Home 9 History of the Hispanic World

History of the Hispanic World

A unique online course presented in English

 

Learn about the Spanish Civil War, the French invasion in Mexico, the War of the Thousand Days and the independence movement across the Americas.

Discover why the Spanish American War led to a new world power, the rise of Fidel Castro and Cuba’s alliance with the former Soviet Union and the impact of US foreign policy across Latin America during the cold war.

And much, much more in this unique, ‘whistle-stop’ tour presented in English in two parts over 11 weeks and 9 weeks.

This course is fun and engaging and includes high-quality materials.

 

Meet your teacher, Samantha Reyes

Book your place at the bottom of this page.

 

Carol B Position

Just the course I wished for to obtain a big picture view of the Latin American world. The class is interactive and the teacher is very responsive to questions. I am enjoying history taught by a Mexican teacher based in Mexico City.

Sarah G Position

I am completely delighted with this course. It has totally exceeded my expectations. Sam is an outstanding teacher with a deep knowledge and passion for her subject. Her enthusiasm is infectious as she brings history to life. I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending this course to anyone who wants to learn about the history of the Spanish-speaking world and the world we know today.

Fabienne Position

I am really enjoying this course. It is a whistle-stop tour of the history of the Hispanic world that will whet your appetite for more! Sam’s lessons are engaging and informative and the end of lesson quizzes are fun and offer student participation that keeps us engaged. Whether you’re learning Spanish and want to explore Hispanic cultures to help your language learning or you’re just interested in exploring the histories that you didn’t learn at school, I’d recommend trying out this course!

Matthew E Position

The course has been very interesting and Samantha is happy to answer any questions during the class. The history of each country is covered separately and has helped me gain a much greater understanding! The slides provided for the class each week also provide a useful reference point. A large amount of material is covered each week but it is delivered in an engaging way and interaction is encouraged.

Khalid S Position

This course is the highlight of my week. We are on week seven, having completed Spain, Mexico and Argentina. I have found it fascinating, as we do not really study Spain and Latin America in history at school in the UK. It’s clear all the students are enjoying this eye-opening course. It isn’t necessary to have to learn history to learn Spanish as a language, but knowing the history and culture really gives a rich depth to your studies.

Ann A Position

I absolutely love this Hispanic History course! Its wonderful, joined up information gives a brilliant overview of a fascinating story. Samantha’s friendly enthusiasm makes the lessons so enjoyable that the lesson literally flies by! This course has got to be a must for anybody interested in the Hispanic world.

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PART 1

Spain

Lesson 1: Rise of the Empire
  • Muslim conquest of Spain (711)
  • The rise of Castile and Aragon (1250-1479)
  • The unification of Spain (1479-1516)
  • The rise of the Spanish Empire
  • The “Golden Age” (16th and 17th centuries)
Lesson 2: Fall of the Empire
  • Revolt of the comuneros (1520)
  • Catalan and Portuguese rebellion (1640-1652)
  • War of the Spanish Succession 1700–1714
  • Wars of the French Revolution 1793–1808
  • War against Napoleon 1808–1813
  • Independence of the Spanish Colonies c. 1800–c.1850
  • Riego Rebellion 1820
  • First Carlist War 1833–1839
  • The Glorious Revolution 1868
  • First Republic and Restoration 1873–1874
Lesson 3: The 20th Century
  • The Spanish-American War 1898
  • Rivera Dictatorship 1923–1930
  • Creation of the Second Republic 1931
  • The Spanish Civil War 1936–1939
  • Franco’s Dictatorship 1939–1975
  • Return to Democracy 1975–1978

Mexico

Lesson 4: Colony and turmoil
  • Spanish conquest 16th Century
  • Colonial Mexico
  • Independence war (1810-1821)
  • Conservatives vs liberals
  • Mexican-american war (1836-1848)
Lesson 5: Foreign intervention and the 20th century
  • The establishment of the republic (1857)
  • The French Conquest and Occupation (1861-1867)
  • The Porfiriato (1877-1911)
  • The Mexican Revolution (1910-1940)
  • Mexican Miracle (1940-1970)

Argentina

Lesson 6: Colony and turmoil
  • Spanish conquest 16th Century
  • Viceroyalty of the River Plate 1776
  • British invasion (1806)
  • Independence declared (1816)
  • Civil war and first republic (1816-1853)
  • The war of the Triple Alliance (1864)
Lesson 7: The 20th century
  • The Great Depression (1929)
  • Military takes over the government (1943)
  • Peronismo origin (1946)
  • Juan Peron era (1955-1976)
  • The Dirty War (1976)
  • The Falkland War (1982)
  • Civilian rule returns (1983)

