After studying this chapter, students should understand and be able to discuss the following:
Why the 1760–1830 period was so revolutionary and what it produced
The characteristics and causes of the Industrial Revolution
Why the Industrial Revolution occurred first in England
How the Industrial Revolution changed English society
The arguments put forward by the classical economists regarding the nature of the economy and why these arguments seemed to justify the first phases of the Industrial Revolution
The causes, phases, and results of the American Revolution
The causes, phases, and results of the French Revolution
How and why Napoleon rose to power and what he accomplished
The differing impact of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic period on women
How Europe reacted to the French Revolution from 1815 to 1830
The characteristics of neoclassicism, its major painters, and their contributions
The impact of neoclassicism on American architecture
The characteristics and origins of romanticism
How romanticism was manifested in literature, who its major writers were, and what their works were
The role that Goethe played in romanticism and his influences on later writers
How romanticism was expressed in the visual arts, who its major artists were, and key examples of their works
The artistic contributions of Francisco Goya
The nature of German idealism and its major voices
The origins and nature of romantic music, its chief composers, and their contributions
Historic "firsts" of this period that became part of the Western tradition: the Industrial Revolution, the American Revolution, the French Revolution, classical economics, states based on natural rights theory, a revolutionary tradition, militant nationalism, and romanticism
The role of this period in transmitting the heritage of earlier civilizations: continuing the neoclassical style, particularly developing an enduring public building style; restoring the idea of democracy, which had been in disrepute since fifth-century BCE Athens, and giving it a modern interpretation; furthering the Renaissance idea of free expression; and reviving beliefs and ideals of the medieval period
