modernisation – Manchester Historian

Why do very few people, in this country at least, seem not to know nor even to have heard of the May Fourth Movement (1919) in China? Coverage of China is ubiquitous in Western media; China’s geopolitical manoeuvres, fluctuating economic growth, and unique political ideology are a source of profound intrigue and criticism amongst social commentators.

Arguably the most important facet to consider when one is examining the social and cultural developments within the European Enlightenment is the rise of the public sphere. What gave rise to what many historians now regard as the birth of the modern middle class in Europe is debated to be the result of numerous factors. Continue Reading