EUROPEAN CIVILIZATION, 1871-1914: ECONOMY AND POLITICS
71: The “Civilized World”
Describe the materialistic achievements and non-materialistic values that led Europeans
to think of themselves as the “civilized world.”
What is meant by the inner and outer zones of Europe? Which areas outside Europe
belonged to each? What third zone lay beyond the European world?
72: Basic Demography: The increased of Europeans
Describe the major trends on world population growth since 1650 in Europe and in the
world as a whole.
Why did European birth rates begin to fall about 1880? In what sense was France a
pioneer in that respect? What is meant by the “European family pattern”?
How do you explain the fact that despite rapid European population growth there was no
serous problem of overpopulation as there is in many parts of the world today?
Describe the growth of city life between 1850 and 1914. What have been the effects of
urban life on the character of modern society?
What can be said about the nature and causes of the migration from Europe that took
place in the century after 1840?
73: The world economy of the nineteenth century
What technological advances contributed to the “new Industrial Revolution” after 1870?
What does the illustration on p. 577 tell us about these technological changes? How did
these changes affect the major European countries?
What may be said about the status of free trade in the years 1846 to 1914? Explain the
relationship between imports and exports (a) in the British economy and (b) in the
economy of industrial Europe as a whole.
Of what significance was the export of capital from Europe? What role did each of the
major European countries play? (See chart, p. 581.)
How did the gold standard facilitate international trade in this age? Describe London’s
special financial role.
Discuss the relationship between Europe and other parts of the earth in the 19 Century
economy. How does the illustration on p.583 demonstrate the nature of the global
economy?
What kinds of insecurity resulted from the capitalist economy? What devices were
restored to in order to combat insecurity?
Explain the important changes in capitalism about 1880. What were some of the political
and social effects of these changes?
74: The Advance of Democracy: Third French Republic, United Kingdom, And German
Empire
Of what significance was the Paris Commune in the formation of the Third French
Republic? How is the event depicted in the photograph and caption on 588?
With what major problems was the Third Republic occupies in the years 1871 to 1914?
How successfully did it cope with them?
How does the painting on p.593 illustrate the quality of life that could be enjoyed in
France and Western Europe in the late 19th century?
What kind of government did Great Britain exemplify in the half-century before 1914?
Explain the steps by which the suffrage was extended in the years 1832 to 1918. Of what
significance were the reforms of the Liberal government after 1906?
How successfully did Britain deal with the Irish problem by 1914?
What general observation may be made about the political nature of the German Empire?
Discuss the nature and results of Bismarck’s conflict with (a) the Catholic Church, (b) the
Social Democrats. What was the motive behind his social insurance program?
In what direction did Germany seem to be moving under Wilhelm II in the years before
1914?
Summarize briefly major political developments in Italy, Austria-Hungary and other
European countries from 1871 to 1914. What general conclusions may be reached (a)
about the advance of political democracy in Europe, (b) about dissatisfaction with
existing institutions? Where did women first gain the right to vote?
Marshal MacMahon
General Boulanger
Dreyfus affair
Laic laws of 1905
Radical Socialists
Victorian Era
Reform Bills of 1867
and 1884
Irish home rule
David Lloyd George
Parliament Act of 1911
Osborne Judgment
Kulturkampf
antisocialist laws
William II
Giolitti
transformiso