1. Describe German actions in Morocco in 1905 which increased European tensions. [
The Kaiser declared his support for the Moroccan sultan, the native ruler, while the territory was under French control. He implied that he is willing to give German military support to Moroccan nationalism and he encouraged the sultan to exert more personal control in the region as contrary to French influence. The Kaiser did this to test the strength of the Anglo-French Entente, which in turn lead to the First Moroccan Crisis to be resolved in the Algeciras Conference in 1906. 3/4
(b) Why did Germany start the naval race? [6]
Germany had long wished to gain a big navy. The Weltpolitik set of goals, issued in 1886 by the Kaiser, stated that one of Germany’s future goals was to gain a large navy. This was followed by subsequent Naval Acts in 1889 and 1902 that allowed for battleships and cruisers to be built. Germany wished to defend its coastal borders using these navy.
Germany wished to challenge Britain as the main naval power in Europe. After 1906, Germany had started building Dreadnoughts against Britain, receiving much public support for the endeavour to challenge Britain. Not only was this inspired by nationalism of establishing Germany as a central power in Europe, Germany started the naval race also as a means of deterrence and preparation for future warfare. Empire but 6/6
‘The Bosnian Crisis of 1908–09 played a greater part in causing the First World War than did the Balkan Wars of 1912–13.’ How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.
As the Ottoman Empire weakened, the Balkan countries became the new rising power in early Twentieth Century. The area almost became a grounds for proxy warfare, with large countries backing each other up – and the most direct nations behind the guise of Serbia and imperialistic interests are Russia and Austria. While the Balkan Wars created immediate political and military staging for the First World War, it was during the Bosnian Crisis of 1908-09 that tension for war was truly set between the Great Powers.
Austria showed its aggression and relentless imperial desires during the Bosnian Crisis. Austria’s annexation of Bosnia and Herzogovina upset Serbian wishes to take over the area. This ensured a conflict of interest between a rising ethnic force and the expansionary visions of a great empire, which in turn became the trigger cause for the First World War. The assassination of Franz Ferdinand by the Serbian nationalist Princip was a direct challenge of ethnic growth to imperial control, and it is the continuation of this theme that played a greater part in causing World War I.
The Bosnian Crisis also ensured Russian mobilization in the early days of WWI. When Russia backed down from supporting Serbia during the Bosnian Crisis, it faced an internal religious crisis: The Russian parliament was angry for its decision to not support its ‘slavic brothers’. The failure of reenforcement of these ethnic ties in 1908-09 made Russia conscious to not repeat its mistake again in 1914, and hence it mobilized on 25 July before Serbia has even rejected the Austrian ultimatum, playing a greater part in involving greater powers in WWI.
However, it was during the Balkan Wars of 1912-13 that Serbia truly gained strength to challenge the greater powers. By conquering the Balkan regions and liberating them, Serbia strengthened itself and grew more dissatisfied with the shadow of Austrian control in the region. This immediately set the stage for its rebellion against Austrian control in 1914 when Franz Ferdinand was assassinated. In addition, Austria had issued an ultimatum to Serbia during the Balkan Wars, which it has accepted – nearly a rehearsal for the scene at 1914, where it felt itself strong enough with Russian support. Austria had also conferred with Germany on whether to challenge Russia or not, and Germany told Austria that it wasn’t ready to fight yet. This circumstance changed in 1914 whereby both powers – Germany and Serbia( and in turn, Russia ) felt ready enough to go to war. The dress rehearsal nature of the Balkan Wars had set the stage for the First World War.
While the Balkan Wars created immediate political and military staging for the First World War, it was during the Bosnian Crisis of 1908-09 that tension for war was truly set between the Great Powers.
In June, unemployed workers took to the streets in counter-revolution against the republic established by liberal revolutionaries in February. The national workshops, intended to solve unemployment, have closed down and while these liberals overthrew the King in February, they were fighting within themselves by June and were unable to alleviate unemployment. The National Guard effectively and brutally suppressed the counter-revolution and over 1000 people died.
2. Nationalist factions within the empire, such as Hungary, demanded more autonomy or even independence. On March 3rd 1848, Lajos Kossuth’s speech in the Hungarian Diet inspired many to revolt against Austrian rule and demand greater autonomy for the Magyars. This made Austria unstable as it was in the danger of losing political control.
