Liberal Challenges to Restoration Europe

1. Liberal Challenges to Restoration Europe

2. European Restoration • The monarchs, diplomats, & nobles at the Congress of Vienna were guided by conservative principles of monarchial legitimacy (hereditary right to throne) and by close ties to leaders of the established churches.

3. Congress of Vienna • Met between September 1814 and June 1815 • Allies who had defeated Napoleon-Austria, Russia, Prussia, & Great Britain came together to reestablish peace in Europe • Three main goals: redistribute territory, achieve a balance of power that prevented any state from becoming too powerful, & to make future revolutionary movements impossible • Thought that imposing a treaty on France & the creation of the Concert of Europe would help

4. Represented conservative impulses; against liberalism & nationalism that demanded reform in the name of popular sovereignty (conservatives blamed this for the French Revolution & Napoleonic Era) • Austrian hosts of the Congress staged elaborate dinners, elegant balls, festive fireworks, & various activities to relieve boredom. • Provided an opportunity for informal discussions which had always been an important part of traditional European diplomacy • Representatives redrew the map of Europe, putting old rulers back on their throne.

6. Conservative ideology • Conservatives insisted that states emerged through gradual growth and that monarchial legitimacy stemmed from royal birthright, confirmed by sanction of religion. • Joseph de Maistre blamed the revolution on the philosophes of the Enlightenment & rejected the idea of natural rights. • De Maistre believed that a king’s power could not be limited because that power came only from God. • Most conservatives did not see a difference between reform & revolution.

7. Bourbon restoration in France • Upon the return of the Bourbons to power, Louis XVIII created a charter that made France a constitutional monarchy. • Charter recognized equality before law, freedom of the press, & accepted the Napoleonic Civil Code • Bourbon monarchy maintained centralized state bureaucracy & promised that all land purchased during the Revolution would remain in the owner’s hands • Government could not levy taxes without consent of the Assembly

8. The Catholic Church returned to its privileged position and Catholicism became the official state religion (even though Napoleon’s Code guaranteed free practice of religion to Protestants) • However, the Catholic Church would still be subject to Napoleon’s Concordat. • In the election for the Chamber of Deputies, Ultra-royalists easily defeated moderates. • Louis XVIII soon dissolved the Ultra-dominated Chamber of Deputies.

9. In 1820, the only member of the Bourbon family that was capable of producing an heir was assassinated. • The Ultras vowed for revenge, until they gained the upper hand when a “miracle baby” was born • Louis XVIII died in 1824; his brother, Charles X took the throne • More civil unrest and disturbances occurred; liberals became more outspoken in a conservative-characterized state

10. Liberalism & Laissez-Faire • Liberals shared a confidence that human progress was inevitable, though gradual. • “Liberty” was a word that defined the liberal middle class who protested their exclusion in political life. • Economic liberals, for the most part, believed in laissez faire, that the economy should be allowed to operate without state interference • Many liberals opposed protectionism • Followed the ideals of Adam Smith & Jeremy Bentham

11. Romanticism • Emphasized imagination and emotion in personal development • Coleridge and Wordsworth encouraged the abandonment of classical style and embracement of the romantic era • First contributed to the conservative revival, responding to the violence of the Revolution • Wolfgang von Goethe evoked the battle raging in the mind of the heroic individual through his paintings. His most famous being “Faust”.

12. Romantics also expressed their thoughts and emotions through music. • Beethoven bridged the classical & romantic periods by being popularly involved in both

13. Feminist Movement • Feminist movements expanded in Socialist movements of the Romantic generation • The Bourbon Restoration re-established the prohibition of divorce during this time period. • Rejoined Republican & Socialist to fight for equality of rights, which later lead to the1848 Revolution

14. Revolution of 1830 (France) • Directly encouraged liberal & national movements in other countries • Liberal successes in Belgium & Switzerland, but not in Spain • Belgian liberals allied with Catholics against the Protestant Dutch government demanding that ministers be responsible to the Estates-General and taxes be reduced • In October of 1830, Belgium was granted independence

15. The 1830 revolution in France influenced Switzerland to begin their quest for constitutional guarantees of freedom, more efficient government, & limits on political influence of Protestant and Catholic clergy. • In December 1830, the federal Diet initiated a period of “regeneration” • In 1848, Switzerland adopted a new liberal constitution, becoming a federal state with universal male suffrage

16. Emergence of Nationalism • Nationalism was closely tied to liberalism – both demanded far reaching political change that threatened state systems • Revolt in Poland: Nicholas I abolished constitution that Poland enjoyed in Russian Empire • Uprising in Italy – Several cities declared independence from Papal States • In Spain, Isabella became King Ferdinand VII’s heir causing a civil war between conservatives and liberals – argued that a woman could not rule Spain

17. In German states, constitutions of the Napoleonic period dissolved causing liberal uprisings. • University students lead a meeting of 30,000 people where popular sovereignty was saluted; Confederation’s Diet responded by passing “Ten Articles”, which included prohibition of public meetings. • German liberalism gained momentum and became linked to the pursuit of German unification

18. Crisis & Compromise in Britain • In Britain, demands for political reform (include more middle-class voters) tested British ability to compromise in the interest of social & political balance. • Reform Bill of 1832: lower minimum franchise requirement (doubled size of electorate); only about 1 in 5 male citizens were now eligible to vote, but Parliament more accurately reflected the emerging industrial society. • In 1833, slavery was abolished in British Empire and child labor laws were reformed.

19. “New” Middle Class • William Lovett founded the London Workingmen’s Association for Benefiting Politically, Socially, and Morally the Useful Classes • 2 years later, the “Great Charter”was created • Called for democratization of political life, including male suffrage, annual elections, & equal electoral districts • Ordinary people could serve if elected • Chartists began rallying supporters to sign petition, but was repeatedly rejected.

20. Chartism declined as a movement • Parliament passed the Corn Laws, which protected landowners, but placed the burden of higher prices for bread on ordinary people. • Issue of repeal = laissez faire vs. wealthy property owners • “Great Hunger” in Ireland – potato famine • Prime Minister Robert Peel knew that repealing the Corn Laws would cost him his job, but he did so anyway. • Afterwards, other countries’ middle class proponents became more unified and vocal about their issues