18th century

The 18th century (1 January 1701 – 31 December 1800) was the century marked elements of Enlightenment thinking culminated in the Atlantic Revolutions (American Revolution, French Revolution and others). Revolutions began to challenge the legitimacy of monarchical and aristocratic power structures. The Industrial Revolution began mid-century, leading to radical changes in human society and the environment. The European colonization of the Americas and other parts of the world intensified and associated mass migrations of people grew in size as part of the Age of Sail. During the century, slave trading expanded across the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.

Quotes

• The eighteenth century was seized by a rage for order, manifest in a range of new phenomena: the price tag, standardised weights and measures, the proliferation of signposts on public highways, the increased use of account books and calendars.
  • Henry Hitchings, Dr Johnson's Dictionary: The Book that Defined the World, first edition 2005, 2006 paperback edition, page 46 (ISBN 0719566320).

See also

• 19th century
• 20th century
• 21st century