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The American Revolution, fought from 1775-1783, was a result of Great Britain's 13 colonies in the Americas resisting imperial rule. After the French and Indian War, Great Britain was in debt, so the British turned to their colonies, taxing them. This infuriated colonists, as they were being taxed without representation in the government, and in 1776, America declared its independence from Great Britain in the Declaration of Independence. The American Revolution ended with the Peace of Paris, and soon the Articles of Confederation were written, eventually leading to the writing of the Constitution in 1787.
Simon Bolivar, who lived from 1783-1830, was a Venezuelan leader who led the present-day countries of Columbia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bolivia to freedom. Simon Bolivar was the face of the South American independence movement against Spanish rule. He was president of Gran Columbia, which encompassed large amounts of northern South America, from 1819-1830, and ruled Peru from 1823-1826.
The French Revolution, lasting from 1789-1799, was caused by the rise of a wealthy middle class who wanted more power in France, population growth, and the want for social reform. The French Revolution resulted in the formation of the National Constituent Assembly, the writing of the Declaration of the rights of Man and the Citizen, the creation of the National Convention and a French Republic, and the Reign of Terror, where possible enemies of rebellion were killed, and finally the creation of a French Constituion and the Directory. Soon after the Directory was created, Napolean overthrew the republic and created an empire.
The Haitian Revolution took place from 1791-1804 in the French colony of Saint-Dominique, which is now Haiti. The Haitians were inspired by the American and French Revolutions, and the revolution was the largest and most successful slave revolt in the Western Hemisphere. The Haitian Revolution resulted in the abolition of slavery in French empire.
Napoleon Bonaparte served as the first French emperor from 1804-1814, and ruled again in 1815. The political instability of the Directory following the French Revolution made it possible for Napoleon to seize power. Napoleon's reign was significant in the sense that he brought reform to the French education system, developed the Napoleonic Code, and initiated the Napoleonic Wars in which Napoleon extended his rule over much of Europe.
The Congress of Vienna met in Vienna from 1814-1815 to redraw European borders after the Napoleonic Wars and the French Revolution. They set out strategies to maintain peace among Europe, and this congress was the first to genuinely try to create international order through supervision and intervention. The congress resulted in a new kingdom created in Poland, and the Netherlands, Prussia, and Italy gained territory.
The War for Greek Indepedence was fought from 1821-1832 against the Ottomans. The war was a mainly a result of the rise of Hellenism, or Greek nationalism, especially due to the fact that the Ottoman empire was a multiethnic empire. The Greek Revolution showed the shift in Europe from multiethnic empires to an increase in self-determination, as later shown by Balkan and Turkic nationalism.
The Monroe Doctrine, issued by President James Monroe in 1823, states that the United States would not stand for European intervention in the Western Hemisphere, primarily the Americas. The Monroe Doctrine states that the United States would not interfere with existing European colonies in the Americas, but it opposed any new colonies being established in the Americas. The doctrine showed American nationalism, as it established the Western Hemisphere as an American sphere of influence.
The Opium Wars consisted of two wars fought between China and Western powers from 1839-1860. The Opium Wars began mainly due to China attempting to end the opium trade, as many of its citizens had become addicted to the drug. Great Britain disliked this, as the Opium trade brought Great Britain immense wealth, so this conflict in trade resulted in the Opium Wars. The Opium Wars resulted in the Treaty of Nanking, which forced China into free trade agreements with countries like Great Britain, and China also had to hand over territories, such as Hong Kong, to Great Britain.
The Mexican-American War, fought from 1846-1848, was a result of disputes between America and Mexico about whether Texas ended at the Nueces River or the Rio grande, and the United States' annexation of Texas in 1845. The War ended with the teaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, in which the United States received the terriotories of Texas, New Mexico, and California. Mexico received $15 million.
The Communist Manifesto was published in 1848 by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Key points of the Communist Manifesto include the belief that the those who controlled the masses should also control the means of production, the centralization of credit by the state, and the belief that there should only be one social class to end class struggle. The Communist Manifesto influenced later communist movements and governments, such as the USSR.
The Taiping Rebellion, which took place from 1850-1864, was a rebellion against the Chinese Qing Dynasty. The rebellion was led by Hong Xiuquan, who wanted to free Chinese of Manchu rule and wanted the Han to convert to the Taiping's syncretic Christianity. The rebellion was primarily a result of the lack of a strong central government and a strong economy. The rebellion failed, but over 20 million people died due to the rebellion.
