Renaissance and Enlightenment Cultural Movements

Cultural Movements

Renaissance (14th-17th centuries)

• Revival of classical Greek and Roman culture
• Emergence of humanism, individualism, and secularism
• Key figures: Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Galileo Galilei
• Characteristics: art, literature, science, and philosophy flourished

Enlightenment (17th-18th centuries)

• Age of reason and intellectual curiosity
• Emphasis on individual rights, democracy, and science
• Key figures: Isaac Newton, John Locke, Voltaire, Immanuel Kant
• Characteristics: development of modern science, emergence of modern democracy

Industrial Revolution (18th-19th centuries)

• Transition from manual labor to machine-based manufacturing
• Key figures: James Watt, Richard Arkwright, Samuel Slater
• Characteristics: urbanization, growth of capitalism, and development of new social classes

Romanticism ( late 18th to early 19th centuries)

• Emphasis on emotion, imagination, and individualism
• Key figures: William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lord Byron
• Characteristics: focus on nature, beauty, and the supernatural

Modernism ( late 19th to early 20th centuries)

• Rejection of traditional forms and values
• Key figures: Pablo Picasso, James Joyce, Virginia Woolf
• Characteristics: experimentation, innovation, and fragmentation

World Wars

World War I (1914-1918)

• Causes: imperialism, nationalism, and militarism
• Key events: assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, trench warfare, and the Treaty of Versailles
• Major players: Allied Powers (France, Britain, Russia) vs. Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire)
• Consequences: rise of the United States and Soviet Union, redrawing of national borders, and the Russian Revolution

World War II (1939-1945)

• Causes: German aggression, appeasement policy, and fascist ideology
• Key events: invasion of Poland, Battle of Britain, D-Day, and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• Major players: Allied Powers (United States, Britain, Soviet Union) vs. Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, Japan)
• Consequences: devastation of Europe, rise of the United States and Soviet Union as superpowers, and the formation of the United Nations

Cultural Movements

Renaissance (14th-17th centuries)

• Revival of classical Greek and Roman culture led to a renewed interest in humanism, individualism, and secularism
• Key figures like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Galileo Galilei made significant contributions to art, literature, science, and philosophy
• Characteristics of this era include a flourishing of art, literature, science, and philosophy, which had a profound impact on Western society

Enlightenment (17th-18th centuries)

• The Age of Reason emphasized individual rights, democracy, and science, leading to the development of modern science and emergence of modern democracy
• Key figures like Isaac Newton, John Locke, Voltaire, and Immanuel Kant played crucial roles in shaping the Enlightenment
• Characteristics of this era include the emergence of modern scientific thought, the development of democratic ideals, and an emphasis on individual rights and reason

Industrial Revolution (18th-19th centuries)

• The transition from manual labor to machine-based manufacturing led to urbanization, growth of capitalism, and the development of new social classes
• Key figures like James Watt, Richard Arkwright, and Samuel Slater made significant contributions to the industrialization process
• Characteristics of this era include the growth of cities, the emergence of new social classes, and the development of new technologies

Romanticism (late 18th to early 19th centuries)

• The emphasis on emotion, imagination, and individualism led to a focus on nature, beauty, and the supernatural
• Key figures like William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Lord Byron were prominent romantic writers
• Characteristics of this era include a focus on the emotional and the irrational, an emphasis on individualism, and a fascination with the mysterious and unknown

Modernism (late 19th to early 20th centuries)

• The rejection of traditional forms and values led to experimentation, innovation, and fragmentation in art, literature, and culture
• Key figures like Pablo Picasso, James Joyce, and Virginia Woolf were prominent modernist artists and writers
• Characteristics of this era include a rejection of traditional forms and values, an emphasis on experimentation and innovation, and a focus on the fragmented and the subjective

World Wars

World War I (1914-1918)

• Causes of the war included imperialism, nationalism, and militarism, leading to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the outbreak of war
• Key events of the war included trench warfare, the Treaty of Versailles, and the Russian Revolution
• Major players in the war were the Allied Powers (France, Britain, Russia) and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire)
• Consequences of the war included the rise of the United States and Soviet Union, the redrawing of national borders, and the devastation of Europe

World War II (1939-1945)

• Causes of the war included German aggression, the appeasement policy, and fascist ideology, leading to the invasion of Poland and the outbreak of war
• Key events of the war included the Battle of Britain, D-Day, and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• Major players in the war were the Allied Powers (United States, Britain, Soviet Union) and the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, Japan)
• Consequences of the war included the devastation of Europe, the rise of the United States and Soviet Union as superpowers, and the formation of the United Nations

WW2: Holocaust

• The Holocaust was a systematic persecution and extermination of six million Jews and millions of others deemed undesirable by the Nazi regime during WW2.
• The Nazi regime deliberately and organizedly targeted Jews, Romani people, homosexuals, disabled individuals, and others for extermination.
• Concentration camps, including Auschwitz, were established where prisoners were subjected to forced labor, starvation, and brutal living conditions.
• The Nazis used gas chambers to kill millions of people, often using Zyklon B, a cyanide-based pesticide.
• Perpetrators included the SS, police, and ordinary civilians, driven by a combination of anti-Semitic ideology, racism, and xenophobia.

Important Events: The Holocaust

• The Nuremberg Laws (1935) stripped Jews of their citizenship and prohibited intermarriage between Jews and non-Jews.
• Kristallnacht (1938) saw widespread violence and destruction of Jewish property and businesses.
• The Wannsee Conference (1942) was where the Nazis planned and coordinated the "Final Solution," the extermination of all Jews in Europe.

WW2: D-Day

• D-Day was the largest seaborne invasion in history, which took place on June 6, 1944, during WW2.
• The Allied forces, consisting of American, British, Canadian, and French troops, launched a massive invasion of Nazi-occupied France.
• The invasion was code-named "Operation Overlord" and aimed to establish a foothold in Western Europe.
• The Allies used a combination of airborne troops, naval gunfire, and amphibious landings to breach the German defenses.
• The invasion force consisted of over 156,000 troops, 5,000 ships, and 13,000 aircraft.

Important Events: D-Day

• The airborne assault began at 1:30 AM, with paratroopers and glider troops landing behind enemy lines.
• The amphibious landings began at 6:30 AM, with troops landing on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of coastline.
• The Americans landed on Omaha and Utah beaches, while the British landed on Gold, Juno, and Sword beaches.
• The Germans launched a series of counterattacks, but the Allies were able to establish a solid foothold and begin pushing inland.