Two major revolutions remade the world between 1750 and 1900. The first was a revolution of the mind: thinkers of the Enlightenment argued that authority was based upon reason and consent, rather than birth or divine right. Both in Europe and the Americas, many people heeded their words, wanting to control their own destiny – first in British North America, then in France, Haiti, and Spanish America.
The second was an economic revolution: a new economic system of factories based on coal & steam transformed the production of goods, as well as where and how people lived, ushering in the Industrial Revolution in Britain and spreading across Europe, the United States, Russia and Japan. Both revolutions created winners, losers, and grievances; by 1900, nationalism, liberalism, and socialism had become the languages with which the next century's conflicts would be argued.
This collection collates articles, definitions, and maps covering Unit 5: Revolutions of the AP® World History: Modern curriculum, which accounts for 12-15% of the exam and around 20-23 class periods. It offers an overview for teachers and students alike, providing the materials needed to explore how revolutionary ideas and industrial technology together reshaped states, economies, and societies around the world.
Unit 5 covers ten topics: 5.1 The Enlightenment · 5.2 Nationalism and Revolutions · 5.3 Industrial Revolution Begins · 5.4 Industrialization Spreads · 5.5 Technology of the Industrial Age · 5.6 Industrialization: Government's Role · 5.7 Economic Developments and Innovations in the Industrial Age · 5.8 Reactions to the Industrial Economy · 5.9 Society and the Industrial Age · 5.10 Continuity and Change in the Industrial Age
Our encyclopedia's current coverage is strongest on the Enlightenment, the American and French Revolutions, and the British Industrial Revolution. We are still expanding our articles on the Haitian Revolution, the Latin American independence movements, nationalism and the unifications of Germany and Italy, and the rise of socialism.
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Ideas for Teachers
- Compare two revolutionary documents: Ask your students to read the Declaration of Independence and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen side by side and have them compare how each justifies the overthrow of government authority. You could then ask them to trace specific arguments back to John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
- Why Britain industrialized first: Using the articles British Industrial Revolution and Agriculture in the British Industrial Revolution, ask your students to list the factors that made Britain the starting point. In groups, have them discuss why rising agricultural productivity was a precondition, not a consequence, of the Industrial Revolution.
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Chain of innovation: Have students read the articles on the steam engine, railways, steel industry, and electrical telegraph. Then ask them to create a diagram showing how each innovation enabled the next. Ask them to identify which single development they would call the most important and defend their choice.
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The human cost of industry: Assign the Child Labour in the British Industrial Revolution, Trade Unions in the British Industrial Revolution, and Social Change in the British Industrial Revolution articles from our encyclopedia for reading. Ask students to explain who benefited from industrial capitalism, who paid for it, and how workers organized in response.
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Industrialization beyond Britain: Using the Meiji Restoration article, have students work out why governments might pursue a deliberate policy of industrialization rather than leaving it to the free market. Then compare Japan's state-led approach with the British pattern.
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Nationalism on the map: Put the Map of Napoleonic Europe, The "Spring of Nations": Revolutionary Europe in 1848, and the Map of Europe after the Congress of Berlin side by side. Have students track how the political map of Europe was redrawn throughout the century, and discuss what held the new national borders together.
Browse the collection below to find materials that fit your teaching style, and feel free to adapt them to your students. Note that our articles are print-friendly, and there is a PDF export button on each article page.
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