query: Leopold II of Belgium was a person from 1865 to 1909.

pos: Leopold II of Belgium Leopold II ( 9 April 1835 -- 17 December 1909 ) reigned as the second King of the Belgians from 1865 to 1909 . He became known for the founding and exploitation of the Congo Free State as a private venture . Born in Brussels as the second ( but eldest surviving ) son of Leopold I and Louise of Orléans ,  he succeeded his father to the Belgian throne in 1865 and reigned for 44 years until his death - the longest reign of any Belgian monarch . He died without surviving male issue ; the current Belgian king descends from his nephew and successor , Albert I.   Leopold became the founder and sole owner of the Congo Free State , a private project undertaken on his own behalf . He used explorer Henry Morton Stanley to help him lay claim to the Congo , the present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo . At the Berlin Conference of 1884 -- 1885 the colonial nations of Europe authorized his claim by committing the Congo Free State to improving the lives of the native inhabitants . From the beginning , however , Leopold essentially ignored these conditions . He ran the Congo using the mercenary Force Publique for his personal enrichment . He used great sums of the money from this exploitation for public and private construction projects in Belgium during this period . He donated the private buildings to the state before his death , to preserve them for Belgium .   Leopold extracted a fortune from the Congo , initially by the collection of ivory , and - after a rise in the price of rubber in the 1890s - by forced labour from the natives to harvest and process rubber . Under his régime millions of the Congolese people died ; modern estimates range from 1 to 15 million , with a consensus growing around 10 million . Human-rights abuses under his régime contributed significantly to these deaths . Reports of deaths and abuse led to a major international scandal in the early 20th century , and the Belgian government ultimately forced Leopold to relinquish control of the colony to Belgian civil administration in 1908 .

neg: London Protocol (1852) On 8 May 1852 , after the First War of Schleswig , an agreement called the London Protocol was signed . This international treaty was the revision of an earlier protocol , which had been ratified on 2 August 1850 , by the major Germanic powers of Austria and Prussia . The second London Protocol was recognised by the five major European powers -- Austria , France , Prussia , Russia , and the United Kingdom -- as well as by the Baltic Sea powers of Denmark and Sweden .   The Protocol affirmed the integrity of the Danish federation as a `` European necessity and standing principle '' . Accordingly , the duchies of Schleswig ( a Danish fief ) , and Holstein and Lauenburg ( German fiefs ) were joined by personal union with the Kingdom of Denmark . However , Frederick VII of Denmark was childless , so a change in dynasty was imminent and the lines of succession for the duchies and Denmark diverged . That meant that , contrary to the Protocol , the new King of Denmark would not also be the new Duke of Holstein and Duke of Lauenburg . So for this purpose , the line of succession to the duchies was modified . Further , it was affirmed that the duchies were to remain as independent entities , and that Schleswig would have no greater constitutional affinity to Denmark than Holstein did .   The major powers primarily wanted to ensure , by guaranteeing Denmark 's territorial integrity , that the strategically significant port of Kiel would not fall into Prussian hands . Eleven years later , this treaty became the trigger for the German -- Danish war of 1864 . Prussia and Austria declared that Denmark had violated the Protocol by introducing the November Constitution , which Christian IX of Denmark signed on 18 November 1863 . After an initial period of joint Austro -- Prussian administration , Kiel was ultimately delivered to Prussia in 1867 .

neg: Kingdom of Holland The Kingdom of Holland ( Koninkrijk Holland , Royaume de Hollande ) was set up by Napoléon Bonaparte as a puppet kingdom for his third brother , Louis Bonaparte , in order to better control the Netherlands . The name of the leading province , Holland , was now taken for the whole country . In 1807 Prussian East Frisia and Jever were added to the kingdom but in 1809 , after a British invasion , Holland had to give over all territories south of the river Rhine to France .   Also in 1809 , Dutch forces fighting on the French side participated in defeating the anti-Bonapartist German rebellion led by Ferdinand von Schill , at the Battle of Stralsund .   King Louis did not perform to Napoleon 's expectations -- he tried to serve Dutch interests instead of his brother 's -- and the kingdom was dissolved in 1810 after which the Netherlands were annexed by France until 1813 . The Kingdom of Holland covered the area of the present-day Netherlands , with the exception of Limburg , and parts of Zeeland , which were French territory , and with the addition of East Frisia , in present-day Germany .   It was the first formal monarchy in the Netherlands since 1581 .

neg: Alfred Stevens (painter) Alfred Émile Léopold Stevens ( 11 May 182324 August 1906 ) was a Belgian painter , known for his paintings of elegant modern women .   Alfred Stevens was born in Brussels . He came from a family involved with the visual arts : his older brother Joseph ( 1816 -- 1892 ) and his son Léopold ( 1866 -- 1935 ) were painters , while another brother Arthur ( 1825 -- 99 ) was an art dealer and critic . His father , who had fought in the Napoleonic wars in the army of William I of the Netherlands , was an art collector who owned several watercolors by Eugène Delacroix , among other artists . His mother 's parents ran Café de l'Amitié in Brussels , a meeting place for politicians , writers , and artists . All the Stevens children benefited from the people they met there , and the social skills they acquired in growing up around important people .

neg: Leopold of Austria Leopold of Austria may refer to :   Leopold I , Margrave of Austria , reigned 976 -- 94  Leopold II , Margrave of Austria , reigned 1075 -- 95  Leopold III , Margrave of Austria , reigned 1095 -- 1136 , saint  Leopold V , Duke of Austria ( 1157 -- 1194 )  Leopold I , Duke of Austria , co-ruler of Austria from 1308 to 1326  Leopold II , Duke of Austria , nominal co-ruler of Austria , died 1344  Leopold V , Archduke of Austria ( 1586 -- 1632 ) , Regent of the Tyrol and Further Austria  Archduke Leopold Salvator of Austria ( 1863-1931 )  Archduke Leopold of Austria , Prince of Tuscany ( 1897-1958 )

neg: Léon Delacroix Léon Frédéric Gustave Delacroix ( 27 December 1867 -- 15 October 1929 ) was a Belgian statesman . Before entering politics , he was a renowned lawyer , and served as president of the Belgian Court of Cassation from 1917 to 1918 . In the context of reconstruction after World War I , he was appointed the 22nd Prime Minister and served from 1918 to 1920 . During his term , universal suffrage for men was enacted .

neg: List of monarchs of Prussia The monarchs of Prussia were members of the House of Hohenzollern who were the hereditary rulers of the former German state of Prussia from its founding in 1525 as the Duchy of Prussia . The Duchy had evolved out of the Teutonic Order , a Roman Catholic crusader state and theocracy located along the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea . The Teutonic Knights were under the leadership of a Grand Master , the last of whom , Albert , converted to Protestantism and secularized the lands , which then became the Duchy of Prussia . The Duchy was initially a vassal of the Kingdom of Poland , as a result of the terms of the Prussian Homage whereby Albert was granted the Duchy as part of the terms of peace following the Prussian War . When the main line of Prussian Hohenzollerns died out in 1618 , the Duchy passed to a different branch of the family , who also reigned as Electors of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire . While still nominally two different territories , Prussia under the suzerainty of Poland and Brandenburg under the suzerainty of the Holy Roman Empire , the two states are known together historiographically as Brandenburg-Prussia . Following the Second Northern War , a series of treaties freed the Duchy of Prussia from any vassalage to any other state , making it a fully sovereign Duchy in its own right . This complex situation ( where the Hohenzollern ruler of the independent Duchy of Prussia was also a subject of the Holy Roman Emperor as Elector of Brandenburg ) laid the eventual groundwork for the establishment of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1701 . For diplomatic reasons , the rulers of the state were known as the King in Prussia from 1701 to 1772 ; largely because they still owed fealty to the Emperor as Electors of Brandenburg , the `` King in Prussia '' title ( as opposed to `` King of Prussia '' ) avoided offending the Emperor . As the Prussian state grew through several wars and diplomatic moves throughout the 18th century , it became apparent that Prussia had become a Great Power that did not need to submit meekly to the Holy Roman Empire . By 1772 , the pretense was dropped , and the style `` King of Prussia '' was adopted . Thus it remained until 1871 , when in the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War , the King of Prussia Wilhelm I was crowned German Emperor . From that point forward , though the Kingdom of Prussia retained its status as a constituent state of the German Empire , all remaining Kings of Prussia also served as German Emperor , and that title took precedence .

