JSh



Francisco Franco was a dictator of Spain. He gradually rose to power through the military. He was a dictator from 1939 until he died in 1975. He was a major in the Spanish army, rose to general, and by 1933, he became commander of the Spanish Army. The Second Spanish Republic sent him to the Canary Islands because they suspected him of treason; however, he flew to the [|Spanish Morocco], made Spanish troops revolt, and started [|Spanish Civil War] and a revolution within Spain. After he conquered Madrid in March of 1939, he became an absolute dictator.

WWII overlapped with Franco's reign. Though [|Hitler] tried to persuade Franco to join, the conditions that Franco demanded of Hitler (supplies, military equipment, etc.) were too much and Hitler gave up. Spain, therefore, did not enter the war. During his reign, Franco named himself Head of the State, and adopted and switched between many policies. Originally, he supported fascism, but renounced it after WWII. However, throughout his reign, Franco consistently supported Catholicism, nationalism, and anti-Communism. There was continued oppression, imprisonment, and execution of any opponents and leftist political figures during Franco's rule. He also forced people to work by digging canals, draining swamps, and building railways. He consistently supported any Spanish cultural events such as bull-fighting, and suppressed traditions he did not believe were "Spanish enough."

FERDINAND MAGELLAN



Ferdinand Magellan was born in Portugal in 1480. He was a member of the Portuguese nobility and served the King and Queen as a page from an early age. He was a student at Queen Leonara's School of Pages and learned astronomy, cartography, and the skills of celestial navigation. These skills helped him as an explorer later on in his life. Magellan eventually grew interested in the [|Spice Islands] after he went on a small exploration in 1505. He thought he could find a new, shorter route to the Spice Islands. He went to the king of Portugal to ask for help with his exploration, but the king refused. Magellan then went to ask the king of Spain for help, and he agreed. Though Magellan was Portuguese, he ended up sailing for Spain.

Magellan began his exploration in September of 1519. He crossed the Pacific Ocean and arrived in Brazil. After some time, he continued south to look for a strait that would lead him to the Spice Islands. Instead, he arrived at the Philippines. He was killed by natives of the island in 1521. His crew ended up completing the expedition without him. His exploration was the first exploration to go around the world. Though it did not bring many material goods, it was significant for this reason.

Michelangelo - Dying Slave

=  The //Dying Slave// is a marble sculpture by [|Michelangelo] that is now in the [|Louvre]. The sculpture was started in 1513 and was completed in 1516. It was originally meant to be part of [|Pope Julius II]'s tomb, and represents the struggle to free one's soul. The //Dying Slave// is one of the best known works among sculpture. The //Dying Slave displays realism and individualism. Like most Renaissance artworks, this sculpture focuses on the individual person as opposed to the Middle Ages art where the subjects were mainly religious figures, and also mentions death, which is a common theme in works of the Renaissance. The sculpture is in a natural and moving position, and is a perfect example of Renaissance art. //    = [|Humanism]was a movement in Europe that reflected the ideals of the Renaissance. It included a secular approach to all subjects, and a rediscovery in Greek and Latin literature, as well as science, art, and philosophy. Humanism clearly plays a role in this sculpture because humanism involves nonsecular views. In the [|Middle Ages], almost all artwork revolved around religion; however, the //Dying Slave// is nonsecular and focuses on the individual person. Humanism also involved close observation. It is clear that in this sculpture, Michelangelo made close observations to accurately depict the human body. Humanism has played a big role in the //Dying Slave//.