18491925

1849–1925 designates a historical span that covers the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It encompasses rapid industrialization, globalization, and major political change that helped shape modern societies. The period saw advances of the Second Industrial Revolution in rail, steel, chemicals, electricity, and new corporate forms, alongside urbanization, rising literacy, and expanding financial markets.

Globally, imperial expansion, nationalism, and state formation redefined borders and governance. The era included significant scientific and cultural developments, with reform movements and new political ideas influencing governance, economy, and society. The late nineteenth century saw nation-building and reform across regions, while the early twentieth century brought international conflict, most notably World War I, and its far-reaching political and territorial consequences.

The postwar era fostered debates about democracy, rights, and modernization, and the 1920s in many regions featured rapid social and cultural change, technological diffusion, and shifts in media and urban life. Notable 1925 milestones reflect the period’s dynamics: the Locarno Treaties sought to stabilize Europe; F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby captured contemporary social tensions; and the Scopes Trial in the United States highlighted clashes between science and religion. Together, these elements illustrate a broad modernization process, geopolitical realignment, and cultural transformation that shaped subsequent decades.