Eric Hobsbawm’s The Age of Revolution describes the process and results of the “dual revolution” of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth-century.  According to Hobsbawm, this revolution — comprising the “more political French and the industrial (British) revolution” (2) — represented “the triumph not of ‘industry’ as such, but of capitalist industry; not of liberty and equality in general but of middle class or ‘bourgeois‘ liberal society; not of ‘the modern economy’ or ‘the modern state’, but of the economies and states in a particular geographical region of the world” (1).

Using evidence drawn from Hobsbawm and at least three of our primary source readings, write a short (3-5 page) essay that presents an argument in which you agree or disagree with Hobsbawm’s statement.  Had “capitalist industry” and “middle class society” triumphed by the middle of the nineteenth century?  What about conservatism, socialism, and nationalism?  How did these various ways of seeing the world shape the society that emerged in the wake of the dual revolution?  In answering this question, be sure to provide an adequate definition of the relevant terms, while considering the ways in which both the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution provided not only the means by which liberalism would emerge triumphant, but also the means through which that triumph could and would be challenged.  Do not feel the need to answer every question posed; instead, use the questions to stimulate an original argument of your own that assesses the outcomes of the dual revolution.

Your essay should present a clearly defined thesis statement that is then supported by evidence drawn from any of the course readings.  You are NOT permitted to use outside research.  Your essay should utilize a citation method.  If you choose to use parenthetical citations, remember to include a bibliography.  Essays should be double-spaced, 12 point font, Times New Roman with 1″ margins all around.  Essays are due by 5:00p on Friday, March 1 by e-mail.