The Line of Kings - Part 4

France under Napoleon III More information declares war on Prussia in July 1870, beginning the Franco-Prussian War. The war is disastrous for France as the highly organised Prussians defeat and capture Napoleon at the Battle of Sedan. Without a leader, Paris descends into anarchy, resulting in the Paris Commune; an early Communist state which is bloodily destroyed after two months. For Prussia, it was the final war that convinced the German states to unify in 1871, creating the German Empire. 

In 1880, the British Army enters into a series of wars with the South African Boers More information . This is a result of British efforts to unite disparate colonies in the region under one banner. During the First Boer War (1880 - 1881), the Boers engage in a campaign of guerrilla warfare against the British and initially secure some important victories. During the Second Boer War (1899 - 1902), the British however begin a policy of burning farms and building concentration camps for Boer civilians. These policies are quickly reversed due to a public backlash. The Boers are eventually defeated, and the Union of South Africa is established in 1910. 

In response to the colonisation of large sections of Africa, the European powers meet for the Berlin Conference. The purpose is to avoid colonial conflicts that could spark a larger war. In practice, the conference establishes a blueprint for the division of the continent of Africa among the powers, regardless of existing peoples living there.

Work begins on Tower Bridge; the iconic London landmark near the Tower of London. During the 19th century, London’s population booms, leading to calls for additional routes across the river. However, the capital is also a major port, and any bridge needs to allow for tall-masted shipping. The result is a towered bascule bridge with a walkway for passengers spanning the Thames. 

The first entry in the Sherlock Holmes series, “A Study in Scarlet”, is published by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887. Initially published in ‘Beeton’s Christmas Annual’, the story becomes highly popular and is the beginning of a series of over 50 works featuring the detective. 

In the autumn of 1888, five women are brutally murdered in Whitechapel, London. The manhunt for the killer becomes one of the most high-profile cases in British history. During the investigation, police receive a high number of letters allegedly from the murderer. Some of the letters were signed ‘Jack the Ripper’ – a name picked up by the press. The cases were never solved, although they have continued to generate interest. 

In 1901, Queen Victoria dies after 63 years on the throne. She is the longest reigning monarch in British history until Elizabeth II. Her son, Edward VII takes the throne. His reign is marked by forming good relations with other nations, including France More information and Japan. 

Edward VII dies after several years of poor health. He is succeeded by his son, George V. The most important change under George was the abandonment of the Royal Family’s German connections, changing their name from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to Windsor. During his reign, the First World War and Irish independence More information marked a change in Britain’s position in the world. 

In April 1912, the ocean liner RMS Titanic sinks in the North Atlantic after striking an iceberg. Despite carrying over 2,000 people on board, the ship only has lifeboat space for 1,178. More than 1,500 people die in the sinking, either from drowning or exposure in the cold Atlantic water. The first International Conference for Safety of Life at Sea is established in London in 1913 to prevent further incidents.

In June 1914, a Serbian nationalist called Gavrilo Princip assassinates Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife. The act sparks over four years of bloody war as European empires are dragged into conflict through a system of alliances. Over 15 million people die through disease, hunger, or violence. Four empires, Russia, Ottoman, Austro-Hungary, and Germany, fall in the aftermath. The victorious nations of Britain, France, United States, Belgium, and Italy enact harsh terms on Germany in the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. 

The British Broadcasting Company (changed to Corporation in 1927) was formed on 18th October 1922. The General Post Office establishes two successful radio stations in 1922, leading to a growth in applications for broadcasting licenses. To prevent a rash of unregulated radio stations, a single broadcast license is issued to unify these stations under one banner, known as the BBC. 

Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin in 1928 in St. Mary’s Hospital in London. The discovery is almost an accident, as Fleming notes how mould growing in discarded petri dishes are killing cultivated bacteria colonies. It would be another thirteen years before British scientists find a way to produce practical amounts of antibiotics, saving potentially millions of lives. 

On 20th January 1936, George V dies after being euthanised by his doctor. He is succeeded by his son, Edward VIII. Edward’s relationship with an American divorcee, Wallis Simpson, puts pressure on the king to either leave her or abdicate. He chooses to abdicate less than a year into his reign. With no heir, the crown passes to his younger brother, George VI. 

