Period 5 (1750-1914)

Initially invented by Thomas Savery, the steam engine is arguably on of the most important inventions of the Industrial Revolution. He later worked on the engine with one Thomas Newcome. Watt entered the equation when assigned to repair one of Newcome's engine's.

The spinning mule is an 18th century invention designed to turn textile fibers into yarn. Invented by Samuel Crompton in 1779, it allowed the spinner much more control over the weaving process.

Invented by Eli Whitney in 1793, it removed seeds from cotton fibers. Cotton could be processed quickly and cheaply from this point on. This invention resulted in more cotton being grown and more slaves being needed for more acres of cotton fields.

The Bessemer process was a newly developed way of make steel quickly and for a low price in mass quantities. This was done by using a Bessemer converter to push air through molten iron and burn off the excess carbon and other undesirable molecules. It was the first successful method for such an operation.

Initially created in Egypt to lower travel expendatures and shipping costs and times, the Suez Canal shortened incredibly the amount of time to travel from Europe to Asia and vice versa. It would later be the source of conflict with the Suez Crisis. In addition, because it was controlled by Europe it gave Europeans and their companies an advantage in world trade.

The United States built the Panama Canal with the intention of facilitating trade between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In exchange for support of a rebellion in what was then Colombia that resulted in the free state of Panama, it was agreed that a canal could be built in the new state. The States also won control of of the territory adjacent to the canal, known as the Panaa Canal Zone.

Born Francois-Dominique Toussaint, L'Ouverture eventually changed his name to mean "the opening" in French, or the one who creates an opening in the enemy lines. He led the Haitians to victory in their revolution. He created an army that best all of their foes and won the nation's freedom.

King Louis XVI, married to Marie Antoinette, ruled France during its revolution and died by beheading. An incompetent ruler, Louis would rather play locksmith than rule a nation. The French Revolution is said to be the result of his poor ruling skills.

Bolivar was a military leader that played a key role in the South American revolutions. Born a creole elite, Bolivar was raised surrounded by enlightened ideas. He assembled an army that crushed the Spanish oppressors, and eventually died en-route to a self imposed exile after being unable to unite South America like the United States of America.

Initially a general, Bonaparte eventually used his military prowess to become the emperor of France. His reign was a series of tactical offensive maneuvers intended to expand his territory. Internal struggle and the unification of surrounding regions eventually caused the collapse of his rule.

Henry Ford was a revolutionary leader of the Industrial Revolution. He is credited with inventing the assembly line, which opened up opportunity to increase the workforce tenfold - now they no longer needed knowledge of the entire product. Henry Ford also worked to improve working conditions.

The Congress of Vienna was a meeting of the main powers of Europe to reestablish order after the chaos of Napoleon's reign. They divided up the land into several strong nations to avoid an excessive France. They created a balance of power such that if one nation became too powerful the others could come to tack it down a notch.

Marx and Engels wrote this for the Communist League in Germany. Published in January of 1848, it was inspired by Engels's work on Conditions of Working Classes in England. The authors thought that the revolutions that were breaking out in Europe were a confirmations of the class struggle thesis. The book was intended to be inflammatory. It discussed the working class being exploited, religion an opiate, and encouraged working classes to stick together.

Known to Italians as "The Resurgence," this move to unite northern and southern Italian lands politically and culturally was initially led by Giuseppe Mazzini and his ally, Giuseppe Garibaldi. Unfortunately, they failed to create an Italy in this first attempt. In the end, it was the aristocratic politician named Camillo di Cavour who eventually united Italy using realpolitik tactics.

Written by Charles Darwin in 1859, this highly noted book outlined his theory of evolution. It had a major impact on the scientific community. It has been used as an argument against Christianity ever since.

The emancipation of the Russian serfs was the result of growing social tension in Russia. Growing disapproval to serfdom-stemming from both moral issues and the idea that serfdom stunted Russia's economic growth- caused the government to want to intervene. They created a deal in which they gave landowners compensation for the loss of the serfs, and gave the serfs their freedom. This resulted, however, in a heavy tax upon the freed serfs that stored up even more trouble.

With the weakening power of the Tokugawa, discontent began to grow through the nation. The shogun eventually resigned and left power in the hands of the then child, Emperor Meiji. The Meiji Restoration brought back the reign of emperors. It eventually brought upon Japan industrialization and amazing economical power relative to the previous era.

Napoleon's conquests sparked German nationalism, so when Otto von Bismark came into power and used "blood and iron" tactics he managed to unite German states under Prussian rule. This success was achieved through Bismark's realpolitik and by making harsh decisions for the good of Germany. Bismark used money from various places to go to three victorious wars that paved the way for German unity. Along the way, Bismarck strengthened Germany's economy by industrializing.

Delegates from twelve European sates, the U.S.A., and the Ottoman Empire created a set of general rules for the colonization of Africa without the consultation of any African person. Only 50% of the delegates' countries had desire for such conquering, however they were included to convince the world they (the other delegates) had international approval. An agreement was devised that any claim made upon land would be run by and agreed upon by the others.

Founded in 1885, the congress was created to allow Indians to communicate their stances of public matters to the colonist leaders. The group created a myriad of complaints about the wealth transfer from India to Britain, Indian property, harmful policies to Indian business, lack of relief efforts for natural struggles, and more. They eventually partnered with the All-India Muslim League in an attempt to create a self-ruled India.

The All-India Muslim League was a prominent group working to advance the social and political interests of Muslims. Founded in India in 1906, it was designed to defend the interests of India's Muslim minority. Led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, it attempted to negotiate with the Indian National Congress.