Fashion, Military, Technological Innovation and Politics: The Creation of Modern Europe
-
Galileo's innovation of the telescope
Galileo's innovation of the telescope changed the way we think about the universe. Galileo's manuscript is a draft of his letter to the Doge of Venice explaining the uses of his innovation of the telescope Galilei, Galileo. “Galileo Manuscript”. Manuscript. 1609. University of Michigan Library. http://www.lib.umich.edu/special-collections-library/galileo-manuscript (Accessed April 2, 2015) -
Peace of Westphalia
The Treaty of Westphalia effectively signaled the end of the Thirty Years' War, which many historian thought to be the first total war.
"The Treaty of Westphalia." The Treaty of Westphalia. Accessed April 1, 2015. http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/treaty-westphalia. -
Thomas Hobbes publishes Leviathan
Hobbes’ Leviathan embodies a popular reaction spurring from the turmoil and unrest that England – much like most of Europe – had experienced in the 17th century. The basis for Leviathan was set upon Hobbes’ belief that “absolutism alone could prevent society from lapsing into the ‘state of nature,’ a constant ‘war of every man against every man’” . Hobbes, Thomas, and J. C. A. Gaskin. 1998. Leviathan. Oxford: Oxford University Press. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site -
Elegant Couple in an Interior by Eglon van der Neer, Dutch
Krén, Emil, and Daniel Marx. "Elegant Couple in an Interior by NEER, Eglon Van Der." Web Gallery of Art. Web Gallery of Art, n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2015. http://www.wga.hu/html_m/n/neer/eglon/1elegant.html. The coat, waistcoat, and breeches of the man, the long-waisted bodice of the lady and her narrow skirt reflected the fashion trend after Thirty Years War. The woman's body was tightly corseted, with a low, broad neckline, dropped shoulder and full, loose sleeves. Men wore periwigs. -
Portrait of the Marquise de Pompadour by Maurice-Quentin de la tour
"Portrait of the Marquise De Pompadour." Portrait of the Marquise De Pompadour. Musée Du Louvre, n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2015. http://musee.louvre.fr/oal/marquise_pompadour/marquise_pompadour_acc_en.html. During the enlightenment period, the clothing style was characterized by greater abundance, elaboration and intricacy. Women wore wide hoops under the skirt that extended sideways but their waists were tightly consricted by corsets. -
Surrender of Montreal
The French troops surrenders to the British in Montreal during the Seven Years' War. This marks the end of French control in North America.
"Surrender of Montreal." Virtual Museum. Accessed April 1, 2015. http://www.museevirtuel.ca/sgc-cms/histoires_de_chez_nous-community_memories/pm_v2.php?id=record_detail&fl=0&lg=Francais&ex=00000580&rd=138805. -
Jean-Jacques Rousseau publishes Social Contract
Very few texts are as influential as Jean Jacques Rousseau’s Social Contract in highlighting the relationship between the ruling powers and those over whom they rule. Rousseau advocated for an association formed voluntarily when men chose to band together and form a society, and thereby agreed to the terms of citizenship. Rousseau, Jean Jacques. Social Contract & Discourses. New York: E. P. Dutton & Co., 1913. -
Innovation of the steam engine by Thomas Watt
The innovation of the steam engine perpetuated the 19th century industrial revolution. Philip James de Loutherbourg's painting "Coalbrookdale by night" depicts the changing landscape of the Industrial Revolution. de Loutherbourg, Philip James. “Coalbrookdale by night”. Painting. 1801. bbc.co.uk. http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/paintings/coalbrookdale-by-night-179866 (Accessed April 2, 2015) -
Innovation of the guillotine by Joseph-Ignace Guillotin
The guillotine was responsible for many beheadings during the French Revolution, including the execution of Louis XVI. Sieveking, Georg Heinrich. “Execution of Louis XVI”. Painting. 1793. Academia.edu http://www.academia.edu/6186479/La_Révolution_Française-_an_examination_of_revolutionary_politics_through_Marxist_Machiavellian_Platonic_and_Historical_criticisms (Accessed April 2, 2015) -
French Identification Card
This ID card embodies the significance of the shift from absolute rule to rule based on citizenship and voluntary agreement. French, white, property-owning men received such cards where the word 'active' ('actif') stipulated their right to vote. Carte de Citoyen Actif (1790), Centre Historique des Archives Nationales – Atelier de Photographie. Retrieved April 6th 2015, http://www.histoire-image.org/pleincadre/index.php?m=1789&d=11&i=268. Web. -
Battle of the Pyramids
The Battle of the Pyramids resulted in the fall of Cairo to the French.
