War Wednesday: The Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire

     Hello everybody and welcome back to another installment of Nations Made Fun! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to the world! Today we're going to be discussing the Spanish's defeat of the Aztecs and how the Spanish did it. Let's get straight into it!

     The Aztecs were a very powerful civilization that was thought to begin in 1325 B.C.E. with the founding of their capital city, Tenochtitlán. They prospered for quite some time before a young Spaniard explorer by the name of Hernán Cortés invaded their city. Before this, they traveled to get to the Aztec empire. The Spanish clashed with a lot of Indian tribes who joined forces with the Spanish after hearing of their plan to defeat the Aztecs.

     After the Aztec ruler heard of Cortés' plan to defeat his empire, he tried to buy Cortés off. This didn't stop him however and he was allowed to march his thousand Tlaxcaltec into the capital of the Aztec empire.

     When the leader of the Aztecs, Montezuma suspected the Spanish to be divine beings of the god Quetzalcoatl. This meant the Spanish were treated with the utmost respect from the Aztecs. When Cortés heard of this, he took Montezuma hostage, effectively allowing him to govern the entirety of the Aztec empire through him.

     While Cortés had control for a little while, other people wanted the Aztecs for themselves. Another explorer named Pánfilo Narvez was one of these people. Cortés left with his army and left a few of his subordinates in charge. He defeated Narvez, taking his army for his own. When he returned to Tenochtitlán, he found that it was in turmoil.

     Cortés had to abandon Tenochtitlán at a heavy cost. He left on a boat across Lake Texcoco, which sank because it was stuffed with all of his soldiers and treasures he had stolen from the Aztecs. The day is now known as "The Day of Sadness."

     Picture of Hernán Cortés

       

     Fun Facts:

• The Aztecs actually built Tenochititlán on some of the most difficult terrain in the world.
• The Aztec Empire was an informal empire ruled by indirect means.
• Most of the Aztec population was killed by disease following the Spanish conquest.

     Sources: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/aztec-capital-falls-to-cortes

     https://learnodo-newtonic.com/aztecs-facts

War Wednesday: The Cold War

     Hello everybody and welcome back to another installment of Nations Made Fun! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to the world! Today we're going to be discussing the Cold War, an arguably useless time in American and Russian history. Let's dive straight into it!

     During World War II, The United States and the Soviet Union fought together as allies, but the relationship was a tense one. American's had long been nervous about communism, the government system of the Russians. They were also nervous about Russia's leader, Joseph Stalin and his bloodthirsty, tyrannical ways. It didn't help that the American's refused to consider the USSR. as an actual part of the international community and as well as their delayed entry into World War II, which caused the death of millions of Russians.

     Americans hated the idea of a Russian-controlled world, so they constantly badmouthed Russians. You might have heard instances of this in several movies dated in that time period. It's actually kind of funny watching the movie characters curse out Russians. Sorry. Had to throw that in for laughs.

     Another worry of Americans and Russians was the thought of atomic war. Russia and America had access to atomic bombs, which was NOT a good thing for the citizens of both countries. The main focal point of the war was spying. Russian spies were invading America and vise-versa. Pretty insane.

     Fun Facts:

• The USSR could identify fake passports because the metal staples wouldn't rust. The actual passports would rust right away because of the poor quality of the metal.
• The twelve-foot air-raid sirens that were placed around the U.S. (they were used to indicate when the Russians were supposed to invade) could turn the fog around them into rain.
• Russian officials thought the building in the center of the Pentagon was a secret meeting room, but it was, in reality, a hot dog stand.     

      Source: https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/cold-war-history

     https://list25.com/25-facts-about-the-cold-war-you-probably-didnt-know/

War Wednesday: The Vietnam War

     Hello everybody and welcome back to another installment of Nations Made Fun! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to the world! Today we're going to be discussing the Vietnam War, an awful war in Asian and American history. Let's dive straight into it!

