Exam Topper

The Suez Crisis, also named the Tripartite Aggression, and the Kadesh Operation was an invasion of Egypt in late 1956 by Israel, followed by Britain & France. It all started with Egyptian president Nasser nationalising Suez Canal, thereby terminating French right to operate the canal for 99 years. As Suez Canal was Western European countries’ conduit for oil, so in order to regain control of the Suez, tripartite aggression of Israel, Britain and France has been termed as Suez Crisis.  Britain and France had control over the canal for almost last 90 years owing to former’s control of Egypt and latter’s contribution in construction of Suez Canal. In the 20th Century Britain started granting partial independence to Egypt in phased manner, culminating into military coup by Colonel Nasser.  Nasser’s vision to construct Aswan Dam, and to end British occupation of Egypt completely and to build Egyptian forces to counter Israel can be considered as the most prominent cause epitomi...

Following were the problems that emerged during the end of colonial period in the Malay peninsula:   • Malay farmers were forced to change from subsistence farming (farming to pay for family and personal needs) to cash crops to pay for colonial taxes.  • The British controlled this production and their departure would hurt the economy as it was British Empire which had assimilated these cash crops to the outer world.  • The Malay people were too eager to include Singapore in the Union, which was a bone of content for years as British did not want to lose the control of the Malacca strait, very much like Suez Canal (which they lost later)  • There was no sense of national unity or even common interest among the people living in Malaysia. They were loyal towards their regions or home countries.  • The fate of rulers of the Malay Kingdoms and what was to be done with them in the event of British departure (much like princely states of India) as they gained autonomy...

World War-I : Support Austrian aggression, Balkan crisis, Morocco crisis, militarisation etc. World War-II : Invasion into Czech and Poland, Violation of Treaty of Versailles, Guns for butter, steel pacts etc. Colonial expansionism was a factor in that war but all of the major powers again were guilty of that. World War-II they definitely had a major amount of blame for, but not all of it. The way the winners of World WarI treated defeated Germany did allot to set the stage for the hate and feeling of need for vengeance to take hold. You need look no further for proof of this than to note that when Hitler defeated France in 1940, he had the original train car used in Versailles where they Germans were made to surrender to the allies used again to have the French have a taste of the humiliation that they were put through. I think Germany was not responsible at all for World War-I.  They were allied with Austria, and when Austria invaded Serbia, England and France etc. Declared war i...

The French revolution laid the foundation of the modern world:  • The French Revolution had been a world-shaking event. For years to come its direct influence was felt in many parts of the world. It inspired revolutionary movements in almost every country of Europe (German and Italian unification) and in South and Central America.  • For a long time the French Revolution became the classic example of a revolution which people of many nations tried to emulate.  • It gave the idea of liberty, equality and fraternity to the modern world. It brought about a political awakening in Europe. People began to rise in revolt to demand their rights.  • It also popularized the concept of democracy. Absolute monarchy was replaced by constitutional monarchy in many countries.  • It separated religion from politics and stood for secularism which condemned religious fanaticism.  • It a number of movements where people demanded not only political freedom but also right to pr...

The following ways are the American Revolution laid the foundation of the modern world:  •American Revolution gave rise to ideas, such as constitutionalism, rule of law, individualism, sovereignty, and separation of power which gained popularity in the modern world history.  •The revolution led to the establishment of a republic based on the first written constitution in the world.  •It inspired the people in Europe as well as other parts of the world to fight against their despotic regimes to compel the government to adopt the constitution.  •Success of American nationalism inspired the emergence of the nationalist movement in European countries, such as Spanish and Portuguese colonies in Central and South America to rebel and gain their independence.  •It also inspired the nationalist movement in colonies like India during 19th and 20th century.  •It triggered the process of decolonization which continued for more than 200 years.  •The idea of capita...