Revolution and Industry

The two centuries between 1700 and 1900 were a time of conflict, revolution and change in many parts of the world. Empires were won and lost, governments toppled while agriculture and industry developed rapidly.

 

The countries of northwest Europe grew more powerful, while Spain and Portugal declined. The 13 American colonies declared their independence from Britain in 1776 to become the United States of America. They were helped by the French, who in 1789 had their own revolution. The French overthrew their king and became first a republic and then an empire. By 1793, this had led to wars between France and Austria, Britain, the Netherlands, Portugal, Prussia, Russia and Spain.

The Spanish and Portuguese colonies in South America took advantage of the wars in Europe to gain their independence. Later conflicts united the states of Germany and Italy into two countries. In the United States of America, conflict over slavery led to a civil war.

Revolutions in agriculture, industry and transport affected the lives of even more people, especially in Europe and America. New methods of farming made it possible to feed more people, and large numbers left the country side to make a living in the expanding towns. Factories in towns used machines to produce vast quantities of goods once made by hand.

To provide raw materials and a ready market for these factory goods, many European countries built up empires overseas. Britain tightened its control on India and laid claim to Australia and New Zealand. The rising power was the United States, where millions of European settled, forcing Native Americans from their homelands.