     The Vietnam War was was a long and costly war that was fought primarily between communist North Vietnam and South Vietnam and South Vietnam's main ally, the United States. Over 3 million people died (including over 58,000 Americans) and over half of the casualties were Vietnamese citizens.

     In January of 1973, North Vietnam and the United States concluded a final peace that ended open hostilities between the two nations. More than two decades of warfare certainly took its toll on Vietnam. Vietnamese infrastructure was destroyed, but reparations began slowly.

     Fun Facts: 

• John F. Kennedy was the first U.S. president that was assassinated during a year of war since the Civil War.
• The U.S didn't technically lose the war but withdrew before they would eventually lose.
• Nearly two-thirds of the men fighting in the Vietnam War were volunteers.

      Picture of men fighting in the Vietnam War

       

     Sources: https://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-history

     https://thevietnamwar.info/top-10-interesting-facts-about-vietnam-war/

War Wednesday: The Taiping Rebellion

     Hello everybody and welcome back to another edition of Nations Made Fun! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to the world! Today we'll be discussing the Taiping Rebellion, so let's dive straight into it!

     The Taiping Rebellion was a revolt against the Qing dynasty in China fought from 1850 to 1864. The Taiping forces were run as a cult-like group called the God Worshipping Society led by self-proclaimed prophet Hong Xiuquan. This eventually led to the city of Nanjing being seized and ruled by Xiuquan for a decade. The Taiping Rebellions eventually failed, but not before causing the death of 20 million people.

     There is a lot of babble from my sources about lots of boring things that wouldn't be worthy for this post. So I'm just going to call it quits here. Sorry for the short entry, but it's the best I can do. Until Saturday, Mr. Nations, out!

     Fun Facts: 

• The Taiping Rebellion was led by a peasant.
• The last fatal battle was in Nanjing, where various reports from different people say that Xiuquan died of either disease or suicide.
• The Qing used foreign powers to crush the rebels.

     Sources: https://www.history.com/topics/china/taiping-rebellion

     https://www.history.com/topics/china/taiping-rebellion

War Wednesday: The French Revolution

     Hello everybody and welcome back to another installment of Nations Made Fun! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to the world! Today we'll be discussing the French Revolution, a lengthy war that destroyed several centuries-old traditions. Well, let's get right into it, shall we?

     The French Revolution was a long and bloody war that lasted from 1789 to the late 1790s. During this period, French citizens changed and redesigned their entire country, dismissing century old traditions such as monarchy and the feudal system. The war was primarily started by King Louis XVI and his poor economic policies. King Louis XVI met his death by guillotine, as did his wife, Marie Antoinette.

     The French started to get upset with King Louis XVI after he spent almost his entire country's funding on sponsoring the American Revolution. Combined with poor harvests, drought, cattle disease and skyrocketing bread prices left the French citizens feeling uneasy. Many citizens expressed their anger for a bankrupt country with heavy taxes by rioting, looting, and pillaging.

     The battles ensued for nearly ten years until the war was brought to a close. The war ended when Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew the Directory and appointing himself "first consul." This marked the end of the French Revolution and began the Napoleonic era, where France would come to rule much of Europe.

     Picture of King Louis XVI getting executed by means of the guillotine.
   
     

     Fun Facts: 

• Before the French Revolution, peasants were so poor and bread was so expensive that a loaf of bread was equivalent to a week's wages.
• The poor in France had to pay taxes while the rich did not. This only further infuriated the citizens of France during the revolution.
• The French revolutionaries stormed the Bastille in search of gunpowder. They were not interested in the seven prisoners locked inside.

     Sources: https://www.history.com/topics/france/french-revolution

     http://www.softschools.com/facts/world_history/french_revolution_facts/2206/

War Wednesday: The Revolutionary War

     Hello everybody and welcome back to another edition of Nations Made Fun! My name is Mr. Nations, and I'll be your tour guide to the wacky world of well... the world! Today we're going to be discussing the first war of U.S. history, the Revolutionary War. Well, let's get started, shall we?

