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Period: 1350 to
Period 1: Renaissance, Reformation, & Exploration
Main themes:
Discovery in art & literature (Renaissance)
Religious conflict (Reformation)
Exposure to new cultures and greed in conquering the Americas (Exploration) -
1351
End of the Black Death
A bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa. -
Period: 1400 to 1500
Renaissance
A period of European cultural, artistic, political and economic “rebirth” following the Middle Ages. Generally described as taking place from the 15th century to the 16th century, the Renaissance promoted the rediscovery of classical philosophy, literature and art. -
1453
End of the Hundred Year's War
A series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. -
1455
Printing press invented
Johannes Gutenberg is credited with inventing the printing press. His invention allowed ideas to spread, leading to the Protestant Reformation and more important events. -
1492
Columbus to New World
These voyages led to the widespread knowledge of the New World. This breakthrough inaugurated the period known as the Age of Discovery, which saw the colonization of the Americas, a related biological exchange, and trans-Atlantic trade. These events, the effects and consequences of which persist to the present, are often cited as the beginning of the modern era. -
1517
Martin Luther publishes 95 Theses
Propounded two central beliefs—that the Bible is the central religious authority and that humans may reach salvation only by their faith and not by their deeds—was to spark the Protestant Reformation. Also criticized corruption in the Church. -
Period: 1517 to 1555
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a religious reform movement that swept through Europe in the 1500s. It resulted in the creation of a branch of Christianity called Protestantism, a name used collectively to refer to the many religious groups that separated from the Roman Catholic Church due to differences in doctrine. -
1524
German Peasants' War
The German Peasants' War, Great Peasants' War or Great Peasants' Revolt was a widespread popular revolt in some German-speaking areas in Central Europe from 1524 to 1525. It was Europe's largest and most widespread popular uprising before the French Revolution of 1789.Inspired by changes brought by the Reformation, peasants in western and southern Germany invoked divine law to demand agrarian rights and freedom from oppression by nobles and landlords. -
Period: 1543 to
Scientific Revolution
It replaced the Greek view of nature that had dominated science for almost 2,000 years. The Scientific Revolution was characterized by an emphasis on abstract reasoning, quantitative thought, an understanding of how nature works, the view of nature as a machine, and the development of an experimental scientific method. -
1555
Peace of Augsburg
A treaty between Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and the Schmalkaldic League. Ended religious conflict in the Holy Roman Empire and legally divided HRE based on religion. -
Defeat of Spanish Armada
The Spanish Armada was trying to reinstate Catholicism in England. It was the defining moment of Elizabeth I's reign. Spain's defeat secured Protestant rule in England, and launched Elizabeth onto the global stage. -
Edict of Nantes
The Edict of Nantes was signed on 13 April 1598 by King Henry IV of France and granted the minority Calvinist Protestants of France, also known as Huguenots, substantial rights in the nation, which was predominantly Catholic. -
Dutch East India Company founded
A chartered company established on 20 March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock company in the world, granting it a 21-year monopoly to carry out trade activities in Asia (Dutch golden age). -
Defenestration of Prague
The Defenestration of Prague was the catalyst that activated the worst war in European history, the Thirty Years' War. The rebels deposed Ferdinand II, set up a provisional assembly and raised an army of 16,000 troops for the nation's defence. -
Period: to
30 Years War
The primary cause of the Thirty Years' War was the actions of Emperor Ferdinand II in forcing the protestants into Catholicism. The war ended with the Peace of Westphalia, a treaty that laid boundaries for European countries and recognized subsequent territorial sovereignty throughout Europe. -
Period: to
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of battles fought between 1642 and 1651. On one side were supporters of the king (Charles I) and on the other were supporters of Parliament (led by Oliver Cromwell). The Civil War resulted in the execution of Charles followed by 11 years of a commonwealth, when England had no monarch. -
Period: to
Reign of Louis XIV in France
The reign of Louis XIV is often referred to as “Le Grand Siècle” (the Great Century), forever associated with the image of an absolute monarch and a strong, centralised state. Coming to the throne at a tender age, tutored by Cardinal Mazarin, the Sun King embodied the principles of absolutism. -
Treaty of Westphalia
Granted religious tolerance to Lutherans and Calvinists in the Holy Roman Empire. It recognized Dutch independence, gave to France the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine, and ended the Thirty Years' War. -