Austria also nearly lost military control of Northern Italy, a part of its empire. When Milanese people drove Austrian troops out of the city on 18-22nd of March in 1848, Austria lost its military grip in the region. It was in danger of losing territory to autonomy if France had not later aided it in controlling other Italian states like Rome.
Moreover, the ancient regime who ruled the empire was challenged during 1848. Metternich resigned on the 13th of March, being the foreign minister of Austria who controlled the Congress of Vienna. The King had to accede to greater civil liberties, such as the April Laws which granted suffrage and free speech in Hungary. This made the King and aristocrats less powerful. Losing these cabinet members and giving more control to the people meant political instability, which put it in danger of collapsing.
The actions of Serbia were more to blame than the actions of Austria-Hungary for the outbreak of war in 1914.
While Serbian nationalism was more to blame in the immediate term, it was Austrian aggression in regards to military, alliances and imperialism in the long term that triggered the outbreak of war.
Serbian nationalism became the trigger for war when Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated because of it. On the 28th of June 1914, Serbian nationalist Princip killed Franz Ferdinand which led to huge reaction in all European nations and made Austria issue an ultimatum in order to save face. When Serbia rejected the ultimatum on the 27th of July, members in the Triple Alliance and Triple Entente began mobilizing and by August 3rd, the most powerful nations in Europe were in war. Serbian nationalism, in defiance to Austrian control, escalated international tension and immediately triggered the outbreak of war in 1914.
Yet the Serbian defiance owed its origin to Austrian imperial aggressions. Ever since the Bosnian Crisis of 1908-09, where Austria declared its annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria had always demonstrated interest in expanding its control in the Balkans to Serbian dismay, who wished to liberate the regions under Ottoman Empire’s control. This escalated tension between Serbia and Austria, and in turn, their allies. Serbia’s acceptance of Austrian ultimatum during the 1911-12 Balkan Wars planted the roots for future tension, and the long-term war cause was due to Austrian imperialism.
However, the Serbian plea for Russian help contributed to the complex alliance system within the region that made the war bigger than imagined. With ethnic similarities between countries, Russia was an ally of Serbia and due to the Triple Entente formed in 1907, France and Britain must go to war if German attacks. Similarly, Germany and Italy was allied with Austria Hungary against the Triple Entente. When Russia mobilized first on 25th of July before Serbian rejection of the ultimatum, it pulled all of the other more powerful nations in Europe into war as well. Hence, the Serbian-Russian alliance contributed to the outbreak of war in an international manner.
While Serbian nationalism was more to blame in the immediate term, it was Austrian aggression in regards to military, alliances and imperialism in the long term that triggered the outbreak of war.
What was the Population Registration Act, 1950?
The Population Registration Act of 1950 was a part of the apartheid legislation. It divided the South African population into four separate racial groups: Black, White, Asian and Coloureds. The registeration officers were given power to determine a person’s race based on socioeconomic class, language and appearance. The Act paved the way to separating the racial groups in Neighborhoods in the later Group Areas Act and the Bantu Homelands Act.
Why was the Bantu Education Act of 1953 introduced?
The Education Act was introduced to enforce apartheid into schools and future generations of South Africa. By separating black and white schools, the Act had cut of cultural contact between the two races and ensured that each race grows up in their cultural bubble, oblivious to the diversity of South Africa. The Act also ensured that black and white children are educated differently, with blacks receiving education in Bantu, their native language, instead of English.
The Education Act was also introduced to separate the socioeconomic class of black and white children. Black schools received less resources and lower funding to the black community’s dismay, and the education provided was to prepare black children for menial, physical jobs that created a poverty cycle within the black community. It attempted to introduce social class into a racial level.
By the mid-1960s the government had successfully crushed resistance to the
apartheid state.
The Government was able to end internal resistance to apartheid and force protest organizations such as ANC underground or into exile. The Rivonia Trials of 1964-65 jailed major leaders of the ANC, such as Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu, forcing the organizations underground and severely damaging the leadership and effectiveness of these organizsations. Other groups such as the Pan Africanist Congress and women’s resistance groups such as FSAW were also silenced during this period due to harsh legislation and punishment. Internal resistance was crushed during this period through government punishment.
The government also suppressed all protesters in the mid-1960s. Apartheid government successfully suppressed all protest movements since the 1950s, from the Defiance Campaign of 1952 which had to stop due to arrests and death penalties to the Sharpeville Protests which turned into a massacre of the protesters. Visible, peaceful and protest resistance in this period died down during the mid 1960s due to government pressure of death penalties.
