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Reign of Philip IV of Spain - The Planet King
Pedro Teixeira, "Map of Madrid " (1656), hand-colored engraved print (19th century copy).
As the capital of the Spanish Habsburg monarchy, Madrid's design symbolized absolutist rule. The two royal palaces with orderly gardens enclosed the city portraying the absolute power of the monarchy over people and nature, and were linked to the central plaza by broad avenues symbolizing the far-reaching control of the monarchy. Churches proliferated as they legitimized the ruler who kept a watchful eye. -
Canal-mania spearheads industrial revolution in Manchester, England
Thomas Slack, Pollard and Kennedy Mills, Ancoats Lane, Manchester, c.1830.
Cotton mills epitomized the industrial revolution, as did water-transport on canals. The cotton industry powered by the steam engine spurred other industries and made clothes more affordable. It also hired a lot of women and children, reshaping the family sphere and traditional gender roles. Canals furthered urban sprawl and economic expansion, contributing to social mobility and the rise of the middle-class in England. -
Unification of Buda and Pest - Creation of Budapest
Map of Budapest (1903).
The Austro-Hungarian Compromise gave Hungary an equal status to Austria in the Habsburg Empire. It was a consequence of the nationalist movements of the 19th century. Budapest as the capital of Hungary exemplified the liberal reforms brought about by the age of nationalism. This map is significant as it shows the Chain Bridge uniting Buda and Pest, the Hungarian Parliament, and the street design that all symbolize Magyar nationalism, and economic reforms of liberalism. -
Stalin succeeds Lenin
First Soviet Ford AA truck leaving Assembly Plant No. 1 "Gudok Oktyabrya" in Nizhnii Novgorod, 1930.
Early Soviet Russia was marked by Stalin's Five-Year Plan which accelerated industrialization through the creation of factory towns. In the picture, the men are holding a banner saying they are fulfilling the Five-year plan as the first Ford truck, symbol of industrialization, drives out of the Nizhnii Novgorod factory. The city, like many other places, was later renamed after a socialist hero.