neg: Empress Elisabeth of Austria Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria ( 24 December 1837 -- 10 September 1898 ) was the wife of Emperor Franz Joseph I , and thus Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary , and many others ( see Grand title of the Empress of Austria ) .   Born into the royal Bavarian house of Wittelsbach , Elisabeth ( also called `` Sisi '' ) enjoyed an informal upbringing before marrying Emperor Franz Joseph I at the age of sixteen . The marriage thrust her into the much more formal Habsburg court life , for which she was ill-prepared and which she found uncongenial . Early in the marriage she was at odds with her mother-in-law , Archduchess Sophie , who took over the rearing of Elisabeth 's daughters , one of whom , Sophie , died in infancy . The birth of a male heir , Rudolf , improved her standing at court considerably , but her health suffered under the strain , and she would often visit Hungary for its more relaxed environment . She came to develop a deep kinship with Hungary , and helped to bring about the dual monarchy of Austria -- Hungary in 1867 .   The death of her only son Rudolf , and his mistress Mary Vetsera , in a murder -- suicide tragedy at his hunting lodge at Mayerling in 1889 was a blow from which Elisabeth never recovered . She withdrew from court duties and travelled widely , unaccompanied by her family . She was obsessively concerned with maintaining her youthful figure and beauty , which was already legendary during her life . While travelling in Geneva in 1898 , she was stabbed to death by an Italian anarchist named Luigi Lucheni . Elisabeth was the longest serving Empress of Austria , at 44 years .

neg: Leopold, Duke of Bavaria Leopold ( Luitpold , c. 1108 -- 18 October 1141 ) , known as Leopold the Generous ( Luitpold der Freigiebige ) , was Margrave of Austria as Leopold IV from 1136 , and Duke of Bavaria as Leopold I from 1139 until his death in 1141 .

neg: Belgium and the Franco-Prussian War Though not actually a belligerent in the Franco -- Prussian War ( 1870 -- 71 ) , Belgian society and politics were heavily affected by the conflict , and in particular the fear of invasion by either side . The mobilization of the army in 1870 highlighted the inadequacies of the Belgian military and led to reform of the system of conscription ( and the abandonment of the system of Remplacement ) and a programme of re-fortification towards the end of the 19th century which would greatly influence the early phases of the First World War .

neg: Histoire de Belgique (book series) The Histoire de Belgique ( `` History of Belgium '' ) is a seven-volume survey of the history of Belgium by the historian Henri Pirenne , written in French language and published between 1900 and 1932 . The series , which traces the emergence of the Belgian nation-state from the Roman era until the start of World War I , is a classic of nationalist historiography and one of Pirenne 's major works . Although Pirenne is today best known as a historian of Medieval Europe , the Histoire de Belgique series was his most respected work during his lifetime and the foundation of his reputation as Belgium 's leading national historian .   Unlike much nationalist historiography , Pirenne 's history did not trace the emergence of a Belgian `` Volksgeist '' ( national spirit ) but argued that Belgium had naturally developed as a cosmopolitan society to serve as a mediator between Latin and Germanic Europe . Pirenne did , however , believe in the existence of a distinctly Belgian civilisation ( civilisation belge ) reflecting a unique combination of external influences and which had changed over time without losing its distinctiveness .   Publication began in 1900 and ended in 1932 after being disrupted for several years during the German occupation of Belgium ( 1914 -- 18 ) in which Pirenne had been held as a political prisoner . The seventh volume was awarded the Francqui Prize in 1933 . According to modern historians , Pirenne 's 1928 publication La Belgique et la Guerre Mondiale ( Belgium and the World War ) could be considered a chronological sequel , covering the period after the end of volume seven .

neg: Caroline Lacroix Blanche Zélia Joséphine Delacroix , better known as Caroline Lacroix ( 13 May 1883 -- 12 February 1948 ) was the most prominent and notorious of Leopold II of Belgium 's mistresses .   Delacroix , who was of French origin , met the king in Paris as a young girl , when she was only 16 and he was 65 . At that time , she earned her living as a prostitute . They soon embarked upon a relationship that was to last until his death in 1909 . Leopold lavished upon her large sums of money , estates , gifts , and a noble title , Baroness Vaughan . Because of these presents , Caroline was deeply unpopular both among the Belgian people and internationally , as Leopold became increasingly criticized for his greed-induced actions in the Congo Free State , his own personal colony . As Caroline largely profited off the income from the colony , she became known as La reine du Congo ( `` the Queen of Congo '' ) .   She and Leopold married in a religious ceremony five days before his death , though their failure to perform a civil ceremony rendered the marriage void under Belgian law . After the king 's death , it was soon discovered that he had left Caroline numerous properties , items of high material value , Congolese bonds , and other valuable sources of income -- all of which turned her into a multimillionaire . For years the Belgian government and Leopold 's three estranged daughters attempted to recover some of this wealth , with their success varying depending on the case . Caroline died on 12 February 1948 in Cambo-les-Bains , France .

neg: Leo Mechelin Leopold ( Leo ) Henrik Stanislaus Mechelin ( born 24 November 1839 , Hamina , Finland -- 26 January 1914 , Helsinki , Finland ) was a Finnish professor , statesman , senator and liberal reformer . A leading defender of the autonomy of the Grand Duchy of Finland , and of the rights of women and minorities , Mechelin 's 1905 -- 1908 government  ( `` Mechelin 's Senate '' ) made Finland the first nation in the world with the universal right to vote and to be elected . During his period in office the freedom of expression , the press , and of assembly were introduced .   He also founded the Liberal Party of Finland ( 1880 -- 1885 ) , wrote its program , was one of the founders of the Union Bank of Finland 1862 ( now part of Nordea Bank ) and co-founded the Nokia Company ( 1871 ) with Fredrik Idestam , was the first chairman of the town council of Helsinki ( 1875 -- 1876 and 1892 -- 1899 ) and an internationally respected expert on politology and member of peace movement . Emperor Alexander II ennobled Mechelin 1876 .   Mechelin led the passive resistance in Finland during the first period of oppression ( 1899 -- 1905 ) until and even after his banishment ( 1903 ) , from which officials had to let him return as a member of parliament ( House of Nobles ) 1904 , welcomed by a celebrating crowd of 10,000 people . In a secret meeting of the Kagaali , Mechelin had written a petition against the draft of Finns to the Russian army , which collected almost 500,000 signatures . His coalition , the Constitutionals , managed to end the draft through boycott .   Born in Hamina in 1839 , the son of Gustaf Johan Mechelin and Amanda Gustava Costiander , Leo Mechelin studied at the University of Helsinki , gaining his Bachelor 's and Master 's degree 's in Philosophy in 1860 , a bachelor 's degree in law in 1864 , and a License and Doctorate in 1873 .   As professor of jurisdiction and politology 1874-82 , Mechelin had argued that the tsars were bound by the old constitutional laws from the time of the Swedish rule of Finland ( before 1809 ) , and hence affirmed that Finland was a separate , constitutional state , which the tsar could only rule by law , whereas in Russia he had absolute power . During the periods of oppression , the tsar tried to impose unconstitutional laws , which Mechelin opposed . The unrests in Russia and Finland ( 1905 ) finally compelled the tsar to comply with the November Manifesto written by Mechelin . This allowed Mechelin to form a government ( 1905 -- 1908 ) and to transform Finland into what was in many respects the first liberal democracy ( e.g. , in New Zealand women already had the right to vote but not to be voted ; in Australia only white people had those rights ) in 1906 . In 1907 , the first universal elections to the one-chamber parliament ( `` eduskunta '' ) were held , and 19 of its 200 first members were women . However , the constitutionals of all parties did not obtain the majority of seats , and the tsar realised that he could carry on with the oppression , starting the second period of oppression ( 1908 -- 1917 ) . After Mechelin 's death ( in 1914 ) , the two revolutions in Russia allowed Finland to declare its independence ( 1917 ) and Mechelin 's younger co-workers were able to complete his work .   Nokia , once a world-leading mobile phone corporation , was founded by Mechelin and his student days ' roommate Fredrik Idestam as a forestry company . Later Mechelin 's wish to expand into the electricity business were at first thwarted by Idestam 's opposition , but Mechelin managed to convince most shareholders of his plans and became the company chairman ( 1898 -- 1914 ) , thus being able to realise his visions .   Mechelin was also active in civil society and President of the current University of Art and Design Helsinki and of the Finnish Art Society . As a politician he was always highly respected among all parties and citizens , although after the dissolution of the Liberal Party ( 1885 ) he never joined any other party .

