KBa

Joseph Stalin is associated with the Soviet Union, which he became the dictator of. Early on, he began to take part in the revolution against the Russian monarchy. He became well known in the Bolshevik Party, and in 1922, he was made Secretary of the Communist Party. In 1924, Lenin died, and Stalin promoted himself to political heir. This led him to become the dictator of the [|Soviet Union] in the late 1920’s.

Stalin believed in industrialization, and the Soviet economy was booming. However, people were working in terrible conditions with little pay, similar to the Industrial Revolution. Millions of lives were taken because of his forced collectivization of agriculture. Stalin was also a follower of Karl Marx, and believed in [|communism.] [|The Great Terror of the 1930’s] also occurred, where Stalin got rid of all the “enemies of the people” within the party. This led to millions of people being sent to slave labor camps, and thousands executed.



__Prince Henry the Navigator__ Prince Henry was Portuguese explorer.was most famous for sponsoring expeditions, especially those to the Atlantic ocean and down the Western coast of Africa. He was a prince born in 1394. When he was 21, he helped his father and brothers attack the port of Ceutha in Africa. This inspired him to explore Africa, and he sent hundreds of sailing expeditions down the Western Coast. While these voyages would sail off, he stayed at home and established a school for studying ships and mapmaking. Prince Henry was known as "Prince Henry the Navigator" because he loved ships, the ocean, and navigation. It was his goal to find a route to get to the spices from the Indies. In addition, he wanted to create maps of West Africa, defeat the Muslims, and spread Christianity. This fueled his invention of the caravel, a lighter, smaller, ship that would be able to travel further and faster. Now his dreams could be accomplished. Even though they had the help of the caravel, it was still difficult to sail beyond the Cape of Bojodor, which was located on the Western coast of Africa. There was a legend surrounding this- that the sun was so close to the earth here that it would burn someone's skin off, and the sea captains did not want to risk it. In addition, there are violent storms here and swift, strong currents. Finally they did sail past this in 1434,and this is one of his greatest accomplishments. Other expeditions of his sailed to the Madeira Islands in 1420, Cape Blanc in 1441, Cape Vert in 1455, and Cape Pulmas in 1459. These all helped to create the map of West Africa.

Petrus Christus - A Goldsmith in His Shop, Possibly Saint Eligius

Looking at this painting, //[|A Goldsmith in His Shop, Possibly Saint Eligius]//, it is evident that this painting is from the [|Renaissance] for many reasons. First of all, there is perspective, where [|Petrus Christus] tries to make this work of art a little more three-dimensional than the boring painting during the Middle Ages. In addition, he makes use of chiaroscuro where light hits the peoples’ faces and the background is darker. This makes the painting seem more realistic, along with the use of [|sfumato] where the colors are blended together. This work of art is a scene from everyday life, which artists painted more during the Renaissance. Next, the mirror on the table and the glasses on the shelves signify that the man who commissioned the painting must have been wealthy. One can infer a lot from just looking at this work of art. Second, the effect that [|humanism] had on this piece of art is clear. Ordinary people are the subjects instead of religious figures, like during the Middle Ages when paintings were all about either death or religion. It is just a portrait from everyday life that Petrus Christus decided to illustrate (secular). Also, there are no haloes in this painting, unlike in the artwork from the Middle Ages. The effects of humanism had usurped the use of these. Next, there is [|individualism] in this painting. The ancient Greeks and Romans had believed in individualism, and now during the Renaissance and the rebirth of humanism it had begun to take a stand again. Humanism has obviously greatly affected the art during this time period, as shown in this painting.  //A Goldsmith in His Shop, Possibly Saint Eligius// By Petrus Christus