Wow, this is a huge period. 1815-1914 is, honestly, just way too huge of a topic to cover in one post but I'll try. There are numerous classifications we can work with here and it's just a smorgasbord of topics. I can't even begin to provide an overview of this period so what I'll do is I'll break it down into time period, subject, and hope that gives you some direction to do some introductory reading around the internet (because if you know nothing that's what you should do) along with asking questions here (another thing you should do).

*. 1815 and 1871 is considered Concert Europe -- a period of 'peace' enforced by the Treaty of Vienna (which ended the Napoleonic Wars) and Pax Brittanica.

This period is commonly associated with:

1. The rise of German Nationalism is without a doubt the biggest one (The Wars of German Unification by William Carr is the principal source on this imo)

2. Near total European peace brought by Vienna and British naval hegemony on a global scale

3. The rise of liberalism/radicalism along with their revolutions (which particularly affected France and Germany)

I know this has less bullet points than the next section but this was not the 'boring' part by any means -- it's just these three topics are so freaking juicy and deep.

Specific Topics: 1830 Revolutions, 1848 Revolutions, 'Age of Revolution', Liberalism, Nationalism, Conservatism, Pax Brittanica, 'Concert Europe', Italian Unification, Communist Manifesto, Opium Wars, Wars of German Unification

• 1871-1914 can basically be umbrella'd as the end of the concert as the formation of Germany/Franco-Prussian War shattered that balance of power.

This period is commonly associated with:

1. Rampant German militarism & the formation of European power blocs

2. The "Scramble for Africa" -- rapid colonization of 'inland' Africa

3. Gradual British return to 'Continental' Politics (ie: not being isolated of the concerns of the continent) and decline as the 'world policeman'

4. Decline of the Ottomans as a state and the Spanish control over their colonies

5. Second Industrial Revolution

Specific Topics: Weltpolitik, Berlin Conference (1884/85), Second Boer War, Entente Cordiale, Treaty of Berlin (1878), Second Industrial Revolution, Herero Genocide, First/Second Moroccan Crisis', Spanish-American War, Dreyfus Affair, Belle Époque, Bismark

If you want a post I've made about the leadup to WWI (which pretty much covers #1 and #3 above) look at my post here. If you'd like to see a more military history side of things this post of mine will also provide some insight.

In terms of the French themselves this period would be quite, well, tumultuous. This was a period where they went from the First Empire under Napoleon (1804-1815) to the Bourbon Restoration (1815-1830) to the July Monarchy (1830-1848) to the Second Republic (1848-1852) to the Second Empire (Napoleon III, 1852-1870) to the Third Republic (1870 - 1940). In terms of what I talked about above the 1830 and 1848 revolutions were absolutely centered in France and Western Germany. The Dreyfus Affair, Franco-Prussian War, the Scramble for Africa, the Moroccan Crisis', and the Wars of Italian Unification were all intimately French affairs as well. Whatever those topics don't cover they'll point you in the direction of things that will.