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Industrial Revolution Years
The Industrial Revolution was from 1760-1830, characterized by a significant jump in economic activity and productivity. Starting in Great Britain, massive industrialization from innovations like the steam engine helped push forward Britain's economic standpoint, later catching on to the rest of the world. However, the Revolution also came with some repercussions, like the significant increase in income inequality from capitalists and factory owners compared to poor families in tenements. -
Watt Patents Steam Engine
Although the steam engine was already invented by Newcomen already, it was extremely inefficient. Watt took the steam engine and significantly improved it, increasing the efficiency and productivity. This overall allowed Great Britain to truly reap the rewards of coal by avoiding the flooding in mines - and by doing so, this allowed Great Britain to significantly pick up the pace of the Industrial Revolution. The steam engine has also been used in innovations like the locomotive, also helping IR -
Reign of Louis XVIII
After the fall of Napoleon, Louis XVIII was forced onto the French throne by the Congress of Vienna to restore the Bourbon dynasty and monarchy. Louis XVIII also passed the Constitutional Charter, which created a bicameral Parliament and allowed peasants to maintain their victories from the Revolution, although there was still little ability for political participation. Louis XVIII's reign marks the reversal of the French Revolution, putting France back at square 1 with a monarchy. -
Congress of Vienna
After the Napoleonic Wars, the Quadruple Alliance of Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, and Russia congregated in an attempt to maintain peace, reestablish monarchy and pre-Enlightenment rule, and stop liberal ideas from spreading. Furthermore, France was forced to give up most of its territories won during Napoleon's reign (but not too much to prevent revenge or hatred). The Congress of Vienna was relatively successful and provided stability to Europe until the Revolutions of 1848 and WW1. -
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo is Napoleon's last attempt at vengeance. After being exiled but returning in France, Napoleon took over and had one final stand against many European powers, especially the Quadruple Alliance with Austria, Prussia, Great Britain, and France. This Battle marks the end of not only Napoleon, but the end of radical and revolutionary ideals symbolized by Napoleon across Europe, as France was restored to a monarchy after him and Europe outlawed radical ideas. -
Karlsbad Decrees
The Karlsbad Decrees, enacted by Metternich, were a series of restrictive laws outlawing many revolutionary symbols like universities and freedom of press. The Karlsbad Decrees is representative of the efforts of the Quadruple Alliance after the Congress of Vienna to stifle radical and liberal ideas after fear of another Napoleon arising. However, these efforts didn't stop radical ideas from spreading in South America, where the creoles like Simon Bolivar rose up in revolt. -
Reign of Charles X
Charles X truly believed in Louis XIV' absolutist rule and attempted to replicate it. Specifically, he tried to repeal the Constitutional Charter and held a war against Algeria as a political smokescreen to gain political support, and eventually suspended Parliament, censored media, and suppressed individual liberties. Eventually, not even the Algerian war could grant him enough support, as riots and revolts broke out in the streets of France until he was forced to flee three days later. -
Stephenson's Rocket
Stephenson's Rocket was a critical Industrial Revolution innovation that significantly improved transportation. It was a locomotive powered by the steam engine that allowed for the creation of railroads. This meant that within Europe, people could spread ideas and transfer materials like coal and iron even faster than ever, which significantly sped up the pace of the Industrial Revolution and Britain's economic growth. -
France Invades Algeria
In order to gain political support for unpopular policies, Charles X started an invasion against Algeria, which was favored by the people as a political smokescreen. Although a hard-fought war because of Algeria's guerrilla tactics, France eventually won the war and took control of Algeria. This not only is representative of Charles X' policies that soon repealed constitutionalism, but also represents the beginning of French expansionism into Africa. -
Reign of Louis Phillippe
After the ruling fiasco of Charles X, Louis Phillippe was put on the throne. Louis was less of a competent ruler than both Charles X and Louis XVIII, as he was controlled mostly by the middle class and had to pander to most of their demands. Although Louis Phillippe's rule itself was relatively insignificant, it represents the restoration of the monarchy pre-revolution in France and essentially set France back to square 1. -
British Reform Bill
During the Industrial Revolution, more classes were brought up, especially the gradually increasing middle class. In Britain, there was little political participation for many people, even the men, and after the unpopular Corn Laws were passed, many people demanded greater political participation, as shown in the Battle of Peterloo. The Reform Bill was passed to please them, which increased political participation by 50%, leading to the repeal of the Corn Laws and marking a "revolution" in GB. -
Great Famine in Ireland
The Industrial Revolution gave great economic dominance to Great Britain, who started to gain a foothold on the international markets. This led to the downfall of Ireland's economy and the stagnation of the potato crop especially among a growing population, which eventually led to a famine and poor economic conditions. This also increased anti-British sentiment within the Irish, even as many of them migrated to Britain to find sustainable work. -
Great Exhibition in London
The Great Exhibition in London was held in the Crystal Palace, a marvelous work of architecture characterized by skillful glass usage. This Exhibition showed not only the great works of the Industrial Revolution in Britain, but also showed cultural and artistic values of London. Even though it took place after the Industrial Revolution, it served as the culmination of the spread of ideas and industry, especially because it took place in Great Britain. -
Cholera Outbreak London
Cholera spread across the streets in London like wildfire, causing many people to become ill and eventually perish. However, scientific studies conducted on this cholera outbreak allowed for the advancement of science, as John Snow formed the germ theory around it after noticing that dirty and disgusting water was the cause for the cholera outbreak rather than air particles, which was previously thought of to be the cause at the time. -
Darwin's Origin of Species
After numerous scientific studies, Darwin argued an extremely radical viewpoint of creation - he believed in evolutionism and natural selection, a stark contrast to creationism believed by the majority of Christians at the time. It is widely regarded as an extremely important work, because at the time, most people weren't aware of evolutionism. Thus, even though it is still widely debated today, the Origin of Species served to represent the progress of science after the Industrial Revolution.
