The long 19th century

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The long 19th century, defined by Eric Hobsbawm, a British Marxist historian and author, refers to the period between the years 1789 and 1914.

The period begins with the French Revolution, which established a nonmonarchial republic in Europe, and ends with the start of World War I. Upon the conclusion of World War I in 1918, the long-enduring European balance of power of the 19th century proper (1801—1900) was eliminated. These events represented such significant changes in world history as to redefine the era.

Hobsbawm lays out this theory in three books, The Age of Revolution: Europe 1789—1848, The Age of Capital: Europe 1848—1875, and The Age of Empire: Europe 1875—1914.

The sequel, The Age of Extremes, covers The short twentieth century.

[edit] See also

• The short twentieth century