-
Period: to
Modern Europe
-
the Age of Enlightenment
The Encyclopedia of Diderot & d'Alembert Collaborative Translation Project, by Du Marsais and César Chesnau, translation by Dena Goodman. Entry for "Philosopher". This excerpt is significant in that it demonstrates the ideology prevalent during the Enlightenment which favoured reason instead of superstition. -
Imperialism
Rudyard Kipling, "The White Man's Burden", 1899. This poem is indicative of the mentality that accompanied Imperialism and it addresses the slave trade, the economic aspects of Imperialism and the 'civilizing duty' that the Western/European man felt towards the colonies. -
the French Revolution
"The Declaration of the Rights of Man," approved by the National Assembley of Frnace, August 26, 1789. This document illustrates the desire for democracy, equal rights and progressive laws that inspired and fuelled the French Revolution. It has remained a historical landmark in terms of democratic principles, even though they weren't always respected by the successive governments. -
Nationalism and the modern state
Ernst Moritz Arndt, "The German Fatherland" (1813). This poem became extremely popular after 1825 and amongst those that desired the transformation from German Confederation into united state. For this reason it is a good example of nationalism and how this helped shape the formation of the modern state. -
the Industrial Revolution
Karl Marx, "Das Kapital" (1867). This work in general analyses the economic system of exploitation and Capitalism that burgeoned during the Industrial Revolution. The actual segment here presented in the image tells of the dreadful working conditions child-labourers worked in. This demonstrates the deep societal problems that the Industrial Revolution caused. -
Military innovations of the World Wars
This image depicts the destruction caused by the London Blitz (September 7, 1940 - May 21, 1941). From this photo we can deduce the effect the technological developments in WWII had on civilians as well as soldiers. Though the technological advances were progress and meant higher chances of winning the war, they had outrageous repercussions on non-combatants - the most terrifying example of this being the atomic bomb.
