Unit
FIVE:An
Age of Revolution (1750 - 1914)
The Age
of Revolution represents an era that unleashed global forces that continue
to play themselves out in the 21st century. It is an epoch of “-isms”: nationalism;
industrialism, mercantilism, capitalism, liberalism, socialism, communism,
imperialism, and colonialism. It reflected an age of political revolutions
and reaction against revolutionary ideas. It was a period of economic
and social revolutions, which was marked by dramatic changes in the structure
of social classes and changes in the traditional roles of men, women and
children. It heralded the modern age and raised a series of essential
questions. At the beginning of the 20th century, the nations of the west
held positions of dominance and hegemony that few, if any, nations ever
achieved in world history. During this period, Japan and the United States
became major players on the world stage.
