ABSTRACT
The twentieth century is the most ambiguous of the time periods generally employed in World History. Historians are reasonably comfortable with discussions of ancient, classical, and (less so) early modern periods. And the idea of a “long nineteenth century” stretching from the Industrial, American, and French Revolutions through until World War I has considerable appeal. The expansion of legal rights was matched in the social and cultural realms by increased respect for diversity. Economic growth and population growth largely shaped this new world of artistic diversity: The much broader audience for works of art meant that there was room for competing styles. With respect to the economy, the main story was the continuation of the modern economic growth that had begun with the Industrial Revolution. Population growth accelerates through most of the century, but there are definite signs of deceleration and even decline in most but not quite all parts of the world by century end.
