During 19th and 20th century Europe was fully involved in the struggle for freedom. In the process of achieving freedom its economic, political, and cultural sectors were affected in different ways. At the beginning of 19th century, the presence of napoleon brought a great achievement in European empires. By defeating great empires Europe believed that was the road for attaining freedom and independence (Walsh-Atkins 35). In 19th century a great improvement of its economy was realized.
The improvement of the economy was as a result of several inventions that were made. For instance, people started using telephones, electric light, and some discoveries in the medicine field that improved the people’s lifestyle. It was now possible in Europe to prevent many diseases (Soames 112).
The advancement in medicine field led to double increment of population. Economically, the construction of railroads brought a great positive change, as people conducted their commerce with fewer obstacles. These advancement encouraged urbanization and the population in cities increased rapidly.
A lot of economic and cultural changes that were experienced in Europe in 19th century were as a result of industrialism (Spielvogel and Duicker 330). Some of the changes experienced came naturally as a result of rapid growth and advancement of technology. Most of the European nations had some difficulties to adapt to the new era. The internal fallout among individuals brought about new political movements, and changed values.
After the World War 1 the economy of Europe was affected greatly especially by inflation. This happened as a result of government funding the military with a lot of cash. Due to this, the government was forced to print and supply a lot of money, such that one would carry a lot of paper notes to purchase something. The First World War led to the deterioration of Europe where a lot of people were left homeless, as the economy had declined completely .The economic challenges resulted to political radicalism.
On the other hand, the culture of the people in Europe was also greatly affected. Women were the most affected as they were forced to terminate their work and get married. When the labor declined, they were then ordered to go back to work (Soames 230). In the European society, households reflected some other social aspects (Walsh-Atkins 70). The house in which one lived served as his or her shelter, as well as his level of status.
The middle level women who were taken from industries were made guardians of domesticity. Their main responsibility at homes was to cook and maintaining good life within the home compounds. The working class women were not in apposition to take care of the home, and hence were regarded as immoral for not caring for their homes.
The political environment in Europe changed in 1850, whereby the leaders who opted to go by the will of the citizens were given a chance to rule. Most of the politicians made use of the press to reach the public. The new political leaders who were appointed gave the growth of the state a priority. States were competing, and the newly appointed politicians applied force to achieve some goals (Soames 112).
The success of the nation was set to be the final determinant of the political success. Towards the end of nineteenth century, most of politicians emphasized on the will of the state, and the idea of social reforms was also introduced. The main aim of social reforms was to unite people within the nation states.
Works Cited
Soames, Grenville. A History Of The World From The 20th To The 21st Century. (2nd ed), New York: Routledge, 2005.
Spielvogel, Jackson, and Duicker, William. World History. (5th ed), New Jersey: Cengage Learning, 2006.
Walsh-Atkins, Patrick. As/A-Level 19th and 20th Century European and World History. London: Philip Allan Updates, 2001.