The Post-Napoleonic Order

1. The Post-Napoleonic Order 1815-1832

2. The Congress of Vienna • Established Congress System to restore balance of power • European powers meet to discuss problems in Europe and to intervene if there is unrest • Goal to prevent further revolutions • To restore legitimate rulers who were overthrown by Napoleon • Faced two problems: Nationalism and Liberalism

3. The Challenge of Nationalism • Germany • German people living within different German states • Some want all Germans to be one nation • Italy • Italian people living under small Italian states or foreign occupation • Some want all Italians to be one nation

4. The Challenge of Nationalism • Austria • Twenty different nationalities within Austrian Empire • Germans in charge, though a minority • Each nationality wants to be a separate nation • Russia • Poles and other nationalities want independence • Britain • Irish want independence

5. The Challenge of Liberalism • Liberalism • The French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars challenge old order of Divine Right and aristocratic rule • Demand for constitutional government • Representation in government • Civil liberties • But only for the middle class • Conservatives want to go back to before 1789

6. The Legacy of the French Revolution • Romanticism • Reaction to the Enlightenment • Questioning of Reason and Rationality • Return to nature and emphasis on pure emotion • Influence in literature, art, and music

7. The Legacy of Napoleon • Napoleon inspires German nationalism • Revival of German folk tales • Inspired German national identity • The role of history • G.W.F. Hegel (1770-1831) • German philosopher • Believed history moves in cycles and clashes of ideas • Thesis, antithesis, synthesis • Fitche - Belief in the role of individual in history • Great men move history forward

8. The Conservatives Strike Back • Austria • Klemens von Metternich (1773-1859) • Austrian chancellor • Prevents reforms in Austria • Prevents German states from uniting • Prussia • Frederick William III opposes constitutional government • “Junkers” remain in charge

9. The Conservatives Strike Back • The Carlsbad Decrees • German university students form groups supporting German unification • Burschenschaften • Carlsbad Decrees issued by German Confederation in 1819 • Banned student groups • Imposed censorship • Forbade discussion on German unification

10. The Conservatives Strike Back • Russia • Decembrist Revolt (1825) • Army officers attempt a revolt against Czar Nicholas I on December 1825 • Demand a constitution and Nicholas’ brother Constantine as Czar • Revolt ruthlessly put down • Nicholas I also puts down revolt in Poland in 1830

11. The Conservatives Strike Back • France • Bourbons restored under Louis XVIII • Became a constitutional monarchy • Charter keeps most of the gains of the Revolution • Torn in conflict between liberals and conservatives • Repression returns by 1821

12. The Conservatives Strike Back • Britain • Workers and farmers agitate against government taxes • Parliament passes Combination Acts outlawing unions in 1799 • Peterloo Massacre • Army fires on striking workers • Parliament passes Six Acts in 1819 restricting free speech

13. Revolution Erupts • Greece • Part of the Ottoman Empire for 500 years • Greeks launch revolution in 1821 • Has the sympathy of other European powers • Greek Revolution shows weakness of the Ottoman Empire • Spurs “Eastern Question” • Greece becomes independent kingdom • Serbia also declares independence

14. Revolution Erupts • Latin America • French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars lead Spanish and Portuguese colonies to declare independence in 1820 • Most of the emerging countries undemocratic and poor • Britain keeps Spain and Portugal from regaining colonies

15. Revolution Erupts • France • Revolution of 1830 • Louis XVIII dies in 1824, Charles X succeeds him • Charles X attempts to roll back constitutional government • Overthrown in 1830; Louis Philippe becomes King • France remains a constitutional monarchy under control of the middle class

16. Revolution Erupts • Belgium • Added to Holland in 1815 • Belgians demand their independence • Based on nationalism; Belgians are Catholic, Dutch are Protestant • Belgium becomes an independent kingdom • Protection assured by major European powers

17. Revolution Erupts • Britain • No revolution, but makes reforms • Catholic Emancipation Act (1829) allows Irish Catholics to vote and hold office in Ireland • Great Reform Bill (1832) expands electorate by including the middle class

18. Conclusion • Europe after the Napoleonic Wars torn in struggle between conservatism and nationalism and liberalism • Conservatives try to reverse the influences of the French Revolution • Each country tries to deal with the consequences of the new order

19. The Revolution of 1848“The Springtime of Peoples” “The turning point at which history failed to turn.”-- George Macaulay Trevelyn [1937]

20. Revolutions of 1848 • Causes (Simplistic) • Liberals from middle class demand rights • Economic slowdown • Poor harvests • Nationalism among European minorities

22. Revolution of 1848 • France • Ruled by Louis Philippe since 1830 • Corruption in the government • Poor harvests • High prices for food • Working class demonstrate in Paris • Women demanded equal rights • Demand workshops and relief for unemployed • Soldiers fire on workers • Louis Philippe abdicates February 24, 1848

23. Revolution of 1848 • Second Republic declared • Louis Napoleon Bonaparte • Nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte • Elected President of the Second Republic in 1848 • Takes power in 1851; constitution did not allow president to be reelected • Declared himself Emperor Napoleon III in 1852

24. Revolution of 1848 • Austria • Nationalism among minorities • Hungarians (Magyars) demand independence • Students lead uprising in Vienna • Metternich resigns and leaves the country • Emperor Ferdinand I agrees to a liberal constitution under pressure • Ferdinand abdicates in 1848; nephew Francis Joseph becomes Emperor and takes back the constitution

25. Revolution of 1848 • Austria • Magyar Revolt • Hungarians demand autonomy for Hungary • Demand to rule over other minorities • “Magyarization” • Put down by the Austrians with Russian help • Czech Revolt • Slavs in Bohemia and Moravia demand same autonomy as in Hungary • Beginning of Pan-Slavism • Slavs from all over Europe want to unite into one state • Used by the Russians to further their goals • Put down by the Austrians

26. Revolution of 1848 • Italy • Divided into separate city-states • Northern Italy under Austrian rule • Italians revolt against the Austrians • Put down by the Austrian army • Revolution spreads through other parts of Italy • Led by Giuseppe Mazzini and Giuseppe Garibaldi • Revolutions put down by French troops

27. Revolution of 1848 • Germany • Revolution in Prussia • Liberals demand reforms • Frederick William IV agrees to reforms • New constitution written • Voting based on taxes paid

28. Revolution of 1848 • Germany • The Frankfurt Assembly • Liberals demand changes to the German confederation • Liberals meet in Frankfurt to write a new constitution for a united Germany • Had no support from military or German rulers • Disputes over borders of a united Germany • Crown offered to Frederick William IV of Prussia • Says, “No, thanks.” • Germany’s last chance at a democracy for 100 years

29. Conclusion • Unrest throughout Europe caused Revolution of 1848 • Liberals desired greater political participation • Nationalities demanded independence • Conservatives manage to put down rebellions • Few revolutionary goals achieved • Moderate liberals withdrew when more radical demands are presented