GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY 4º ESO

A GENERAL VIEW OF MODERN HISTORY

A GENERAL VIEW OF MODERN HISTORY.

SUMMARY

● Did you know?

● Transformations in the Modern Age until 1870.
● The age of imperialism, 1870-1918.
● The world between two wars, 1918-1945.
● The world today.

This lesson belongs to….

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 GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY 4º ESO
A GENERAL VIEW OF MODERN HISTORY

0-. DID YOU KNOW?

In some countries, including Spain, the French Revolution is considered to mark the end of Modern
History and the beginning of Contemporary History. However, in English-speaking countries the period
after the Revolution is still considered to be part of Modern History. In fact, Contemporary history is a
subset of Modern History that describes the period from 1945 to the present. For this reason,,
Contemporary history refers to recent events, which most people in the world can remember.

Spain English speaking countries

● Historia moderna (1492-1808). ● Early Modern Period (1500-11789)

● Historia contemporánea (1808- to the ● Modern period (1789-1945)
present). ● Contemporary period (1945 up to the
present).

1-. TRANSFORMATIONS IN THE MODERN WORLD (1750-1870).

The rise of bourgeoisie.

From 1750 to 1870, the Modern word experienced a series of transformations that affected its structures.
The bourgeoisie completed its social climbing and started two revolutions: The Industrial Revolution in
England and the French Revolution in the European continent. Both of them, begin separately , however
later, they both work together and cause the decline of economic, social and political elements of the
Ancien Régime.

The Industrial Revolution.

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From 1750 In Britain, a lot of innovations give rise to mechanization in Britain, the creation of the factory
system and new relationships between workers and employers. It is the first time in history that societies
can produce unlimited goods. The modern industry overtakes craftwork production, pushing agriculture to
the sidelines and becoming the most important element of economic life. This is the beginning of a new
production system that starts the era of industrial capitalism , which is based on economic liberalism.

In Britain, the rural exodus, the concentration of population in cities, and the new proletarian class, who
live in a poorer conditions contrast with a well-structured class society, for example, the bourgeoisie with
values based on property, money and talent.

In the very first decades of the 19th century, the Industrial Revolution is spread throughout western
Europe (Belgium, France and Germany) and later to the rest of European countries. From that moment,
many technical innovations will give rise to an industrial process which needs more capital, machines and
an increasing concentration of money. The first Capitalism is replaced by Industrial Capitalism and
originates the second part of the Industrial Revolution from 1870.

The French Revolution (1789-1799) and Napoleon's empire (1799-1813).

From 1789, in France the middle-class leads a revolution which marks the beginning of the end of the
Ancien Regime. The bourgeoisie uses liberalism and nationalism as teaching for a new model of politics
and social organization and a place where to carry it out. Some essential principles are a constitution, the
separation of powers, equal rights for all people, private property, etc.

From 1792 to 1814 Napoleon's conquests spread the ideas of liberalism, nationalism and middle class
throughout the European continent. The political map in Europe and the order in many countries was
deeply modified.

The absolutist monarchs defeated Napoleon but not his ideas. The Congress of Vienna tried to prevent
revolutions and to restore hereditary monarchies, but this political order would disappear with several
revolutions in 1820, 1830 and 1848.

Bourgeois states.

After the unification of Germany and Italy, the bourgeoisie achieved their goals. Europe had a lot of
national states in which they had a significant political representation.

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In 1870 there was an economic and political triumph of the middle-class. The capitalist system had a
political system and needed plots of land to expand their influence and power. This marked the beginning
of imperialism.

2-. THE AGE OF IMPERIALISM (1870-1918).

The period included from 1870 to 1918 has a unity. The beginning is situated in the Franco-Prussian war
or Comuna crash in Paris, while the end is the start of World War One.

In 1870 two main processes, which were initiated with bourgeois revolutions, had just been completed:

● An industrial economy will allow the second period of the Industrial Revolution, replaced by a new
system known as finance capitalism.
● The whole triumph of middle-class state, with liberal governments and a new European
political map according to the principles of nationalism (Italy, Germany).

