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18th century

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For other uses, see18th century (disambiguation).
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Categories:
Births–Deaths
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Political boundaries at the beginning of year 1700
Storming of the Bastille,14 July 1789, an iconic event of theFrench Revolution.
Development of theWatt steam enginein the late 18th century was an important element in theIndustrial Revolutionin Europe.
TheAmerican Revolutionary Wartook place in the late 18th century.

The18th centurylasted from 1 January1701(represented by theRoman numeralsMDCCI) to 31 December1800(MDCCC). During the 18th century, elements ofEnlightenmentthinking culminated in theAtlantic Revolutions.Revolutions began to challenge the legitimacy of monarchical and aristocratic power structures. TheIndustrial Revolutionbegan during mid-century, leading to radical changes inhuman societyand theenvironment.TheEuropean colonization of the Americasand other parts of the world intensified and associated mass migrations of people grew in size as part of theAge of Sail.During the century,slave tradingexpanded across the shores of theAtlantic Ocean,while declining inRussia[1]andChina.[2]

Westernhistorians 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 ofLouis XIV of Franceand the start of theFrench 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 theGlorious Revolutionof 1688 to theBattle of Waterlooin 1815[6]or even later.[7]

InEurope,philosophers ushered in the Age of Enlightenment. This period coincided with the French Revolution of 1789, and was later compromised by the excesses of theReign 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 theFrench Republicin theFrench Revolutionary Wars.Various conflicts throughout the century, including theWar of the Spanish Successionand theSeven Years' War,sawGreat Britaintriumph over its rivals to become the preeminent power in Europe. However, Britain's attempts to exert its authority over theThirteen Coloniesbecame a catalyst for theAmerican Revolution.The 18th century also marked the end of thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealthas an independent state. Its semi-democratic government system was not robust enough to preventpartitionby the neighboring states ofAustria,Prussia,and Russia.

InWest Asia,Nader ShahledPersiain successfulmilitary campaigns.TheOttoman Empireexperienced 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.

InSouth Asia,the death of Mughal emperorAurangzebwas followed by the expansion of theMaratha Confederacyand an increasing level of European influence and control in the region. In 1739, Persian emperor Nader Shah invaded and plundered Delhi, the capital of theMughal Empire.Later, his generalAhmad Shah Durraniscored another victory against the Marathas, the then dominant power in India, in theThird Battle of Panipatin 1761.[8]By the middle of the century, theBritish East India Companybegan to conquer eastern India,[9][8]and by the end of the century, theAnglo-Mysore WarsagainstTipu Sultanand his fatherHyder Ali,led toCompany ruleover the south.[10][11]

InEast Asia,the century marked theHigh Qing eraand the continualseclusion policyof theTokugawa shogunate.

InSoutheast Asia,theKonbaung–Ayutthaya Warsand theTây Sơn Warsbroke out while theDutch East India Companyestablishedincreasing levels of controlover theMataram Sultanate.

InAfrica,theEthiopian Empireunderwent theZemene Mesafint,a period when the country was ruled by a class of regional noblemen and the emperor was merely a figurehead. TheAtlantic slave tradealso saw the continued involvement of states such as theOyo Empire.

InOceania,the European colonization ofAustraliaandNew Zealandbegan during the late half of the century.

In theAmericas,theUnited Statesdeclared its independence from Great Britain. In 1776,Thomas Jeffersonwrote theDeclaration of Independence.In 1789,George Washingtonwas inaugurated as the first president.Benjamin Franklintraveled to Europe where he was hailed as an inventor. Examples of his inventions include thelightning rodandbifocal glasses.Túpac Amaru IIled anuprisingthat sought to endSpanish colonial rule in Peru.

Events[edit]

For a chronological guide, seeTimeline of the 18th century.
See also:Georgian era

1701–1750[edit]

Europe at the beginning of theWar of the Spanish Succession,1700
TheBattle of Poltavain 1709 turned theRussian Empireinto a European power.
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
Mughal emperorMuhammad Shahwith the Persian invaderNader Shah.
Qianlong Emperor
The extinction of theScottish clansystem came with the defeat of the clansmen at theBattle of Cullodenin 1746.[20]

1751–1800[edit]

Catherine the Great,Empress of Russia.
Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

Inventions, discoveries, and introductions[edit]

Main articles:Timeline of historic inventions § 18th century,andTimeline of scientific discoveries § 18th century
Thespinning jenny
The ChinesePutuo Zongcheng TempleofChengde,completed in 1771, during the reign of theQianlong Emperor.

