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"Didactica Magna" first published
The Great Didactic John Amos Comenius (1592-1670) was the earliest champion of universal education which is the foundation of education systems today. He founded the idea that human learning followed a progression from youth the maturity and children should be exposed to a variety of subjects. HIs work "Didactica Magna" stated children should learn science, good manners and piety, and teachers instruct through comparative examples and established curriculums that gradually increases difficulty. -
First European banknote
The Bank of Stockholm introduced the earliest European banknote in 1666. Johan Palmstruch, a merchant who had obtained royal privilege to create a bank in Sweden, established the bank in 1657. Worried that a rush to the bank would deplete its assets (gold, silver, copper), Palmstruch obtained permission from government to issue paper money, which would serve as legal tender and be payable to bearer. These banknotes would later influence other European banks to follow suit. -
Treatise on the Education of Girls Published
Education of GirlsFrancois de Slignac de la Monthe-Fenelon was a French archbishop whose liberal views on education created many oppositions "Traite de l'education des filles" was his first major work. He suggested innovative ideas that the women should be educated in order to become a better mother. While thinking of the benefits of the children, this work was still revolutionary in opening opportunities for women to study. -
The Glorious Revolution
King James II acension to the throne in 1685 led to more religious strife as he was devoutly Catholic. Fearing this challenge to Protestantism, Parliament offered the throne to William of Orange and Mary Stuart. James II abdicated following William's landing at Torbay. The following year Parliament passed the Bill of Rights (16 Dec. 1689), cementing Parliament's control over the monarchy and Protestantism as the state religion. -
Bank of England established
The Bank of England was established in 1694, primarily as the banker and debt manager of the national government. At the time of its inception, England's finances were in disarray and there existed a desperate need to arrange the nation's resources. The bank acted as a lender to the government, providing stability during crises. It gradually assumed the role of central bank and issued legal tender. Today, it continues to act as the central bank of the Government of the United Kingdom. -
Birth of Mayer Amschel Rothschild
Born in Frankfurt to Schonche and Amschel Rothschild, a small merchant. He grew up in the Jewish ghetto of Frankfurt, where he developed an interest in coins. In 1757, he secured a post at the banking firm of Oppenheimer in Hanover. He later started a coin business and provided international banking services to Wilhelm IX, who had inherited the largest private fortune in Europe at that time. Rothschild's sons would go on to establish the family banking business across the continent. -
"Emile" First published
EmileJean Jacques Rousseau, an important Romantic philosopher, inspired the French revolution with his ideas of social contract and natural rights. "Emile" also explored the "innate goodness" and instructed how to educate children to keep their natural goodness. To illustrate this point, he traces through the education of Emile as the "natural man". Rousseau believed in physical education for young children, formal education for teens, and approach religious education with caution. -
The French Revolution
The French Revolution began with the storming of the Bastille by thousands of people, predominately tradesmen, artisans, and wage labourers. What began as a revolt against increased taxes and high prices grew into a mass movement that is considered among the first liberal and enlightenment challenges to absolute monarchical rule. Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen -
The Greek Revolution
The Greek revolt in 1821 challenged the Congress of Vienna system. While the major powers in Europe wished to uphold the "status quo" and accept the Ottoman Empire's "legitimate" sovereingty over the Greeks, the Greeks began to fight for independence. A provisional constitution was established January 1, 1822, influenced by liberal values from the French Revolution. -
First Kindergarten
Die Menschenerziehung Friedrich Frobel founded the first Kindergarten to realize his idea for children to grow "like plants in a garden". His idea of a pre-school project was for children to play together and learn about social interactions physically. Kindergartens focused around playing, singing, and practical activities such as drawing and created an environment for children to transition from home to school. This development emphasized the growing ideology to train children as well rounded citizens. -
German Revolution of 1848 (Frankfurt Parliament)
Following a revolt in France of the same year, German liberals and radicals began to revolt against monarchical rule in the German states in favour of more liberal rights. In Frankfurt in May 1848, the first freely elected parliament was established, drafting a liberal constitution that would heavily influence the 1871 German Constitution following German unification. -
Elementary Education Act
Education ActAlso known as the Forster's Education Act, the Elementary Education Act of 1870 was the first to ensure children from 5 to 13 in England and Wales to receive elementary education. The act was installed to make sure Britain could stay ahead of other European countries in the industrialization period. Some people rejected the idea of mass education. Universal education thus took a huge step forward. -
Bismarck, 1st Chancellor of Germany
Determined to unite the German states, Otto von Bismarck formed the German Empire and made himself chancellor in 1871. Faced with the challenge of how to govern this new united Germany, he turned to nationalist politics and sought to establish Germany as the most powerful state in Europe. He targeted the power of the Catholic Church, introduced the modern welfare state (with healthcare insurance and pension plans), and negotiated alliances with Austria-Hungary and Italy. -
Young Turk Revolution
In July of 1908 a group of Turkish intellectuals influenced by Western politics, known as the Young Turks, revolted against the Sultan (Abdulhamid II). Led by Mustafa Kemal, the Young Turks sought to modernize (Westernize) the Ottoman Empire, forcing the Sultan to restore the 1826 constitution. This created a constitutional monarchy that lasted until 1909, when the Sultan was deposed and a Western-style bureaucracy was established. -
The Russian Revolution (October Revolution)
On October 24, 1917, Bolsheviks in Russia, led by Vladimir Lenin, seized the Winter Palace in Petrograd, establishing a Bolshevik government. While only consisting of a small minority at the time, the Bolsheviks seized control of the state institutions. Following Marxist thought, the Bolsheviks issued the Declaration of the Rights of the Toiling and Exploited People, fully establishing the Soviet Republic. -
Founding of Commissariat for Education
People's CommissariatSoviet Union created this program to restrict what children learn in school. It created more propaganda and officially secularized all school material. In its early years, the Soviet government taught its children farming, to create a "classless" education system, and in the later decades, its became increasingly focused on engineering. The Commissariat for Education ensured universal education but censored many subject matters, showing the extent which government could control the system. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles ended the war between Germany and the Allied Powers. The treaty outlined the obligations imposed on Germany. Germany was forced to demilitarize and concede territories to Belgium, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. It also was forced to accept responsibility for the massive damages caused by the war and to pay reparations to certain countries, such as France. Germany had to limit the number of men in its army and was not permitted to maintain an air force. -
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic depression in the 1930s, with dramatic political consequences in Europe. Prosperity had seemingly returned to Europe in the 1920s, but several factors did not help Europe weather the global economic crisis when the New York stock market crashed. Economic revival in Europe began in the mid-1930s and was boosted by government military expenditures for the World War II, ending the depression for many countries.