"Battle of the Pyramids | Egyptian History." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Accessed April 1, 2015. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/484790/Battle-of-the-Pyramids. -
Painting of a family game of checkers by Louis-Léopold Boilly
"Painting of a Family Game of Checkers Ca 1803 by Louis Leopold Boilly..." Getty Images. Gettyimages, n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2015. http://www.gettyimages.ca/detail/news-photo/painting-of-a-family-ga. After the French Revolution, clothes became lighter and easir to be changed. Clothing was more of a form of self-identity expression than only an indication of social status. Tightly laced corsets were temporarily abandoned in favor of a high-waisted, natural figure. -
Invention of pneumatic rubber tire by Robert Thomson
The increased demand for rubber in Europe led to increased violence in the Congo "Free" State during the period of colonialism beginning in the late 19th century. The cartoon depicts the Belgian King Leopold II as a snake and rubber coil coiling around a Congolese man as his family escapes. “In the Rubber Coils”. Cartoon. November 1906. Punch Magazine Photo Archive. http://punch.photoshelter.com/image/I0000XAOFR..19HU (Accessed April 2, 2015) -
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels Publish the Communist Manifesto
This work sought to unite the workers of the world in the struggle against the exploitative elite classes fostered through capitalism and inform the masses of the claims to the state they had as labourers. Marx, Karl, Friedrich Engels, Samuel Moore, and David McLellan. 1992. The Communist manifesto. Oxford: Oxford University Press. -
Mr. and Mrs. I. N. Phelps Stokes by John Singer Sargent
"John Singer Sargent | Mr. and Mrs. I. N. Phelps Stokes." John Singer Sargent. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2015. http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/12140. Under the influence of industrial revolution, clothes became plainer, simpler, and more practical. Women had more freedom in their clothing choices and often sported reform clothing for outdoor activities like biking. -
Invention of the airplane by the Wright Brothers
Airplanes were first used for warfare in World War One for reconnaissance purposes until they were mounted with machine guns. The journal image depicts a flaming German plane on the losing side of a dogfight with a French pilot. Le Petit Journal. supplément illustré,. n°1271. 2 Mai, 1915. Gallica Bibliothèque numérique. http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k717155h.image.langFR.r=Le Petit journal Supplément du dimanche (Accessed April 2, 2015) -
Battle of the Somme
One of the bloodiest Battle during WWI, where around 1.2 million men were lost.
Allen, Emily. "Secret Tunnels of the Somme: Historians Unearth Truth about World War One's Underground Battles after Reopening Lost Labyrinth." Mail Online. Accessed April 1, 2015. -
Poster for national service in the Women's Land Army
"National Service - Women's Land Army." IWM PRINTS. Imperial War Museums, n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2015. http://www.iwmprints.org.uk/image/803601/gawthorn-henry-george-national-service-womens-land-army-god-speed-the-plough-and-the-woman-who-drives-it. During the Great War, women and girls who previously worked as domestic servants took jobs in munition factories and wore uniforms, including trousers. Skirts became shorter due to the shortage of clothes while the colors became plainer. -
Max Weber publishes Politics as a Vocation
In this essay, Weber describes the bureaucratic machine as an embodiment of the perpetually discursive nature of ruler and ruled. Max Weber, The Vocation Lectures (1919), (Hackett Publishing, March 12th 2004). Print. -
The Reichstag Fire Decree
Following the suspicious Reichstag fire that same year, Hitler issued this decree against “Communist state-endangering acts of violence”, which the fire was deemed. The decree suspended German citizens’ constitutional rights and played a fundamental role in establishing the Nazis’ totalitarian rule over Germany. Reichtagsbrandverordnung (1933), Lebendiges Museum Online. Retrieved April 7th 2015, https://www.dhm.de/lemo/kapitel/ns-regime/etablierung/reichstagsbrand/. Web. -
First practical use of radar by British WAAF
Radar became a very important tool for tracking aircrafts in World War Two and beyond. The photograph depicts a woman from the British WAAF using radar to track aircrafts. Woman tracking aircrafts using radar. Photograph. 1944. bbc.co.uk http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/topics/radar#default (Accessed March 28, 2015.) -
Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of Stalingrad marked the turning point during WW2, but the victory of the Soviets was won at a tremendous cost. Over 2 million Soviet soldiers and civilians perished during the fighting.
"STALINGRAD." Pinterest. Accessed April 1, 2015. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/314407617709376903/. -
British Vogue photo, Feb. 1943
"Fashioning The Past: Fashion Advice for British Women in World War II." Fashioning The Past. N.p., 28 May 2012. Web. 06 Apr. 2015. http://www.fashioningthepast.com/2012/05/fashion-advice-for-british-women-in.html. During WW2, women's were typically modeled after the utility clothes produced during war rationing. They were encouraged to rennovate their old clothes. The fashion trend was marked by squared shoulders, narrow hips, and skirts that ended just below the knee. -
Gas Chamber
The Holocaust resulted in the death of more than 6 million Jews, it stands as one of the most horrific atrocities ever to be committed.
"Photos - Europe - Poland - Auschwitz I - Gas Chamber - B/w." Photos - Europe - Poland - Auschwitz I - Gas Chamber - B/w. Accessed April 1, 2015. http://www.photo-exhibits.com/europe/poland/auschwitz_I_main_camp_photos/black_white_photographs/auschwitz_I_gas_chamber.html.
