The world: 1840s

1840–1849

Events in this period 7

1. 1848 · Europe · Politics

   The Communist Manifesto

   The Communist Manifesto, originally the Manifesto of the Communist Party, is a political pamphlet written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. It was commissioned by the Communist League and published in London in 1848. The text represents the first and most systematic attempt by the two founders of scientific socialism to codify for wide consumption the historical materialist idea; namely, that "the history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles", in which social classes are defined by the relationship of people to the means of production. Published amid the Revolutions of 1848 in Europe, the manifesto has become one of the world's most influential political documents. "A spectre is haunting Europe — the spectre of communism." and "Workers of the world, unite!" stand as two iconic lines that frame the text, marking its opening and its close, respectively, with the latter being reworked and popularized into a famous slogan of working-class solidarity.

2. 1840 · Oceania · Politics

   Treaty of Waitangi

   The Treaty of Waitangi, sometimes referred to as Te Tiriti, is a document of importance to the history of New Zealand, and its national identity. The cornerstone legislative recognition of the Treaty in the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975 represented a paradigm shift and a radically altered official discourse, relating to Māori rights and the relationship between Māori and the Crown. The role of the Treaty in the relationship between Māori and the Crown has become more prominent from the late 20th century. Although the Treaty of Waitangi is not incorporated as a binding international treaty within New Zealand's domestic law, its status as international law is debated. It was first signed on 6 February 1840 by Captain William Hobson as consul for the Crown and by Māori chiefs from the North Island of New Zealand. The treaty's status has clouded the question of whether Māori had ceded sovereignty to the Crown in 1840, and if so, whether such sovereignty remains intact.

3. 1846 – 1848 · North America · War

   Mexican–American War

   The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, was an invasion of Mexico by the United States. It followed the 1845 American annexation of Texas, which Mexico still considered its territory because it refused to recognize the Treaties of Velasco, signed by President Antonio López de Santa Anna after he was captured by the Texian Army during the 1836 Texas Revolution. The Republic of Texas was de facto an independent country, but most of its Anglo-American citizens who had moved from the United States to Texas after 1822 wanted to be annexed by the United States.

4. 1848 · Europe · Politics

   French Revolution of 1848

   The French Revolution of 1848, also known as the February Revolution, was a period of civil unrest in France, in February 1848, that led to the collapse of the July Monarchy and the foundation of the French Second Republic. It sparked the wave of revolutions of 1848.

5. 1848 – 1855 · North America · Economy

   California gold rush

   The California gold rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush in California, which began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people from the rest of the United States and abroad to California, which had recently been conquered from Mexico. The sudden influx of gold into the money supply reinvigorated the American economy; the sudden population increase allowed California to grow rapidly into statehood in the Compromise of 1850. The gold rush had severe effects on Native Californians and accelerated the Native American population's decline from factors including disease, starvation, and according to certain sources, acts of unprovoked aggression.

6. 1849 · Europe · Politics

   Hungarian Revolution of 1848

   The Hungarian Revolution of 1848, also known in Hungary as Hungarian Revolution and War of Independence of 1848–1849 was one of a number of European Revolutions of 1848 and was closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas. Although the Hungarian War of Independence failed, it is one of the most significant events in Hungary's modern history, forming the cornerstone of modern Hungarian national identity—the anniversary of the Revolution's outbreak, 15 March, is one of Hungary's three national holidays.

7. 1845 – 1872 · Oceania · War

   New Zealand Wars

   The New Zealand Wars took place from 1845 to 1872 between the New Zealand colonial government and allied Māori on one side, and Māori and Māori-allied settlers on the other.

Descriptions are the opening paragraph of each Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA 4.0). Open an event for the full text and a link to the source.

Still under way

• First Opium War1839 – 1842
• Russian conquest of Central Asia1839 – 1895

Around the same time

• Spanish American wars of independence1808 – 1833
• On the Origin of Species1859
• American Civil War1861 – 1865
• Meiji Restoration1868
• Independence of Brazil1822
• Second voyage of HMS Beagle1831 – 1836
• Taiping Rebellion1850 – 1864
• Perry Expedition1853 – 1854
• Crimean War1853 – 1856
• Indian Rebellion of 18571857 – 1858
• Emancipation Proclamation1863
• Suez Canal1869

Other maps for this period

• War mapsFirst Opium War
• War mapsMexican–American War
• Epidemics map1846–1860 cholera pandemic
• Inventions mapHistory of general anesthesia