World War I
World War II
The events taken place in World War I set the stage for the deadliest war of them all. This war sparked mainly from Adolf Hitler's ambitions to dominate the world and his idea that the German race is the most important. The war started when Germany invaded Poland, which forced France and Great Britain to declare war. After 6 years of war, the Allied powers won, but with devastating losses for both sides of the war. Over 60 million casualties were recorded. Because of the war, countries in Western Europe had to recover. One of the countries, England, was struck by bombings by German forcing them to ask the United States for aide with their economy.
Protestant Reformation
Reformation was the religious and cultural split of the Latin Christian church into Catholics and Protestants. First started in 1517 when Martin Luther challenged the Roman church in early Germany. There were many causes of the reformation, one of them being the abuse from popes and the greed from the clergy. Another being that common people didn't understand much of the sermons since they were rendered in Latin. Reformation was also present in England and Switzerland as well. Reformation affected economic and political changes in western and Northern Germany, proceeding to freedoms but at a great cost of rebellions and riots.
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Renaissance
The Renaissance was a time period and a cultural movement in European civilization following the Middle Ages where a cultural birth took place. The movement started in Italy, then spread to Western and Northern Europe. Italian scholars and scientists sought to revive Ancient Greece and roman culture in hopes of learning more about art, language, studies, etc.. The Renaissance affected civilization in Western and Northern Europe. New techniques were introduced for art during this time, which changed culture forever. New technology was being produced, such as the Gutenberg press in Germany.
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Colonialism
Western European countries began colonialism as early as the 15th century. Settlers from the France, England and Germany colonized parts of the Americas and Africa. Colonialism was encouraged by European economies, because the colonies would bring in more money for the economy. Another reason that caused the rise of colonialism in these countries were the discovery of new sea-routes and continents. This lead to vast colonization of parts of those continents. Colonialism had many affects, mainly on the original inhabitants of the area. Colonialism posed a threat to Native Americans by diseases and harsh behavior towards inflicted upon them by the colonists.
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COLONIAL BACKGROUND OF WESTERN EUROPE
Germany
Germany's colonial efforts began in 1883. Because their colonial efforts began so late, Germany only had a few imperial colonies at the time. The German imperial colonies were Ruanda (present-day Rwanda), Urundi ( present-day Burundi), and Tanganyika (present-day Tanzania). No profit was made from colonialism, since Germany spent more money on administration than the revenue. The German Empire ended when they were defeated by the Allied Powers in WWI, forcing them to re-assign the empire.
Austria
Although Austria had an empire, they never successfully established any colonies at all. Austrian colonization of the Nicobar Islands might've been its only colony, but it was never executed and the duration was very short.
Belgium
Belgium had one colony in Africa. Belgian Congo, which is the present-day Democratic Republic of Congo. Belgium only focused on its rich resources on the Congo territory in Central Africa. It lasted between 1908 and 1960. Belgium offered education, roads, and religion to the indigenous people of Congo for exchange of the rich resources in the territory.
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France
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein was once occupied by the Roman Empire for several centuries and then became part of the German Confederation from 1815-1866. Since Liechtenstein was never declared independent since 1866, there is not much colonial history of the country involving colonies. For a majority of it's time, Liechtenstein stayed quite politically and was neutral in both World Wars.
Luxembourg
Luxembourg was founded in 953. When Napoleon fell from power many centuries later, Luxembourg was its own state in 1815, but under the Netherlands rule. The country declared its full independence in 1867. After World War I, the Allied powers forced Luxembourg to end its ties with Germany.
Monaco
Monaco was its own colony itself. Phocaeans from Genoa colonized Monaco (Monoikos was the name at the time). This colony was founded for the admiration of Hercules and the ideas of sovereignty and self reliance in 1215. Centuries later, Monaco was annexed to France in 1793, which allowed for the exacerbation the royal family, and was put under Sardinia's protection in 1815. In 1915, Monaco would be its own state under France protection.
Netherlands
The Dutch Empire had colonies in North America, Asia, and Africa, making it an overseas empire. The Netherlands followed Spain and Portugal in colonialism, allowing them to have many colonies because of exploring in the 17th century. The Dutch colonized the territories of Taiwan, West Malaysia, the Virgin Islands, New Netherland (present-day New York), Pakistan, and more. Although the Dutch Empire only held cities and territories for a short time before they lost control or was declared an independent country, hey spread their culture, art, and religion during this time. The only successful colony that lasts till this day is the Dutch West Indies, where it is under the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Switzerland
Switzerland was never involved in imperial power and colonization in the 17th and 18th century. The country was involved in foreign conflicts and wars to even begin colonization in other continents. The French revolution in 1793 changed life in Switzerland. They imposed a new constitution that was highly unpopular. When France and other countries declared war, Switzerland was invaded by Austria and Russia. Switzerland has been a neutral country since one of the early wars of the 19th century, to keep peace between foreign nations.
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