Period: to
Period 2: Absolutism, Enlightenment, & Revolution
Main themes:
Absolutism - Political doctrine and practice of unlimited, centralized authority and absolute sovereignty, especially as vested in a monarch. (Louis XIV, Frederick II)
Enlightenment - The great 'Age of Reason' – is defined as the period of rigorous scientific, political and philosophical discourse. (John Locke, Voltaire, Thomas Hobbes, Adam Smith, Mary Wollstonecraft) -
Hobbes’ Leviathan published
Written during the English Civil War (1642–1651), it argues for a social contract and rule by an absolute sovereign. Hobbes wrote that civil war and the brute situation of a state of nature ("the war of all against all") could be avoided only by a strong, undivided government. -
Period: to
The Enlightenment
The period of rigorous scientific, political and philosophical discourse that characterized European society during the 'long' 18th century: from the late 17th century to the ending of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815. Key figures: John Locke, Baron de Montesque, Kant, -
Newton publishes Principia Mathematica
Newton published his great work Principia, in which he described the universe as fixed, with Earth and other heavenly bodies moving harmoniously in accordance with mathematical laws. That approach of systematizing and classifying was to dominate biology in the 17th and 18th centuries. -
Glorious Revolution
The series of events in 1688-89 which culminated in the exile of King James II and the accession to the throne of William and Mary. It has also been seen as a watershed in the development of the constitution and especially of the role of Parliament. -
English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights clearly established that the monarchy could not rule without consent of Parliament. The English Bill put in place a constitutional form of government in which the rights and liberties of the individual were protected under English law. -
Locke publishes Two Treatises on Government
John Locke's Two Treatises of Government were published anonymously in 1689. In it, Locke proposed that government emerges from the consent of the government to protect their natural rights, which is the thesis of what is now called social contract theory. -
Period: to
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution shifted from an agrarian economy to a manufacturing economy where products were no longer made solely by hand but by machines. This led to increased production and efficiency, lower prices, more goods, improved wages, and migration from rural areas to urban areas. -
Period: to
Seven Years' War / French and Indian War
The Seven Years' War was a conflict between France and Great Britain that began in 1754 as a dispute over North American land claims in the region around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This conflict eventually spread into other parts of world, including Europe, Africa, and Asia. -
Treaty of Paris ends Seven Years’ War
The Treaty of Paris of 1763 ended the French and Indian War/Seven Years' War between Great Britain and France, as well as their respective allies. In the terms of the treaty, France gave up all its territories in mainland North America, effectively ending any foreign military threat to the British colonies there. -
American Revolutionary War begins
Not European history really, but it is important to know about how the ideas of natural rights and the social contract are impacting the world. -
Adam Smith published Wealth of Nations
The Wealth of Nations is a profoundly influential work in the study of economics and examines exactly how nations become wealthy. Adam Smith advocates that by allowing individuals to freely pursue their own self-interest in a free market, without government regulation, nations will prosper. (laissez-faire economics) -
Period: to
French Revolution
The French Revolution was a watershed event in world history that began in 1789 and ended in the late 1790s with the ascent of Napoleon Bonaparte. During this period, French citizens radically altered their political landscape, uprooting centuries-old institutions such as the monarchy and the feudal system. -
Napoleon comes to power
Napoleon I, also called Napoléon Bonaparte, was a French military general and statesman. Napoleon played a key role in the French Revolution (1789–99), served as first consul of France (1799–1804), and was the first emperor of France (1804–14/15). -
Congress of Vienna / Age of Metternich
The Congress of Vienna was a meeting of European nations that set out a strategy to maintain peace and stability throughout the continent. It gathered following the first defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France and namesake of the Napoleonic Wars. It was more conservative and favored restoring old rulers - more on absolutist side. Failed to realize the true power of Nationalism and Liberalism. -
Period: to
Period 3: Industrialization, Nationalism, & Imperialism
Main themes:
Industrialization - Transformed economies that had been based on agriculture and handicrafts into economies based on large-scale industry, mechanized manufacturing, and the factory system.
