Unit 5: Revolutions

Unit 5 is the beginning of Period 3 (1750 - 1900) and it starts off with a bang...Revolution! If the previous units have been about expanding and growing, this unit is about change and reevaluating prior norms. Revolutions in this period took various forms: science, ideas, economics, innovations, and societal. But also, plenty of wars.

Unit 5 - Students will be able to explain:

• The intellectual and ideological context in which revolutions swept the Atlantic world from 1750 to 1900.

• How the Enlightenment affected societies over time.

• The causes and effects of the various revolutions in the period from 1750 to 1900.

• How environmental factors contributed to industrialization from 1750 to 1900.

• How different modes and locations of production have developed and changed over time.

• How technology shaped economic production over time.

• The causes and effects of economic strategies of different states and empires.

• The development of economic systems, ideologies, and institutions and how they contributed to change in the period from 1750 to 1900.

• The causes and effects of calls for changes in industrial societies from 1750 to 1900.

• How industrialization caused change in existing social hierarchies and standards of living.

• The extent to which industrialization brought change form 1750 to 1900.

• The development of industrial capitalism led to increased standards of living for some, and to continued improvement in manufacturing methods the increased the availability, affordability, and variety of consumer goods.

• Railroads, steamships, and the telegraph made exploration, development, and communication possible in interior regions globally, which led to increased trade and migration.

• The 18th century marked the beginning of an intense period of revolution and rebellion against existing governments, leading to the establishment of new nation-states around the world.

• Enlightenment philosophies applied new ways of understanding and empiricist approaches to both the natural world and human relationships; they also reexamined the role that religion played in public life and emphasized the importance of reason. Philosophers developed new political ideas about the individual, natural rights, and the social contract.

• The rise and diffusion of Enlightenment thought that questioned established traditions in all areas of life often preceded revolutions and rebellions against existing government.

• Nationalism also became a major force shaping the historical development of states and empires.