Western historians have occasionally defined the 18th century otherwise for the purposes of their work. For example, the "short" 18th century may be defined as 1715–1789, denoting the period of time between the death of
Louis XIV of France and the start of the
French Revolution, with an emphasis on directly interconnected events.[3][4] To historians who expand the century to include larger historical movements, the "long" 18th century[5] may run from the
Glorious Revolution of 1688 to the
Battle of Waterloo in 1815[6] or even later.[7]
In
Europe, philosophers ushered in the
Age of Enlightenment. This period coincided with the French Revolution of 1789, and was later compromised by the excesses of the
Reign of Terror. At first, many monarchies of Europe embraced Enlightenment ideals, but in the wake of the French Revolution they feared loss of power and formed broad coalitions to oppose the
French Republic in the
French Revolutionary Wars. Various conflicts throughout the century, including the
War of the Spanish Succession and the
Seven Years' War, saw the
Kingdom of Great Britain triumph over its European rivals to become the preeminent power in Europe. However, Britain's attempts to exert its authority over its
colonies became a catalyst for the
American Revolution.
The 18th century also marked the end of the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth as an independent state. Its semi-democratic government system was not robust enough to rival the neighboring states of
Austria,
Prussia, and Russia, which
partitioned the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth between themselves, changing the landscape of
Central Europe and politics for the next hundred years.
The
Ottoman Empire experienced an unprecedented period of peace and economic expansion, taking no part in European wars from 1740 to 1768. As a result, the empire was not exposed to Europe's military improvements during the Seven Years' War. The Ottoman military consequently lagged behind and suffered several defeats against Russia in the second half of the century. In
West Asia,
Nader Shah led
Persia in successful
military campaigns.
1752: The
British Empire adopts the
Gregorian Calendar, skipping 11 days from 3 September to 13 September. On the calendar, 2 September is followed directly by 14 September.
1754–
1763: The
French and Indian War, the North American chapter of the
Seven Years' War, is fought in colonial North America, mostly by the French and their allies against the English and their allies.
1785–
1791: Imam
Sheikh Mansur, a
Chechen warrior and Muslim mystic, leads a coalition of Muslim
Caucasian tribes from throughout the
Caucasus in a
holy war against Russian settlers and military bases in the Caucasus, as well as against local traditionalists, who followed the traditional customs and common law (Adat) rather than the theocratic Sharia.[24]
^Marshall, P. J., ed. (2001). The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume II: The Eighteenth Century (Oxford History of the British Empire). Oxford University Press, USA.
ISBN978-0-19-924677-9.
OCLC174866045., "Introduction" by P. J. Marshall, page 1
^Meggs, Philip B. A History of Graphic Design. (1998) John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p 146
ISBN978-0-471-29198-5
Further reading
Black, Jeremy and Roy Porter, eds. A Dictionary of Eighteenth-Century World History (1994) 890pp
Klekar, Cynthia. "Fictions of the Gift: Generosity and Obligation in Eighteenth-Century English Literature." Innovative Course Design Winner. American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies: Wake Forest University, 2004. <
Home | American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (ASECS)>. Refereed.
Langer, William. An Encyclopedia of World History (5th ed. 1973); highly detailed outline of events
online free
Morris, Richard B. and Graham W. Irwin, eds. Harper Encyclopedia of the Modern World: A Concise Reference History from 1760 to the Present (1970)
online
Milward, Alan S, and S. B. Saul, eds. The economic development of continental Europe: 1780–1870 (1973)
online; note there are two different books with identical authors and slightly different titles. Their coverfage does not overlap.
Milward, Alan S, and S. B. Saul, eds. The development of the economies of continental Europe, 1850–1914 (1977)
online
The Wallace Collection, London, houses one of the finest collections of 18th-century decorative arts from France, England and Italy, including paintings, furniture, porcelain and gold boxes.