     The Revolutionary War, spanning from 1775 to 1783, arose from growing tensions between Great Britain's thirteen colonies and the British monarchy. Skirmishes between British troops and colonists had already been occurring, but they were only getting worse. By April of 1775, the rebels were waging a full-on war. The French joined the rebel cause, further strengthening the rebels army cause. By 1781, the Americans had won their independence, but the war would not formally end until 1783.

     Attempts from the British government to raise the taxes of the colonists were met with heavy resentment and protests. During one of the protests, British troops opened fire on the colonists, spawning what is now known as the Boston Massacre. This is thought to be the official beginning of the Revolutionary War.

     After the Boston Massacre, several more battles occurred, many of which would be impossibly difficult to describe. I'll see you guys Saturday, Mr. Nations out!

      
     A battle in the Revolutionary War.

     Fun Facts:

• Colonists that remained loyal to Great Britain were called "loyalists."
• British soldiers were known as Redcoats or Red Devils
• The British army was weakened by having to fight in the Caribbean as well.

     Sources: https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/american-revolution-history

     https://www.biographyonline.net/facts-american-revolution/

War Wednesday: World War II

     Hello everybody and welcome back to another edition of Nations Made Fun! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to the world of well... the world! Today we will be discussing arguably the worst war in the world's history, World War II. Let's jump right into this!

     World War II unofficially started when a young Adolf Hitler rose to power in a financially and politically unstable Germany. Hitler's political party, the Nazis, rose to power by signing defense documents and treaties with Italy and Japan and this further secured Hitler's ambitions for world domination.

      World War II officially started when Hitler began his invasion of Poland. This caused Great Britain and France to declare war on Germany. Over the course of the next six years, World War II would claim more lives and destroy more land and property, more than any other war that previously occurred in history.

      Historians believe that one of the reasons that so many German citizens fell for the Nazi party was because the entire country was bitter from the loss of World War I and how the reparation costs of the war caused their country bankruptcy. Hitler promised stability for Germany, as long as he was made the president of Germany.
   
      However, the action that caused Britain and France to worry was the signing of the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact. This pact stated that Joseph Stalin was to aid the Germans on two fronts, one in France and one in Great Britain. France and Great Britain had to come to Poland's aid if it were ever attacked and sure enough, it was.

      The next few years would be the bloodiest ever seen. Bloodshed, death, and loss wreaked the battlefields and after World War II, the world would never be the same. Let's hope that like World War I, there won't be another one. Until Saturday, Mr. Nations out!

      

     The Hiroshima atomic bombing.

      Fun Facts: 

• Russian and the Red Army were accused of many war crimes, including mass rape.
• Prisoners of war had an 85% mortality rate.
• Germany had a total of 3,363 generals in World War II, while the U.S. had just over 1,500.

      Sources: https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/world-war-ii-history

      https://www.factretriever.com/world-war-ii

   

War Wednesday: The Emu War

     Hello everybody and welcome to another edition of Nations Made Fun! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to the world. Today we'll be discussing one of the funnier wars in history, and that would be the Emu War. Let's get straight into it!

     After World War I, many Australian soldiers returned home to their country, looking for ways to earn a little cash. Several of them came to Western Australia in hopes of becoming wheat farmers. The environment of Australia was less than ideal when it came to agriculture, but the Great Depression made farming even worse and more difficult. On top of all of that, nearly 20,000 emus came for a little visit.

     Emus are very powerful birds. Many can grow up to the size of 6 1/2 feet. They have strong, clawed feet that can rip apart metal and wire fences and can run up to 30 miles per hour over a long distance. To put that into perspective, the fastest runner in the world, Usain Bolt, can run at a top speed of 24 miles per hour. Yeah. Pretty powerful birds.

     The Australians deemed that the solution to this emu infestation was armed soldiers. The soldiers drove into Western Australia with 10,000 rounds of machine gun ammunition and a pair of machine guns. The war lasted for several weeks, casualties for emus totaled a little over 1,000. That sounds like a good amount but in comparison with 20,000 emus in Western Australia, it's really not that much.

