At the end of the 17th century people started to be unsatisfied with what was given to them and
always wanted more. This was caused by John Locke and his ideas that will provoke lots of
changes.
1748 "Separation of powers"
The Spirit of the Laws (De l´esprit des lois) is a treatise on political theory first published
anonymously by Montesquieu in 1748. Originally published anonymously partly because
Montesquieu´s works were subject to censorship, its influence outside France was aided
by its rapid translation into other languages.
The appearance of Montesquieu´s Spirit of Laws provoked a a debate which has raged ever
since. Montesquieu analyzed different forms of government, the impact of climate on social
organization advocated the separation of powers as a brake on the power of the monarch, and
espoused unorthodox religious views.
1751 "Encyclopédie"
The Encyclopédie is a general encyclopedia that started to be written in 1751 and it took over
more than 20 years until it was finally finished in 1777, with later supplements, revised
editions and translations.
The whole project was directed by Denis Diderot and co-edited by Jean le Rond d´Albert.
The Encyclopédie is most famous for representing the thought of the Enlightenment.
According to Diderot in the article, Encyclopédie´s aim was was to change the way people
think. He and the other contributors advocated for the secularization of learning away from the
Jesuits. Diderot wanted to incorporate all of the world´s knowledge into the Encyclopédie
and hoped that the text could disseminate all this information to the public and future
generations.
The work consisted of 28 volumes. By the time the last volume was published more than 140
persons had collaborated to fill up all the pages of the 28 volumes.
1756 Seven Years War
The Seven Years War was fought between 1755 and 1764, the main conflict occurring between
1756 and 1763. It involved every great power of the time except the Ottoman Empire, and
affected Europe, North and Central America, West Africa, India, and the Philippines.
The war ended with the Treaty of Paris between France, Spain and Great Britain and the Treaty
of Hubertusburg between Saxony, Austria and Prussia, in 1763. It was characterized in Europe
by sieges and arson of towns as well as open battles with extremely heavy losses. France loses
North American colonies; Spain cedes Florida to Britain in exchange for Cuba.
1776 Declaration of Independence
At July 4, 1776 the thirteen american colonies declared their independence after a long war
with Britain.
1833 Slavery is abolished
The abolition of slavery occurred at different times in different countries, and sometimes
occurred sequentially in more than one stage, for example: as abolition of the trade in
slaves in a specific country.
