Bernie Michalik's posterous site

* Essentially this book is a blog before there were blogs. Before each
document is some text giving you some context to the document you are about
to read, much like many blogs I read nowadays.
* it is a tremendous sweep of the 19th C. When I was younger learning about
the 20th C, I found myself continuing drawn back to the 19th C. In some
ways, much of what happened in the 20th C was started in the 19th and
finished in the 20th.
* the book starts with the ascent of America. Jefferson become president
(his 1801 inaugural address) and makes the Louisiana purchase from Napoleon
(the convention of April 30, 1803), who goes on to reshape Europe (the
Berlin and Milan decrees) until his defeat (the Abdication of Napoleon1814)
which resonates throughtout much of the century, as you can see as you
progress through the book (many documents).
* Slavery comes to a close in America and Russia. (The Emancipation
Proclamation 1863 and the Imperial Ukase Emancipating the Serfs 1861)
* England defeats France, becomes the dominant world power along with
Russia and experiments with greater democracy. (The Reform acts and Lord
Ashley's Mine Commission, 1842)
* Meanwhile France declines and Germany advances, defeating it's opponents
in Austria and France to unify. (Many documents)
* Other nations form, including Canada and Italy. (The Carbonari documents
and the BNA Act of 1867)
* The Catholic Church declines (Darwin publishes the Theory of Evolution
1859 and '71, the Papal Syllabus of Errors 1864 and the Doctrine of Papal
infallability 1870).
The beginning of the end of the overall European aristocracy is also coming
about (many documents)

It's a great book, and I wish there was one for every century.
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