neg: Political parties in Belgium Belgium is a federal state with a multi-party political system , with numerous parties who factually have no chance of gaining power alone , and therefore must work with each other to form coalition governments .   Almost all Belgian political parties are divided into linguistic groups , either Dutch-speaking parties ( see also political parties in Flanders ) , Francophone parties or Germanophone parties .   The Flemish parties operate in Flanders and in the Brussels-Capital Region . The Francophone parties operate in Wallonia and in the Brussels-Capital Region . There are also parties operating in the comparatively small German-speaking community . No party family has a realistic chance of winning enough seats to govern alone , let alone win an outright majority .   Political parties are thus organised along community lines , especially for the three main communities . There are no representative parties active in both communities . Even in Brussels , all parties presenting candidates are either Flemish parties , or French-speaking . As such , the internal organisation of the political parties reflects the fundamentally dual nature of Belgian society .   There are no significant parties left who exist , or operate on a national , Belgian level .   From the creation of the Belgian state in 1830 and throughout most of the 19th century , two political parties dominated Belgian politics : the Catholic Party ( Church-oriented and conservative ) and the Liberal Party ( anti-clerical and progressive ) . In the late 19th century the Labour Party arose to represent the emerging industrial working class . These three groups still dominate Belgian politics , but they have evolved substantially in character .

neg: Alexander von Falkenhausen Alexander Ernst Alfred Hermann Freiherr von Falkenhausen ( 29 October 1878 -- 31 July 1966 ) was a German general and a pardoned war criminal . He was an important figure during the Sino-German cooperation to reform the Chinese Army . During World War II Germany ended its support for China and Falkenhausen was forced to withdraw from China . Back in Europe he later became the head of the Nazi military government of Belgium from 1940 -- 44 during its German occupation . He was responsible for ordering the execution of hostages and deportations of Jews in Belgium .   He was married twice , firstly to Paula von Wedderkop ( 8 October 1879 -- 3 March 1950 ) and then in 1960 , to Cecile Vent ( 16 September 1906 -- 1977 ) , both without issue . He was a nephew of Ludwig von Falkenhausen , who was the governor-general of Belgium during the German occupation , from 1917 -- 1918 , in the First World War and a direct male line descendant of Karl Wilhelm Friedrich , Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach , by his mistress Elisabeth Wünsch .

neg: Spanish Netherlands Spanish Netherlands ( Países Bajos españoles Spaanse Nederlanden ) ; Pays-Bas espagnols ) was the collective name of States of the Holy Roman Empire in the Low Countries , held in personal union by the Spanish Crown ( also called Habsburg Spain ) from 1581 to 1714 . This region comprised most of modern Belgium and Luxembourg , as well as parts of northern France and western Germany . The capital was Brussels .   The Imperial fiefs of the former Burgundian Netherlands had been inherited by the Austrian House of Habsburg from the extinct House of Valois-Burgundy upon the death of Mary of Burgundy in 1482 . The Seventeen Provinces formed the core of the Habsburg Netherlands which passed to the Spanish Habsburgs upon the abdication of Emperor Charles V in 1556 . When part of the Netherlands separated to form the autonomous Dutch Republic in 1581 , the remainder of the area stayed under Spanish rule until the War of the Spanish Succession .

neg: Schleswig-Holstein Question The Schleswig-Holstein Question ( Schleswig-Holsteinische Frage Spørgsmålet om Sønderjylland og Holsten ) was a complex set of diplomatic and other issues arising in the 19th century from the relations of two duchies , Schleswig ( Sønderjylland / Slesvig ) and Holstein ( Holsten ) , to the Danish crown and to the German Confederation . The British statesman Lord Palmerston is reported to have said : `` Only three people have ever really understood the Schleswig-Holstein business -- the Prince Consort , who is dead -- a German professor , who has gone mad -- and I , who have forgotten all about it . ''   Schleswig was a part of Denmark during the Viking Age , and became a Danish duchy in the 12th century . Denmark repeatedly tried to reintegrate the Duchy of Schleswig into the Danish kingdom . On March 27 , 1848 , Frederick VII of Denmark announced to the people of Schleswig the promulgation of a liberal constitution under which the duchy , while preserving its local autonomy , would become an integral part of Denmark . This led to an open uprising by Schleswig-Holstein 's large German majority in support of independence from Denmark and of close association with the German Confederation . The military intervention of the Kingdom of Prussia supported the uprising : the Prussian army drove Denmark 's troops from Schleswig and Holstein in the First Schleswig War of 1848 -- 1851 . The second attempt to reintegrate the Duchy of Schleswig into the Danish kingdom , initiated by the signing by King Christian IX of Denmark of the November Constitution in 1863 , was seen as a violation of the London Protocol and led to the Second Schleswig War of 1864 .   Even though Schleswig , Holstein , and Denmark had all had the same hereditary ruler for some centuries , the inheritance rules in the three territories were not quite the same . The Dukedoms of Schleswig and Holstein were inherited under the Salic law which ignored females : the Kingdom of Denmark had a slightly different inheritance law which included male heirs inheriting through the female line . In the 19th century this slight difference in inheritance law meant that when the childless King Frederick VII of Denmark died the Kingdom of Denmark would be separated from the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein because one man would inherit the Kingship and another the Dukedoms , as happened on the death of Frederick in 1863 .   The central question was whether the duchy of Schleswig was or was not an integral part of the dominions of the Danish crown , with which it had been associated in the Danish monarchy for centuries or whether Schleswig should , together with Holstein , become an independent part of the German Confederation . Schleswig itself was a fiefdom of Denmark , as the duchy of Holstein had been a fief of the Holy Roman Empire until 1806 , and become a component state of the German Confederation with the Danish king as duke . This involved the question , raised by the death of the last common male heir to both Denmark and the two duchies , as to the proper succession in the duchies , and the constitutional questions arising out of the relations of the duchies to the Danish crown , to each other , and of Holstein to the German Confederation .   Much of the history of Schleswig-Holstein has a bearing on this question : see history of Schleswig-Holstein for details . Following the defeat of Germany in World War I , the Danish majority area of Northern Schleswig was finally unified with Denmark after two plebiscites organised by the Allied powers . A small minority of ethnic Germans still lives in Northern Schleswig , while a Danish minority remains in South Schleswig .

neg: Belgian general election, 1868 General elections were held in Belgium on 9 June 1868 . In the elections for the Chamber of Representatives the result was a victory for the Liberal Party , which won 72 of the 122 seats . Voter turnout was 55.6 % , although only 55,297 people were eligible to vote .   Under the alternating system , elections were only held in five out of the nine provinces : Antwerp , Brabant , Luxembourg , Namur and West Flanders . A special election was held in the arrondissement of Tongeren .

neg: Frankfurt proposals The Frankfurt proposals or Frankfurt memorandum was a Coalition peace initiative designed by Austrian minister Metternich . It was offered to French Emperor Napoleon I in November 1813 after he had suffered a decisive military defeat at the Battle of Leipzig . The goal was a peaceful end to the War of the Sixth Coalition . The Allies had reconquered most of Germany up to the Rhine , but they had not decided on the next step . Metternich took the initiative . The Allies , meeting in Frankfurt , drafted the proposals under Metternich 's close supervision . The British diplomat in attendance , Lord Aberdeen , misunderstood London 's position and accepted the moderate terms .   The proposal was that Napoleon would remain as Emperor of France , but France would be reduced to its `` natural frontiers . '' The natural frontiers in this case were the Pyrenees mountains , the Alps mountains , and the Rhine River . France would retain control of Belgium , Savoy and the Rhineland ( the west bank of the Rhine River ) , while giving up control of all the rest , including all of Spain , Poland and the Netherlands , and most of Italy and Germany .   Metternich and Napoleon , meeting privately at Dresden in June had already discussed the terms . The final version was relayed to Napoleon by the Baron de Saint-Aignon in November .  Metternich told Napoleon these were the best terms the Allies were likely to offer ; after further victories , the terms would become harsher and harsher . Metternich 's motivation was to maintain France as a balance against Russian threats , while ending the highly destabilizing series of wars .   Napoleon , expecting to win the war , delayed too long and lost this opportunity . By December Austria had signed treaties with the Allies , and London rejected the terms because they might allow Belgium to become a base for the invasion of England . The offer was withdrawn . When the Allies invaded France in late 1813 Napoleon was heavily outnumbered ; he tried to reopen peace negotiations on the basis of accepting the Frankfurt proposals . The Allies now had new , harsher terms that included the retreat of France to its 1791 boundaries , which meant the loss of Belgium . Napoleon adamantly refused . He was finally forced to abdicate and lost his throne .