     Part of the reason why the soldiers couldn't kill the emus was that when the emus would disperse into small groups, effectively eliminating the soldier's ability to kill the emus in large groups. As many people deem it, this war was one of the weirdest and useless wars to ever be fought by trained soldiers. I think I agree.

     Picture of an emu:

     

     Sources: http://nowiknow.com/the-great-emu-war/
     https://listverse.com/2017/03/12/10-crazy-facts-about-the-great-australian-emu-war/   

     Fun Facts:

• The emus actually ruined the lives of many people coming home from World War I
• The Australian Minister of Defence thought that it would be good PR to have the "war."
• People in the cities were outraged because the government was using "unnecessary brutality and force."

War Wednesday: World War I

     Hello everybody and welcome back to another installment of Nations Made Fun! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to the wacky world of countries! Today we will be discussing Great Britain's involvement in World War I. Let's dive straight into it!

     World War I was the first and worst world war the world had ever seen. It all started when on June 28th, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot to death along with his wife. Like many other countries, Austria-Hungary blamed the assassination on the Serbians. This set off a chain of events that would eventually become the start of World War I.

     Convinced that Austria-Hungary was readying for war, the Serbian government ordered the Serbian army to mobilize, asking Russia for assistance. Within a week of this event, Russia, Belgium, France, and Serbia had lined up against Austria-Hungarian and German forces and World War I had officially begun.

     The war had many battles, several being fought in the famous trenches that almost everybody has heard of, but the war came to a close with the Treaty of Versailles, signed on June 28th, 1919, that basically prevented any further wars of that magnitude. Germany had to pay massive reparation costs that they couldn't afford and that bankrupted their country.

     Hatred set into Germany about the Treaty of Versailles and its authors that grew to such heights that another world war would break out called World War II, an even gorier war for another Wednesday. I've had a fun time writing this and I hope that you enjoy reading them. So until tomorrow, Mr. Nations out!

     Sources: https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/world-war-i-history

     Fun facts:

• The very first chemical weapons were first used in World War I.
• Blood banks were first used in World War I for blood transfusions.
• The youngest soldier to ever fight in World War I was a 12 year named Sidney Lewis.

War Wednesday: The United States of America - The Civil War

     Hello everyone and welcome back to Nations Made Fun! I'll be your host, Mr. Nations. Today we are going to be exploring the goriest and bloodiest war in American history, the Civil War. Interestingly enough, this war was fought entirely on American soil, making it the war that has claimed the most American lives.

     The American Civil War was waged from 1861 to 1865, making it a relatively short war as wars usually go. The war was primarily about slavery, but there were other reasons for it as well. The southern states saw it if that president Abraham Lincoln was elected, it would greatly impact their use of free slave labor. The northern states saw slave labor as unconstitutional and hoped that a new president would change that.

     When Lincoln finally became president, eleven U.S. states seceded instead of giving up their slaves and way of life. Of course, the northerners opposed this, and this is widely believed to be the primary cause of the Civil War. The south had many advantages and disadvantages regarding the war. One of their main advantages was that the war was fought on their home soil, making northern soldiers more vulnerable passing through to the battlefields. One of the main disadvantages was that the south was worried that their slave population might try to rise up against them, then making them have to fight people from outside their territory, and people in it.

     The north also had its fair share of advantages and disadvantages. An advantage they had was that the south did not have the more advanced factories and roadways the north did, in theory making them weaker. This advantage eventually saw that the Civil War was ended, and slavery was made illegal.

     Like many countries, a civil war is a nasty part of history, but they all do eventually have to have one. Only eleven countries in the world have not had a civil war in their history, so civil wars are a pretty common occurrence. We part for now, but I'll see you again on Friday. Goodbye!

     Sources: https://aaregistry.org/story/the-american-civil-war-a-brief-summary/