1870s

The 1870s refers to the years 1870 through 1879. In Europe, it began with the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71), which toppled the regime of Napoleon III and led to the unification of Germany and the proclamation of the German Empire in 1871 at Versailles. The war also produced indemnities and territorial adjustments, notably Alsace-Lorraine. Paris briefly experienced the Paris Commune in 1871 before government forces suppressed it. The Berlin Congress of 1878 reshaped relations in the Balkans after the Russo-Turkish War.

In the Americas, the United States entered the final phase of Reconstruction, which ended in 1877, and the era of rapid westward expansion continued. In Canada and Latin America, modernization and state formation proceeded along different trajectories.

In the United Kingdom, the government introduced the Elementary Education Act in 1870, establishing state involvement in schooling. The 1873 Panic of 1873 touched global markets and contributed to a long economic downturn known as the Long Depression in many countries.

In science and technology, the decade saw rapid advances: Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone (1876); Thomas Edison developed and demonstrated the phonograph (1877) and, by 1879, introduced a practical electric light bulb. These innovations, along with developments in chemistry and medicine, accelerated industrial growth and urbanization.

In Asia, Meiji-era Japan continued its rapid modernization after the 1868 restoration, including reforms in government, industry, and education, while other imperial powers expanded their colonial presence in Africa and Asia.

This decade set the stage for the late 19th-century global order, combining political consolidation in Europe, economic cycles, and transformative technology.