Colombia

Lesson 8: Colony and turmoil
  • Spanish conquest 16th Century
  • Independence war (1810)
  • La Gran Colombia (1819)
  • The war of the thousand days (1899-1902)
Lesson 9: The 20th century
  • Shaping of the republic (1910-1950)
  • “La Violencia” 1948-1957
  • Guerrila gains momentum (1960s)
  • Drug takeover (1970s)
  • Paramilitary dominance (1980s)
  • Consequences in present day

Cuba

Lesson 10: Independence and new powers
  • Spanish conquest 16th Century
  • Independence from Spain and beginning of US hegemony (1868)
  • Rising Authoritarianism, 1901–1930s
  • The end of the early Batista era (1959)
Lesson 11: Turn to the Soviet Union
  • The Rise of Fidel Castro
  • The Cold War Period
  • Cuba’s alliance with the Soviets
  • A Continuing Cuban-U.S. Cold War:
  • US rivalry
  • Several incidents in 2000–1
  • Internal conflicts

PART 2

Learn about Trujillo’s reign in the Caribbean and the rise and fall of Venezuela; Operation Condor and the infamous death flights, and the US involvement in South America and much, much more…

Peru

Lesson 12: Colony and turmoil
  • Spanish conquest 16th Century
  • Tupac Amaru II rebelion and execution (1780)
  • War of independence (1810- 1824)
  • Peru and Bolivia cofederation (1836)
  • War of the Pacific (1879-1884)
Lesson 13: The 20th century
  • Foreign interests start to grow in the country (1920s)
  • War with Ecuador (1941)
  • Military coup (1948)
  • US signs aid treaty with Peru (1952)
  • Free elections return (1956)
  • Debt and violence rise after war on guerrilas (1982)
  • Guerrilas surrender to government (1994)
  • New Ecuador conflict and peace treaty (1995-1999)

Chile

Lesson 14: Colony and turmoil
  • Pre-hispanic powers
  • Spanish conquest 16th Century
  • War of independence begins (1810)
  • Conservatives vs liberals (1823)
  • New constitution (1833)
  • Mapuche rebellion (1861)
Lesson 15: Shaping Chile
  • War of the Pacific (1879-1884)
  • Balmaceda dictatorship starts and ends (1886)
  • Internal conflict and government takes shape
  • Pinochet takes power (1973-1990)
  • Transition into democracy and treaties

Venezuela

Lesson 16: Colony and turmoil
  • Spanish conquest 16th Century
  • Colonial era
  • War of independence begins (1810)
  • Venezuela separates from Gran Colombia (1830)
  • Shaping of the nation
  • German, british and italian port block due to debt (1902)
Lesson 17: The 20th century
  • Oil exports boom (1908-35) and Juan Gomez’s dictatorship
  • Change in government to leftist Romulo Bentacourt (1958)
  • Puntofijismo (1964)
  • Results of the Yom Kippur War on Venezuela (1973)
  • Hugo Chavez rise to power (1992-1998)
  • The Chavez administration
  • Maduro’s rise to power (2013)

Dominican Republic

Lesson 19: Key moments
  • Spanish conquest 16th Century- First establishment
  • Treaty of Ryswick (1697)
  • Santo Domingo annexed by Haiti’s President Boye-1822
  • Dominican Republic is officially established (1844)
  • Return to Spanish rule and revolt (1861-1863)
  • Treaty with US for control (1865)
  • US occupation (1916-1924)
  • The Trujillo era (1930-1961)
  • Fight for democracy
  • Balaguer rise to power (1966-1996)

Paraguay

Lesson 18: Key moments
  • Spanish conquest 16th Century
  • War of independence begins (1811)
  • The war of the Triple Alliance (1864)
  • Political instability and transition
  • Operation Condor (1970s)
  • President resignation and violence wave (1999)
  • Peasant protest (2004)
  • End of Colorado Party rule (2008)

Uruguay

Lesson 20: Key moments
  • Spanish conquest 16th Century
  • War of independence begins (1808)
  • Uruguayans vs Argentinians and Brazilians invasion (1812-20)
  • The Republic of Uruguay is born (1828)
  • Civil war (1838-1865)
  • The war of the Triple Alliance (1864)
  • Political reforms and instability
  • Armed forces take power
  • Return to constitutional government (1985)
  • Consequences of the repression

About our teacher

Samantha Reyes is from Mexico City and has a degree in International Relations and is taking a Masters in Global Security. Sam is passionate about culture, history, art, politics, and everything in between and is excited to be sharing with you the historical events that shaped the Hispanic nations we know today.