However, the organizations in exile organized guerrilla warfare against the apartheid government, which caused great inconvenience to apartheid. ANC and PAC in exile both had violent chapters, where bombs and targeted killings were carried out against government officials and industrial facilities that supported apartheid. ANC and PAC guerrilla groups were also able to hide themselves in townships and carry out raids against police officers. The Organization for African Unity, founded by 32 decolonized African nations in 1963, provided military training and support to ANC in exile, proving that ANC in exile received much support. The international pressures of protest in Africa was far from crushed in the mid-1960s.
In addition, international criticism of apartheid was rising. The news of the Sharpeville Massacre of 21 March 1960 shocked the world and turned international opinion against South Africa. The United Nations passed an arms embargo against South Africa in 1963 to support resistance, and by the mid 1960s the Soviet Union and China was supporting ANC through funds in forms of communist proxy war against the capitalist South African government. With huge political powerhouses in play, international support for ANC and punishments against apartheid government showed robust trends in the mid-1960s.
While apartheid government successfully crushed internal resistance superficially during the mid 1960s, external resistance and opposition groups were robust during this period in wait of a full comeback in the 1970s.
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 stated that all fugitive slaves are to be returned to their owners, even if they are in a free state. It stated that a slave is not an American citizen and as such, has no civil and personal rights. It emphasized that a Slave escaped from a Southern slave state to a Northern free state, if caught, is to be returned to their owners. It stated that escaping slavery is unlawful.
2/4
b) The South did not want a Republican President. Lincoln was the first Republican president of the US and the South leaned towards the Democrats politically. Republicans value commerce and free trade, which conflicted with the small agrarian business view of the South as they There were already talks of secession before Lincoln is elected and his election made Southerners afraid for their political wellbeing.
The southerners also believed that election of Lincoln would harm state rights or slavery, since they believed Lincoln to be a staunch abolitionist. Coming from the North, Lincoln was thought to support free states and the South was afraid that he will take away slavery, despite his promise not to do so.
The South did not like Lincoln personally as a candidate. He only received 39% of the total votes and didn’t even appear on some ballots in certain states. Moreover, despite being elected president, his party did not win majority in Congress – Democrats did.. The South found Lincoln a bad candidate.
C) After the Emancipation Declaration of 1962, Reconstruction’s major question was what to do with 4 million freedmen, who were formerly slaves in various cotton farms throughout the Southern land. Amidst bitterness and economic ruin, Reconstruction has seen success in providing basic legislation and opportunities to the newly free, yet also brutal violence coming from heightened racial tension after the war. The effect Reconstruction had on slaves was powerful before being annulled by socioeconomic conditions, yet its impacts were all the more powerful in the long term. As Du Bois has said: The slaves were freed, stood a brief moment in the sun, before being pulled back to slavery. That sun would shine again, albeit almost a century later in the 1950s.
The Reconstruction had provided basic infrastructure and opportunities to ex-slaves generously, providing that they had nothing just before the war ends. Firstly, the slaves were totally freed by the Emancipation and by the Southern states rejoining of the Union: The Emancipation went into full effect, and the Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendment added in 1871 cemented the ex-slaves as citizens of America with equal rights. The ex-slaves were allowed to vote for the first time. This legislative equality, despite being criticized as sugarcoated empty promises, was essential in providing long term impact that would later benefit the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s. Apart from legislation, there were also social benefits: Freemen’s Bureau, established in 1865, gave education opportunities and established schools for children. Freedmen were taught how to read and night classes were given on skills that could be turned into careers. This benefitted Freedmen in that it allowed them to establish their own position within society and gain a livelihood. In addition, hospitals and basic infrastructure were built all across America for freedmen, and these welfare provided by the State allowed the Freedmen to reconstruct their lives and settle for a living. The social and political benefits of Reconstruction to ex-slaves were many.
However, these changes were effectively canceled by 1867 during Grant’s term as president, since the economic situation in the South both terrorized ex-slaves and stripped them of their legal freedom. The South was in ruins by the end of the war: the confederate dollar was worth nothing and food production were 47% less. Moreover, the immediate freedom of all the slaves left a major hole in South’s economy: cotton was 98% of America’s exports before the war, and the fields needed slaves to tend to. The Southerners were bitter and some of this emotion had transferred to violence. The formation of Ku Klux Klan in 1965, the same year as the Freedman’s bureau, had seen white extremists come into the homes of Freedmen and killing all in sight. The continued activity throughout the Southern territory of the KKK even lead to presidential decree of combatting them, but by then they had already killed a substantial number of ex-slaves. The former slave owners were also taking advantage of the freedmen’s poverty and inability to read, tricking them to sign labor contracts that were harsh and paid little, and hence many Freedmen had entered an altered form of slavery – economic slavery – for their former masters by 1867. The establishment of the black codes and Jim Crow laws in the South, despite being blocked by Congress, also reflected a resentful attitude towards ex-slaves and elevated racial tension. As a result, racism and difference in social standing between blacks and whites in America was to continue to exist even until today.