Nationalism - An ideology that emphasizes loyalty, devotion, or allegiance to a nation or nation-state and holds that such obligations outweigh other individual or group interests.
Imperialism - The state policy, practice, or advocacy of extending power and dominion. -
Carlsbad Decrees
The Carlsbad Decrees were a series of measures adopted by the German Confederation in 1819 that established severe limitations on academic and press freedoms and set up a federal commission to investigate all signs of political unrest in the German states. Put into place by Metternich. -
Revolutions of 1830
In France, Charles X published ordinances dissolving the Chamber of Deputies, suspending freedom of the press, and modifying electoral laws. The upper class offered the crown to Louis-Philippe, who agreed to be "King of the French". He did not want a war and did not support the Poles, who were suppressed and incorporated into Russia. Revolts in Italy and Germany were equally unsuccessful. In 1832, the European powers recognized Greece as an independent sovereign state. -
Marx & Engel publish Communist Manifesto
It formed the basis for the modern communist movement as we know it, arguing that capitalism would inevitably self-destruct, to be replaced by socialism and ultimately communism. Painted history as a class struggle with the pProletariat wanting to overthrow the Bourgeoisie. -
Liberal Revolutions
Series of republican revolts against European monarchies, beginning in Sicily and spreading to France, Germany, Italy, and the Austrian Empire. They all ended in failure and repression and were followed by widespread disillusionment among liberals. -
Emancipation of Serfs in Russia
Alexander II gave serfs the full rights of free citizens, including rights to marry without having to gain consent, to own property and to own a business. The Manifesto prescribed that peasants would be able to buy the land from the landlords. Household serfs were the least affected: they gained only their freedom and no land. -
Unification of Italy
Inspired by the rebellions in the 1820s and 1830s against the outcome of the Congress of Vienna, the unification process was precipitated by the Revolutions of 1848, and reached completion in 1871 after the Capture of Rome and its designation as the capital of the Kingdom of Italy. Key players: Camilo de Cavour, Giuseppe Mazzini, and Giuseppe Garibaldi. -
Unification of Germany
In the 1860s, Otto von Bismarck, then Minister President of Prussia, provoked three short, decisive wars against Denmark, Austria, and France, aligning the smaller German states behind Prussia in its defeat of France. In 1871 he unified Germany into a nation-state, forming the German Empire. "Blood and iron" -
Berlin Conference (Scramble for Africa)
They sought to discuss the partitioning of Africa, establishing rules to amicably divide resources among the Western countries at the expense of the African people. Of these fourteen nations at the Berlin Conference, France, Germany, Great Britain, and Portugal were the major players. Organized by Otto von Bismarck. -
Freud publishes Interpretation of Dreams
The Interpretation Of Dreams is Sigmund Freud's seminal work on scientifically analyzing the deeper meaning hidden inside each and every one of our human dreams, which will help you make more sense of your own psyche. -
Russian Revolution
Wave of mass political and social unrest directed against the Tsar, the nobility, and the ruling class. Nicholas II had to go back on his authoritarian stance and enact reform, such as the State Duma, the multi-party system, and the Russian Constitution of 1906. However, the Duma's power was limited and Nicholas continued to hold the ruling authority. The Revolution led to the 1917 Russian Revolution as calls for radicalism were present but many of the revolutionaries were in exile or prison. -
Period: to
Period 4: Total War, Cold War, & Realignment
Key themes:
Total War - Military conflict in which the contenders are willing to make any sacrifice in lives and other resources to obtain a complete victory, as distinguished from limited war.
Cold War - An ongoing political rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies that developed after World War II.
