Between 1750 and 1870, nearly every part of the world experienced dramatic political, economic, and social change. The beginnings of industrialization, the American, French, and Haitian revolutions, as well as the revolutions for independence in Latin America, transformed political and economic life. Ideas of the Enlightenment influenced many of these revolutions as people began questioning the nature and proper form of government and the natural rights of humans. Nationalism also became a new force, especially as imperial rivalries increased. Technological and social revolutions also accompanied these political revolutions. The Industrial Revolution not only fundamentally changed the way people produced goods, but also the way people worked, traveled, and spent their free time. Industrialization also created new social classes and hierarchies as capitalism expanded. Ultimately, the economic, political, and social revolutions that began in the mid eighteenth century shook the foundations of European culture and would have reverberations around the globe as political and economic ideas spread. 

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