In September 1939, Nazi Germany invades Poland. Britain and France, Poland's allies, declare war on Germany shortly after, starting the Second World War in Europe. The U.S. and Soviet Union join the war in 1941 after being attacked by Japan and Germany respectively. Estimates put the death toll for the Second World War between 70 and 85 million people, across battlefields in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Britain loses approximately 450,000 soldiers and civilians over six years. The war ends in an Allied victory, but Europe is devastated and a Cold War More information develops between the Soviet Union and United States. 

The British Raj gains independence from the United Kingdom on 15 August 1947. It is the result of a decades long campaign of political agitation and protest, most notably by Mohandas Gandhi. To prevent religious violence, Britain partitions the former colony into two new nations – majority Muslim Pakistan and majority Hindu India. Partition is highly damaging, with an estimated 1 million people thought to die in the process. 

In June 1950, Korean Communist forces under Kim Il-Sung invades their Western-aligned Korean neighbours to the south. The Korean War is the first in a series of hostile proxy-wars throughout the latter half of the 20th century in which Soviet or Chinese backed revolutionaries clash with U.S. and NATO. Over 3 years, the frontline shifts across the peninsula several times, killing 2.5 million people in the process. A ceasefire between north and south is agreed to in July 1953, but peace is never signed. A state of hostility between North and South Korea still technically exists to this day. 

King George VI dies from a heart attack related to lung cancer in 1952, leaving behind his eldest daughter Elizabeth II to inherit the throne. Elizabeth reigns for 70 years. During this time, the British Empire ends as anti-colonial movements in Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Malaysia, and Jamaica as well as many others campaign for independence. Yet also during this time, Britain develops a booming cultural scene in music, fashion, art, literature, and film. 

After 8 years of conflict with Communist forces, the French withdraw from Vietnam More information (formerly French Indochina) in 1954. As a response, America installs the Saigon Military Mission to combat Communist influence with paramilitary and psychological warfare. This marks the beginning of the Vietnam War; a 20-year conflict in which more American troops are committed to contain the Communists. The war ends in American defeat when Saigon falls in 1975.

Argentine dictator Leopoldo Galtieri seizes the Falkland Islands (otherwise known as Las Malvinas) from Britain in April 1982. In response, Britain launches a taskforce to retake the islands. The war is brief and ends in the recapture of the Falklands by British forces. Galtieri is blamed for the loss and ousted in June 1982. 

In November 1989, a misunderstanding inadvertently leads to the fall of the Berlin Wall. In place since 1961, the Berlin Wall divides the city and is a physical emblem of the Cold War that divided Germany More information . In 1989, popular sentiment turns against the ruling Communist East German government resulting in protests and promises of emigration reform. A misinformed spokesman suggests an open border will be put into effect between East and West Berlin, prompting thousands to flock to the wall and begin crossing and destroying the barrier. The fall of the wall starts the journey towards German unification in 1990, and precedes the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. 

For the first time in over 200 years, Scotland opens its first parliament in 1999. At the same time, the Welsh Assembly is also opened, marking a devolution of power in the United Kingdom. The British Government and the IRA More information also broker a tenuous peace called the Good Friday Agreement, ending over 3 decades of violence known as The Troubles in Northern Ireland. 

On 11 September 2001, four planes are hijacked on their way to the United States. One careens into the Pentagon. One crashes in a field in Pennsylvania. Two planes however collide with two towers of the World Trade Centre in New York. The resulting inferno causes the towers to collapse, killing over 3,000 people in the deadliest terrorist attack in history. The culprits are believed to have been financed by the Islamist group Al Qaeda. America and their NATO More information allies invade Afghanistan to prosecute Al Qaeda. 

Stock markets crash in 2008, sparking a worldwide financial crisis. Relaxed financial regulations in the U.S. spurs an increase in the lending of credit to high-risk customers. These customers use the credit to buy or mortgage houses, causing a bubble where the price of the houses outpace their value. These mortgages are then traded between banks. When the bubble eventually bursts and customers have no way of paying back the mortgages, banks face huge losses. Large investment firms such as Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers file for bankruptcy. Countries suffer from high unemployment and social unrest.