neg: Helmuth von Moltke the Younger Helmuth Johann Ludwig von Moltke ( -LSB- ˈhɛlmuːt fɔn ˈmɔltkə -RSB- ; 23 May 1848 -- 18 June 1916 ) , also known as Moltke the Younger , was a nephew of Generalfeldmarschall ( Field Marshal ) Helmuth Karl Bernhard von Moltke and served as the Chief of the German General Staff from 1906 to 1914 . The two are often differentiated as Moltke the Elder and Moltke the Younger .

neg: 1910s The 1910s ( pronounced `` nineteen-tens '' , also abbreviated as the `` teens '' ) was a decade of the Gregorian calendar that began on January 1 , 1910 , and ended on December 31 , 1919 . The 1910s represented the culmination of European militarism which had its beginnings during the second half of the 19th century . The conservative lifestyles during the first half of the decade , as well as the legacy of military alliances , was forever changed by the assassination , on June 28 , 1914 , of Archduke Franz Ferdinand , the heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne . The murder triggered a chain of events in which , within 33 days , World War I broke out in Europe on August 1 , 1914 . The conflict dragged on until a truce was declared on November 11 , 1918 , leading to the controversial , one-sided Treaty of Versailles , which was signed on June 28 , 1919 .   The war 's end triggered the abdication of various monarchies and the collapse of five of the last modern empires of Russia , Germany , China , Ottoman Turkey and Austria-Hungary , with the latter splintered into Austria , Hungary , southern Poland ( who acquired most of their land in a war with Soviet Russia ) , Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia , as well as the unification of Romania with Transylvania and Moldavia . However , each of these states ( with the possible exception of Yugoslavia ) had large German and Hungarian minorities , there creating some unexpected problems that would be brought to light in the next two decades . ( See Dissolution of Austro-Hungarian Empire : Successor States for better description of composition of names of successor countries/states following the splinter . )   The decade was also a period of revolution in a number of countries . The Mexican Revolution spearheaded the trend in November 1910 , which led to the ousting of dictator Porfirio Diaz , developing into a violent civil war that dragged on until mid-1920 , not long after a new Mexican Constitution was signed and ratified . Russia also had a similar fate , since World War I led to a collapse in morale as well as to economic chaos . This atmosphere encouraged the establishment of Bolshevism , which was later renamed as communism . Like the Mexican Revolution , the Russian Revolution of 1917 , known as the October Revolution , immediately turned to Russian Civil War that dragged until approximately late 1922 .   Much of the music in these years was ballroom-themed . Many of the fashionable restaurants were equipped with dance floors . Prohibition in the United States began January 16 , 1919 , with the ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution .


query: Slovakia is a European country.

pos: Slovakia Slovakia ( listen ) , is a landlocked country in Central Europe . It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west , Poland to the north , Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south . Slovakia 's territory spans about 49000 km2 and is mostly mountainous . The population is over 5 million and comprises mostly ethnic Slovaks . The capital and largest city is Bratislava . The official language is Slovak .   The Slavs arrived in the territory of present-day Slovakia in the 5th and 6th centuries . In the 7th century , they played a significant role in the creation of Samo 's Empire and in the 9th century established the Principality of Nitra . In the 10th century , the territory was integrated into the Kingdom of Hungary , which itself became part of the Ottoman Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire . After World War I and the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire , the Slovaks and Czechs established Czechoslovakia . A separate ( First ) Slovak Republic ( 1939 -- 1945 ) existed in World War II as a client state of Nazi Germany . In 1945 , Czechoslovakia was re-established under Communist rule as a Soviet satellite . In 1989 the Velvet Revolution ended authoritarian Communist rule in Czechoslovakia . Slovakia became an independent state on 1 January 1993 after the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia , sometimes known as the Velvet Divorce .   Slovakia is a high-income advanced economy with a very high Human Development Index , a very high standard of living and performs favourably in measurements of civil liberties , press freedom , internet freedom , democratic governance and peacefulness . The country maintains a combination of market economy with a comprehensive social security system . Citizens of Slovakia are provided with universal health care , free education and one of the longest paid maternity leave in the OECD . The country joined the European Union in 2004 and the Eurozone on 1 January 2009 . Slovakia is also a member of the Schengen Area , NATO , the United Nations , the OECD , the WTO , CERN , the OSCE , the Council of Europe and the Visegrád Group . The Slovak economy is one of the fastest growing economies in Europe and 3rd fastest in eurozone . Its legal tender , the Euro , is the world 's 2nd most traded currency . Although regional income inequality is high , 90 % of citizens own their homes . In 2016 , Slovak citizens had visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 165 countries and territories , ranking the Slovak passport 11th in the world . Slovakia is the world 's largest per-capita car producer with a total of 1,040,000 cars manufactured in the country in 2016 alone and the 7th largest car producer in the European Union . The car industry represents 43 % of Slovakia 's industrial output , and a quarter of its exports .

neg: European Parliament election, 2004 (Slovakia) The European Parliament election of 2004 in Slovakia was the election of MEP representing Slovakia constituency for the 2004-2009 term of the European Parliament . It was part of the wider 2004 European election . The vote took place on June 13 . The turnout was lowest of any country in the European Union . Support evenly distributed among five parties .

neg: Beer in Slovakia Beer in Slovakia ( pivo ) has been produced and consumed at least since the 15th century . Together with the neighbouring Czech Republic , with whom it has a shared and intertwined history , Slovakia has a number of breweries and a rich beer culture . Brews in Slovakia usually range between 3.8 and 5.0 % alcohol content , and are classified further by its appearance of colour with 10 ° ( pale ) 12.5 ° and 12 ° ( lager ) being the most common degrees , however dark beers up to 16.5 degrees and above are also available .   Since the fall of communism , most large commercial breweries were privatized and subsequently bought by foreign multinational companies . Today most are owned by either Heineken or SABMiller .

neg: Great Moravia Great Moravia ( regnum Marahensium , Μεγάλη Μοραβία -- megale Moravia , Velká Morava , Veľká Morava , Wielka Morawia ) , the Great Moravian Empire , ( historiographical terms -- original formal name is unknown ) or simply Moravia , was the first major state that was predominantly Slavonic to emerge in the area of Central Europe . Its core territories were located on the Morava river which gave its name to the kingdom . `` Morava '' in both Czech and Slovak refers to both the river and the land of Moravia - the medieval Margraviate of Moravia , which is now the eastern part of the Czech Republic . The river Morava flows south through the whole of Moravia , later forming the present-day border between the Czech Republic and Slovakia before finally becoming the border between Slovakia and Austria ( where it is called the March in German ) . The kingdom saw the rise of the first ever Slavic literary culture in the Old Church Slavonic language . After the fall of Great Moravia , its core territory was gradually divided between the newly ascending Czech Kingdom ( Bohemia ) and Hungarian Kingdom : the frontier was originally settled on the Morava river ( the Czech Kingdom to its west , and Hungary - present-day Slovakia - to its east ) . However , from the 12th century , the Czech kings managed to gain more and more of the region on the eastern bank - eventually gaining the whole stretch of the eastern territory from Uherské Hradiště down to Strážnice , and this region retained its non-Czech identity in its designation `` Slovácko '' as an alternative dialectal for `` Slovakia '' . After this , the Czech-Hungarian border shifted east to the White Carpathians . The core region of Great Moravia along the Morava river , thus divided between the present-day Moravia and Slovakia , has retained a unique culture in the rich folklore tradition both on the western bank of the Morava ( including the southern Záluží region ) and the eastern bank - the Slovácko ( in Moravia ) and Záhorie ( in Slovakia ) . Záhorie also boasts the only surviving building from Great Moravian times - the chapel at Kopčany just across the Morava from the archaeological site of Mikulčice . The core of Great Moravia was established , according to legend , in the early 830s , when Prince Mojmír I ( -LSB- moimi : r -RSB- ) crossed the Morava and conquered the principality of Nitra ( present-day western Slovakia ) . The former principality of Nitra was used as the údelné kniežatsvo , or the territory given to , and ruled by , the successor to the throne , traditionally the nephew ( sister 's son ) of the ruling kъnendzь or Prince .   The extent and location of Great Moravia are a subject of debate . Rival theories place the center of it either south of the river Danube ( the river Morava in Serbia ) or on the Great Hungarian Plain . The exact date when the Moravian state was founded is also disputed , but it probably occurred in the early 830s under Prince Mojmír I , ( r. 820s/830s -- 846 ) , who is the first known ruler of the united Moravia . Mojmír and his successor , Rastislav ( `` Rostislav '' in Czech ) , who ruled from 846 to 870 , initially acknowledged the suzerainty of the Carolingian monarchs , but the Moravian fight for independence caused a series of armed conflicts with East Francia beginning in the 840s .   Moravia reached its largest territorial extent under Svätopluk I , ( Svatopluk in Czech ) , who ruled from 870 to 894 , and who was occasionally styled as king in contemporaneous sources . Although the borders of his empire can not be exactly determined , he controlled the core territories of Moravia as well as other neighbouring regions , including Bohemia , most of Slovakia and parts of Slovenia , Hungary , Poland and Ukraine , for some periods of his reign . Separatism and internal conflicts emerging after Svätopluk 's death contributed to the fall of Great Moravia , which was overrun by the Hungarians . The exact date of Moravia 's collapse is unknown , but it occurred between 902 and 907 .   Moravia experienced significant cultural development under Prince Rastislav , with the arrival in 863 of the mission of Saints Cyril and Methodius . Rastislav had asked the Byzantine emperor to send a `` teacher '' ( učitelja ) to introduce literacy and a legal system ( pravьda ) to Great Moravia . The brothers Cyril and Methodius introduced a system of writing ( the Glagolitic alphabet ) and Slavonic liturgy , the latter eventually formally approved by Pope Adrian II . The Glagolitic script was probably invented by Cyril himself and the language he used for his translations of holy scripts and his original literary creation was based on the Slavic dialect he and his brother Methodius knew from their native Thessaloniki . The language , termed Old Church Slavonic , was the direct ancestral language for Bulgarian , and therefore also referred to as Old Bulgarian . Old Church Slavonic , therefore , differed somewhat from the local Slavic dialect of Great Moravia which was the ancestral idiom to the later dialects spoken in Moravia and western Slovakia .   Later , the disciples of Cyril and Methodius were expelled from Great Moravia by King Svätopluk I. Arriving in the First Bulgarian Empire , the disciples continued the Cyrilo-Methodian mission and the Glagolitic script was superseded by Cyrillic . The Cyrillic script and translations of the liturgy were disseminated to other Slavic countries , particularly in the Balkans and Kievan Rus ' , charting a new path in these Slavic nations ´ cultural development .

