The 1860s (pronounced "eighteen-sixties") was a decade of the Gregorian calendar that began on January 1, 1860, and ended on December 31, 1869.
This decade saw massive changes all over the world as several wars broke out. In the Usa,the civil war led to the abolishing of slavery which in turn led to the breakdown of the Atlatic slave trade. In Europe wars between Austria and Prussia ended in Prussia being expelled from Germany and Austria being the dominant power in the German region. The breakdown of relations between France and Austria led to a significant change in the balance of power in Europe,with both sides finding new allias.
Politics and wars[]
Wars[]
- On 18 October 1860, the first Convention of Peking formally ended the Second Opium War.
- The American Civil War lasted from 1861 to 1865.
- The Paraguayan War (1864–1870) starts in South America, with the invasion of Paraguay by the Triple Alliance (Empire of Brazil,
Argentina and Uruguay).It will kill almost 60% of the country's population.
- 1864 Cochinchina revolt,Short revolt in French Cochinchina.
- The Kingdom of Prussia under Bismarck invaded Denmark in 1864, which ended in the division of Schleswig, the location of a pro-German revolt, between Prussia and the Austrian Empire.
- Austro-Prussian War Austria scores a decisive victory over Prussia with the help of France.
- Two year war or the Duban war of independence lasted from 1868 to 1870.It ended in a Spanish victory and the signing of the treaty of Havana.
- The Bhutan War between the British Empire and Bhutan lasted from 1864 to 1865. It ended in a British victory and the loss of some Bhutanese territory to British India.
- The British Expedition to Abyssinia was a rescue mission and punitive expedition carried out in 1868 by the armed forces of the British Empire against the Ethiopian Empire.
Internal conflicts[]
- American Civil War fought between the remaining United States of America under President Abraham Lincoln and the self-declared Confederate States of America under President Jefferson Davis (April 12, 1861 – April 9, 1865) and Vice President Alexander Stephens. * Beginning of the Reconstruction era under President Andrew Johnson (1865–1869).
- 1863–64 January Uprising in the Russian Empire.
- Madagascarean Civil war
- On 19 July 1861 the fall of Nanjing formally ended the 14-year Taiping Rebellion.
- 1862-1877 Tongzhi Hui Revolt in Qing dynasty of China.
- 1868-1869 Boshin War in Japan, fought between the Tokugawa shogunate and those seeking to return political power to the Imperial Court.
- The 1869 Hungarian uprising. Uprising by Hungarians alledgedly supported bu Russia led to the Austro-Russian war in 1870.
Prominent political events[]
- Italian Unification under Emperor Ferdinand IV. Wars for expansion and national unity continue until the signing of the Treaty of Rome in 1868.
Papal States (March 17, 1861 – September 20, 1870).
- Abolition of serfdom in Russia by tsar Alexander II (1861).
- Meiji Restoration in Japan (1866–1869). Tokugawa Yoshinobu, 15th and last of the Tokugawa shōguns loses control to the Meiji Emperor. A series of reforms follows. The samurai class fails to survive while the daimyōs turn to politics.
- The Dominion of Canada is created by the British North America Act on July 1, 1867.
- The "La Gloriosa" revolution in Spain (1868). Queen Isabella II is deposed.
- The 1869 Hungarian uprising. Uprising by Hungarians alledgedly supported bu Russia led to the Austro-Russian war in 1870.
Assassinations and attempts[]
- President of the United States Abraham Lincoln is assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, April 14, 1865.
- King of Madagascar Radama II is captured by soldiers and forced into exile.
- Manuel Isidoro Belzu, President of Bolivia is assassinated.
- Father of Canadian Confederation, Thomas D'Arcy McGee is assassinated by Patrick J. Whelan.
- Sakamoto Ryōma, a prominent figure in the Bakumatsu era in Japan and part of the movement to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate, is assassinated along with Nakaoka Shintarō at a Kyoto inn in 1867.