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Reign of King Louis XVI
King Louis XVI ruled in France for 72 years, until his execution during the French Revolution. His absolute monarchy is what sparked the revolution among the 3rd estate who lived in poverty. -
Toussaint Louveture
Toussaint Louveture was the leader in the Haitian Revolution. He wanted Haiti to become free of slavery and to become their own independent state. This first abolition of slavery led to many more throughout the Carribean and the Americas. -
James Watt perfects Steam Engine
James Watt perfected the steam engine from the original Newcomen engine. Watt perfected it in a way that it was much more efficient. This invention led to a height in the Industrial Revolution. -
American Revolution
The American Revolution began when the British placed high taxes on the American colonists. The Americans had just finished the SevenYear's War with France and wanted to govern with their own affairs. The Declaration of Independence was written and the British eventually surrendered to George Washington. -
Spinning Mule Developed
The spinning mule was a machine that was used to spin cotton fibers. The invention of this tool made the Industrial Revolution take off in places like Britain. -
French Revolution
The French Revolution was a time of much political and social upheaval. The 3rd estate of France was in poverty and wanted to overthrow the direct monarchy. They succeeded with the execution of King Louis XVI and Robespierre took his place. -
Wars of Independence in Latin America
The Latin American Wars of Independence followed the French and American Revolutions which had much affect onthese wars. Latin America wanted independence from the Spanish and reached victory with Simon Bolivar ruling. -
Haitian Revolution
The Haitian Revolution took place in Haiti and was a mass slave revolt. The enslaved blacks wanted to become free from their French oppressors. They eventually succeeded and became the Republic of Haiti. Even though they were independent, they had to pay immense taxes to the French until the 20th century. -
Cotton Gin Developed
The cotton gin was invented by Eli Whitney in America. This machine quickly seperated cotton fibers from seeds mechanically. This device made production faster and made slavery grow in the south. -
Reign of Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte was the Emperor of France for 10 years. In his short reign, he was able to gain many victories in the Napoleonic Wars. After his reign, he was exiled to the island of Elba, returned for the Battle of Waterloo then spent his days on Saint Helena. -
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was held in Vienna betweenn the ambassadors of European states. The objective of this congress was to create peace in Europe from issues coming from the French Revolutionary Wars. They wanted to restore the French monarchy. -
Unification of Italy
The Unification of Italy was a movement to unite the Italian Peninsula into the Kingdom of Italy. This movement ended in 1871 when Rome became the capital of the Kingdom of Italy. -
War of Greek Independence
The War of Greek Independence was when the Greeks under Ottoman rule revolted to be their own independent state. Russia, Britain, and France intervened in the conflivt and sent their navies to help Greece. -
Simon Bolivar
Simon Bolivar was president and played a large role during Latin America's struggle for independence. They defeated the Spanish Monarchy and Bolivar created the Gran Columbia. -
Opium War
The Opium Wars were a series of disputes between Qing China and the British Empire. Europeans introduced the Chinese to usng opium as a drug, and the use of opium in China was extremely high. Two wars were fought and this period is viewed as China's "century of humiliation." -
Communist Manifesto published
The Communist Manifesto was compiled from the works of Karl Marx. His theories approached class stuggle and the problems with capitalism. This book was the basis for which Communism began. -
Taiping Rebellion
The Taiping Rebellion was a massive civil war in South China. They were rebelliing against the Qing Dynasty. The rebels wanted to replace Confucianism and Buddhism with Christianity. -
Crimean War
The Crimean War occurred because Russia lost the alliance of France and the Ottoman Empire. Russia's weakness was shown when they were defeated by Europeans. Czar Alexander II then emancipated the serfs and gave the classes elected representatives. -
Bessemer process developed
The Bessemer process was developed by Henry Bessemer in 1855. This process was the first inexpensive industrial processfor mass production of steel. The process sped up production in the Industrial revolution. -
Sepoy Rebellion
The Sepoy Rebellion was when the Indian sepoys revloted against the British Empire. The sepoy originally fought for the British but revolted when they thought the British were deliberately trying to oppress their religiod beliefs. -
Origin of the Species Published
The Origin of Species was published in 1859. Charles Darwin wrote this book but held off publishing it until this time because he was fearful of persecution. This book was the beginning of Social Darwinism, or Evolution. Social Darwinism is the basis that Europeans used to justify their racism. -
Emancipation of Russian Serfs
After the Crimean War, Tsar Alexander II led the Russians. He emancipated the serfs and created the position on an elected representative from each class. -
Meiji Restoration
The Meiji Restoration began in Japan's Edo period and lasted until the Meiji period. This reform wanted to restore Japan's old government and social structure. -
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal was under construction for 10 years and opened in 1869. It connected the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea in Egypt. This allowed for trade between Asia ans Europe without navigating around Africa. -
Unification of Germany
The Unification of Germany took place in 1871. When Germany was unified, many differences between language and religion were shown among the new inhabitants of the state. Emperor Wilhelm ruled the German Empire. -
Boer War
The Boer War wasfought by the British against the South African Republic. Many people died in this war and blacks were sent to concentration camps. In these camos many of them died from starvation. -
Panama Canal
The French began work on the Panama Canal in 1881, but had to stop due to disease. The US took over construction in 1904, and the canal was first used 1914. This canal connected the Atlantic to the Pacific and eliminated many miles that would have to be traveled around the tip of South America. -
Berlin West Africa Conference
The Berlin West Africa Conference was a series of negotiations between major European nations. They were meeting to decide all questions tied to the Congo River. This conference ended in the formation of the Congo Free State. -
Indian National Congress Founded
The Indian National Congress, or INC, was founded in 1885. This congress formed because they were trying to gain independence from Britain's colonial rule. This party is now India's most dominant political party. -
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion was an anti-foreign rebellion. The Chinese wanted to rid their state of foreigners and there religions, such as Christianity. The US, Russia, and Japan defeated the Boxers and forced them to pay for the damages. -
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War is thought to be the first great war of the 20th century. It was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over Manchuria and Korea. The Japanese were victorious in this war. -
All-India Muslim League founded
The All-Indian Muslim League was founded in the British Indian empire. The muslims wanted a seperate state of their religion in Pakistan. Syed Ahmad Khan was the leader of this movement and it ended in 1947. -
Henry Ford Assembly Line
Henry Ford perfected the assembly line and made industrial production much faster. The assembly line is a process in which parts are added in a sequence until the product is complete. Henry Ford used this process in the production of the first car: the Model T.