The reconstruction had seen freedmen gain social and legislative rights, yet these rights were annulled by the lack of a firm economic foundation. However, it was beneficial in the long term despite being a short term failure: the abolition of slavery and the active step taken in Reconstruction to improve social standing of Freedmen were a tangible step forward in racial equality of the US. After all, the slaves were free, and that was better than before. Reconstruction allowed ex-slaves to be recognized before the law as a part of US’s population, and provided foundation to the Civil Rights Movement which would argue for greater equality for African Americans in the 1950s.
the purpose of total strategy was to totally strengthen apartheid and squash any resistance. It was to reaffirm
South AFrica’s industry was suffering. White industrialists wanted manpower and this required creation of a new class of skilled, literate black workers. However, this cannot succeed under apartheid. Hence economic pressures was increasing between 1980-89.
Violence, etc etc
The national workshops were opportunities and classes provided to unemployed men in Paris by the Second Republic, which was established shortly after the February revolution by the liberals in 1848. They focused on giving skills and then job opportunities to the unemployed, and taught them artisanal things and gave them jobs. 3/4
France had three estates – clergy, nobility and commoners, which is a class divide that the liberals did not like. In 1830, ordinances of the st cloud made liberals unhappy because it forbid free speech, and the July revolution made the King abdicate, but the new King did not materialize his promises. The society was leaning towards the conservative side and political gatherings were banned, while unemployment rate was high.
Liberals held reform banquets in which they drank toast to France and liberalism in lieu of political gatherings, however, the king and prime minister guizot banned a banquet scheduled for feb 22nd. Angry liberals took to the streets and the February revolution begun.
C)
Order was not restored\
The triple Alliance was a strategic alliance between Germany, Austro-Hungary and Italy. The alliance guaranteed that if France or Russia was to wage war on any of the parties, the other two countries would come to help.
Germany made vaccines to challenge France.
Germany acquired a great navy by 1906 to challenge Britain
- In Soweto, students took to streets to riot when a new law was revealed that half of their classes were to be taught in Afrikaans.
- a.
Guizot was the Prime Minister of France under Louis Phillipe’s rule. They forbid liberal gatherings.
He was blamed by most liberals for the state of unemployment and bad life in France.
In February 19th, liberals wanted to gather in a banquet to deliver freedom-related speeches. Guizot banned the banquet, which lead to anger.
Protests and barricades in Paris forced the King to sack Guizot on the 22nd.
b. There was growing demand for Hungarian nationalism. As a part of the Austrian empire, the Hungarian people spoke different languages compared to Vienna and was a part of a different culture. They felt like that they should have more autonomy over their own region, however they still want to remain a part of the Austrian empire. This lead people to protest for autonomy.
On the 14th of March, Lajos Kossuth, a Hungarian nationalist, made a speech that encouraged and inspired people to protest about the current situation.
c. The revolutions in France are the catalysts for the other revolutions. They are more successful on the short term, but other revolutions such as those in Germany and Italy had more influence in the long term.
- It is the only revolution to immediately result in democratic elections and a long-lasting republic
- Employment was organized as national workshops rose
- The only place where universal male suffrage was introduced
- The suppression of the counter-revolution was successful and election was successful
However, it is prone to many faults like any other revolution.
- The new president made himself an emperor.
- France regressed back to monarchy, whereas other revolutions focused on nationalism had long-term impact in that the unification of Germany and Italy were successful in the long term.
While France made more progress than any other nation in its search for republicanism and suffrage, it ultimately regressed back to monarchy like every other nation. Compared to that, Germany and Italy unification came about as a result of the ideas planted during 1848, having a farther reach than the French Revolution.
4. a. South’s planter class, which only constitutes 5% of the population, is dependent on slave for manpower. South argued that its economy depended on slaves as cotton is its main export and 1/2 of the US’s total export to Europe.
