mkd era #3

1756-1763

7 Years War (French and Indian War)
- Resulted in the Treaty of Paris and Peace of Hubertusburg
- Treaty of Paris caused France to lose almost all land in North America
- Treaty of Hubertusburg caused Prussia, Austria, and Saxony to return to 1748 borders
- Great Britain, Prussia, and Russia became major powers in Europe. France, Austria, and Spain were reduced.
- Debt that Britain gathered -\> taxes on colonists in NA -\> American Revolution

1767

Invention of the Spinning Jenny
- A major factor in industrializing the textile industry
- Met the gap in supply and demand for textiles

1776

Declaration of Independence
- American colonies severed ties with Great Britain
- Provided the colonies' justification for seeking independence
- Continued John Locke's ideas of life, liberty, and (pursuit of happiness)

1776

Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations"
- Blueprint for free trade and free markets/capitalism
- Discouraged gov't intervention in the economy
- Ideas seen in today's economies

1789

French Revolution begins
- Set to end Feudalism
- Embraced enlightenment ideas
- Rise of the peasant class
- Set to end the monarchy

1796

Jenner's smallpox vaccine
- First vaccine to prevent smallpox infections
- Lead to the development of other technologies to prevent contagious diseases

1804

Haitian independence
- Only successful slave rebellion
- First black republic
- Second country in the Americas to gain independence to Europe

1807

British abolish Trans-Atlantic slave trade
- Freedom for 800,000 people
- Slave importation increased in South America
- America experienced a more productive economy

1807-1808

Janissary Revolt
- Triggered the start of the Serbian Revolution
- Deposed Sultan Selim III

1815

Congress of Vienna
- First genuine attempt to forge an 'international order'
- Brought peace to a troubled Europe
- Napoleon's conquered territories was returned to previous rulers
- Switzerland became a nation, acted as buffer between France & Austria
- Kings were brought back

1820s

Independence in Latin America
- Gave states Latin America full access to international trade
- Many states in Latin America gained independence
- Portuguese presence was significantly diminished

1825

Erie Canal opens
- Made New York City a major trading port
- Opened the western part of the U.S. to increase trade and settlement
- Gave access to resources west of the Appalachians

1839

1st Opium War in China
- Resulted in the Treaty of Nanjing
- China was to cede Hong Kong to the British
- The British would be able to trade in 5 Chinese ports, rather than 1
- China refused to ratify the treaties, which lead to the capture of Beijing and the burning of the emperor's palace

1839-1878

Tanzimat Reforms
- Development of a new secular school system
- Reorganization of the army based on the Prussian conscript system
- Creation of provincial representative assemblies
- Introduction of new codes of commercial and criminal law , modeled after those of France
- All actions were taken to adopt European models and become a part of the European nations

1848

Marx & Engles' "The Communist Manifesto"
- Basis for modern communism
- Production, distribution and exchange should be owned by the community as a whole
- Against capitalism

1848-1849

European revolutions
- Rise of the middle class
- Increased political democracy
- However, most revolts ultimately ended in failure and repression

1853

Commodore Perry "opens" Japan
- Re-established trade between Japan and the West after 200 years
- Foreign currency disrupted the Japanese monetary system
- Contributed to the downfall of the Tokugawa Shogunate -\> restoration of the Emperor

1857

Sepoy Mutiny
- Dissolution of the East India Company
- Forced the British to reorganize the army, financial system, and administration in India,
- Began a policy of consultation with Indians
- British-imposed social measures that antagonized Hindu society were abolished

1861

Russian "frees" serfs / ends serfdom
- Marked the the first stage in Russia's democratic transformation
- Industrial employment and production increased

1861-1865

U.S. Civil War
- 625,000 deaths
- Slavery was abolished -\> lead to the freedom of almost 4 million slaves
- Established a more centralized and powerful gov't
- The Confederacy collapsed
- The Union's victory ensured that the U.S. stayed one unified nation

1861-1870

Italian unification
- Unified Italian states politically
- Unified Italy became one of the most populous countries in Europe
- Freedom from Austrian power weakened Austria -\> boosted France's international position

1863

U.S. Emancipation Proclamation
- Freed nearly 3.5 million slaves in Confederate states
- Allowed Black people to serve in the military
- Strengthened morality among the Union

1869

Suez Canal Opens
- Greatly reduced the distance between Europe and Asia, as it provided a direct route (no longer needed to circumvent Africa) -\> easier trade
- Considered one of the most important naval paths for trade between the East and West

1871

German unification
- Became a large, wealthy, and powerful nation in Europe
- Altered the balance of powers set by the Congress of Vienna
- Guaranteed peace among the previously separate Germanic states

1885

Berlin Conference
- European claim that all of Africa could be occupied by whoever can take it
- Ended up dividing Africa among themselves and formed new boundaries
- Played a significant role in the conquest of Africa

1888

Brazil ends slavery
- Last to do so in the Americas
- Slavery was the core of Brazilian economy
- Slavery was encouraged by the Catholic church
- The process was slow and timid, and many Afro-Brazilians still had to work as a slave
- Discontent about having a largely Afro-Brazilian population, a policy was passed to try to make Brazilian bloodlines more European through immigration

1893

New Zealand grants women suffrage
- First self-governing country in which all women had the right to vote
- Influenced other major states

1896

Battle of Adowa
- Ethiopia's defeat of Italy ensured Ethiopia's unconditional freedom
- Made Ethiopia a symbol for freedom for the rest of Africa
- Italy's failure caused discontent, which lead to the Prime Minister's resignation
- Ehtiopia's victory bolstered their credibility to Europeans
- Allowed Ethiopia to expand and flourish

1898

Spanish-American War
- Peace treaty was created, Spain had to relinquish power over Cuba, Guam, Puerto Rico, Philippines, to the U.S.
- Furthered the U.S. as a world power

1899-1902

Boer War
- British control over S Africa (Boers)
- Many Black Africans died in concentration camps
- Changed the political structure of S Africa
*Boers: Dutch and Huguenot populations in S Africa