Europe 1850-1914 : progress, participation and apprehension / Jonathan Sperber.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sperber, Jonathan, 1952-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Europe--History--1848-1871.

Europe.

History.

Europe--History--1871-1918.

Physical Description:

xx, 402 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Harlow, England ; New York : Pearson Longman, 2009.

Summary:

This innovative survey of European history from the middle of the nineteenth century to the outbreak of the First World War tells the story of an era of outward tranquillity that was also a period of economic growth, social transformation, political contention and scientific, and artistic innovation. During these years, the foundations of our present urban-industrial society were laid, the five Great Powers vied in peaceful and violent fashion for dominance in Europe and throughout the world, and the darker forces that were to dominate the twentieth century - violent nationalism, totalitarianism, racism, ethnic cleansing - began to make themselves felt.

Jonathan Sperber sets out developments in this period across the entire European continent, from the Atlantic to the Urals, from the Baltic to the Mediterranean. To help students of European history grasp the main dynamics of the period, he divides the book into three overlapping sections covering the periods from 1850-75, 1871-95 and 1890-1914. In each period he identifies developments and tendencies that were common in varying degrees to the whole of Europe, while also pointing to the unique qualities of specific regions and individual countries. Throughout, his argument is supported by illustrative material: tables, charts, case studies and other explanatory features, and there is a detailed bibliography to help students to explore further in those areas that interest them.

Contents:

Part 1 The age of progress, 1850-1875 1

1 Overview of the age of progress 3

The shape of an era 3

The main events 5

2 Population and the economy 9

Creating economic growth 9

Agriculture, crafts and commerce in an industrial world 15

Prosperity and population 19

3 Social structures and social institutions 23

Urban life 23

Property, gender and an industrial society 28

A world of associations 32

4 The arts and sciences 40

Expanding the cultural universe 40

Science on the advance 43

Progress and positivism in the human sciences 48

Revealed religion facing an age of progress 51

The arts under the banner of realism 53

5 The politics of the people 58

An era of reform 58

The reign of the notables 61

Liberalism and nationalism 63

Old political tendencies in a new environment 65

6 The politics of the Powers 75

Eurocentric diplomacy 75

Foreign policy and public opinion 76

The changing nature and importance of warfare 77

7 The dynamics of power 81

The age of reaction, 1850-59 81

Politics in movement, 1859-71 88

Part 2 The age of uncertainty, 1871-1895 113

8 Overview of the age of uncertainty 115

The shape of an era 115

The main events 117

9 Population and the economy 121

Industry in 'profitless prosperity' 125

Agriculture in crisis 129

Crafts, commerce and finance in depressed circumstances 130

Population movements: old trends and new 133

10 Social structures and social institutions 136

Urbanization as routine 136

Extension and expansion of voluntary associations 137

Expansion, extension and tentative transformation of public education 142

11 The arts and sciences 148

A more ambivalent forward march of science 148

The social sciences reoriented and realigned 152

Progress and its discontents 156

The arts in transition 160

12 The politics of the people 165

High point and crisis of liberalism 165

Forms of opposition to liberalism 169

Radicalism divided and transformed 174

Nationalism, racism and anti-Semitism 177

13 The politics of the Powers 180

Bismarck's alliance system 180

The return of the Eastern Question 182

Rise of the 'new imperialism' 185

14 The dynamics of power 193

Political strife and international tensions in the 1870s 194

A conservative turn in the 1880s 202

An uncertain beginning of the 1890s 208

Part 3 The age of classical modernism, 1890-1914 215

15 Overview of the age of classical modernism 217

The shape of an era 217

The main events 219

16 Population and the economy 225

A second industrial revolution 227

Shifting centres of industry 231

Agriculture, crafts, finance and commerce 236

Rapid population movements 239

17 Social structures and social institutions 245

Society in the age of the second industrial revolution 245

The presence of the city 251

High point and transformation of voluntary associations 255

Intimations of a consumer society 258

18 The arts and sciences 265

A new world of science 265

Social science between reason and the irrational 271

The rise of artistic modernism 275

19 The politics of the people 281

Structures of mass politics 282

Issues of mass politics 286

Realignments and confrontations of mass politics 295

20 The politics of the Powers 302

Growing opposition to European overseas expansion 303

The Eastern Question yet again 306

A hostile realignment of the Great Powers 307

Arms races 311

Foreign policy and domestic politics 313

21 The dynamics of power 316

Holding the line in the 1890s 317

Large changes at the turn of the century 320

A plethora of conflicts: the decade before the outbreak of the First World War 326

Economic and social progress 349

The arts and sciences transformed 352

The rise of mass and (mostly) legal politics 354

The pentarchy in peace and war 356

Continuities and breaks 358.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 362-381) and index.

ISBN:

9781405801348

1405801344

OCLC:

230802780