The Rise of Europe to World Hegemony, 1492-1900

In the late fifteenth century no one would have predicted that European civilization would have the capacity to dominate the world. 1492 marked the beginning of a new era in which first the Iberian kingdoms followed by several European states, experienced a meteoric rise that allowed Europeans on the whole to enjoy hegemony until the early twentieth century.

 

In his talk, Julio Crespo MacLennan (Instituto Cervantes) will aim to prove that European powers were guided by very similar principle, aims and methods in their imperial expansion and that there is a European legacy that plays a very influential role in the global civilization of the 21st century.

 

Julio Crespo MacLennan is an academic, historian, and writer specialized in contemporary Spain, Europe, and history of international relations. He has taught at several Spanish, British, and American universities, including University of Oxford. His research areas include contemporary Spanish history, the history of Europeanism, comparative imperial history, and the legacy of Europe. He is author of five books, has written over one hundred articles and book reviews published in academic journals, and is a regular contributor to the Spanish daily newspaper ABC. His books on Great Europeanists and Eurosceptics in history, and European imperial history have been critically acclaimed in Spain. His next book The Rise and Fall of Europe in the World from 1492 to Present will be published in 2015.