As a consequence. there was high stability in the states. There were revolutions in places where the
processes hadn't taken place or they had been incomplete (Russia, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire).

The workers´ movement appears.

The growth of factories raised the number of salaried employees continuously. The triumph of the
bourgeois is the main element in the fight between the bourgeoisie and the working classes. Then, the
proletariat became aware of its place in society and this contributed to its reorganization. The unions will
have great force in England, Germany and The United States. So, many socialist parties were being
organized in most European countries and later international associations were born to defend the unity of
the working classes facing national divisions.

The age of imperialism.

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A GENERAL VIEW OF MODERN HISTORY

The most important historical fact in this time is European expansion, along with Japan and the United
States, in large areas of Africa, Asia and Oceania. As a consequence of its enormous economic growth,
the British Empire was the primary power in the word with Queen Victoria as head of state. Also, some
new powers emerged:

● The newly created German Empire would become the most powerful one in Europe with
chancellor Bismarck thanks to the alliance system.
● Outside Europe, Japan rose with the economic Western model after the Meiji´s reform.

● The United States became a giant on the other side of Atlantic.

This enormous expansion provoked a massive immigration from European countries to the colonies.
There was great exaltation of national values, which justified the economic conquest and political
domination. In the economy, there were new markets, external investments, and new places to get raw
materials. One of the most spectacular results of this expansion is the rivalry between empires fighting for
colonies.

Different colonial empires established alliances and defensive treaties in which they tried to ensure their
security in a potential conflict. As a result, many tensions rose in international relations. There was a
division of Europe in several alliances due to different treaties. All this tension exploded and caused
conflicts more continuously. In 1914 one of these conflicts caused a war between the main European
empires and later, non-European countries joined the war.

3-. THE WORLD BETWEEN TWO WARS, 1918-1945

This period is about the First World War and the Second World War (1918-1945) There is a connection
between both wars: the effects of the First World War create the conditions to make possible the crash of
the Second World War .

The economic crisis of 1929 affected the industrial and agricole production of the United States as well as
trades. The fall of economic activities, unemployment and poverty caused an attitude from different
segments of society in order to get over the crisis.

Capitalism as economic systems and the liberal state as a political reference are questioned. A process
begins during interwar period to lead some states to Fascism or political instability in parliaments.

In case of workers´ movement, the option is the socialist revolution. The triumph of soviet revolution in
october of 1917 demonstrated that it was a realistic goal. Lenin and the Bolshevik party, after its victory in
the civil war, tried to make Socialism possible, for example, N.E:P.

In the post-war Communism tried to be international with the spread of revolution and its triumph in the
whole countries. Despite the peak made by workers´ movement, every attempt of doing proletarian
revolutions failed.

Totalitarianism will be the political model supported by the bourgeoisie because proposals between them
and the middle class are totally different. The origin of the critical economic situation did not come from
economic problems (Crisis of 1929, recesion, protectionism, problems with currencies), but also in the
weakness of the liberal state.

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Fascism states will be made progressively and will affect countries with liberal tradition, ones with
problems or nations created lately, such as Italia (1922), Germany (1933) or the states born after the
failure of Austro-Hungarian Empire after the war.

Capitalism uses Fascism states to avoid the revolutionary threat that it is represented by proletarian
against the system and to have a more aggressive attitude to other states related to how to obtain raw
materials and in the creation of new markets.

The disappearance of democratic states during the interwar period does not affect to countries with a high
level of economic development and liberal tradition, like France, Belgium or Great Britain. However,
economic problems during the postwar and the effects of crisis of 1929 introduced difficulties in
parliamentary systems:

● The growing power of socialists and communists and both fight to obtain proletarian votes.
● Political parties have difficulties to create stable government
● The advantage of executive power over the legislative.
● The formation of popular alliances facing fascist parties

During this process, the economic crisis of 1929 and the international orden originated in the Versailles
Treaty will have an essential role. So, Europe will lose economic power and will have political problems.
Both problems will contribute to nationalism, the origin of conflicts which will lead to the Second World
War.

