| ca. 1540–1700 | ca. 1740–1789 |
| – Scientific Revolution | – Salons led by Parisian elites |
| ca. 1690–1789 | 1751–1772 |
| – Enlightenment | – Philosophes publish Encyclopedia: The Rational Dictionary of the Sciences, the Arts, and the Crafts |
| ca. 1700–1800 | 1756–1763 |
| – Growth of book publishing | – Seven Years’ War |
| 1720–1780 | 1762–1796 |
| – Rococo style in art and decoration | – Reign of Catherine the Great of Russia |
| 1740–1748 | 1780–1790 |
| – War of the Austrian Succession | – Reign of Joseph II of Austria |
| 1740–1780 | 1791 |
| – Reign of the empress Maria Theresa of Austria | – Establishment of the Pale of Settlement |
| 1740–1786 | |
| – Reign of Frederick the Great of Prussia | |