South Africa held its first elections that included people of all color
<span>This was a declaration by the House of Commons of England reaffirming their right to freedom of speech in the face of King James' belief that they had no right to debate foreign policy. Many Members of Parliament were unhappy with James' foreign policy. They opposed the Spanish Match and wished for a war against Spain. The MPs believed that if they conceded that they had no right to debate matters which displeased the King, Parliament would be obsolete</span>
Russia in the late 19th and early 20th century was a massive empire, stretching from Poland to the Pacific, and home in 1914 to 165 million people of many languages, religions, and cultures. Ruling such a massive state was difficult, and the long-term problems within Russia were eroding the Romanov monarchy. In 1917, this decay finally produced a revolution<span>, which swept the old system away. Several key fault lines can be identified as long-term causes, while the short-term trigger is accepted as being </span>World War 1<span>.
</span>
