Western Europe transformed many times in its 2000 year-long history, but the biggest shift may have been the abandonment of the feudal class society. After the French Revolution and subsequent spread of revolutionary ideas by Napoleon, most Europeans found themselves living in a world where your birth no longer determined your destiny. The map of Europe was redrawn at the congress of Vienna, the Kingdom of the Netherlands was installed and national identities were formed more strongly than before. A feel of national identity was most notable in the German lands during the unification process. The Industrial Revolution and imperialism of the European countries meanwhile not only changed the living conditions of the average European, but it also affected millions of inhabitants in the colonies.
Most Roman citizens in Antiquity (between 3000bce and 500ce) were accustomed to living in big cities where traders, workmen, aristocrats, artists, religious leaders and officials bustled about all day. In many ways the Roman world and our modern world are remarkably the same. We would be able to adapt to Roman life, although the loss of our Smart Phones and the smell in many places would be a big challenge to get used to. A Roman citizen would probably have a hard time adapting to our world, however, because the coming of cars, trains, airplanes, computers and the internet changed the world in such a dramatic way. The start of that shift can be traced back to the Scientific Revolution, but the main step was taken during the 19th century.
Course Features
- Lectures 7
- Quizzes 0
- Duration 10 weeks
- Skill level All levels
- Language English
- Students 59
- Assessments Yes
