Nineteenth-century Europe Home Page

Revolution, Liberalism, and Nationalism
In Europe, 1789-1914

Professor: Robert W. Brown

History 3290 traces the history of Europe from the eruption of the French Revolution in 1789 to the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Because this century and a quarter is so filled with momentous events and because we know so much about these events, our coverage must necessarily be selective. For about the first third of the semester, our attention focuses on France, then the dominant nation in Europe, and we will study in succession the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Empire, and the various legacies remaining from these events that shaped European affairs until the Revolutions of1848. As we move toward the middle of the century, France recedes into the background and is replaced by Great Britain as we concentrate on the Industrial Revolution and its consequences, political and social changes,and intellectual movements like socialism, romanticism, liberalism, and nationalism. Germany (Prussia until 1871), the third nation that will receive considerable attention, first becomes of major importance in the 1860s and then dominates Europe in the years leading up to World War I. As we progress through the nineteenthcentury, we will also study the increasing urbanization of Europe, the growth of mass literacy, and the transformation of family life. Our journey will conclude with a careful study of late-nineteenth century diplomacy as we try to understand how total war came unexpectedly to Europe in the summer of 1914. And, from time to time, we will pause in our journey to consider major intellectual, cultural, and artistic movements.

Course Information

Course Description and Requirements

Course Outline and Reading Assignments

Primary Sources

The French Revolution and Napoleon, 1789-1815.

Reaction and Revolution in Europe, 1815-1848.

The Industrial Revolution, 1750s-1850s.

Intellectual and Cultural Life, 1815-1848

Europe in the Era of the Unification Movements, 1851-1871

The Supremacy of Europe, 1871-1914

Lecture Outlines