be on the other side.       From Portugal to Spain     One time, Magellan was fighting the Moors in North Africa. He won, and asked for a raise from King Manuel of Portugal. But the king declined.      Now, to understand this next part, you have to know the rivalry between Spain and Portugal over colonization. Sp...

     Okay. I think I gave you the end before the beginning, because this is about the rise of Austria-Hungary. If you didn't read the last article , that's on the fall of Austria-Hungary. But, I didn't know I would post on this. So, let's go!     Let's look at Austria in 1867. The previous year, they lost a war to Prussia and Italy. After Prussia defeated Austria, the other German states dependent on Austria had an uncertain future. (This would be resolved after the Franco-Prussian War.) But Austria also had an uncertain future. After losing wars, you would generally have a bad economy. Austria was no exception. And Austria already had many ethnicities in their empire. As I said in the last article, Austria had many minorities. In fact, I'll list just some of the most significant minorities in the Austrian Empire: Czechs Slovaks Poles Ukrainians Romanians Hungarians Serbs Croats Slovenes Italians     If this doesn't sound too complicated to you, think ...

     Look at Austria. It's a small, landlocked country not in any major alliance. That's because Austria, like Switzerland, is a neutral country. But it wasn't always like this. Austria used to be a great power. At one time, Austria had an empire so big that it was hard to contain the many ethnicities. (Several peoples, including Hungarians, Romanians, and Serbs lived in the Austrian Empire.) So in 1867, they gave some autonomy to the Hungarians. This created Austria-Hungary. However, in World War I, the Empire joined the Central Powers. As we know, they lost. This ended Austria-Hungary. Both lost significant territory, even majority German and Hungarian lands. Let's check it today on Historical Facts.  Treaty of Saint Germain-en-Laye (Austria/Cisleithania)     This first treaty was for the Austrian (Cisleithanian) part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. (Cisleithania refers to the Austrian part of the empire.) After the war, Austria needed to rebuild. So the ...

     Alright. I know I said that my next post will be on my Visita Iglesia. But don't worry. It's coming soon! Just a few more days.      Anyway, Poland has such a history of being partitioned and annexed. Yet it kept fighting back. Still, they have such a tough history. They only truly gained independence in 1990, a mere 34 years ago. But why is it like this? Why did Poland have to suffer so much? Find out today on Historical Facts.  The First Partition (1772)      From the beginning of the 18th century to the end of World War I, the Russians and Austrians were big rivals. In 1772, it seemed almost inevitable that Russia and Austria would go to war. But to prevent this, Prussia had an idea. They decided to partition Poland among themselves. This marked the beginning of Poland's partitions. Poland was still a large empire in union with Lithuania, known as the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, but this was the beginning of the end for the e...

     Let's be honest. This won't be easy. The Balkan Wars were chaotic and dramatic. You'll soon see why. But we're going to cover it today. Why did each war happen? Let's find out on Historical Facts.  Part 1 - The First Balkan War (1912 - 1913)     By 1912, some non-Turkish people in the Balkans already had their independence. Those states were Montenegro, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece. Despite that, however, the Ottoman Empire was still holding on to some of its Balkan lands. So Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, and Greece formed the Balkan League and declared war on the Ottoman Empire.      Each nation had its own interests, some even clashing with the other interests. Bulgaria wanted Macedonia, Thessaloniki, and Thrace. Greece also wanted Thrace, plus parts of Anatolia. Serbia wanted Macedonia. And while Montenegro wanted some land, I'm not actually sure what that land is called. Anyway, the First Balkan War commenced.    ...

     If you're like me and know history from the ancient world to the present, the term "Macedonia" might sound confusing to you. That's because Macedonia is a region once contested by foreign powers, yet is now also a country. If you don't know what Macedonia (or now, North Macedonia) even is, don't worry. Today, we'll talk about what it is.      If you studied history chronologically, you probably first heard the term "Macedonia" when you studied Alexander the Great. His empire controlled a significant part of Europe and Asia, with its capital at the ancient city of Babylon. However, in 323 BCE, Alexander died, and his empire was split. The Balkan part of the empire became known as the Macedonian dynasty.      Starting in around 170 BCE, the Roman Empire conquered Macedonia. For several years, it was under Roman rule. However, the Ottoman Empire conquered Macedonia towards the end of the Middle Ages.       Macedonia woul...