Between the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars and the outbreak of
the First World War, Europe underwent a transformation unparalleled
in its history. No comparable degree of change had occurred on the
Continent since the New Stone Age. Theodore Hamerow examines the
innovations that challenged nineteenth-century Europe, using a
perspective that transcends events that occurred within national
boundaries. He brings together political, social, diplomatic, and
national developments to demonstrate how they relate to the
profound transformations brought about by the industrial
revolution.
Using a wealth of statistics and other documentation to buttress
insightful generalizations, Hamerow broadly appraises the
implications of the shift in Europe from an agricultural to an
industrial society. Among the subjects he considers are the rise of
the middle and working classes, the spread of literacy and the
enfranchisement of the masses, the growth of urban centers of
manufacture and trade, the acquisition of colonies, the spread of
military technologies, and the changes in the functions of
governments.