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Steam Engine
In 1712 the idea of the steam engine came in with Thomas Newcomen. He made a steam engine that was meant to pump water from mines, and nothing else. It was not effective or useful for anything. From 1763-1775 a man named James Watt came in and improved the steam engine and made it way more useful. He used an idea called rotary motion. This steam engine impacted the industrial revolution tremendously by providing a faster and easier way to transport people, products, and other goods. -
French Revolution
During the French Revolution, many events happened such as the attack at Bastille, the reign of terror, and the death of the king and queen. After the constitution of 1795 was made, Napoleon also overthrew the directory and made himself the first emperor. He invaded many countries including France, Spain, Portugal, and Italian states. The congress of Vienna restores the legitimacy and restores the monarchs in the countries. -
Haitian Revolution
The Haitian Revolution was a period of conflict between the French colonies and Haiti over Slavery. France and other countries didn't want Haiti to be an independent country ruled by African-Americans. Napoleon, the leader of France, sent armies to recapture Haiti. They didn’t capture Haiti, but they captured Toussaint Louverture, a Haiti leader. He died in prison and Haiti became independent in 1804. -
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was a conference in Vienna, Austria to help Europe after Napoleon died. Their goal was to have peace upon all the countries of Europe and a balance of power. There were many important decisions that the congress had to make. The Congress of Vienna restored legitimacy and monarchs in many countries. France was restored under Louis XVIII and Austria gained back most of the territory it had lost. The Congress of Vienna made Europe peaceful for years. -
Independence of Mexico
Before Mexico got their independence, there was a war called the Mexican War of Independence. This was a conflict between Mexico and Spanish Colonies. The Spanish came to Mexico in search of gold and land. They then made the Natives slaves and put them into hard labor. Mexico was eager to win its independence, for they were controlled by Spain in many ways. Mexico finally got what they wanted. There was a treaty called the "Treaty of Córdoba", which gave them independence from Spain. -
The First Opium War
The First Opium War (1839-1842) was fought between Britain and the Chinese Qing government to stop the increasing flow of Opium into China. Britain had been trading silver but switched to Opium which was cheaper to produce. When Opium addiction became an epidemic in China, they attempted to halt its trade, but Britain resisted. Eventually war ensued, the Chinese were defeated and Opium trade resumed. This weakened the emperor's reign and helped pave the way for civil war (Taiping Rebellion). -
Communist Manifesto
"The Communist Manifesto" is a book written by Karl Marx. This book discussed the trouble between different social classes. Marx predicted that the difference in social classes would lead to where all the "means of production" would be owned by the community and that the common people, have not’s, would be the ones to run the society. This was important because it gave an idea to people that everyone should be equal and own the same amount of power. He enforced the workers to "unite". -
Matthew Perry goes to Japan
Matthew Perry was a naval officer who wanted to open trading with Japan. American needed Japan to open their trading for goods and natural resources. Soon, four ships arrived at the Tokyo bay. Perry came with a letter from the president to the emperor of Japan. There was a treaty made that allowed Americans ships to buy different things from Japan. This was important because if it didn't happen trading wouldn’t have been the same and there might not have been peace between Japan and America. -
Sepoy Mutiny
Sepoys were Indians that were trained as British soldiers. The Indians were employed by the British. The Indians got really mad they heard rumors that their rifles were greased with lard and beef fat. The cow is very sacred to the Hindu religion which what most Indians were. The sepoys were outraged and created a mutiny organized against the British. The sepoys took over Delhi and Kanpur. The British crushed the mutiny and recaptured Delhi and Kanpur while many of the army-men were killed. -
Dr. Sun Yat-sen takes over China
Sun Yat-sen was a Chinese revolutionary leader who wanted a republic based on: The 3 principles of the people. The 3 principles of the people included Nationalism, Democracy, and livelihood and they were to do the good of the people. When the empress Cixi dies, Dr. Sun Yixian became the new president of the new republic. Many warlords were in China and Dr. Sun wanted to move north and defeat them. Dr. Sun Yat-sen was an important because he brought a republic and a new look on China. -
Unification of Germany
Before 1871, Germany was a collection of independent states. As they began sharing resources, they grew, strengthening their common German interests and becoming less dependent on larger non-German states such as Austria. This unification process resulted in the formation of the German Empire in 1871, led by Wilhelm of Prussia. The German Empire became Europe's leading military power. Several wars were fought during the unification causing bitterness and eventaully leading to World War I. -
Berlin Conference
The Berlin Conference was lead by King Leopold II of Belgium and it basically split up Africa and was given to different countries. The British and French got most of the land. There were only two independent parts of Africa left and they were Ethiopia and Liberia. The new countries had a lot of fighting because there was a lot less natural resources, there was a new form of government, and there were a lot of diverse groups merged together. It was an overall bad effect on Africa. -
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War started with a fierce rivalry between Russia and Japan for the dominance over the countries Korea and Manchuria. The Russian government was willing to have armed conflicts with Japan because they believed Japan was going to be defeated. Japan attacked Port Arthur without a declaration of war. Japan had many victories after that which surprised everyone. Out of this war Russia had a revolution and Japan gained world power and becoming the one of the first modern states. -
Zulu Uprising
The Zulu uprising was a revolt against British rule in South Africa in 1906. The British needed workers for their farms and mines in the newly-annexed Natal Colony, so they taxed the local Zulu tribe in an attempt to force them to work. The Zulu's, headed by Chief Bhambatha, resisted the tax and tensions grew into a bloody attack by the British in which nearly 600 Zulu's were killed. This event is seen as the beginning of black resistance to colonial oppression, which eventually ended apartheid.
