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= = =Joseph Stalin= Joseph Stalin took[| control] of the government of Russia after the death of Vladimir Lenin. Stalin rose to power after Lenin’s death when Leon Trotsky was murdered while exile in Mexico. He ultimately wanted to transform the Soviet Union into a powerful [|Industrial state]. In order to achieve this transformation, Stalin launched his first [|Five Year Plan] in 1928. The goal of this plan was to have a rapid growth of heavy industry and increased farm production through agriculture. Stalin **forced** the nation’s resources into building steel mills, electric power stations, and other industries needed for a modern state. He forced peasants to give up their land so they could move and work on government owned enterprises. They hated this, and many died because of the brutal actions Stalin took. To also achieve his goal of a powerful Industrial state he created a new type of government called a [|totalitarian state]. This said that the government is a single-party dictatorship that controls every aspect of the lives of its citizens. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

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Bartholomeau Dias [|Bartholomeau Dias] was a Portuguese navigator who attempted to voyage around the Southern tip of Africa on boat to help find a faster route to India where they can trade instead of having to cross through the area where the Turks ruled. Others have tried to sail around the tip of Africa, but failed because the weather there is extremely brutal with harsh winds, and huge waves. In 1488 Bartholomeau finally accomplished this voyage to India. On his was back to Portugal, accompanied with the spices, gold, and silk he obtained from his voyage to India, he once again had to pass the Southern tip of Africa. He later named this area the Cape of Good Hope because this route finally gave Portugal access to India where they were able to trade freely without having to worry about being blocked and taxed by the Turks. Bartholomeau's voyage around the Cape of Good Hope is remembered because it marked the time where people were able to avoid having to be taxed by the Turks who blocked the path to India and Asia by land. Also because he was the first who accomplished traveling around the Southern tip of Africa, which later became a very important trade route.

**Sandro Botticelli - Birth of Venus**
====The Birth of Venus, a famous painting by Sandro Botticelli, is one of the most treasured pieces of art created during the period known as the [|Renaissance]. In the center of the painting Venus, otherwise known as [|Aphrodite], is about to emerge from the ocean. Many have said that this piece of artwork was created to explain the birth of the Greek goddess Aphrodite. In this painting, Sandro Botticelli used perspective as he drew Venus, the winged Zephyr, and the nymph in the white robe. The winged Zephyr is the character who is ushering Aphrodite to shore with his mighty breath, and the nymph is offering Venus a mantle before she takes her first step onto land. Botticelli uses classicism to show off Venus' body, but artists of the Renaissance were modest and that is why the nymph is preparing to cover the goddess with the mantle. He used realism as he depicted the birth of Venus with great detail and precision, just as it was captured in [|Homer’s hymn].====

====Humanism was a movement in Europe that was a crucial factor in shaping the artwork and lifestyle of the Renaissance. This movement included the rediscovery of Greek and Roman ideas, such as history, philosophy, science, math, art, and literature. Sandro Botticelli was influenced by humanism when painting The Birth of Venus because he incorporated the revival of Greek culture. The inspiration for this painting came from Homer’s hymn about the birth of the goddess Venus, or Aphrodite, and Botticelli sought insights from this [|myth] morphing that vision into a painting. By looking to Homer's hymn as a "muse" Botticelli was instrumental in incorporating and reviving [|Greek culture]. Without humanism and the rediscovery of these ideas, Botticelli would have never been able to create this iconic piece of art that is considered one of the most treasured pieces of artwork from the Renaissance.====