WW1

I am an 18 year old male from France, Paris to be exact. I come from a normal background. My father was in the army but has since retired and both he and my mother work in factories producing goods that i now use everyday. Ever since the Germans have invaded France everyone around, including my self, has had strong feelings of resentment to these foes that we know nothing about. however, we all know one thing; they are good fighters. I have been stuck in this same trench for three weeks now. Every morning when i wake up, the smell of burnt flesh from bombs and decomposing bodies is everywhere. No body can escape it. I just got back from a surprise attack. The only people that got surprised were us. The Germans had many machine guns and they used an odd smelling gas on us. One of my friends fell over and never got back becasue of it. The war is miserable.

Most Important

In my opinion Adolf Hitler was one of the most important figures in history, but not just because of his actions during WW2.

In 1933, Hitler finally gained power in Germany. After years of reconstruction and major difficulties and disagreements about politics, Germany needed a strong leader. Honestly, they probably would have taken just about anyone so long as they could turn the country around. While being labeled as a dangerous man, Hitler actually did a lot of good things for his country. He was able to bring Germany back up to a competitive level in the world. He united people and made new reforms and other laws, even though he was a strict military dictator. Hitler led the Nazi party which is who gained control of the political system and launched to the front of Germany. This was a good sign for a lot of people that wanted a etter Germany.

Many of Hitler's actions that helped Germany may have been good, but another reason he is important is because of the terrible things he led to the world to see. His most tragic idea was the Holocaust where he exterminated Jewish poeple becasue he did not like them. He caused all of Germany to hate jews. Hitler also led his army to take over other countries and begin the second World War. This man had many lives in his hands and that also make him a very infamous figure of history.

European Urbanization

Being a young male worker, I am always involved in many of the most dangerous jobs, like mining because I can fit into the tunnels unlike adults. I have to pull carts of coal up and down all day long, and honestly I don't even get paid that much so it's not a very good deal, but I am able to help keep my family fed. The conditions are horrible and I am always stuck with the worst jobs like sticking my hands through complicated machinery. I have a high risk of losing something off of me or even my life. This life is hard because it's so much better than being dirt poor, but it's almost not worth the risk.

30 Years War

Before the 30 Years War began, many events led up to the conflict. One of the main reasons was that Spain felt the need to continue expansion, so they were always ready for war. After the revolt in the Netherlands, Spain wanted the Northern Provinces back, only the south had remained loyal. Also, after the English defeated the Spanish Armada, Spain knew that none of their ships would be tolerated in English waters. So they decided to use the Spanish road that bordered many other countries. None of the coutried had anything to fear because they were Catholic. The only one that was worried was France becasue they and Spain had a history of disagreement. Also, the "Road" was not safe for the Spanish becasue in many places they were very vulnerable to attacks. France wanted to be able to stop the Spanish use of the road without full on war, so they took land that could be used to threaten Milan.

Louis XIV

Louis XIV, the king of France from 1643-1715 was the son and successor of King Louis XIII. As a result of his power, he became known for both his domestic and foreign policies.

His foreign problems led his country to war many times. This caused people, like the commoners, to fight for France. It truly was a rich man's war, and a poor man's fight. Louis began what is known as the third of the Dutch Wars. This emptied the treasury that France had at the time. After this incident he settled down for ten years to work on diplomacy. In 1688 he attacked the Holy Roman Empire which ended with the Treaty of Ryswick, which caused France to lose minor territories. The final war he started was the War of the Spanish Succession which left France very weak and in a large debt. Commoners felt a heavy blow from this massive national debt.

When it came to domestic policies, Louis XIV began his rule as king very well. With the help of Jean-Baptiste Colbert the French economy was very strong. Unfortunately, the problem of taxation arose. The higher classes, who could afford to pay more taxes actually paid the least. The lower calsses, thos who could not affor taxes, had to pay the most. The commoners were left out when it came to economic issues. They were the largest in numbers because they could hardly buy enough goods to live off of and even if you had some money, the ended up losing it to taxes. Louis XIV's economic ideas destroyed much of France very slowly. The commoners had no where to go except to try to be in the army. Louis and Colbert knew that in order to keep a stable country, they had to have a strong army that could stamp down any revolt.The were Louis's ideas of how to run a country.

Luther

Martin Luther is known by many as the father of the Reformation. It was after his attacks on how the church was operated that the Reformation began. He fueled the fire against the Catholic church. Luther went against the church's practices because he believed that faith in God was the only way to earn true forgiveness, not by purchasing indulgences. The starting point for Luther and the Protestant Reformation was when he wrote his 95 Theses and posted them on the door of Castle Church in Wittenburg. This day is known as Reformation Day. On January 3, 1521, Luther was excommunicated by Pope Leo X. He was sentenced to be arrested but was intercepted by masked horsemen sent by Prince Frederick III. While in hiding, Luther translated the New Testiment of the Bible from Greek to German. This Bible sold over 5,000 copies in 2 months. Luther then decided to translate all of the Bible to German so that normal people could understand it. When Luther started the Reformation, many people who followed him broke away from the Catholic Church and were apalled by how the church was truely run. Soon after him, Calvin and Zwingli followed. Zwingli started about the same time as Luther, but when Luther was excommunitcated, it was Calvin's writings that stirred the Reformation.

Columbus

Christopher Columbus has always been known as one of the first men to discover America and he has been hailed as a hero. As time goes on, the story of Columbus continuously grows clouded in mystery. Columbus was known as a cruel conqueror who was capable or rape and genocide. On his first voyage, Columbus landed in the Bahamas. Thinking that he landed in India, he called the native Taino tribe Indians. Columbus described the tribe as gentle and nice. He also said that they would make very good slaves and they would be easy to convert to Christianity. On his second voyage Columbus said that his aim was to convert the Indians into Christians, but he was really after the vast amounts of gold. He gave each tribe member over 14 years old a quota of gold that they had to find per day. If that didn't reach their goal then their hands were chopped off. If they refused then they were killed. If they ran away, then they were hunted down or left to starve. On another voyage he crossed to ocean to be a colonial governor. He was arrested and brought back to Europe then acquitted. Columbus has always been thought of as the man who discovered America and is a great hero. Still many do not realize how this man acted like a villain. He may have discovered a new land, but he destoyed cultures in the process.