Retrospective 1825

Political context and leading figures

• King George IV rules the United Kingdom, while Charles X ascends the French throne after the death of Louis XVIII.  
• In Russia, Alexander I dies in December 1825, leading to uncertainty before Nicholas I takes power.  
• In the United States, John Quincy Adams becomes the 6th president amid rapid economic growth.  
• In Latin America, Simón Bolívar continues his campaigns for liberation, especially in newly independent Bolivia.  
• Haiti remains unstable following independence, while Brazil is consolidating its empire under Pedro I.

Economy, industry, and transport

• In England, George Stephenson inaugurates the first public steam railway, the Stockton-Darlington line.  
• In the U.S., the opening of the Erie Canal connects New York to the Great Lakes, boosting the city's expansion.  
• The British East India Company remains a key player in trade with the Chinese Empire.  
• Candles, still widely used for lighting, are slowly giving way to new technologies.  
• Aluminium, though not yet produced industrially, is already attracting scientific interest for its properties.

Arts, music, and literature

• The Romantic movement gains momentum across Europe, inspiring writers, musicians, and painters.  
• In Russia, Alexander Pushkin emerges as a founding figure of modern Russian literature.  
• Painter Jacques-Louis David, a leading figure of Neoclassicism, dies in exile in Brussels.  
• In Austria, Johann Strauss II is born, while Antonio Salieri, his predecessor, dies the same year.  
• The famed Bolshoi Theatre opens its doors in Moscow, enhancing Russia’s cultural prestige.  
• Future fashion designer Charles Frederick Worth, the father of haute couture, is born in England.  
• Architect Charles Garnier, who will design the Paris Opera, is also born this year.

Urban life and society

• London remains the largest metropolis of its time, symbolizing British power and industrial progress.  
• Social tensions are rising in Russia, foreshadowing the first signs of the Decembrist movement.