Literary and philosophical achievements[edit]

Main articles:18th century in literatureand18th century in philosophy

Musical works[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Volkov, Sergey.Concise History of Imperial Russia.
  2. ^Rowe, William T.China's Last Empire.
  3. ^Anderson, M. S. (1979).Historians and Eighteenth-Century Europe, 1715–1789.Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0-19-822548-5.OCLC185538307.
  4. ^Ribeiro, Aileen (2002).Dress in Eighteenth-Century Europe 1715–1789(revised ed.). Yale University Press.ISBN978-0-300-09151-9.OCLC186413657.
  5. ^Baines, Paul (2004).The Long 18th Century.London: Arnold.ISBN978-0-340-81372-0.
  6. ^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
  7. ^O'Gorman, Frank (1997).The Long Eighteenth Century: British Political and Social History 1688–1832 (The Arnold History of Britain Series).A Hodder Arnold Publication.ISBN978-0-340-56751-7.OCLC243883533.
  8. ^abChandra, Bipin.Mordern India.India.
  9. ^Campbell, John;Watts, William (1760).Memoirs of the Revolution in Bengal, anno Dom. 1757.A. Millar, London.
  10. ^Parthasarathi, Prasannan (2011),Why Europe Grew Rich and Asia Did Not: Global Economic Divergence, 1600–1850,Cambridge University Press,p. 207,ISBN978-1-139-49889-0
  11. ^Allana, Gulam (1988).Muslim political thought through the ages: 1562–1947(2 ed.). Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania: Royal Book Company. p. 78.ISBN9789694070919.Retrieved18 January2013.
  12. ^"War of the Spanish Succession, 1701–1714".Historyofwar.org.Retrieved25 April2009.
  13. ^Ricklefs (1991), page 82
  14. ^Historic uk – heritage of britain accommodation guide (3 May 2007)."The history of Scotland – The Act of Union 1707".Historic-uk.Archivedfrom the original on 8 April 2009.Retrieved25 April2009.
  15. ^Ricklefs (1991), page 84
  16. ^"Welcome to Encyclopædia Britannica's Guide to History".Britannica.31 January 1910.Archivedfrom the original on 16 April 2009.Retrieved25 April2009.
  17. ^"List of Wars of the Crimean Tatars".Zum.de.Archivedfrom the original on 12 March 2009.Retrieved25 April2009.
  18. ^"Len Milich: Anthropogenic Desertification vs 'Natural' Climate Trends".Ag.arizona.edu. 10 August 1997. Archived fromthe originalon 11 February 2012.Retrieved25 April2009.
  19. ^Wadsworth, Alfred P.; Mann, Julia De Lacy (1931).The Cotton Trade and Industrial Lancashire, 1600–1780.Manchester University Press.p. 433.OCLC2859370.
  20. ^"A guide to Scottish clans".Unique-cottages.co.uk. Archived fromthe originalon 11 May 2008.Retrieved25 April2009.
  21. ^"Saudi Arabia – The Saud Family and Wahhabi Islam".Countrystudies.us.Retrieved25 April2009.
  22. ^"History".Columbia University.
  23. ^Ricklefs (1991), page 102
  24. ^"Sufism in the Caucasus".Islamicsupremecouncil.org. Archived fromthe originalon 23 February 2009.Retrieved25 April2009.
  25. ^"Table A – Verified Supercentenarians (Listed Chronologically By Birth Date)".Archived fromthe originalon 12 July 2016.Retrieved9 November2016.
  26. ^Photo Gallery for Supercentenarians born before 1850, as of May 17, 2019
  27. ^Balfour-Pau, Glen (20 December 2005).Bagpipes in Babylon: A Lifetime in the Arab World and Beyond.I.B.Tauris, 2006.ISBN9781845111519.
  28. ^"The Harvey Family".Priaulx Library.2005. Archived fromthe originalon 22 October 2013.
  29. ^"Yellow Fever Attacks Philadelphia, 1793".EyeWitness to History.Archivedfrom the original on 7 June 2007.Retrieved22 June2007.
  30. ^Riedel S (2005)."Edward Jenner and the history of smallpox and vaccination".Proc (Bayl Univ Med Cent).18(1): 21–5.doi:10.1080/08998280.2005.11928028.PMC1200696.PMID16200144.
  31. ^Ricklefs (1991), page 106
  32. ^Encyclopædia Britannica's Great Inventions,Encyclopædia BritannicaArchivedAugust 7, 2008, at theWayback Machine
  33. ^Meggs, Philip B. A History of Graphic Design. (1998) John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p 146ISBN978-0-471-29198-5

Further reading[edit]

  • 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 eventsonline 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[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=18th_century&oldid=1234670712"