Top 25 Events from 1600-2000

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by David Floyd
Nope, almost positive 1869.

Perry's black fleet arrived in 1854.

The Meiji restoration was in 1868.

[Dauphin]

Finally: take the Emancipation Proclamation out. America was late among Western countries in outlawing slavery.

I was thinking that, but then weren't they far and away the largest user of slaves?

I think Universal Suffrage would be a better choice, but that is again no one nation or event.

[ranskaldan]

Well, it was a trend that is just as important as any event on the list.

[Flatlander Fox]

The dropping of the Atomic Bomb was probably the most important in the last 400 years. It singlehandedly ended World Wars, and brought about an era of relative peace between World Powers.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by Sagacious Dolphin
I was thinking that, but then weren't they far and away the largest user of slaves?

No, I think that honor goes to Brazil.

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Panzer32
If you explain why Japan opening up in 1869 was historically important, then by all means, I'll put it in the 'list'.

Haven't you heard of Perry? Don't you know anything about your country's history? ... Tokugawa Japan believed in isolation; it didn't want to have anything to do with other countries and had its doors locked tightly. Then along came your Perry from your country in his black ships to open those doors; he aimed his big guns at Japan and warned, "If you don't deal with us, look out for these; open your doors, and negotiate with other countries too." And then when Japan did open its doors and tried dealing with other countries, it learned that all of those countries were a fearfully aggressive lot. And so for its own defense it took your country as its teacher and set about learning to be aggressive. You might say we became your disciples. - General Ishiwara Kanji to an American prosecutor

That's the best I could do.

[Dauphin]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov


No, I think that honor goes to Brazil.

True. I wasn't considering Brazil as a 'western' nation.

[Lorizael]

Eurocentrism exists because the world is dominated by European, or rather, Western culture. Becuase of this events that are to be considered important on a worldwide scale are almost inevitably those that affect the European nations of the world. It's not racism, it's just the sad reality of the world we live in.

[ranskaldan]

Well, I think it's more to do with the timeframe anyway. 1600-2000... the European Era! The very question is Eurocentric.

[Lorizael]

Yah, I was wondering where that timeframe came from. But he did say it was a Western history class, right?

[Shi Huangdi]

ranskaldan:

"1911, End of the Chinese Empire.
Put the most populous nation of the world on cardiac arrest for 70 years."

Wouldn't it be better to go with the founding of the PRC by Mao, which was the event that ended that chaotic period?"

"Whenever it was that Simon Bolivar won freedom for South America.
South America was probably the first place in the world to have leftists, rightists, juntas, coups, etc. Pretty impressive, since the remainder of the world took another century to learn."

Right, Simon Bolivar starting his revolts has to be up with one of the 25 most important events. The end of Spanish Empire and the forming of a new Latin American collection of states was a very big even for that part of the world.

[ranskaldan]

Originally posted by Shi Huangdi
ranskaldan:

"1911, End of the Chinese Empire.
Put the most populous nation of the world on cardiac arrest for 70 years."

Wouldn't it be better to go with the founding of the PRC by Mao, which was the event that ended that chaotic period?"

Mao did the second half of that cardiac arrest.

Deng ended the cardiac arrest in '78.

"Whenever it was that Simon Bolivar won freedom for South America.
South America was probably the first place in the world to have leftists, rightists, juntas, coups, etc. Pretty impressive, since the remainder of the world took another century to learn."

Right, Simon Bolivar starting his revolts has to be up with one of the 25 most important events. The end of Spanish Empire and the forming of a new Latin American collection of states was a very big even for that part of the world.

[Shi Huangdi]

"
Mao did the second half of that cardiac arrest."

Still though the forming of the PRC has to be a big event in itself....

just noticed a typo, change even to event in "a very big even for that part of the world. "

[ranskaldan]

Originally posted by Shi Huangdi
"
Mao did the second half of that cardiac arrest."

Still though the forming of the PRC has to be a big event in itself....

just noticed a typo, change even to event in "a very big even for that part of the world. "

Yes, that's true. But on the other hand, we'd have 3 big events for China in one century:

1. End of Empire.
2. Mao ascendant.
3. Deng begins China's rise.

Nothing wrong with putting three in, but if panzer's running out of space I'd say cut the second one out.

[Ben Kenobi]

Instead of the Emancipation Proclamation, why not include the Abolition bill in 1833- in Britain, banning the institution of slavery in the British empire. This has a much greater scope than the Proclamation, as the British enforced the ban on the rest of the world.

Also, rather then the Congress of Vienna, why not Waterloo?

As for Japanese history, the Meiji Restoration is important, but less so than Tokugawa Ieyatsu's victory in 1600. No unified Japan otherwise.