The transformation of the world

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A monumental history of the nineteenth century, this work offers a panoramic and multifaceted portrait of a world in transition. Jürgen Osterhammel, an eminent scholar often compared to Braudel, transcends conventional Eurocentric and chronological narratives, presenting a truly global history of remarkable scope and depth. He delves into the powerful forces driving global change during the “long nineteenth century,” taking readers from New York to New Delhi, exploring the Latin American revolutions, the Taiping Rebellion, and the dynamics of Europe’s transatlantic labor markets alongside the struggles of nomadic and tribal peoples worldwide. Osterhammel illustrates a world increasingly interconnected by the telegraph, steamship, and railways. He examines the evolving relationship between humanity and nature, the significance of urban centers, and the impact of slavery and its abolition on new nation formations. He challenges the belief that the nation-state triumphed during this time and much more. This English edition of the acclaimed German work, also being translated into several other languages, is essential for historians. It sheds new light on this pivotal epoch, revealing how the nineteenth century set the stage for the global catastrophes of the twentieth while also fostering pacifism, liberalism, trade unions, and other vital developments.