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17th Century Europe
The seventeenth century in Europe saw a great deal of change occur. The previous discovery of the New World had had many political, social, and economic effects on the Old World across the sea, creating constant change in the balance of power and wealth that did not stabilize until late in the twentieth century (if then). The Reformation -- the tuning away from the Catholic church by many European nations -- had an even greater impact; this reflected an institutional change in the way many countries operated and interacted, including a large change in their economic advantages and policies. In England, the monarchy was removed from the throne, and in France an absolute ruler came into power. Through all of this upper-class upheaval the middle merchant class was rising, and humanist thought was beginning to emerge.
In France, absolutism became the method of government. Henry IV, followed by Louis XIII, wer the supreme rulers, controlling the military, church, and the rest of the aristocracy -- not to mention the peasantry and other lower classes. This reflected the very essence of absolutist thought. The Thirty Years War, which started as a religious battle between Protestants and Catholics, developed into a power struggle between many European powers, but most notably the French Bourbons and the Austrian Hapsburgs. The massive destruction that this war caused allowed new powers -- notably Austria, Brandenburg-Prussia, and Russia to emerge as powerful new empires in Europe. Meanwhile, Parliamentary limits on Charles I's power in England came to a head when he was denied funding for wars and other endeavors; his subsequent actions led to a revolution in which he lost his throne and head.
In the art world, religious scenes remained popular, as they had been during the Renaissance. Colors became richer, however, and styles more ornate, reflecting the economic growth of the time. Scenes other than religious scenes, ancient myths, and the extreme upper class began to appear also, reflecting the rising merchant class and diminishment of the aristocracy in many countries.
Russia in the 16th-17th century The most significant achievement and expansion of Russia occurred during the later 16th and 17th centuries. Prior to this however, during the early 1500s Russia was enjoying the last remnants of Renaissance culture. Some of the crowning achievements during this time, similar to those that occurred all over Europe in the age of art included the building of cathedrals and the printing of books. The
Economic Depression of Europe An economic depression is more severe than a recession due to the fact that a depression involves drastic decline in a national or international economy, characterized by decreasing business activity, falling prices, and high levels of unemployment. There were economic depressions in Europe that were experienced before and after the 1870 but with a remarkable difference, being that those that were experienced before the 1870s were less costly
In contrast, English baroque has been described as being more secular, with a higher degree of classical inspiration. However, as Daniells states, this form of the Baroque style is not easy to categorize with finality (Daniells). Wellek uses the term 'restraint' to characterize English baroque (Wellek). With regard to the period of the Scientific Revolution, English Baroque drew inspiration from renaissance geometry. As in the Italian or Roman Baroque, there
Dutch invasion of Brazil In the 17th Century Brazil found itself the centre of contesting and warring European powers. The Portuguese colonization of Brazil was followed by the invasion from Holland as well as by French attempts to establish a presence in the country. Historians however describe the Dutch invasion of Brazil in the 17th century as one of the most damaging, imposing and far-reaching occupations of the country. This
The French in particular, as they are to this day considered to be one of the greatest losers of the war (and the most important battle field of the war) were in desperate need of men to reconstruct the country. Therefore, the immigration policies changed and allowed for an increase in the labor force flow. More precisely, "due to a perceived demographic insufficiency and labor market needs, the French government
By the late 1600's, there were about 750,000 "civilized" inhabitants, i.e. Negro slaves from Africa, working the plantations and by the turn of the century, many of the plantations owners had grown extremely wealthy as a result of slave labor. During the last half of the 17th century, there were a number of efforts to normalize the slave trade or, in other words, to make it appear legitimate and necessary
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