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Period: to
Economic Change/Continuity
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Louis XIV's role in the War of Spanish Succession
The Spanish succession was a major issue for all rulers in Europe. Spain was one of the most powerful empires in Europe and King Charles 2 had no heirs to the throne. Eventually, this led Louis XIV which severely hurt France. This is an example of a continuity because no one questioned or checked Louis XIV's absolute power as the king which led to crippling French debt. This was a continuation of the absolute power of kings which had lasted for 100s of years. -
Peter The Great Reforms the Russian Orthodox Church
Peter the Great had grand ideas where he wanted to encourage the rapid modernization of Russia. One part of his modernization was the reformation of the Russian Orthodox church. He spread his religion wherever he conquered and heavily financed his church. This illustrates a continuity because it highlights the continuing loss of the Catholic church's power, while other religions gained influence and power. -
Marvel's Mill Opens
Marvel's Mill in England was the first cotton mill in the world which was able to be driven by a source of water. This mill was revolutionary in that it allowed cotton to be spun at a much faster rate. Cotton mills were one of the main causes of the growth of urban jobs and migration from farm life to urban factory life. In the late 18th-century cotton mills exploded and cotton became the basis for many countries' economies. -
Seven Years War
The seven years war was a global war that affected all of Europe's major powers. The war was caused by British and French disputes in America but then spread through a series of alliances. The war illustrates a continuity because it shows that many nations were still concerned about their position on the scale rather than the affairs of their people. This is seen by Prussia who only joined the war once they realized they could take their long enemy of Saxony, which caused other nations to join. -
Catherine the Great Rises to Power
Catherine the Great was one of the most important Russian rulers. She greatly expanded the Russian empire through both conquest and diplomacy. In addition, she worked to modernize Russia and was one of the first people to advocate for vaccines. However, she still represents an over-reliance of power in Kings and Queens that had been standard for centuries. -
Stamp Act
After the French and Indian War, the English were broke. To pay for the war and Parliament felt they had the right to pass a small tax on stamps. This illustrates a continuity as it shows a continued practice of mercantilism practiced by colonial nations. This tax only ended up hurting the British and it was eventually replaced by other taxes. -
The Wealth of Nations
In 1776 Adam Smith published his book titled "The Wealth of Nations". In his book, he advocates for a modern economic system consisting of free markets along with the division of labor. Perhaps his most important thought in the book was his advocacy against Mercantilist policies. This illustrates a change because after his book was written many nations saw the potential of trading fairly and mercantilism grew weaker as the industrial revolution kicked off. -
French Revolution
After France supported the United States in the French and Indian war France was severely in debt. This caused the nobility of France to raise taxes on the poor French. This issue was compounded by decades of poor harvests and droughts. In addition, bread prices skyrocketed in France. This is a change as in Europe no nation had been able to overthrow a nobility in this fashion and the revolution was a departure from old the old values of the monarchy. -
Eli Whitney invents the Cotton Gin
Cotton was an extremely important part of many 18th century economies. However, cotton, although not being hard to grow took, many man-hours to extract the seeds. Eli Whitney's Cotton gin solved this problem. This was a change because cotton could not grow well in most European countries meaning that European countries had to trade with America for their cotton. This added to the trend of the downfall of mercantilism in the 18th century. -
Dissolving of the Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was the most powerful "corporation" for a period of nearly 200 years. After a period of decline in 1799, the company went under and was dissolved. This shows how the economies of the 18th century had changed as Dutch products became too expensive because of steep competition from other competing empires.
