Themes

Explore the Age of Revolution through our four key themes: Political revolution, War and the international order, Social and cultural revolution, and Economic and technological revolution.

Each theme is packed with intriguing objects, artworks, documents – even songs, alongside fascinating facts and information. Tags make searching across themes easy, bringing together people, events, ideas and topics.

  • A portrait of a young woman dressed in a plain white dress and a dark black hat. She is gazing to the left of the frame with a still look on her face.

    Political revolution

    From Mary Wollstonecraft, Thomas Paine and American Independence, to revolutionary France and Marx and Engels, enduring ideas about equality, rights and freedoms during the Age of Revolution, and some of their key proponents.

  • A print showing the cramped conditions of a slave ship. The ship is shown divided into layers which shows the density of slaves on the ship.

    Social and cultural revolution

    The movements for better working conditions, rights and representation for ordinary people, the campaign against transatlantic slavery, the migration of people within and beyond Britain, and the wave of artists, musicians and authors who reflected the period’s upheavals in works that still resonate and delight today.

  • A square wooden base supports a early engine. The brass cogs and wheels are numbered.

    Economic and technological revolution

    Life-changing discoveries and innovations in scientific thinking, technology and medicine in the Age of Revolution, their impacts on work and society, and relationships with trade and the economy.

  • A long dark blue naval coat decorated with gold trim, buttons and medals.

    War and the international order

    The wars precipitated by the struggles for independence and attempts at empire building that characterise the Age of Revolution, and their impact on the changing world map.

Courtesy of the SS Great Britain Trust - A lithograph print of a painting showing the launch of the SS Great Britain steamship. Huge crowds can be seen gathered to watch the ship being launched into Bristol's floating harbour.

In the Classroom

A range of educational resources for teachers relating to the Age of Revolution.

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