CURS ISTORIE: IMPERIALISM

Chapter 27 looks at three great experiences that shaped European (and global) history in the twentieth century: (1) the new imperialism (1881-1914), in which the great European powers seized control of most of Africa and much of Asia; (2)World War I (1914-18), which destroyed the last monarchical empires of the Old Regime; and (3) the Russian Revolution (1917-20), which posed a new and powerful form of mass politics to compete with democracy.

The chapter begins with the background to these great events during two generations of peace. It examines the Bismarckian alliance system, which divided Europe into two opposing sides, and the militarism and arms race, which made this division so dangerous. Although it was an era of peace among the European great powers, the same powers fought dozens of imperial wars of conquest and annexed empires around the world. During the new imperialism, they seized control of nearly 25 percent of the planet. The discussion of World War I shows how it introduced Europe to a century of "total war"-in both its destructive battles and life on the home front. The final section focuses on the Russian Revolution of 1917. This wartime revolution established Lenin's Communist government in Russia, a regime that introduced Europe to twentieth century totalitarianism.