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As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800 in the Gregorian calendar.
European history scholars will sometimes specifically refer to the 18th century as 1715-1789, denoting the period of time between the death of Louis XIV of France and the start of the French Revolution. In Europe, the principal nations of this period (in terms of industrial capacity) were: Austria, Britain, France, Prussia, and Russia.
Overview
The 18th Century was the period of the so-called "enlightened absolutism" and was the time when political changes began that would lead to the modern nation state. France's absolutism would generate the peasant revolts that, for the first time, would begin to shake the old ways and feudal life. The Enlightenment was in full bloom and threatened the power of theology. The rise of nations like Austria, Russia, and Prussia began to shift the balance of power away from the west and create new competition in Europe other than France, England, and Spain.
Other important aspects of the 18th century were the rise of cultural centers such as Paris and Vienna where nations could boast their power, enlightenment, and impression to the rest of Europe. Across the globe, European colonies were both being established, and, in the case of the United States, breaking away from their parents. In Asia, exploration and influences from Europe were beginning to shake the structures of old empires, especially India, where civil war enabled the British to take control of the entire sub-continent.
In a strictly aesthetic analysis, the 18th century is generally considered to be the beginning of Europe's artistic influence across the entire globe. In music, the era of Baroque music reached its apotheosis in the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, and the Classical music era began. In the visual arts, the Rococo style replaced the Baroque, then was succeeded by the Neoclassical movement.
Events
Significant people
- Queen Anne (British monarch)
- Benedict Arnold, considered a traitor by many people on both sides (United States and Britain) of the American Revolutionary War.
- Johann Sebastian Bach (composer)
- Edmund Burke (British statesman and philosopher who supported the American Revolution)
- Catherine the Great (Russian Tsaritsa)
- James Cook (British navigator)
- Denis Diderot (French writer and philosopher)
- Leonhard Euler (mathematician)
- Benjamin Franklin (American revolutionary, inventor, printer, and diplomat)
- Thomas Gainsborough (painter)
- King George III (British monarch)
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (German writer)
- Thomas Gray (British writer)
- Alexander Hamilton (American revolutionary, lawyer, and statesman)
- William Hogarth (painter and engraver)
- David Hume (philosopher)
- Thomas Jefferson (American revolutionary, philosopher, and statesman)
- Samuel Johnson (British writer)
- Immanuel Kant (philosopher)
- Louis XIV of France (monarch)
- James Madison (American revolutionary, writer, and statesman)
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (composer)
- Thomas Paine (British intellectual and philosopher who advocated for the American Revolution)
- Sir Joshua Reynolds (painter)
- Maximilien Robespierre (French Revolution leader and dictator)
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau (French writer and philosopher)
- Friedrich Schiller (German writer)
- Adam Smith (Scottish economist and philosopher)
- Jonathan Swift (British writer)
- George Washington (American revolutionary general and first president)
- Voltaire (French writer and philosopher)
See Founding Fathers of the United States
Inventions, discoveries, introductions
List of 18th century inventions
Decades and years
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