This chapter introduces and explores the mechanistic episteme. Emerging alongside industrial technologies and relations of production, this episteme is grounded in a mechanical understanding of reality, and a conception of humanity that emphasises its collective, interdependent nature and immense capacity for construction. Central to this period is the concept of ‘discipline’—a new form of power developing in factories, militaries, classrooms and prisons—characterised by its intensity, certainty and aspiration for total control. This desire for control resonates in the demands of the various classes, nations and political forces that gain consciousness and capacity under these conditions, each seeking to determine its own future. The mechanics of liberalism, imperialism and communism are covered here, with the work of Robert Owen, Karl Marx, Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill, David Ricardo and Vladimir Lenin making key contributions. Their visions, and the consequences of efforts to realise those visions, illustrate the unique combination of unbridled optimism and harsh reality that characterises this epistemic period.