AP World Change Over Time Essay - Europe from 1500 to 1900

Prompt: Analyzes the changes European society underwent between 1500 and 1900.

European society saw fanastic changes during the period from 1500 to 1900. Almost all the features of European society including culture, philosophy, literature, government, technology and a dizzying array of other aspects changed. Divine right and absolute monarchies were increasing challenged in the name of liberty, equality and happiness. Improvements in technology, ship design and weaponry catapulted Europe to a world power.

Western Europe in the year 1500 was in the midst of the Renaissance. Paintings and literature began to emphasize more secular themes rather than religious topics. Literacy started to spread thanks to the movable type, which allowed ideas to spread. A European-style family pattern stressing later marriage age and a nuclear family appeared. Husband-wife relations were deemed more important while children were more loved and valued. The 16th century also marked the Protestant and Catholic Reformations and the end of Christian unity in the West. Major cultural changes began occurring again in the middle of the 18th century as industrialization and urbanization increased. Material conditions improved for two-thirds of Westerners by 1900, allowing the rise of popular entertainment such as team sports and newspapers. Death rates dropped during this time thanks to the discovery of germs by Louis Pasteur. In the arts, romanticism began replacing rationalism as the dominant theme by the 19th century. Romanticism stressed that the key to human nature and expression were emotion and impression.

In the year 1500 almost all of Europe consisted of monarchies, but by the year 1900 many of Europe’s monarchies were overthrown or shared power with increasingly powerful parliaments. By the 17th century, the power of the monarchs increased as military power and government organization became more efficient. These absolute monarchies developed in France, Spain, Prussia and Austria-Hungary. Meanwhile, in Britain and the Netherlands, the monarchs shared power with a parliament. Parliamentary monarchies limited the power of the monarch while protecting the public interest. The age of revolution, beginning with the American Revolution in 1775 lasting till the failed revolutions of 1848, challenged many old institutions such as divine right. The first political revolution to occur in Europe was the French Revolution of 1789. The consequences of the revolution and the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte encouraged popular nationalism and revolutions elsewhere. New political ideologies appeared including liberalism, conservatism, nationalism and socialism. During the 1830s and 1840s, a Chartist movement appeared, demanding the vote for working class men. By 1900, the feminist movement demanded the vote for women as well. Governments expanded their functions after 1870 with civil service examinations, regulatory apparatuses, required schooling and new welfare programs.

The Scientific Revolution beginning in the 17th century set science instead of religion as the major force in European society. Scientists such as William Harvey and Isaac Newton expanded human knowledge about the natural world. Meanwhile, in the 16th century, the Commercial Revolution was beginning. European trade and involvement in foreign markets rose while gold and silver poured in from Latin America. The Industrial Revolution occurred in Western Europe during the late 18th century, stimulated by James Watt’s steam engine, population growth and increased agricultural yield. The Industrial Revolution led to the creation of a wage earning middle class, mass production and new means of transportation.

The year 1500 to 1900 was a time of immense change for European society. Almost every aspect was altered including culture, philosophy, literature, government and technology. The power of the Church declined and Enlightenment ideas taught that all people were equal. Probably the most fundamental period in Europe, it set Europe and later the United States as the leaders of the world.