Contemporary history

  • Unification of Germany

    Unification of Germany
    In this unification, most of the German-speaking states of Europe united under the crown of Prussia to form the German Empire.
  • I Boer War

    I Boer War
    It was the first confrontation between the British Empire and the Dutch or Boer settlers of Transvaal. It was triggered when Sir Theophilus Shepstone annexed Transvaal to the United Kingdom. The British consolidated their power over most of South Africa's colonies following the Anglo-Zulu War. The Boers protested at the fait accompli and a revolt broke out.
  • Berlin conference

    Berlin conference
    Meeting at which the major European powers negotiated and formalized claims to territory in Africa.
  • Wilhelm II crowned as Kaiser of Germany

    Wilhelm II crowned as Kaiser of Germany
    Wilhelm II was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as the Hohenzollern dynasty's 300-year rule of Prussia.
  • The Boxer rebellion

    The Boxer rebellion
    The Boxer Rebellion was the culmination of Chinese discontent against the economic and political interference of foreign powers, especially European powers and Japan.
  • Fashoda affair

    Fashoda affair
    The Fashoda affair was a climax of a series of territorial disputes in Africa between Britain and France, which took place in Fashoda, Egyptian Sudan. The disputes arose from the common desire of each country to unite their various colonial possessions in Africa.
  • II Boer War

    II Boer War
    The Second Boer War was a conflict between the United Kingdom and the founders of the independent republics of the Orange Free State and the South African Republic, in northeastern South Africa.
  • Defining of colonization of Belgian Congo

    Defining of colonization of Belgian Congo
    Belgian rule in the Congo was based on the "colonial trinity" of state, missionary and private company interests. The privileging of Belgian commercial interests meant that large amounts of capital flowed into the Congo and that individual regions became specialised.
  • Annexation of Congo Free State

    Annexation of Congo Free State
    International pressure forced the king to turn the Congo Free State over to the country of Belgium. The newly named “Belgian Congo” remained a colony until the Democratic Republic of Congo gained its independence in 1960.
  • Crisis of Agadir

    Crisis of Agadir
    The Agadir crisis or second Moroccan crisis was an international crisis that was about to trigger a war between France and the German Empire for control and influence over Morocco.
  • I Balkan War

    I Balkan War
    The First Balkan War and involved actions of the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The Balkan states' combined armies overcame the initially numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies, achieving rapid success.
  • Second Balcan War

    Second Balcan War
    The Second Balkan War was a conflict that broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece.
  • Beginning of World War 1

    Beginning of World War 1
    The First World War was a global military conflict, although centered in Europe, when Germany accepted the conditions of the armistice. This war was called "global" because all the great industrial and military powers of the time were involved, divided into two alliances.