In the second half of the nineteenth century Western Europe expanded and consolidated its presence in the world. His prestige was based on superiority in the field of science and technology and industrial power and capitalist, strengthened by the discovery of new sources of energy, such as oil and electricity, the use of new systems of communication and the unchallenged domination of world trade Meanwhile, the major European powers led to the end of the colonial conquests, especially in Africa, driven by the desire to obtain new sales markets for domestic products and snap up raw materials and energy resources at low cost. At this prodigious industrial development, which lasted until early in the twentieth century and that affected other countries in the world such as the U.S. and Japan, has been given the name of the Second Industrial Revolution.



In Europe, in the period between 1850 and 1914, we witnessed a number of important changes, which changed the life of the continent. The innovations were not of the same extent in all countries, the most significant in some, less obvious in others; However, the Europeans had the impression that they have reached a turning point.