neg: Danubian Flat The Danubian Flat ( Slovak : Podunajská rovina , German : Donauebene ) , also translated as Danubian Plain , is the south-western , more flat , part of the Danubian Lowland in Slovakia .   The border with the Danubian Hills runs approx . along the line Bratislava -- Senec -- Sereď -- Nové Zámky -- Patince .   It has been formed by the arms of the Danube ( Little Danube and others ) and by the southern Váh , Nitra and Žitava rivers . It is filled with huge layers of gravel from the Danube and other rivers of the area . These Danubian gravels are covered with loess and other very fertile soils .   The Danube forms here a unique continental delta system of meanders and dead arms . The area between one of those arms called Little Danube and the Danube is known as the Žitný ostrov , the biggest river island in Europe . The Žitný ostrov is an area with marsh depressions , natural lakes and artificial lakes . The drainage system of the southern area was ( deliberately ) significantly changed by the construction of the Gabčíkovo Dam on the Danube . The Žitný ostrov has been a `` Protected Water Management Area '' since 1978 .   The area is rich in forest glades , water and marsh fauna and flora . It has rich subterranean water reservoirs . Those in Žitný ostrov are among the largest in Central Europe . Warm springs can be found in Komárno , Štúrovo and Patince .   The area has the warmest and driest climate in Slovakia . This , and the fact that it has fertile soils , make it the ideal place for agriculture . Wheat , sugar beets , sweet corn , vegetables and tobacco are grown here . Fruit and vine growing are also important .   The most important towns of the area are the Slovak capital Bratislava ( the Danube Flat begins in below Bratislava Castle in central Bratislava ) , Galanta , Sereď , Dunajská Streda , Komárno , and Nové Zámky .   The area features many small-scale protected areas , such as Ostov Kopáč in Bratislava or the Vlčianske mŕtve rameno , Čičovské mŕtve rameno . Protected marshes are for example the unique Šúr area in Svätý Jur . The area of Zlatná na Ostrove provides an extensive habitat for great bustards .   Excellent opportunities for summer recreation are provided by the lakes Zlaté piesky in Bratislava and the lakes Slnečné jazerá in Senec , or by thermal swimming pools in Dunajská Streda , Veľký Meder and Diakovce .   Category : Landforms of Slovakia  Category : Plains of Slovakia  Category : River deltas of Europe

neg: Robert Fico Robert Fico ( -LSB- ˈrobert ˈfit͡so -RSB- ; born 15 September 1964 ) is a Slovak politician who has been Prime Minister of Slovakia since 4 April 2012 ; previously he was Prime Minister from 4 July 2006 to 8 July 2010 . He has been the leader of the Direction -- Social Democracy ( SMER-SD ) party since 1999 . First elected to Parliament in 1992 ( whilst within Czechoslovakia ) , he was later appointed to the Council of Europe . Following his party 's victory in the 2006 parliamentary election , he formed the first Fico Cabinet .   While later in opposition , Fico again sat as a member of parliament , effectively as leader of the opposition . Following a motion of confidence against the Iveta Radičová cabinet , Fico was re-appointed as Prime Minister after leading SMER-SD to a landslide election victory in the 2012 parliamentary election , winning 83 seats and forming a government with an absolute majority in Parliament , the first such since 1989 .   In 2013 , Fico officially declared his candidacy for the 2014 presidential election , but he lost to Andrej Kiska in the second round of voting on 29 March 2014 .

neg: List of companies of Slovakia Slovakia is a landlocked country in Central Europe . The capital and largest city is Bratislava . The official language is Slovak .   Slovakia is a high-income advanced economy with a very high Human Development Index , a very high standard of living and performs favourably in measurements of civil liberties , press freedom , internet freedom , democratic governance and peacefulness . The country maintains a combination of market economy with universal health care and a comprehensive social security system . The country joined the European Union in 2004 and the Eurozone on 1 January 2009 . Slovakia is also a member of the Schengen Area , NATO , the United Nations , the OECD , the WTO , CERN , the OSCE , the Council of Europe and the Visegrád Group . The Slovak economy is one of the fastest growing economies in Europe and 3rd fastest in eurozone . Its legal tender , the Euro , is the world 's 2nd most traded currency . Although regional income inequality is high , 90 % of citizens own their homes . In 2016 , Slovak citizens had visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 165 countries and territories , ranking the Slovak passport 11th in the world . Slovakia is the world 's biggest per-capita car producer with a total of 1,040,000 cars manufactured in the country in 2016 alone . The car industry represents 43 percent of Slovakia 's industrial output , and a quarter of its exports .   For further information on the types of business entities in this country and their abbreviations , see `` Business entities in Slovakia '' .

neg: Rail transport in Slovakia Rail transport in Slovakia began on 21 September 1840 , with the opening of the first horse-powered line from Bratislava to Svätý Jur ( at that time in Kingdom of Hungary ) . The first steam-powered line , from Bratislava to Vienna , opened on 20 August 1848 .   The modern Železnice Slovenskej republiky company was established in 1993 as a successor of the Československé státní drahy in Slovakia . Until 1996 it had formal monopoly on railroad transportation in the country , which remained a de facto monopoly until the advent of private operators entering the network in the early 2010s . Private passenger service operators include RegioJet , which operate trains between Prague ( Czech Republic ) and Košice , Žilina and Košice , Žilina and Bratislava and on the Komárno - Dunajská Streda - Bratislava route . There are plans to win more tenders in Slovakia .   Since 2002 a law divided the company : ŽSR was left with infrastructure maintenance and passenger and cargo transport was moved into company '' Železničná spoločnosť , a. s. '' ( ZSSK ) . In 2005 this new company was further split into '' Železničná spoločnosť Slovensko , a. s. '' ( ZSSK ) providing Passenger transport services and '' Železničná spoločnosť Cargo Slovakia , a. s. '' ( ZSSK Cargo ) providing cargo services . Freight transport is operated by ZSCS and around 30 private companies .   Slovakia is a member of the International Union of Railways ( UIC ) . The UIC Country Code for Slovakia is 56 .

neg: Catholic Church in Slovakia The Roman Catholic Church in Slovakia or Latin Church in Slovakia is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church , under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome .   Around 62 % of the total population is Roman Catholic ( i.e. of Latin rite ) . The country is divided into 8 dioceses including 3 archdioceses . In Slovakia there is also a separate jurisdiction for those of the Byzantine Rite , see Slovak Greek Catholic Church .   Slovakia is the third most Catholic Slavic country , after Poland and Croatia .