Realignment - The switching of voter preference from one party to another. -
Period: to
World War I
A global conflict that took place between 1914 and 1918. Also known as the Great War or First World War, it was fought mainly in Europe, but it also spread to the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Most of the war was fought using artillery (large weapons such as cannons), machine guns, and rifles. The immediate cause of World War I that made the aforementioned items come into play (alliances, imperialism, militarism, nationalism) was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary. -
Russian Revolution
Primary causes of the Russian Revolution included widespread corruption and inefficiency within the czarist imperial government, growing dissatisfaction among peasants, workers, and soldiers, the monarchy's level of control over the Russian Orthodox Church, and the disintegration of the Imperial Russian Army. The Russians revolved and placed the Bolsheviks in power. -
Treaty of Versailles ends WWI
The Treaty of Versailles was signed by Germany and the Allied Nations on June 28, 1919, formally ending World War One. The terms of the treaty required that Germany pay financial reparations, disarm, lose territory, and give up all of its overseas colonies. -
Stock market crashes, Great Depression begins
The Depression was the longest and deepest downturn in the history of the United States and the modern industrial economy. The Great Depression began in August 1929, when the economic expansion of the Roaring Twenties came to an end. A series of financial crises punctuated the contraction. -
Period: to
World War II
It was the most destructive war in history and millions of people were killed. It was fought between the Axis (Germany, Japan, and Italy) and the Allies (Britain, the US, and the Soviet Union among others). It began because the leader of Germany, Adolf Hitler, wanted to expand German territory. -
UN established
The UN was established after World War II with the aim of preventing future world wars, and succeeded the League of Nations, which was characterized as ineffective. -
Period: to
Cold War
Soldiers of the Soviet Union and the United States did not do battle directly during the Cold War. But the two superpowers continually antagonized each other through political maneuvering, military coalitions, espionage, propaganda, arms buildups, economic aid, and proxy wars between other nations. -
NATO formed
Formed in 1949 with the signing of the Washington Treaty, NATO is a security alliance of 30 countries from North America and Europe. NATO's fundamental goal is to safeguard the Allies' freedom and security by political and military means. -
Sputnik launched
On October 4, 1957, the USSR launched Sputnik, the first artificial satellite to orbit Earth. The satellite, an 85-kilogram (187-pound) metal sphere the size of a basketball, was launched on a huge rocket and orbited Earth at 29,000 kilometers per hour (18,000 miles per hour) for three months. This was a step in the Space Race. -
Berlin Wall built
The Berlin Wall was built by the German Democratic Republic during the Cold War to prevent its population from escaping Soviet-controlled East Berlin to West Berlin, which was controlled by the major Western Allies. It divided the city of Berlin into two physically and ideologically contrasting zones. -
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council (or Vatican II) was the twenty-first ecumenical council of the Catholic Church . It was convened by Saint John XXIII and lasted for four sessions from 1962 through 1965. It produced a series of documents to direct the life of the Church in the twentieth century and beyond. -
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring reforms were a strong attempt by Dubček to grant additional rights to the citizens of Czechoslovakia in an act of partial decentralization of the economy and democratization. The freedoms granted included a loosening of restrictions on the media, speech and travel. -
Collapse of Berlin Wall
It was on 9 November 1989, five days after half a million people gathered in East Berlin in a mass protest, that the Berlin Wall dividing communist East Germany from West Germany crumbled. East German leaders had tried to calm mounting protests by loosening the borders, making travel easier for East Germans. -
Breakup of Soviet Union
Gorbachev's decision to allow elections with a multi-party system and create a presidency for the Soviet Union began a slow process of democratization that eventually destabilized Communist control and contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union. -
Maastricht Treaty created European Union
The Treaty introduced European citizenship, allowing citizens to reside in and move freely between Member States. The Treaty established a common foreign and security policy with the aim of "safeguarding the common values, fundamental interests and independence of the Union". -
European currency introduced (the Euro)
€ -
Putin elected President of Russia
Vladimir Putin is a former Russian intelligence officer and a politician who has served as president of Russia from 1999 to 2008 and from 2012 to the present. He was also the country's prime minister in 1999 and from 2008 to 2012.