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Period: to
Modern European History
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Petition of the Jews of England to Oliver Cromwell
Manasseh ben Israel (1604-1657) was a Portuguese rabbi famous for being the founder of the first Hebrew printing press. This is a pamphlet by Manasseh on behalf of all European Jewry asking Oliver Cromwell, the political leader of England during this time, for the readmission of Jews into England after their expulsion in 1290. -
Private Synagogue Established by Shimshon Wertheimer
This photograph of a private synagogue was established by a prominent court Jew named Shimshon Wertheimer in Eisenstadt, Austria in the the late 17th century. Court Jews were generally Sephardim Jews rather than Ashkenazim Jews because they were favored more by European monarchs. -
The Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights is a document that was passed through the Parliament of England after the Glorious Revolution. This bill limited the power that was held by an absolute monarch, and dictated the rights of parliament and of individuals. -
The (Fairy) Tales of Mother Goose
In 1697, the French author Charles Perrault published a book titled Tales of Mother Goose which included the adventures of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Bluebeard, Sleeping Beauty and Puss in Boots. Perrault was one of the first people to write down these popular tales. This book of fairy tales serves as a psychological explanation for the social conditions children are subject to within their time periods. This edition is currently housed in the Morgan Library & Museum in New York City. -
Ferguson Rifle
Developed by Major Patrick Ferguson of the British Army in 1772, the Ferguson Rifle demonstrated a critical advancement in small arms in that it allowed the individual soldier to fire at an increased rate, due to the the new breech loading design. This new design simplified the then cumbersome loading process of the firearms of the day, creating the potential for greater killing on the battlefield. -
The Youthful Grand Tour
This 1774 oil painting of the young Duke Douglas Hamilton and his travel companions by Jean Preud'homme was made while the Duke was travelling through Geneva. The Grand Tour was a common practice for wealthy youths that emerged during the Enlightenment whereby travelling became a method by which new ideas were dispersed. Unfortunately, this increasing globalization reinforced European notions of supremacy. The painting is currently held at National Museums Scotland. -
Ueber die Bürgerliche Verbesserung der Juden by Christian Wilhelm Von Dohm
Dohm was a German historian and was inspired by the Enlightenment period to be an advocate for the Jews. Dohm wrote "Ueber die Bürgerliche Verbesserung der Juden" to discuss Jewish emancipation, meaning the treatment of Jews as equal human beings and granting them civic rights. Contrary to the majority of the population in Europe, Dohm did not believe that Jews' religious orientation would interfere with their citizenship. -
The March on Versailles
The March on Versailles was a significant event of the French Revolution. What began as a riot over the high price of bread, turned into a women led movement for political and social reform. An unknown author created this illustration of the Women’s March on Versailles, which is now held in the National Library of France. The illustration shows the determination of women during that time, the power that they upheld, and the forward thinking ideas and reforms that they sought for. -
Games: Physical Culture of the Youth
The 1826 engraving by George Tytler of the London Gymnastic Society Gymnasium demonstrates the popularity of Friedrich Ludwig Jahn's liberal ideals throughout Europe. Jahn opened the first gymnasium in 1811 and helped develop physical education programs in schoolhouses with the intention of preparing the youth for nationalist endeavors. This engraving exhibits the popular liberal and nationalist mentality that emerged all over Europe and is held in the London Metropolitan Archives. -
The Textile Industry
Textile manufacturing was a lucrative industry that emerged as a result of the Industrial Revolution. The industry especially boomed in the early-to-mid 19th century as a result of technological advances like the Roberts Loom and the Lancashire Loom. This industry was dominant within Great Britain, and employed a large section of the female workforce. -
The Women's Voice
The Women's Voice was the first daily newspaper in France that propagated women’s rights. This newspaper became a platform for many prominent feminists to voice their opinions. Due to the wave of liberalism that swept through Europe during the mid-19th century, many clubs and newspapers demanded political and social reform. -
Minie Ball
Representing a critical design advance in ballistics, the Minie Ball was developed by two captians in the French army, Claude -Etienne and Henri-Gustave Delvigne, with the improved design in 1849. Hitherto, bullets in small arms were spherical, and this new cone shaped round enabled firearms to more efficiently use their porpellant charges, leading to ever more powerful firearms being developed.
