18401926

1840–1926 spans roughly eight decades that saw the transformation of many parts of the world from agrarian and early industrial societies to more urbanized, industrialized states.

Industrialization accelerated: rail networks, steamships, electrical power, telecommunication, and the growth of factories and mass production changed labor, cities, and consumer society. The period also saw imperial expansion and global trade, including colonial empires in Africa, Asia, and the Americas.

Politics and social change: The era included the revolutions of 1848, national unifications in Germany and Italy, and the Meiji Restoration in Japan. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many countries extended suffrage and reformed institutions, while labor and socialist movements challenged established orders. World War I (1914–1918) was a turning point, followed by the Russian Revolution in 1917 and the formation of new international arrangements such as the League of Nations after the 1919 peace settlement.

Culture and science: The period saw the maturation of modern science, advances in medicine and public health, and the emergence of new artistic movements such as realism and modernism. Technology transformed daily life, from electricity to automobiles and aviation. By 1926, the world was in a postwar adjustment phase marked by economic fluctuations and continuing political tensions that would shape the interwar era.