South also argued that whether to have slavery or not is a part of the ‘rights of the state’ to decide. South’s emphasis on autonomy gave them a justification for slavery.
South’s emphasis on tradition also justified slavery as a part of its culture and lifestyle.
b. North was able to win because it had a better economy. By 1860, North produced 98% of the US’s manufacture jobs and by the end of the War, South’s currency was worth almost nothing while New York alone owned 1/4 of the entire nation’s economy. North’s economic strength allowed it to arm, care, and fuel its troops better.
North had more people to fight. North had 69% of the nation’s total population. South’s morale decreased through the war while North’s morale increased.
The emancipation proclamation meant that the North disrupted the South from inside and slaves from the South are fighting for the North within the South lands.
c. Reconstruction essay memorization
18 a Red Guards went into homes of landowners and took away all their money.
Red Guards wrote Dazibaos and opened criticizing parties with the landowners.
1. Describe German actions in Morocco in 1905 which increased European tensions. [4](c)
The Kaiser declared his support for the Moroccan sultan, the native ruler, while the territory was under French control. He implied that he is willing to give German military support to Moroccan nationalism and he encouraged the sultan to exert more personal control in the region as contrary to French influence. The Kaiser did this to test the strength of the Anglo-French Entente, which in turn lead to the First Moroccan Crisis to be resolved in the Algeciras Conference in 1906. 3/4
(b) Why did Germany start the naval race? [6]
Germany had long wished to gain a big navy. The Weltpolitik set of goals, issued in 1886 by the Kaiser, stated that one of Germany’s future goals was to gain a large navy. This was followed by subsequent Naval Acts in 1889 and 1902 that allowed for battleships and cruisers to be built. Germany wished to defend its coastal borders using these navy.
Germany wished to challenge Britain as the main naval power in Europe. After 1906, Germany had started building Dreadnoughts against Britain, receiving much public support for the endeavour to challenge Britain. Not only was this inspired by nationalism of establishing Germany as a central power in Europe, Germany started the naval race also as a means of deterrence and preparation for future warfare. Empire but 6/6
As the Ottoman Empire weakened, the Balkan countries became the new rising power in early Twentieth Century. The area almost became a grounds for proxy warfare, with large countries backing each other up – and the most direct nations behind the guise of Serbia and imperialistic interests are Russia and Austria. While the Balkan Wars created immediate political and military staging for the First World War, it was during the Bosnian Crisis of 1908-09 that tension for war was truly set between the Great Powers.
Austria showed its aggression and relentless imperial desires during the Bosnian Crisis. Austria’s annexation of Bosnia and Herzogovina upset Serbian wishes to take over the area. This ensured a conflict of interest between a rising ethnic force and the expansionary visions of a great empire, which in turn became the trigger cause for the First World War. The assassination of Franz Ferdinand by the Serbian nationalist Princip was a direct challenge of ethnic growth to imperial control, and it is the continuation of this theme that played a greater part in causing World War I.
The Bosnian Crisis also ensured Russian mobilization in the early days of WWI. When Russia backed down from supporting Serbia during the Bosnian Crisis, it faced an internal religious crisis: The Russian parliament was angry for its decision to not support its ‘slavic brothers’. The failure of reenforcement of these ethnic ties in 1908-09 made Russia conscious to not repeat its mistake again in 1914, and hence it mobilized on 25 July before Serbia has even rejected the Austrian ultimatum, playing a greater part in involving greater powers in WWI.
However, it was during the Balkan Wars of 1912-13 that Serbia truly gained strength to challenge the greater powers. By conquering the Balkan regions and liberating them, Serbia strengthened itself and grew more dissatisfied with the shadow of Austrian control in the region. This immediately set the stage for its rebellion against Austrian control in 1914 when Franz Ferdinand was assassinated. In addition, Austria had issued an ultimatum to Serbia during the Balkan Wars, which it has accepted – nearly a rehearsal for the scene at 1914, where it felt itself strong enough with Russian support. Austria had also conferred with Germany on whether to challenge Russia or not, and Germany told Austria that it wasn’t ready to fight yet. This circumstance changed in 1914 whereby both powers – Germany and Serbia( and in turn, Russia ) felt ready enough to go to war. The dress rehearsal nature of the Balkan Wars had set the stage for the First World War.
While the Balkan Wars created immediate political and military staging for the First World War, it was during the Bosnian Crisis of 1908-09 that tension for war was truly set between the Great Powers.