neg: Platform of European Memory and Conscience The Platform of European Memory and Conscience is an educational project of the European Union bringing together government institutions and NGOs from EU countries active in research , documentation , awareness raising and education about the crimes of totalitarian regimes . Its membership include 55 government agencies and NGOs from 13 EU member states as well as from the United States , such as the Institute of National Remembrance , the Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial , the Stasi Records Agency and the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation . The platform has offices in Prague and Brussels .   The platform was founded in Prague on the occasion of the summit of Prime Ministers of the Visegrád Group on 14 October 2011 . The signing ceremony took place in the Lichtenstein Palace under the auspices of Czech Prime Minister Petr Nečas , Polish Prime Minister and President of the European Council Donald Tusk , and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán . Its goal is described as helping `` prevent intolerance , extremism , anti-democratic movements and the recurrence of any totalitarian rule in the future . ''   The initiative was originally proposed by the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes and the Government of the Czech Republic , and the 2008 Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism ; on 2 April 2009 , the European Parliament passed a resolution in favour of the initiative , and in June 2009 , the Council of the European Union welcomed the initiative . The Platform of European Memory and Conscience was founded as an initiative of the Polish EU presidency in 2011 , after the project had been promoted by the Czech EU presidency already in 2009 and by the Hungarian EU presidency in 2011 . The secretariat of the Platform of European Memory and Conscience was originally hosted by the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes , and the platform has received a strategic grant from the International Visegrád Fund . The founding institutions included government agencies of the Czech Republic , Poland , Germany , Hungary , Romania , Lithuania , Estonia , and Latvia , as well as several NGOs . The organisation 's strategic partners include the International Visegrád Fund and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation . The motto of the platform is `` democracy matters . ''

neg: Slovak National Library The Slovenská národná knižnica ( in English : Slovak National Library ) is a modern scientific , cultural , information and educational institution that serves all citizens of Slovakia and users from abroad . Slovak National Library is conservation and depositary library of Slovakia . SNL preferably collects , professionally processes , stores , protects and makes accessible domestic and foreign Slavic documents ( documents related to Slovakia by author , language , place of printing , theme ) . Funds and collections of the Slovak National Library contain 4.9 million library items , 1.7 million archive documents and thousands of museum units .   Part of the SNL are also museums . Literary Museum collects objects related to Slovak literature , on which it presents a historical development of Slovak literature . Museum is also involved in presentation of the National Cemetery , gallery of graves of outstanding personalities from Slovak cultural , scientific and national life . Slavic Museum of Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin , located in manor-house of Pushkin family in Brodzany , dedicated to one of the greatest Russian poets , documents literary relations between Slovak and Slavic literatures . SNL also manages the historical library of the Apponyi genus , located in Oponice manor-house .   Slovak National Library coordinated the development of the library system of the Slovak republic and provides modernization of library and information services . SNL directly cooperates with slovak and foreign institutions on international projects solutions . In 2010 the SNL became a solver of national project Digital Library and Digital Archive ( DIKDA ) co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund ( ERDF ) . Through the DIKDA project SNL makes public digitized works from its collections .

neg: Slovakia in the Eurovision Song Contest Slovakia has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest seven times , debuting in 1994 . It had attempted to debut in 1993 , but did not pass through the qualifying round . In the first three finals that Slovakia participated in , it placed no better than 18th , which it achieved in 1996 . Because of its poor results , it was forced to miss a year after each contest and then the country opted not to return for a number of years . It did eventually return to the Contest eleven years later , in 2009 , although they withdrew again within 4 years , having failed to qualify to the final every year since their return .

neg: Slovak parliamentary election, 1998 Parliamentary elections were held in Slovakia on 25 and 26 September 1998 . The elections are regarded as a pivotal point in post-Communist Slovak history , as they brought about the end of the Vladimír Mečiar government .

neg: Human trafficking in Slovakia Slovak Republic is a source , transit , and limited destination country for women and girls from Moldova , Ukraine , Bulgaria , the Balkans , the Baltics , and China trafficked to Germany , Austria , the Czech Republic , Switzerland , Sweden , Italy , Austria , the Netherlands , Spain , Croatia , and Slovenia for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation . Men from Vietnam were trafficked to Slovakia for the purpose of forced labor . Roma women and girls from Slovakia are trafficked internally for sexual exploitation . The Government of the Slovak Republic does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking ; however , it is making significant efforts to do so . The government allocated $ 91,000 for anti-trafficking efforts in 2007 , an increase from $ 60,000 in 2006 . In February 2008 , police began investigating the country 's first identified labor trafficking case involving eight Vietnamese nationals forced to work in a cigarette factory in Bratislava . The government also made efforts to improve victim identification and assistance referral . However , the number of victims assisted by government - funded programs decreased in 2007 .

neg: Slovak identity card The Slovak identity card ( Občiansky preukaz ) is issued to citizens of the Slovak Republic aged 15 and older . A Slovak ID card can be used for travel in all member states of the European Union and the Schengen Area as well as several other European countries ( including Balkan countries , for example Macedonia and Serbia ) .

neg: Slovaks in Austria Slovaks in Austria have a history dating back to the early centuries of the Common Era . Currently , there are 35,326 Slovaks in Austria as of 2016 . Large communities of Slovaks can be found in Vienna and Lower Austria , with a smaller community in Styria .

neg: Slovakia at the 2014 European Athletics Championships Slovakia competed at the 2014 European Athletics Championships in Zürich , Switzerland , between 12 and 17 August 2014 . A delegation of 25 athletes were sent to represent the country .

neg: Transport in Slovakia Transport in Slovakia is possible by rail , road , air or rivers . Slovakia is a developed Central European country with a well-developed rail network ( 3,662 km ) and a highway system ( 225.25 km ) . Main international airport is the M. R. Štefánik Airport in the capital , Bratislava . Most important waterway is the river Danube used both by passenger , cargo and freight ships .

neg: Denmark–Slovakia relations Denmark -- Slovakia relations refers to the current and historical relations between Denmark and Slovakia . Denmark has an embassy in Bratislava . Slovakia has an embassy in Copenhagen . The relations between Denmark and Slovakia are described as good and friendly . Denmark has a trade office in Slovakia . Both countries are full members of the European Union and NATO . On 4 September 2002 , a Memorandum Of Understanding between the two countries , were signed .

neg: Slovakia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 Slovakia participated at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 in Bærum , Norway with the song Horehronie , which failed to qualify for the final . Slovenská televízia ( STV ) organised the national final to select the Slovak entry for the contest using the Eurosong 2010 format .

neg: Slovak Socialist Republic From 1969 to 1990 , the Slovak Socialist Republic ( Slovenská socialistická republika in Slovak ; abbreviated SSR ) was the official name of that part of Czechoslovakia that is Slovakia today . The name was used from 1 January 1969 until March 1990 .


query: Aishwarya Rai is a brand ambassador for several business organizations and campaigns.

pos: Aishwarya Rai Aishwarya Rai ( born 1 November 1973 ) , also known by her married name Aishwarya Rai Bachchan , is an Indian actress , model and the winner of the Miss World 1994 pageant . Through her successful acting career , she has established herself as one of the most popular and influential celebrities in India . Rai has received numerous awards and accolades , including two Filmfare Awards from eleven nominations , and she was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2009 . She has often been called `` the most beautiful woman in the world '' .   While in college , Rai did a few modelling jobs . Following appearances in several television commercials , she entered the Miss India pageant , in which she placed second . She was then crowned Miss World 1994 , after which she began receiving offers to act in film . She made her acting debut in Mani Ratnam 's 1997 Tamil film Iruvar and had her first Hindi film release in Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya that same year . Her first commercial success was the Tamil romantic drama Jeans ( 1998 ) , following which she achieved wider success and won two Best Actress awards at Filmfare for her performances in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam ( 1999 ) and Devdas ( 2002 ) .   Rai garnered critical appreciation for portraying a passionate artist in the Tamil romance Kandukondain Kandukondain ( 2000 ) , Tagore 's heroine , Binodini , in the Bengali film Chokher Bali ( 2003 ) , a depressed woman in the drama Raincoat ( 2004 ) , Kiranjit Ahluwalia in the British drama film Provoked ( 2006 ) , as a nurse in the drama Guzaarish ( 2010 ) and as a justise-seeking sister in the biographical drama Sarbjit ( 2015 ) . Rai 's greatest commercial successes have been the romance Mohabbatein ( 2000 ) , the adventure film Dhoom 2 ( 2006 ) , the historical romance Jodhaa Akbar ( 2008 ) , the science fiction film Enthiran ( 2010 ) , and the romantic drama Ae Dil Hai Mushkil ( 2016 ) .   Rai married actor Abhishek Bachchan in 2007 with whom she has one daughter . Her off-screen roles include duties as a brand ambassador for several charity organisations and campaigns . She is a Goodwill Ambassador for the Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS ( UNAIDS ) . In 2003 , she was the first Indian actress to be a jury member at the Cannes Film Festival .

