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476
Fall of the Roman Empire
The Roman Empire fell in despair due to a wide range of problems. The Western Roman Empire crumbled after a nearly 500 year run as the world’s greatest superpower yet.The collapse is from hundreds of different factors, ranging from military failures and unfair taxation, to natural disasters and even climate change. Countless invasions from the Barbarians also contributed. -
Period: 476 to 1300
The Middle Ages
The Middle Ages were a time of despair and chaos, also known as the "Dark Ages". It was an age in which no scientific accomplishments were made, no art produced, no great and iconic leaders born. It was a time of Plagues and Death. -
Period: 1096 to 1291
The Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars fought in the Middle East. The goal was for the Christians to retake Jerusalem and the surrounding areas. The result was the conversion of thousands of muslims. -
Period: 1300 to 1500
The Renaissance
the period after the Middle Ages in Europe saw a revival of the interest in the classical learning of ancient Greek and Roman culture. The Renaissance period saw the creation of many iconic paintings and sculptures. The period also saw the discovery of new technologies, like the printing press, along with new continents and lands. -
Period: 1517 to
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was the religious, political, and cultural revolution that splintered the Catholic dominated Europe,it set in place the structures of beliefs that would define the continent into the modern time of today. In northern and central Europe, reformers like Martin Luther, and John Calvin challenged the authority of the Catholic Church’s ability to dictate Christian practice. It resulted in different sectors of Christianity like seen today. -
Period: to
The Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment is a period of enlightenment thinkers in Britain, in France and throughout Europe questioned traditional authority and embraced the notion that humanity could be improved through rational change. The Enlightenment produced numerous books, essays, inventions, scientific discoveries, laws, wars and revolutions. -
Period: to
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution, which took place from the 18th to 19th centuries, was a period during which predominantly agrarian, rural areas in Europe and America, and elsewhere became industrial and urbanized. It was a period of massive development. -
Period: to
French Revolution
The extravagant spending of King Louis XVI and his predecessor had left the country on the brink of bankruptcy. Many natural and man made problems left the country in a state of unrest. Many expressed their desperation and resentment toward the regime of France that imposed heavy taxes yet failed to provide a solution to the issues plaguing the country. -
Period: to
World War 1
The first major global conflict erupted on August 1st, 1914. The Central Powers composed of Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire fought against the Allied forces of Great Britain, the United States, France, Russia, Italy and Japan. The use of modern technology in warfare resulted in major losses of life and destruction, with more than 9 million soldiers killed by the end of the war. -
Period: to
World War 2
World War 2 was the second great global conflict of the 20th century. World War 2 came just two decades after the last great global conflict, the Second World War was the most widespread and deadliest war in relative history, it involved more than 30 countries and resulting in more than 50 million military and civilian deaths. World War 2 was sparked by Adolf Hitler’s invasion of Poland in 1939. -
Period: to
Cold War
Tensions between the two nations of the United States and The Soviet Union resulted the Cold War rivalry. It lasted for much of the second half of the 20th century. It was the height of Tensions and almost resulted in Nuclear War. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was named by the Polish Capital of Warsaw. The Soviet Union and its European satellite states signed a treaty establishing the Warsaw Pact. The Warsaw Pact was a mutual defense organization that put the Soviets in command of the armed forces of the member states. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall stood until November 9, 1989, when the head of the East German Communist Party announced that citizens of the GDR could cross the border whenever they pleased. That night, crowds swarmed the wall. Most crossed freely into West Berlin, while others brought hammers and picks and began to chip away at the wall itself. -
Collapse of the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union was once a superpower of a nation. During the 1960s and 1970s the Communist Party leaders quickly gained wealth and power while millions of Soviet citizens starved and lacked basic needs to survive. Distance between wealth and unrest resulted in the dissolution of the Soviet Union on December 31, 1991. -
Creation of the European Union
By 1993, 12 nations had ratified the Maastricht Treaty on the European Union. Great Britain, France, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Denmark, Greece, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands were the original members that joined in 1993. Austria, Finland, and Sweden became members of the European Union in 1995. After decades of conflict on the continent, economic cooperation was welcomed.