Late modern period

Quick Facts: Who was Late modern period?

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Late modern period

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A vast historical epoch spanning from the French Revolution to the present day.

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Origins & Early Life

In many periodizations of human history, the late modern period followed the early modern period. It began in 1789 with the start of the French Revolution and, depending on the author, either ended with the beginning of contemporary history in 1945 with the end of World War II, or includes the contemporary history period to the present day. Notable historical events in the late 18th century, that marked the transition from the early modern period to the late modern period, include: the American Revolution (1765–91), French Revolution (1789–99), and beginning of the Industrial Revolution around 1760. There are differing approaches to defining a possible end or conclusion to the Late Modern period, or indeed whether it might be considered to have concluded at all. If that period is indeed concluded, then there are various options for how to label the subsequent era, i.e. the current contemporary era, as described below.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

The Information Age is a historical period that began in the mid-20th century, characterized by a rapid epochal shift from traditional industry established by the Industrial Revolution to an economy primarily based upon information technology. Some researchers typify the end of the Late Modern period by the concerns for the environment which began in 1950, as this marks the end of modern confidence about humanity's domination of the natural world. The Postmodern era is the economic or cultural state or condition of society which is said to exist after modernity. Some schools of thought hold that modernity ended in the late 20th century – in the 1980s or early 1990s – and that it was replaced by postmodernity, and still others would extend modernity to cover the developments denoted by postmodernity, while some believe that modernity ended sometime after World War II. The idea of the post-modern condition is sometimes characterized as a culture stripped of its capacity to function in any linear or autonomous state, such as e.g. regressive isolationism, as opposed to the progressive mind state of modernism.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or mode of discourse defined by an attitude of skepticism toward what it describes as the grand narratives and ideologies of modernism. It questions or criticizes viewpoints associated with Enlightenment rationality dating back to the 17th century. The Post-industrial society is the stage of society's development when the service sector generates more wealth than the manufacturing sector of the economy. The term was originated by Alain Touraine and is closely related to similar sociological theoretical concepts such as post-Fordism, information society, knowledge economy, post-industrial economy, liquid modernity, and network society. They all can be used in economics or social science disciplines as a general theoretical backdrop in research design.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1765: 1765 Milestone — Notable historical events in the late 18th century, that marked the transition from the early modern period to the late modern period, include: the American Revolution (1765–91), French Revolution (1789–99), and beginning of the Industrial Revolution around 1760.
2. 1789: 1789 Milestone — It began in 1789 with the start of the French Revolution and, depending on the author, either ended with the beginning of contemporary history in 1945 with the end of World War II, or includes the contemporary history period to the present day.
3. 1950: 1950 Milestone — Some researchers typify the end of the Late Modern period by the concerns for the environment which began in 1950, as this marks the end of modern confidence about humanity's domination of the natural world.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Late modern period

True or False: “The Late Modern period is universally agreed upon by all historians to have ended precisely in 1945 with the end of World War II.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): Historians disagree on the endpoint; some suggest the Information Age or even earlier periods like the mid-20th century.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Arabanoo — Historical peer (Died in 1789) (1789): Eora man forcibly taken by British colonists, becoming a key figure in early interactions.
• Augustin-Louis Cauchy — Historical peer (Born in 1789) (1789): Pioneered real and complex analysis, fundamentally shaping modern mathematics.
• Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi — Historical peer (Born in 1945) (1945): Yemeni politician who served as the second President of Yemen from 2012 to 2022.
• Adolf Hitler — Historical peer (Died in 1945) (1945): Austrian-born German politician who became dictator of Germany during the Nazi era.
• Eli Whitney — Historical peer (Born in 1765) (1765): American inventor best known for the cotton gin, shaping the Antebellum South's economy.
• Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor — Historical peer (Died in 1765) (1765): Last non-Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor; founder of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine.
• Alaungpaya — Historical peer (Died in 1760) (1760): Founder of the Konbaung Dynasty, unifying Burma through military prowess.
• Baal Shem Tov — Historical peer (Died in 1760) (1760): Founder of Hasidic Judaism, a Jewish mystic from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
• Abdullah Gül — Historical peer (Born in 1950) (1950): Turkish politician who served as President (2007-2014) and Prime Minister.
• Agnes Smedley — Historical peer (Died in 1950) (1950): American journalist and activist supporting Indian Independence and Chinese Communism.

Frequently Asked Questions about Late modern period