Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of maps and diagrams
- Preface
- Introduction
- 1 The physical basis of European history
- Part I The classical civilizations
- Part II The Middle Ages
- Part III Modern Europe
- Part IV The Industrial Revolution and after
- 10 Europe on the eve of the Industrial Revolution
- 11 The nineteenth century
- 12 Europe on the eve of World War I
- Index
11 - The nineteenth century
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 January 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of maps and diagrams
- Preface
- Introduction
- 1 The physical basis of European history
- Part I The classical civilizations
- Part II The Middle Ages
- Part III Modern Europe
- Part IV The Industrial Revolution and after
- 10 Europe on the eve of the Industrial Revolution
- 11 The nineteenth century
- 12 Europe on the eve of World War I
- Index
Summary
The century which elapsed between the battle of Waterloo and the outbreak of World War I saw changes more profound than in any comparable period in human history. It was one of unprecedented growth: population more than doubled; there was a commensurate growth in agricultural output; industrial production increased tenfold; and Europe's gross product multiplied six times. This growth in economic activity was accompanied by a radical shift in its location, as an older, protoindustrial pattern decayed and was replaced by another which responded to new factors of production and to changing demand. The geography of Europe, when the Napoleonic Wars ended, differed fundamentally from that which saw the lights go out in August 1914.
The intervening century was, in the main, one of peace. Most conflicts were short-lived and far from destructive. Many were related to peoples' democratic aspirations or to their demands for independence from the empires which had between them shared much of Europe. But economic growth was, nevertheless, a highly localized phenomenon. Much of the continent remained untouched by progress – industrial, agricultural, or commercial – until late in the century. At the same time, there were areas where growth was rapid and from which the new technology was diffused to other parts of the continent.
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- An Historical Geography of Europe , pp. 347 - 439Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1990