Table of Contents
All-India Muslim League (1906)
The Historical Background: The Partition of Bengal
The roots of the All India Muslim League were laid during a societal and political turmoil caused by the Partition of Bengal in 1905. Although there was strong opposition to this partition by the British government in the form of the Swadeshi movement, there was a realization that a separate political manifesto was needed by Indian Muslims.
The Architect: Nawab Salimullah of Dacca
The movement received its principal leader in the form of Nawab Salimullah. It was on December 30, 1906, that the annual Dacca Conference (also the ‘All India Muhammadan Educational Conference’) took place, organized by the above-mentioned individual on his estate
It was during this session that Salimullah made a proposal for the establishment of a political organization whose aim would be:
Represent Muslim interests before the British Raj.
Resist the growing power of the Indian National Congress Party.
The political rights of Muslims must be safeguarded within the new administrative setup of Eastern Bengal and Assam.
The Resolutions of the Dacca Conference
The conference was led by Nawab Viqar-ul-Mulk, and the three main aims drafted at this time were:
To inspire in Indian Muslims a feeling
Grigori Rasputin (1916)
USSR (1922)
On the 30th of December, 1922, the world was changed eternally with the signing of the “Treaty on the Creation of the USSR”. This global change resulted in the formation of the world’s first centralized State, the superpower, out of the Russian Empire, which would go on to rule the ge拿itics of the world for close to eighty years.
The Treaty and the Declaration
The creation of the USSR was codified at the First All-Union Congress of Soviets. It entailed the adoption of two key documents:
The Declaration: Spelled out the causes for the union. (Adverse capitalist environment, the want for financial cooperation.)
The Treaty: The treaty that formed the union between the republics with a single central government, located in Moscow.
The Original Four Republics
These first
It was first a federation of four socialist republics:
Russian SFSR (The dominant entity)
Ukrainian SSR
Byelorussian SSR
Transcaucasian SFSR (divided into Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan later on)
Key Figures: Lenin vs. Stalin
Vladimir Lenin is perceived as the father of the Soviet Union, and actually the debate involved Lenin and Joseph
Rizal Day (Philippines)
The “Prophecy”
Shortly before his death, Rasputin allegedly wrote a letter to the Tsar predicting his own murder. He warned:
“If I am killed by common assassins… you, the Tsar of Russia, have nothing to fear… But if it was your relations who have wrought my death… none of your children will remain alive for more than two years.”
It was in the year 1916 that Grigori Rasputin attained the peak of his political influence, as his life was to end in such a dramatic manner. It is also the point where his control within the Russian Imperial Family marked the turning point leading to the coming Revolution.
The Pinnacle of Power (1916)
By the time World War I reached the year 1916, Tsar Nicholas II had moved from St. Petersburg to command the Russian armies on the Eastern Front, leaving Empress Alexandra to administer affairs inside the country.
“Ministerial Leapfrog”: Alexandra was dependent almost completely upon advice from Rasputin. He caused her to promote a string of incompetent ministers in rapid succession (called “ministerial leapfrog”), depending solely upon whether they were “God-fearing” individuals and, better yet, loyal to him.
Public Outrage: Rumors about his dissolute behavior, drinking, and his claimed (but unproven) relationship with the empress reached a crescendo. Rasputin became a “dark force” or a “puppet master” in the eyes of the population and the aristocracy, who felt he was disintegrating the monarchy.
2006: The Execution of Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein, the former President of Iraq, was hanged on the early morning of December 30, 2006, in Camp Justice, which is an Iraqi military base located in the northern region of Baghdad.
The Trial and Imprisonment
The Charge: Saddam was convicted of crimes against humanity by the Iraqi Special Tribunal.
The Specific Case: Though accused of various atrocities, most notably the “Anfal campaign against the Kurds,” he was condemned to death for the “1982 Dujail Massacre, where 148 Iraqi Shi’ites were killed in reprisal for a failed assassination attempt.”
The Time of Execution: This happened at about 6:00 AM local time, at the precise moment when the Muslim celebration of Eid-al-Adha had kicked off. This has sparkedreactions across the Arab region.
Global Reaction and Controversy
The occasion was characterized by a great divide in the world:
Followers: Iraqi nationals, mainly Shia and Kurdish citizens who suffered under his rule, took to the streets to celebrate the death of Saddam.
Critics: Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch criticized the execution, emphasizing a ” flawed trial” and their anti-death penalty policies. The Leaked Video: Although the official video depicted a calm Saddam being escorted to the scaffold, a mobile-phone video surfaced..