neg: Veena World Veena World ( वीणा वर्ल्ड in Marathi ) is a Mumbai , India based online/offline travel company established on 18 June 2013 after the de-merger of the family business Kesari Tours Pvt Ltd. in February 2013 . It was established by Veena Patil after the sell-out of her stocks along with the other directors from the previous company . Its corporate office is in Vidyavihar , Mumbai .   Apart from Vidyavihar , they also have their sales offices at Borivali , Prabhadevi , Ghatkopar , Thane , Vashi , Dombivali , Vasai , and Pune .   Veena World is active across every travel segment i.e. Family Group Tours , Specialty Tours , Inbound Holidays , Customized Packages ( Signature Holidays ) and Corporate Travel .

neg: India's Most Reputed Brands India 's Most Reputed Brands is an annual research on the Reputation of Brands based on perceptions of consumers and media . The study is published by , BlueBytes News a media analytics and Reputation Measurement company in association with TRA Research , a brand insights firm and also the publisher of The Brand Trust Report and India 's Most Attractive Brands . Both companies are a part of the Comniscient Group .   Reputation , which can be thought of as a shorthand for quality , is based on the attitude of Respect exuded by the brand - revealed in terms of appropriate regard of ` value ' . Bluebytes has defined Reputation as a measure of the effectiveness of transmitted belief about attitudes showcasing Respect . Thus , in measuring Reputation , both aspects have to be considered , the attitudes of Respect as understood by the stakeholders and the media 's carriage and transmission of the brand 's respect .

neg: Corporate branding Corporate branding refers to the practice of promoting the brand name of a corporate entity , as opposed to specific products or services . The activities and thinking that go into corporate branding are different from product and service branding because the scope of a corporate brand is typically much broader . It should also be noted that while corporate branding is a distinct activity from product or service branding , these different forms of branding can , and often do , take place side-by-side within a given corporation . The ways in which corporate brands and other brands interact is known as the corporate brand architecture .   Corporate branding affects multiple stakeholders ( e.g. , employees , investors ) and impacts many aspects of companies such as the evaluation of their product and services , corporate identity and culture , sponsorship , employment applications , brand extensions ( see study Fetscherin and Usunier , 2012 ) . It therefore can result in significant economies of scope since one advertising campaign can be used for several products . It also facilitates new product acceptance because potential buyers are already familiar with the name . However , this strategy may hinder the creation of distinct brand images or identities for different products : an overarching corporate brand reduces the ability to position a brand with an individual identity , and may conceal different products ' unique characteristics .   Corporate branding is not limited to a specific mark or name . Branding can incorporate multiple touchpoints . These touchpoints include ; logo , customer service , treatment and training of employees , packaging , advertising , stationery , and quality of products and services . Any means by which the general public comes into contact with a specific brand constitutes a touchpoint that can affect perceptions of the corporate brand .   It has been argued that successful corporate branding often stems from a strong coherence between what the company 's top management seek to accomplish ( their strategic vision ) , what the company 's employees know and believe ( lodged in its organizational culture ) , and how its external stakeholders perceived the company ( their image of it ) . Misalignments between these three factors , may indicate an underperforming corporate brand . This type of corporate brand analysis has been labeled the Vision-Culture-Image ( VCI ) Alignment Model .   Changes in stakeholder expectations are causing an increasing number of corporations to integrate marketing , communications and corporate social responsibility into corporate branding . This trend is evident in campaigns such as IBM Smarter Planet , G.E. Ecomagination , The Coca-Cola Company Live Positively , and DOW Human Element . As never before , people care about the corporation behind the product . They do not separate their opinions about the company from their opinions of that company 's products or services . This blending of corporate and product/service opinions is due to increasing corporate transparency , which gives stakeholders a deeper , clearer view into a corporation 's actual behavior and actual performance . Transparency is , in part , a byproduct of the digital revolution , which has enabled stakeholders -- employees , retirees , customers , business partners , supply chain partners , investors , neighbors -- with the ability to share opinion about corporations via social media .

neg: Brand (disambiguation) Brand is a name , sign , symbol , slogan or anything that is used to identify and distinguish a specific product , service , or business .   Brand may also refer to :

neg: Jatan Sansthan Jatan Sansthan is a grassroots Indian non-governmental organisation ( NGO ) based in the state of Rajasthan . The name is derived from local languages and translates to `` Offering Organisation/NGO . '' Founded in 2001 by Dr. Kailash Brijwasi , the NGO was formed to provide needed services to young people in the rural areas . As the organisation has evolved , Jatan has expanded its services and trainings . They now work in the sectors of maternal health , sexual and reproductive health , migrant supportive services , women 's empowerment and livelihood , childhood education , and local government empowerment . The administrative office is based in Udaipur , but Jatan has three field offices located in both the Rajsamand and Bhilwara districts .   Partnerships with other NGOs have been a core precept of Jatan , both local and global . Notable partnerships have been with Aajeevika Bureau , Vikalp Designs , Chetna , Women 's Health and Rights Advocacy Partnership , WomenPowerConnect , Rajasthan State AIDS Control Society , Prayas and Pathfinder International . Jatan has hosted many interns from US-based Foundation for Sustainable Development and Minnesota Studies in International Development .

neg: Design management Design management is a business discipline that uses project management , design , strategy , and supply chain techniques to control a creative process , support a culture of creativity , and build a structure and organization for design . The objective of design management is to develop and maintain an efficient business environment in which an organization can achieve its strategic and mission goals through design . Design management is a comprehensive activity at all levels of business ( operational to strategic ) , from the discovery phase to the execution phase . `` Simply put , design management is the business side of design . Design management encompasses the ongoing processes , business decisions , and strategies that enable innovation and create effectively-designed products , services , communications , environments , and brands that enhance our quality of life and provide organizational success . '' The discipline of design management overlaps with marketing management , operations management , and strategic management .   Traditionally , design management was seen as limited to the management of design projects , but over time , it evolved to include other aspects of an organization at the functional and strategic level . A more recent debate concerns the integration of design thinking into strategic management as a cross-disciplinary and human-centered approach to management . This paradigm also focuses on a collaborative and iterative style of work and an abductive mode of inference , compared to practices associated with the more traditional management paradigm .   Design has become a strategic asset in brand equity , differentiation , and product quality for many companies . More and more organizations apply design management to improve design-relevant activities and to better connect design with corporate strategy .

neg: Brand Finance Brand Finance is an independent branded business valuation consultancy . It advises strongly branded organisations , or those with valuable intangible assets , on how to maximise their value through effective management of their brand and other intangible assets . Brand Finance has been certified with ISO 10668:2010 .

neg: Rupa Dash Rupa Dash is an Indian entrepreneur and filmmaker . She was born in Cuttack , Odisha and lives in Los Angeles . An ardent advocate for social entrepreneurship , democracy building and leadership development for women , she was the first Indian American Managing Director of World 's Largest Women Entrepreneurship Network . She has been leading eWomenNetwork , Los Angeles to assist women in building business relationships and finding new ways scaling business.She holds a bachelor 's degree in Business Management from Utkal University and Executive Program in International Business , International Trade from IIFT , New Delhi . She also studied Entrepreneurship from Anderson School Management , UCLA , Los Angeles .   She is the youngest woman to receive the National Award for the Best Telecom Brand Market , 2012 by the Ministry of Telecom and United Nation , International Telecom Union ( ITU ) in India . She runs two successful media and entertainment companies in Los Angeles . In 2014 she Co-Founded World Woman Foundation with Upendra K. Kar . The Foundation is widely recognized `` Premier Women 's Leadership Institute '' to support , promote and build legacy of women leadership in areas of Business , Entertainment , Science and Technology for gender harmony .

