My Science School

 

Who was Napoleon?

                   Napoleon was born on the French island of Corsica. He became a general in the French army and achieved several military successes. After an unsuccessful campaign against the British in Egypt, Napoleon returned to France in 1799 and took complete control of the country with the backing of the army.

                 Napoleon ruled France for 15 years, and in 1804 he crowned himself emperor. He governed effectively, and increased the power of the French army enormously by setting up a system of conscription. It meant that every adult Frenchman had to do military service for a time.

 

 

How did Napoleon try to conquer most of Europe?

                   Napoleon had created a massive army, which he used to try and conquer Europe. The French armies conquered huge land territories including Austria and part of Russia, and proposed to invade Britain. Napoleon’s navy was finally defeated by Admiral Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar, however, and the invasion never took place. Instead, Napoleon turned his attention to Spain and Portugal, which were given the support of Britain in their wars again the French.

What events led to the French Revolution?

                     During the 1700s France was not prosperous. The government was short of money and needed to raise taxes. Louis XVI could only do this by recalling a traditional assembly, which promptly demanded political reforms. He responded by trying to dismiss the assembly, but the citizens in Paris revolted in support of the assembly.

                      The new National Assembly showed its strength by introducing fresh laws in 1791, insisting on freedom and equality. The royal family was imprisoned for a while, then tried and executed.

 

What was the Reign of Terror?

                      The French Revolution was opposed by neighbouring countries that feared that unrest would spread across Europe. A Committee of Public Safety was set up in trance to defend the revolution, and they executed any person who might oppose the committee.

                     This period became known as the Reign of Terror. It lasted for about a year, and during this time around 18,000 people were put to death. The French aristocracy was almost entirely wiped out, together with any political opponents of the regime. The Reign of Terror finally came to an end when the head of the Committee of Public Safety, Robespierre, was accused of treason.

 

 

Who established colonies in the East?

                        The Dutch and the French formed their own East India companies. Like Britain’s East India Company these trading organizations became immensely rich. The Dutch were very successful in the East, establishing colonies in modern Indonesia. In addition, the Dutch were for many years the only foreign traders allowed into Japan, which kept itself separate from the rest of the world. There were numerous minor wars between the British, Dutch and French in South-east Asia during the 1800s.

 

 

Did Japan plan an empire?

                   Japan had been closed to foreigners for hundreds of years, but in the 1500s Portuguese traders began to arrive, followed by Spanish missionaries. These traders introduced both Christianity and guns to Japanese society. With the use of these guns the traditional Samurai warriors were overcome and a shogun was appointed, who planned a Japanese empire that would include China.

                              The Japanese forces unsuccessfully invaded Korea twice during the 1500s. They did not achieve their empire until the early 20th century, when the Japanese finally conquered Korea.

 

 

 

How did Britain originally gain control of Hong Kong?

                         For centuries China was a closed country, and foreigners were not encouraged to explore it. European traders smuggled huge amounts of opium into China so that people became addicted, paying for the opium with silver. The Chinese government tried to stop the opium trade, and the British sent the navy to threaten them. From 1839 to 1842 the British and Chinese fought over access to the Chinese ports. The Chinese were defeated and the British forced them to grant trading rights. Five ports were opened and Hong Kong Island became a British colony. In 1898 Britain was given Hong Kong on a 99 year lease, during which time it became a hugely successful centre of finance and trade.

Pictures Credit: Google

 

 

Why did Europeans colonize Africa?

                               The central regions of Africa were not properly explored until the middle of the 1800s. As the continent was explored, it was colonized by European countries seeking territories to exploit and bring them riches. The British, Dutch, French and Portuguese all established colonies near the coast, and later inland. The slave trade had destroyed the structure of many once-powerful African nations, and they were unable to resist the Europeans with their modern weapons. Germany, Belgium and Italy all  joined in the scramble to capture new lands in Africa.

 

 

 

Were there great civilizations in Africa?

                          A whole series of great civilizations existed in Africa, to the south of the Sahara desert. Many of these states traded with the Arabs, and some adopted Islam as their religion.

                        The Asante were a powerful West African race who became prosperous by slave trading with the Europeans. Another powerful tribe was the Zulus in southern Africa.

 

 

What was the Boer War?

                       The Boer War took place in southern Africa as a result of a complicated political situation. The Boers were settlers of Dutch origin who resented British rule of their region. They migrated north into the area occupied by the Zulus. The British, Dutch and Zulus all fought each other. Eventually, the British troops defeated the Zulus at the battle of Rorke’s Drift in 1879. However the war continued for over 20 years until the Boers were finally defeated by the British in 1902. This defeat led to the foundation of the modern state of South Africa.

Pictures Credit: Google

 

 

 

 

What is the Declaration of Independence?

                         The American Declaration of Independence states: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, and that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. At first, the new American nation consisted of 13 states (this has now grown to 50). It had a president, who would be elected every four years, and was run by a Congress. This same structure exists to the present day.

 

 

Why did the Indian Wars take place?

                       The Native American Indians understandably resented the numbers of settlers who swarmed onto their traditional hunting and grazing lands. As the population of the United States grew explosively, the Indians were forced to migrate to the south and west. Eventually they had nowhere left to go, and began to fight back. The US government reacted by forcing the American Indians into reservations on land that was not wanted by the settlers.

                             During the early 1800s many American Indians died in fighting and from starvation and disease. The huge herds of buffalo on which many American Indians depended were wiped out deliberately to deprive them of their food, clothing and shelter.