The Crimean War was fought from 1853-1856 between Russia and an alliance between Great Britain, France, Sardinia-Piedmont, and the Ottoman Empire. The Crimean War was primarily a result of a dispute between Russia Czar Nickolas I and Ottoman Emperor Abdulmejid I over whether the Ottomans or Russians should have authority over the Orthodox Christians of the Ottoman Empire. Russia lost the Crimean War, showing its lack of development and modernization.
The Suez Canal was built from 1859-1869 in Egypt, connecting the Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea. The canal was built by the French after Ferdinand de Lesseps, former consul of Cairo, came to an agreement with the Ottoman governor of Egypt. The Suez Canal made it so that ships no longer needed to sail around Africa, and it consolidated French and British imperialistic interests near the canal.
In 1861, Russian Emperor Alexander II issued the Edict of Emancipation of Russia, abolishing serfdom and ending feudalism throughout the Russian Empire. Alexander II believed that it was better for the government to free the serfs itself than for the serfs to revolt against the government. The serfs in Russia earned freedom much later than other European serfs, such as the British serfs who were emancipated in 1574.
On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation three years into the American Civil War. The Emancipation Proclamation granted freedom to all slaves of rebel states, including South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Arkansas, and North Carolina. Although the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863, all slaves throughout America truly gained freedom in 1865 when the 13th Amendment abolished slavery.
The Meiji Restoration, lasting from 1868-1889, ended the Tokugawa Shogunate and restored power to the Japanese emperor. The Meiji Restoration was a result of dissatisfaction with the Tokugawa Shogunate and the rise of foreign influence in Japanese society. The event resulted in the abolition of the Japanese feudal system and the modernization of Japan, allowing it to rival European nations in its military and economy.
The Indian National Congress was founded in 1885 as a platform for political discussion among educated Indians. The congress soon became a platform for Indians to discuss discontent with the British colonial government and an advocate for independence. The congress showed growing Indian nationalism and set the stage for Indian independence movements in later years.
The Spanish-American War, lasting from April 1898 - December 1898, was caused due to American support of Cuban independence from Spain, and the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine, which many suspected was sunk by the Spanish. The result of the war was the 1898 Treaty of Paris, in which America received Puerto rico, Guam, and the Phillipines from Spain. America also received temporary control of Cuba. The war ended Spain's colonial empire in the Western Hemisphere and showed the power of the United States.
America aquired the Philippines after the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1898 after the Spanish-American War. Americas' motivations for taking the Philippines include economic opportunities in Asia, fear that other countries would take control of the Philippines, and the belief that the Filipinos was not capable of self-rule. The American annexation of the Philippines soon led to the Phillipine-American war, starting only a year later, in which the Filipinos fought for independence from the Americans.
The Boer War was fought from 1899-1902 between the British Empire and the Boer Republics due to Britain's desire to unify British colonies, Boer republics, and South Africa under its rule. Boers were descendants of Dutch colonists in South Africa. The Boer War resulted in the Treaty of Vereeniging, and the British gained the Boer Republics.
The Boxer Rebellion was a rebellion against the presence of foreigners and foreign influence and colonialism in China. The rebellion was caused by the presence of Christianity in China and an increase in foreign economic influence in China, as shown by the Opium Wars. The rebellion weakened the Qing Dynasty because the dynasty accepted foreign help to put down the rebellion, and the Qing Dynasty fell in 1911. The rebllion lasted from 1899-1901, and it showed growing chinese nationalism.
The Panama Canal, built from 1903-1914, connected the Atlantic and the Pacific, separating North and South America. The canal was built soon after Panama declared independence from Columbia. The building of the canal was overseen by American president Theodore Roosevelt, and the canal made trade more efficient and quicker.
The Russo-Japanese War, lasting from 1904-1905, was fought between the Russian and Japanese Empire. The war was fought because both empires wanted land in Manchuria. Japan won the war and received control of Korea and most of South Manchuria.
The Great War, also known as World War I, was the first total war, showing the consequences of modern warfare, such as trench warfare and poison gas. The war was fought between the Allied Powers, which primarily consisted of the U.S, Japan, Great Britain, Italy, France, and Russia, and the Central Powers, which primarily consisted of Germany, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Ottoman Empire. The Allied Powers won the war, and the Treaty of Versailles was signed, setting the stage for World War II by blaming the war on Germany, calling for reparations, and leaving Italy unhappy with the land it received after the war.