Transformations in World History: Renaissance to Industrial Age
Key Inventors and Inventions
- John Kay: Invented the flying shuttle.
- James Hargreaves: Invented the Spinning Jenny.
- Eli Whitney: Invented the cotton gin.
- Robert Fulton: Invented the steamboat.
- Alexander Graham Bell: Invented the first telephone.
- Thomas Edison: Invented the first electric light bulb.
Humanism
Humanism was an intellectual movement that sought to exalt the full range of human qualities and human nature, giving a rational meaning to life by taking ancient Greeks and Latins as masters.
The Renaissance
The
Read MoreThe Age of Reason: Social, Scientific, and Economic Change (1660–1785)
The Great Transformation: 1660 to 1785
The period between 1660 and 1785 was a time of amazing expansion for England. The world seemed fundamentally different by 1785. A sense of new, expanding possibilities transformed the daily life of the British people and offered them fresh ways of thinking about their relationship to nature.
There was a sense of relief and escape: relief from the strain of living in a mysterious universe, and escape from the ignorance and barbarism of the Gothic centuries. This
The American Revolution: Causes, Key Events, and Lasting Impact
The American Revolution was a monumental event in world history that took place between 1775 and 1783, resulting in the thirteen American colonies breaking away from British rule and establishing the United States of America. This revolution was not just a war for independence but a profound transformation in political philosophy, national identity, and global influence.
Historical Background
By the mid-18th century, the British Empire had established firm control over its American colonies. Although
Read MoreThe Road to World War I: Schlieffen Plan and July Crisis
World War I: Origins and the Road to Conflict
World War I, also known as the First World War or the Great War, was a global conflict originating in Europe that lasted from July 28, 1914, to November 11, 1918. More than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilized in one of the largest wars in history. Over 9 million combatants and 7 million civilians died as a result of the war (including the victims of a number of genocides), a casualty rate exacerbated by the belligerents’
Read MoreThe Second Spanish Republic: 1931–1936 Political Eras
The Constitution of 1931 and the Second Republic
Following the proclamation of the Republic, elections for the Constituent Cortes were held on June 28, 1931. Although the text of the Constitution was not entirely consensual, the Cortes were chosen by a near majority of the left-leaning parties. The main objective of the 1931 Constitution was to create a democratic political system with a socialist ideology. Notably, it established a precedent for regional autonomy, a concept later reflected in the
Read MoreThe Origins of the Cold War: Division, Conflict, and Crisis
The Maximum Tension: Early Cold War Conflicts
The Economic Division of Europe
The Marshall Plan
The U.S. government devised a strategy to revive the economies of European countries that were favorable, which was named the Marshall Plan. The Marshall Plan included almost all Western European countries except Spain, as the Franco dictatorship was considered anti-democratic. The United States scheme had two objectives:
- To improve living standards in Europe and thus ward off revolutionary movements.
- To maintain