Modern Times

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For other uses, see Modern Times (disambiguation).

The term Modern Times is used by historians to describe the period of time immediately following what is known as the Early Modern Times. It is to be distinguished from the term Modernity.

The Early Modern Times lasted from the end of the 15th century to the end of the 18th century.
Modern Times began in the late 18th century, continuing to the present.
Modernity describes large-scale developments of society (including literature and philosophy), not political, social, or series of events.

Other similar terms, such as the Modern Period, Modern Age, or Modern Era, are also commonly used. "Modern Times" and "Early Modern Times" refers to political or religious events like the English, the industrial, the American, and the French revolutions, while Modernity refers to the development of concepts like industrialisation and revolutions in the ways of thinking like individualism, democratic participation and nationalism. Still, both terms might often be used synonymously.

The European Renaissance (about 1420-1630) is an important transition period beginning between the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern Times.

The movement known as "Postmodernism" (especially dominant from the 1960s to the early 1980s) is widely misunderstood, and there is scholarly disagreement about how to describe very recent history.

1 Characteristics
2 Events of Modern Times
- 2.1 Events of Early Modern Times (15th to 18th century)
- 2.2 Events of Late Modern Times (18th to 21st century)
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Characteristics

The concept of the modern world is distinct from an ancient or mediaeval world rests on a sense that the modern world is not just another era in history, but rather the result of a new type of change. This is usually conceived of as progress driven by deliberate human efforts to better their situation.

Advances in all areas of human activity -- politics, industry, society, economics, commerce, transport, communication, mechanization, automation, science, medicine, technology and culture -- appear to have transformed an Old World into the Modern or New World. In each case, the identification of a Revolutionary change can be used to demarcate the old and old-fashioned from the modern.

Much of the Modern world replaced the Biblically-oriented value system, revalued the monarchical government system, and abolished the feudal economic system, with new democratic and liberal ideas in the areas of politics, science, psychology, sociology, and economics.

[edit] Events of Modern Times

Some events, though born out of context not entirely new, show a new way of perceiving the world. The concept of modernity interprets the general meaning of these events and seeks explanations for major developments; Historians analyse the events taking place in Modern Times, ie. since the so-called "Middle Ages" (that take their name from being in the middle between Modern and Ancient Times).

[edit] Events of Early Modern Times (15th to 18th century)

Discovery of America (1492): Age of Discovery.
Gutenberg's moveable type printing press (1450s): information age and newspapers.

Within the Early Modern Age, some events shaped the world immensely:

Martin Luther challenges the Church on 31 October 1517 with the 95 Theses: Reformation.
Fall of the Spanish Armada 8 August 1588 enabled the Rise of the British Empire
Thirty Years' War 1618-1648 in Central Europe decimated about 20% of the population.
The treaties of the Peace of Westphalia are signed in 1648, which ended several wars in Europe and established the beginning of sovereign states.
Treaty of Utrecht marked the change from Spanish to British naval supremacy.
Louis XIV, "roi de soleil".