By the mid 17th Century, Europe was on the way to reshaping itself socially and politcally, but change takes time.  The old institutions remained in place despite the fact that they were not really in line with the new way of thinking.  This caused conflict.  Wars were fought over land and political power as well as religion.

     Intellectually, the new thought process developed into what a modern observer would call science and Europe was on the brink of creating an entirely new way of life. 

     Across the Atlantic Ocean, the powers of Europe raced to colonize land in North and South America.  This first wave of colonialism focused on the Americas.  However, after a few hundred years, revolutionary ideas began to stir among the colonial subjects.  The American Revolution came first, and unleashed ideas that echoed back across the ocean to the Old World.

     The end of the time period saw revolution exported back to Europe and the old continent was forced to adjust to these new realities.