What was meant by nationalism in the nineteenth century? [4]
In the nineteenth century, nationalism meant uniting territories with a shared language, history and culture into a single nation to achieve political cohesiveness. Nationalists who lived within empires had to combat for independence. Successful examples were the Balkans in the 1820s and Belgium in 1830.
(b) Why did liberalism pose a revolutionary threat in 1848? [6]
Liberals were demanding political rights that the ancien regime is unwilling to give.
The Conservative forces have been oppressing liberals for too long.
some could lose the right to rule
(c) How far was Louis Philippe responsible for revolution in France in 1848? Explain your answer.
While Louis Philippe economic situation.
While Louis Philippe is not responsible for poor harvests from 1846-47, his inaction directly angered the people and caused misery. Louis Philippe and his Prime Minister Guizot did nothing to alleviate the hunger or poverty of French people at this time, and allowed the Scissors Crisis in France to be caused by and exacerbate the poor harvest situation. He had thrown the common opinion against himself. Viewed this way, Louis Philippe was responsible for instilling revolt in the Parisian working poor.
How successful was the economic reconstruction of the South after the Civil War? Explain
your answer.
After the Emancipation Declaration of 1962, Reconstruction’s major question was what to do with 4 million freedmen, who were formerly slaves in various cotton farms throughout the Southern land. Amidst bitterness and economic ruin, Reconstruction has seen success in providing basic legislation and opportunities to the newly free, yet also brutal violence coming from heightened racial tension after the war. The effect Reconstruction had on slaves was powerful before being annulled by socioeconomic conditions, yet its impacts were all the more powerful in the long term. As Du Bois has said: The slaves were freed, stood a brief moment in the sun, before being pulled back to slavery. That sun would shine again, albeit almost a century later in the 1950s.
The Reconstruction had provided basic infrastructure and opportunities to ex-slaves generously, providing that they had nothing just before the war ends. Firstly, the slaves were totally freed by the Emancipation and by the Southern states rejoining of the Union: The Emancipation went into full effect, and the Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendment added in 1871 cemented the ex-slaves as citizens of America with equal rights. The ex-slaves were allowed to vote for the first time. This legislative equality, despite being criticized as sugarcoated empty promises, was essential in providing long term impact that would later benefit the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s.
Apart from legislation, there were also social benefits: Freemen’s Bureau, established in 1865, gave education opportunities and established schools for children. Freedmen were taught how to read and night classes were given on skills that could be turned into careers. This benefitted Freedmen in that it allowed them to establish their own position within society and gain a livelihood. In addition, hospitals and basic infrastructure were built all across America for freedmen, and these welfare provided by the State allowed the Freedmen to reconstruct their lives and settle for a living. The social and political benefits of Reconstruction to ex-slaves were many.
However, these changes were effectively canceled by 1867 during Grant’s term as president, since the economic situation in the South both terrorized ex-slaves and stripped them of their legal freedom. The South was in ruins by the end of the war: the confederate dollar was worth nothing and food production were 47% less. Moreover, the immediate freedom of all the slaves left a major hole in South’s economy: cotton was 98% of America’s exports before the war, and the fields needed slaves to tend to. The Southerners were bitter and some of this emotion had transferred to violence. The formation of Ku Klux Klan in 1965, the same year as the Freedman’s bureau, had seen white extremists come into the homes of Freedmen and killing all in sight. The continued activity throughout the Southern territory of the KKK even lead to presidential decree of combatting them, but by then they had already killed a substantial number of ex-slaves.
The former slave owners were also taking advantage of the freedmen’s poverty and inability to read, tricking them to sign labor contracts that were harsh and paid little, and hence many Freedmen had entered an altered form of slavery – economic slavery – for their former masters by 1867. The establishment of the black codes and Jim Crow laws in the South, despite being blocked by Congress, also reflected a resentful attitude towards ex-slaves and elevated racial tension. As a result, racism and difference in social standing between blacks and whites in America was to continue to exist even until today.
The reconstruction had seen freedmen gain social and legislative rights, yet these rights were annulled by the lack of a firm economic foundation. However, it was beneficial in the long term despite being a short term failure: the abolition of slavery and the active step taken in Reconstruction to improve social standing of Freedmen were a tangible step forward in racial equality of the US. After all, the slaves were free, and that was better than before. Reconstruction allowed ex-slaves to be recognized before the law as a part of US’s population, and provided foundation to the Civil Rights Movement which would argue for greater equality for African Americans in the 1950s.
IGCSE REVISION 