This new bullet shape is the ancestor to the modern munitions used by armed forces today worldwide. -
Football and the Upper-Class
In 1857, William Prest and Nathaniel Creswick composed the first football rulebook in their native city of Sheffield. This happened as a reaction to the growing popularity of football in upper-class schools which ironically occurred as interest for the activity waned amonst the poorer social classes due to industrialization. Football reinforced notions of teamwork and discipline in schools and eventually spread beyond the youth culture. Football became a form of social control. -
Spanish "Old School" Synagogue
The Spanish synagogue was built in 1868 in Moorish style by Vojtěch Ignác Ullmann and Josef Niklas. The Romantic era once again divided the Ashkenazim Jews from the Sephardim Jews. The general fascination with Medieval Muslim Spain and the old Moorish-styled synagogues stemmed from the contemporary heightened view of Sephardim Jews in Europe. -
Maxim machine gun
It would be difficult to examine modern warfare without examining the machine gun. Designed in Great Britain from 1883 to 1884 by Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim, this weapon fundamentally changed the course of warfare forever, and has taken countless lives since its creation. Used by all side during the First World War, the level of destruction this weapon brought about was unprecedented, and it is still used today in more modern forms by militaries around the world. -
The Foundations of the Nineteenth Century by Houston Stewart Chamberlain
Chamberlain's The Foundations of the Nineteenth Century exemplifies the use of science during the 19th century to set a hierarchy of races. Chamerblain grouped all the Europeans under the "Aryan race" however the Jews were not considered to be part of this category. The book draws on scientific material from authors like De Gobineau and Georges Vacher de Lapouge. -
The Suffragettes
Mary Richardson, a suffragette, was at the derby where Emily Davidson committed suicide, and she depicted the events that she saw that day. This firsthand account is taken from Mary Richardson’s autobiography, which was published in 1953. The actions of Emily Davison were significant as it further publicized the need of women’s rights. This account also states the social interactions between suffragettes, and depicts the distaste that the majority of men had for the women’s rights movement. -
Battle of Cambrai
This engagement , which took place in France late in the First World War, marked the first large-scale use of tanks in warfare. Hitherto several nations had been designing the tank, including Britain and France. The mass deployment by British forces of tanks allowed them to break the stalemate which then dominated trench warfare. With the stalemate now broken, warfare evolved into a more mobile affair, and weapons had to become more mobile, and often this also meant that they became more deadly. -
War Efforts of the Youth
This 1918 American war poster labelled “She is doing her part to help win the war” by Howard Handler Christy exemplifies the role of the youth in the Great War. It notes the importance of American children on a primarily European war and demonstrates how the youth were expected to participate in war efforts by society as well as how they accepted these values. It emphasizes the changing family dynamics. This poster is currently housed in the Library of Congress. -
The Castle by Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka was a Jewish German-language novelist and was among the most influential writers of the 20th century. Kafka's The Castle has been interpreted in many ways, however many read it as the Jewish tragedy in Europe. The hero is a foreigner who thinks he is invited into the castle, but is never truly socially accepted. -
Youth Propaganda
This 1938 book Der Giftpilz by Ernst Hiermer depicts German youth propaganda during the inter-war years. The propaganda was intended to reinforce notions of German superiority and aggressive nationalism. Totalitarian regimes aimed to contstrain society by controlling the youth. This book is housed at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC. -
Women in War
Women were implemented into previously male dominated workplaces during both World Wars. This caused women to have high self-esteems, as they were able to fulfill their duty as a citizen, contribute to the war effort, and show the European society their potential. As shown, this is a Soviet World War II propaganda poster issued by the Soviet government. This poster is an example of what would be issued in order to encourage women to join a weakened workforce, as a result of the war. -
The Stg 44
One of the more overlooked aspects of the Second World War, the Sturmgewehr 44 assault rifle was a revolutionary leap forward in small arms design. Designed in Germany by Hugo Schmeisser in the early 1940s, this was the first viable weapon of its type, and it saw action on the front lines late during the war, though in small numbers. This "assault rifle" was the first of its kind, and modern militaries today use assault rifles as their standard small arm. -
The AK-47
Mikhail Kalashnikov, a Russian tank commander in World War II, began designs which led to this new rifle in 1944 and it released shorlty after. This assault rifle has become iconic around the world for its legendary reliability and durable design. With tens of millions of rifles and derivatives produced since its inception, this early example of modern weaponry is used by militaries, rebel groups throughout the world, and has probably caused more death than any other weapon ever produced.
