The long 19th century

The long nineteenth century, is a term coined for the period between the years 1789 and 1914 by British Marxist historian and author Eric Hobsbawm. The concept is an adaption of Fernand Braudel's 1949 notion of Le long seizième siècle ("the long sixteenth century" 1450–1640). and "a recognized category of literary history", although an often-broadly and diversely defined period by different scholars. Numerous authors, before and after Hobsbawm's 1995 publication, have applied similar forms of book titles or descriptions to indicate a selective time frame for their works, such as: S. Kettering, "French Society: 1589–1715 – the long seventeenth century", E. Anthony Wrigley, "British population during the ‘long’ eighteenth century, 1680–1840", or D. Blackbourn, "The long nineteenth century: A history of Germany, 1780–1918" among others. However, the term has been used in support of historical publications in order to "connect with broader audiences" and is regularly cited in studies and discussions across academic disciplines, such as history, linguistics and the arts.

Hobsbawm lays out his analysis in The Age of Revolution: Europe 1789–1848 (1962); The Age of Capital: 1848–1875 (1975); and, The Age of Empire: 1875–1914 (1987).

Hobsbawn starts his long nineteenth century with the French Revolution, which sought to establish universal and egalitarian citizenship in France, and ends it with the outbreak of World War I, upon the conclusion of which in 1918 the long-enduring European power balance of the 19th century proper (1801–1900) was eliminated. In a sequel to the above-mentioned trilogy, The Age of Extremes: The Short Twentieth Century, 1914–1991 (1994), Hobsbawm details the short 20th century beginning with World War I and ending with the fall of the Soviet Union.

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