neg: Global Health Innovative Technology Fund (GHIT) The Global Health Innovative Technology Fund ( GHIT Fund ) , headquartered in Japan , is an international public-private partnership between the Government of Japan ( Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Health , Labour and Welfare ) , 16 pharmaceutical and diagnostics companies ( Astellas , Chugai , Eisai , Daiichi Sankyo , Fujifilm , GlaxoSmithKline , Johnson & Johnson , Kyowa Hakko Kirin , Merck Group , Mistubishi Tanabe , Nipro , Otsuka , Shionogi , Sumitomo Dainippon , Sysmex and Takeda ) , the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation , the Wellcome Trust and United Nations Development Programme . It funds scientific research and development for anti-infectives and diagnostics for diseases that primarily affect the developing world . Bill Gates has noted that `` GHIT draws on the immense innovation capacity of Japan 's pharmaceutical companies , universities and research institutions to accelerate the creation of new vaccines , drugs and diagnostic tools for global health . '' Margaret Chan , Director-General of the World Health Organization , said : `` The GHIT Fund has stepped in to provide that incentive in a pioneering model of partnership that brings Japanese innovation , investment and leadership to the global fight against infectious disease . ''   The GHIT Fund is the first public-private partnership fund to involve a national government , a UN agency , a consortium of pharmaceutical and diagnostics companies , and international philanthropic foundations .   The public-private partnership model , the inclusion of a whole pharmaceutical sector and the structure of individual research projects across sectors and national boundaries are all aimed at reducing the R&D risk to any one entity and to ensure that findings are open to all . Another key opportunity the GHIT Fund has created has been to help open the doors of Japan 's public and private drug compound libraries to product development partnerships , which makes possible the screening of tens of thousands of drug candidates for potential new treatments .   The participating companies view their investments into neglected diseases through the Fund as a long-term investment into the future , rather than charity . They see the Fund as a necessary catalyst for having allowed them to pursue this line of research .

neg: Paresh Lamba Paresh Lamba ( born June 26 , 1966 in Mumbai , Maharashtra ) is an Indian fashion designer and business executive , best known for his clothing company , Paresh Lamba Signatures , which is a multi-national company . It makes clothes for both men and women .

neg: Wunderman Wunderman is a network of advertising , marketing and consulting companies with offices in 60 countries . Headquartered in New York City , Wunderman is part of Young & Rubicam Brands and a member of WPP Group .

neg: Loyalty marketing Loyalty marketing is an approach to marketing , based on strategic management , in which a company focuses on growing and retaining existing customers through incentives . Branding , product marketing and loyalty marketing all form part of the customer proposition -- the subjective assessment by the customer of whether to purchase a brand or  not based on the integrated combination of the value they receive from each of these marketing  disciplines .   The discipline of customer loyalty marketing has been around for many years , but expansions from it merely being a model for conducting business to becoming a vehicle for marketing and advertising have made it omnipresent in consumer marketing organizations since the mid - to late-1990s . Some of the newer loyalty marketing industry insiders , such as Fred Reichheld , have claimed a strong link between customer loyalty marketing and customer referral . In recent years , a new marketing discipline called `` customer advocacy marketing '' has been combined with or replaced `` customer loyalty marketing . '' To the general public , many airline miles programs , hotel frequent guest programs and credit card incentive programs are the most visible customer loyalty marketing programs .

neg: The7stars the7stars is a British media agency . The organization develops promotional content and television advertising , along with social media marketing for clients , who have included music labels Cooking Vinyl , EMI Records , and Atlantic Records . In 2008 , Marketing magazine listed the agency as # 34 in the Top 50 Media Agencies in the world , rising from # 53 in 2007 . In 2015 , Campaign Magazine ranked the7stars the 12th biggest media agency in Britain .

neg: Sanjay Rawal Sanjay Rawal ( born October 30 , 1974 ) is an Indian-American documentary film director who lives in New York City . His 2014 film Food Chains premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in its Culinary Cinema Programme and had its US premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival .   Food Chains is produced by Smriti Keshari , Eva Longoria , Eric Schlosser , Hamilton Fish V and Rawal himself . Rawal was a winner of the 2015 James Beard Foundation Award for Special/Documentary for Food Chains .   He was raised in northern California , where his father is a tomato breeder , and so Rawal was introduced to the agricultural industry at a young age . He began Food Chains in 2011 , after witnessing the inequality in the fields of Florida . In March 2016 , Rawal was thanked by the Bernie Sanders campaign for the licensing of related video footage used in the Sanders ' advertisement titled `` Tenemos Familias . ''   Rawal 's second documentary film , Challenging Impossibility , premiered at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival and played in nearly 70 more . It won awards at several film festivals including at the Atlanta Shortsfest . His first film Ocean Monk won the Best Documentary Short Award at the 2010 St. Louis International Film Festival .   Prior to becoming a filmmaker , Rawal was deeply involved with international development and ran projects in over 40 nations . He worked on projects with celebrities like Wyclef Jean and Donna Karan . Rawal was also engaged in activism regarding peace , security , and women 's issues -- serving on the first men 's committee for V-Day .   Much of his work has been inspired by his spiritual teacher Sri Chinmoy and he has edited and published books by this leader -- including America the Beautiful , which was read as an audio book by Richard Dreyfuss .

neg: Creative Commercials Creative Commercials is an Indian film production company established by K. S. Rama Rao .

neg: Influencer marketing Influencer marketing ( also influence marketing ) is a form of marketing in which focus is placed on specific key individuals ( or types of individual ) rather than the target market as a whole . It identifies the individuals that have influence over potential buyers , and orients marketing activities around these influencers .   Influencer content may be framed as testimonial advertising where they play the role of a potential buyer themselves , or they may be third parties . These third parties exist either in the supply chain ( retailers , manufacturers , etc. ) or may be so-called value-added influencers ( such as journalists , academics , industry analysts , professional advisers , and so on ) .   The idea of a `` two-step flow of communication '' was introduced in The People 's Choice ( Paul Lazarsfeld , Bernard Berelson , and Hazel Gaudet , a 1940 study on the decision making process of voters . This idea was further developed in `` Personal Influence '' ( Lazarsfeld , Elihu Katz 1955 ) and `` The Effects of Mass Communication '' ( Joseph Klapper 1960 ) .

neg: Surya Group Surya Group is an International Textile Company founded in 1963 in Dubai , specialized in the supply of fabrics and garment accessories ; the representative of Nickelodeon and Caterpillar Inc. brands with CEO - Ravi Navlani . Initial products included Consumer Electronics , Watches , Textiles and Luxury Goods . Over time they switched to Textiles , Accessories and Fine Fabrics . The group evolved into a luxury retail brand in the Middle East market . Today , the company has expanded activities to include distribution , retail , investments and real estate .

neg: Word-of-mouth marketing Word-of-mouth marketing ( WOMM , WOM marketing ) , also called word of mouth advertising , differs from naturally occurring word of mouth , in that it is actively influenced or encouraged by organizations ( e.g. ` seeding ' a message in a network , rewarding regular consumers to engage in WOM , employing WOM ` agents ' ) . While it is difficult to truly control WOM , research has shown that there are three generic avenues to ` manage ' WOM for the purpose of WOMM : 1 . ) Build a strong WOM foundation ( e.g. sufficient levels of satisfaction , trust and commitment ) , 2 . ) Indirect WOMM management which implies that managers only have a moderate amount of control ( e.g. controversial advertising , teaser campaigns , customer membership clubs ) , 3 . ) Direct WOMM management , which has higher levels of control ( e.g. paid WOM ` agents ' , `` friend get friend '' schemes ) . Proconsumer WOM has been suggested as a counterweight to commercially motivated word of mouth .

neg: Manish Malhotra Manish Malhotra is an Indian fashion designer . Manish Malhotra 's prolific career spanning 27 years has seen him redefine fashion for an entire generation of Indians . From his work with Hindi cinema 's influential leading-ladies to launching his eponymous label in 2005 , Manish Malhotra tells design stories in a language profuse with elegance , ultra-femininity and unapologetic glamour . 2016 was a milestone year for Manish Malhotra as it marked 26 years of his association with Hindi cinema as a designer and stylist and 11 years since the creation of the eponymous label .   In 2013 , Manish Malhotra was the first designer to have opened the largest , Indian single-brand couture store sprawled over 9,000 sq.ft in Delhi . The following year , the label marked a turnover of over INR 1 Billion making it one of the first Indian luxury fashion houses to achieve this milestone .

neg: Miss India Australia Miss India Australia , founded in 2001 by photographer/media/film producer Raj Suri , is the first ever-national talent search in Australia for women of Indian origin , affiliated to the Miss India Worldwide organisation in New York , USA and associated with Miss India Magazine .