4-. THE WORLD TODAY

The main problems and situations that we have today come from the situation originated after World War
Two. There are three main processes, whose development lasts until today.

● There is a replacement of power in the world: Europe, which has the world power until 1945, is
replaced by two world´s superpowers: The United States and the USSR.. As a result, a new
world order was established, in which the globe is divided into two main spheres of influence. the
Western Bloc, led by the United States , and the Eastern Bloc, led my the USSR. Every bloc has
its own alliances (NATO, the Warsaw Pact).

● As a consequence of the Word War Two and the replacement of power, Europe is affected by
division Capitalism-Socialism and lose the word power hegemony. This situation create an idea
of a European Union between western European countries in order get a higher position in the
world. Although there have been many difficulties, the european union movement became the
creation of Economic European Community in 1957 and later the European Union, in 1993.

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● As another consequence of World War Two, it caused the decolonization, related to the loss of
world hegemony by Europe. The UN also plays a role as institution which protects the right of all
countries to be independent. But the political independence of former colonies implies economic
dependence. Therefore, underdevelopment is a direct consequence from neocolonialism, made
by ex metropolis and new industrial powers.. The new independent countries, mainly from Asia
and Africa, have joined in movements of unity (Non-Aligned Movement). They are integrated in
the Third World, as an option to First and Second Worlds. In front of a bipolar system, based on
political and ideological influence, this division is basically economic and it faces southern and
northern countries.

Since the final years of the 20th century, a new world order has emerged. The collapse of the USSR and
the development of new centres of powers, such as the European Union, China, and the Arab World
become a multipolar system in the world, with different centres of power competing with each other to
control and influence international politics.

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 GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY 4º ESO
A GENERAL VIEW OF MODERN HISTORY

EXERCISES

1-. In which historical period did the Korean War take place according to a Spanish historian or a
British one?

And what about the 1973 oil crisis?

2-. Put these words in the correct order filling the spaces in blank. Be careful because there is a
distractor.

Liberal states The French Revolution Independence of the USA.

Napoleon's empire Ancien Régime The Industrial revolution

From 1750 to 1870, the Modern World finished with economic, social and political aspects of
_________________________________. In this period, there were two big revolutions:
___________________________, which transformed all the economy and the
_________________________, along with _____________________________, which spread liberal and
national principles across Europe and America. In the en

d, the bourgeoisie got representation in the __________________________

3-. Are these sentences true or false?

1. The Socialist Revolution in 1917 took place in Russia.

2. During the age of imperialism, France has the main empire in the world.
3. The Industrial Revolution had three phases during the 19th and 20th centuries.
4. From 1789 to 1848 the bourgeoisie complete his access to politics,
5. The workers movement caused the origin of unions and socialist parties all around the world.
6. Two main blocs, Western and The Eastern, were faced in the Cold War.

4-. What are the main dates which point to the Age of Imperialism?

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5-. What are the four historical facts that are included in the period “The world between two wars”?

1 2

3 4

6-. In the Cold War period, what were the two world superpowers?? Which countries were included
in both of them? What were the name of blocks?

5-.Complete the date of these events and order them to the Modern History period studied (1789-
1870; 1870-1914; 1914-1945; 1945-2019):

Date Event Period of Modern history

World War Two

The French Revolution

The Cold War

The Industrial Revolution

British Imperialism

World War One

First wave of Liberal Revolutions in Europe

The crisis of 1929

The Napoleonic Empire

The Berlin Blockade

The Korean War

The birth of European Economic Community (ECC)

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6-. Which of these historical facts from Modern HIstory imply transformation or return to Ancien
Régime ?. Explain the reason.

Development of capitalism

Liberal states in Europe and America.

Congress of Vienna.

Innovations in economy

Society distributed in estates

Return of absolutist monarchies..

7.- Write the most powerful countries in the word today that are coloured in the map.

8.-Study the map of the European Union and answer to these questions:
A. Which countries created the European Economic Community?
B. What date has the United Kingdom left the EU?
C. What are the candidate countries to join the EU?
D. Which European countries are not joined into the EU

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