Blackwell Reference Online

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Deir Yassin was an Arab village in Palestine which had observed a non-aggression pact with Haganah, the Jewish defence force, but was attacked by Irgun Zvai Leumi, which was under the command of Menachem begin . When it resisted, the entire population of 245 men, women and children was massacred. Begin spoke of the ‘heroic’ acts of his men at Deir Yassin, and attributed the flight of Arabs from Israel to this incident. Haganah denounced the atrocity. Democratic Party Political party in the US. It goes back to 1792, when Jefferson and Madison founded the Democratic-Republican Party, which adopted its present name in the 1830s. The Democrats stood for states’ rights and a weak federal government and were free-traders opposed to high tariffs. Their support came from the ‘solid South’ and from those who were not well off: small farmers, urban labourers and immigrants, especially Irish Catholics. The Democratic Party held the presidency for all but eight years between 1828 and 1860, but split over slavery when the North and South wings of the party put forward different candidates in the presidential election of 1860. This let in Abraham Lincoln, the republican party's first President. As most Confederate leaders were Democrats the Republicans appeared as the party of Union. The Democratic Party began a long period as a minority party. From 1860 to 1932 only two Democrats were elected ... log in or subscribe to read full text