External links
Media related to
18th century at Wikimedia Commons
Western historians have occasionally defined the 18th century otherwise for the purposes of their work. For example, the "short" 18th century may be defined as 1715–1789, denoting the period of time between the death of
Louis XIV of France and the start of the
French Revolution, with an emphasis on directly interconnected events.[3][4] To historians who expand the century to include larger historical movements, the "long" 18th century[5] may run from the
Glorious Revolution of 1688 to the
Battle of Waterloo in 1815[6] or even later.[7]
In
Europe, philosophers ushered in the
Age of Enlightenment. This period coincided with the French Revolution of 1789, and was later compromised by the excesses of the
Reign of Terror. At first, many monarchies of Europe embraced Enlightenment ideals, but in the wake of the French Revolution they feared loss of power and formed broad coalitions to oppose the
French Republic in the
French Revolutionary Wars. Various conflicts throughout the century, including the
War of the Spanish Succession and the
Seven Years' War, saw the
Kingdom of Great Britain triumph over its European rivals to become the preeminent power in Europe. However, Britain's attempts to exert its authority over its
colonies became a catalyst for the
American Revolution.
The 18th century also marked the end of the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth as an independent state. Its semi-democratic government system was not robust enough to rival the neighboring states of
Austria,
Prussia, and Russia, which
partitioned the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth between themselves, changing the landscape of
Central Europe and politics for the next hundred years.
The
Ottoman Empire experienced an unprecedented period of peace and economic expansion, taking no part in European wars from 1740 to 1768. As a result, the empire was not exposed to Europe's military improvements during the Seven Years' War. The Ottoman military consequently lagged behind and suffered several defeats against Russia in the second half of the century. In
West Asia,
Nader Shah led
Persia in successful
military campaigns.
1752: The
British Empire adopts the
Gregorian Calendar, skipping 11 days from 3 September to 13 September. On the calendar, 2 September is followed directly by 14 September.
1754–
1763: The
French and Indian War, the North American chapter of the
Seven Years' War, is fought in colonial North America, mostly by the French and their allies against the English and their allies.
1785–
1791: Imam
Sheikh Mansur, a
Chechen warrior and Muslim mystic, leads a coalition of Muslim
Caucasian tribes from throughout the
Caucasus in a
holy war against Russian settlers and military bases in the Caucasus, as well as against local traditionalists, who followed the traditional customs and common law (Adat) rather than the theocratic Sharia.[24]
^Marshall, P. J., ed. (2001). The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume II: The Eighteenth Century (Oxford History of the British Empire). Oxford University Press, USA.
ISBN978-0-19-924677-9.
OCLC174866045., "Introduction" by P. J. Marshall, page 1
^Meggs, Philip B. A History of Graphic Design. (1998) John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p 146
ISBN978-0-471-29198-5
Further reading
Black, Jeremy and Roy Porter, eds. A Dictionary of Eighteenth-Century World History (1994) 890pp
Klekar, Cynthia. "Fictions of the Gift: Generosity and Obligation in Eighteenth-Century English Literature." Innovative Course Design Winner. American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies: Wake Forest University, 2004. <
Home | American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (ASECS)>. Refereed.
Langer, William. An Encyclopedia of World History (5th ed. 1973); highly detailed outline of events
online free
Morris, Richard B. and Graham W. Irwin, eds. Harper Encyclopedia of the Modern World: A Concise Reference History from 1760 to the Present (1970)
online
Milward, Alan S, and S. B. Saul, eds. The economic development of continental Europe: 1780–1870 (1973)
online; note there are two different books with identical authors and slightly different titles. Their coverfage does not overlap.
Milward, Alan S, and S. B. Saul, eds. The development of the economies of continental Europe, 1850–1914 (1977)
online
The Wallace Collection, London, houses one of the finest collections of 18th-century decorative arts from France, England and Italy, including paintings, furniture, porcelain and gold boxes.
External links
Media related to
18th century at Wikimedia Commons