Fascism shared many goals of socialism, such as a living wage and shared economic indpendence, but sought those goals through close work with corporations. Leaders like Benito Mussolini and Adolph Hitler used corporate leaders as important backers and gave them preferential treatment in government contracts. This "third way" was characteristic of Fascism's approach to economics.

Totalitarianism is total rule and control in the hands of one all-powerful leader. Contemporary examples of totalitarianism include North Korea and Syria. Totalitarianism is usually characterized by having a charismatic leader, the use of modern technology to suppress the population, extensive propaganda to ensure loyalty of the population, and a complete lack of freedom of the press.

The majority of South American countries became republics at the moment of their independence. Many of them would later regress to totalitarian regimes led by armed forces, but they began as republics. Brazil differed from the other South American countries in that it had a strong and assured monarchy, most notably lead by the great Pedro II for much of the nineteenth century.

The Revolutions of 1848 began in France at the beginning of the year, but promptly spread to almost sixty countries around Europe, South America, and the Pacific. The revolutionaries desired, amongst other things, greater political participation at the expense of the entrenched ruling aristocracy and national independence from the few massive empires; however, the revolutions were very disorganized and were soon defeated at the hands of reactionary forces. The system of empires and monarchies would last for another century until the chaos and destruction of World Wars One and Two ended the age of empire seemingly forever.

The Taiping Rebellion was a civil war fought in Southern China from 1850 to 1863. The war was fought between the ruling Qing Dynasty and the rebelling millennial movement lead by Hong Xiuquan. The Boxer Rebellion occurred in China from 1898 to 1900. It was fought in opposition to foreign interference in Chinese affairs. The November Revolution in Russia occurred in 1917. It witnessed the overthrow of the Russian provisional government by Lenin and the Bolsheviks. The Arab Revolt occurred in Palestine between 1936 and 1939. It was an uprising of Palestinians who objected to British and French control of the region. The Easter Uprising occurred in British-controlled Ireland in 1916. The Uprising intended to ensure Irish independence from the British empire and the establishment of an Irish Republic. Aside from the November Revolution, all these rebellions failed.

The Holy Alliance was created in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars. The Napoleonic Wars and the preceding revolution in France offered a powerful challenge to the status quo in Europe. Much of the next fifty years of European history revolves around the various European powers’ efforts to reinforce stability and uphold the monarchies. The Holy Alliance was signed by Prussia, Russia, and Austria, and its primary goal was to work against democratic and nationalistic reform in Europe. In this regard, it was very successful for a long time. 

The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 occurred in Beijing, China. The protests were primarily lead by students and other pro-democracy groups. The event is often called the Tiananmen Square Massacre because of the nature of the response of the Chinese government; troops were ordered to fire on unarmed civilians and many hundreds (possibly thousands) of people were slaughtered. The protests exemplified the major divide in China between communist loyalists and democratic sympathizers, a divide that remains largely unresolved to this day.

The Reform Bill of 1832 was passed in the British parliament to “amend the representation of the people of England and Wales.” Prior to the Reform Bill, only a very small percentage of the population was able to vote, roughly five hundred thousand out of a population of thirteen million. The Reform Bill extended voting rights to an additional few hundred thousand men from the emerging industrial middle class. Although the percentage of the British population who could participate in government was still lower than ten percent, the Reform Bill represents the first step in Britain towards truly representative democracy.

Legalism first arose during the Warring States period of Chinese history in approximately 240 BCE. It was subsequently entrenched during the reign of Qin Shi Huang and the Qin Dynasty. Legalism was a strictly pragmatic philosophy that encouraged strict obedience to customs and legal systems.

The Storming of the Bastille took place on July 14^th, 1789. In the months and years building up to this incident, anger at the abuses of the French government, particularly the monarchy, had been building in intensity. The Bastille was a medieval prison and castle that represented, to many Parisians, the height of royal abuse and extravagance. The Storming of the Bastille was the flashpoint that many historians consider to be the beginning of the French Revolution.