Reaction, Revolution, and Romanticism, 1815-1850

Crash Course

Questions

  • What were the goals of the Congress of Vienna and the Concert of Europe, and how successful were they in achieving their goals?
    • An alliance of Austria, Prussia, Russia, and England that was established to prevent the spread of liberalism and nationalism. They managed to establish a true balance of power among European nations. Its actions kept France from becoming too strong and over-powering other countries or too weak and becoming powerless. They succeeded in overseeing a prolonged period of peace.
    • Their goals were to restore the balance of power in Europe, stop the spread of liberalism and nationalism, determine economic compensation for the Napoleonic Wars, and restore the legitimate powers of Europe.
  • How did Conservatives attempt to repair the damage of the Napoleonic Period and maintain traditional political authority?
    • They want to turn the clock back
    • Congress of Vienna to create balance of power between European countries
  • Explain the significance of each of the following individuals:
    • Edmond Burke
      • wrote Reflections on the Revolution in France, he believed that society was a contract and the state was a partnership between those living, dead, and those who are to be born. No generation has the right to destroy this and must pass it on to the next generation.
    • Joseph de Maistre
      • was a French conservative writer who advocated for the restoration of a hereditary monarchy which he regarded as a divinely sanctioned institution; he said that only absolute monarchy could guarantee order in society and avoid chaos.
    • Klemens von Metternich
      • was an Austrian statesman and diplomat and was the Austrian representative at the Congress of Vienna. He wanted to restore the balance of power, make Europe peaceful, restore old monarchs, and compensate the allies for their lost.
    • Toussaint L'Ouverture
      • led the revolt on Saint-Domingue (Haiti) in 1790 which resulted in the successful overthrow of the French colonial rule on this Caribbean island.
    • Jose de San Martin
      • was a second liberator who freed Chile, and who was joined by Bolivar later, who assumed the task of crushing the last significant Spanish army -- which led to the independence of Mexico and Central America provinces.
    • Simon Bolivar
      • was "The Liberator" who led the revolution in South America to free Columbia and Venezuela from Spanish rule
  • How can the revolts in Latin America be seen as both a product of European exploitation and a cause of further rebellion in Europe?
    • The slaves were upset at the treatment by Europeans and the lower (majority) class in Europe supported the slaves in this argument.
  • What were the main tenets of each of the following ideologies and what role did each ideology play in Europe in the first half of the 19th century? (Be sure you are describing the 19th century versions as the meanings of these words have changed over time.)
    • Conservatism
      • based on tradition and social stability that favored the maintenance of established institutions, organized religion, and obedience to authority and resisted change, especially abrupt change
    • Liberalism
      • Guiding belief is individual freedom
      • Economic:
        • government should be laissez-faire
      • Political:
        • Equality before law, freedom of speech
        • Thomas Malthus
        • David Ricardo
    • Nationalism
      • the idea that the "nation" should be the primary focus of loyalty
    • Utopian Socialism
      • wanted to create societies in which the principle was cooperation rather than the competition
      • none of the attempts succeeded
  • What forces for change were present in France, Great Britain, Belgium, Poland, and Italy between 1830 & 1848 and how did each nation respond?
    • France
      • Louis-Philippe was greatly disliked and eventually forced to abdicate after which Louis Blanc took over.
      • Rise of national workshops
    • Great Britain
      • Under the German-speaking House of Hanover, reforms could take place
      • The Reform Act of 1832: helped the working poor by slum clearing and such (in the end, it primarily benefited the upper middle class)
      • Corn laws repealed
    • Belgium
      • Catholic Belgium became independent of Protestant Dutch
      • Leopold of Saxe-Coburg was made king
    • Poland
      • Poland has uprisings in 1830, but Russia crushed this and started an oppressive military dictatorship of Poland
    • Italy
      • At first (1830), Metternich crushed Italian revolts
      • Giuseppe Mazzini - "resorgimento"
        • founded the Young Italy movement to form a united Italian Republic
      • Cristina Belgioioso - worked for Mazzini's cause
  • Explain the significant of each of the following people/items:
    • Jeremy Bentham
      • Utilitarianism - The greatest happiness for the greatest number
    • Anti-Corn Law League
      • organized by manufacturers who sought to repeal the Corn Laws; wanted to abolish tariffs protecting the domestic price of grain. This would lower food prices, which would then allow lower wages at no real cost to workers
    • John Stuart Mill
      • wrote On Liberty in which he argued for an absolute freedom of opinion and sentiment on all subjects that needed to be protected from both government censorship and the tyranny of the majority
    • Flora Tristan
      • a female utopian socialist, who wrote Workers Union that advocated for absolute equality and freedom for the working class
    • Henry de Saint-Simon
      • Earliest of socialist pioneers, a young, liberal French aristocrat who had fought in the American Revolution. Welcomed the French Revolution, by time of Napoleon's ascendancy he had turned to a career of writing and social criticism and a concern for order.
    • Charles Fourier
      • proposed creation of small model communities called phalansteries
    • Robert Owen
      • believe that humans would reveal their true natural goodness if the lived in a cooperative environment
    • Burschenshaften
      • student societies dedicated to fostering the goal of a free, united Germany. They were inspired by Friedrich Ludwig Jahn. They had burned books written by conservative authors and killed a playwright -- this led Metternich and Germanic Confederation to draw up the Karlsbad Decrees of 1819.
    • Thomas Malthus
      • wrote Essay on the Principles of Population, in which he argued that population increases at a geometric rate while the food supply increases at a much slower, arithmetic rate
    • Reform Act of 1832
      • helped the working poor by slum clearing and such (in the end, it primarily benefited the upper middle class)
  • How did European States respond to the increase in crime in the late 18th and early 19th centuries?
    • France:
      • New police force called "serjents" (1828) was introduced
      • created to protect citizens, not control them
    • Great Britain:
      • The constable system failed -> police "bobbies" were introduced
    • Germany:
      • Schutsmannschaft (German version of British police)
  • What were the causes of the Revolutions of 1848 and why did the revolutions fail?
    • failed because minorities started fighting against themselves than joining together to fight against others
  • What steps did Great Britain take that prevented the revolutions that occurred in almost every other European country in 1848?
    • The success of reformist political measures
    • The existence of a non-violent Chartist movement
    • elaboration of British self-identity founded upon a notion of respectability
  • Explain each of the following examples:
    • War of Greek Independence
    • Decembrist Revolt in Russia
    • Polish Rebellion
    • July Revolution in France
    • Russian Reformers - Alexander II, Sergei Witte, Peter Stolypin
  • What were the characteristics of Romanticism and how were they reflected in each of the following areas?
    • Characteristics:
      • awe of nature
      • celebration of the individual
      • rejected rationalization of nature by the enlightenment
    • Literature:
      • Shelley
      • Byron
      • Wordsworth (naturalist): "pantheism" -- identified the great force of nature with God
    • Art:
      • Friedrich
      • Turner
      • Delacroix
    • Music:
      • Beethoven
      • Berlioz