CHY4U - UNIT 3: Maintaining Political Order

Alliances, Political Reforms, weakening of Kings and Monarchies, and the Concert of Europe

Quadruple Alliance:

• Established at the Congress of Vienna

• United Kingdom, Austria, Prussia, and Russia

• Purpose: To maintain peace in Europe between states

• Head Figure: Prince Klemens Von Metternich

  • was an Austrian conservative nationalist that wanted to suppress the development of others

The Concert of Europe

• The ‘Quadruple Alliance’ took the name of the “Concert of Europe” or the ‘Quintuple alliance’ after France’s decision to join in September of 1818

  • French Foreign Minister Tallyrand Joins

• Russia, Prussia, Austria, United Kingdom and France

The Holy Alliance:

• Russia, Austria, and Prussia all agreed to defend each other incase monarchies are invaded/revolted by people

  • Britain Steps out of this since it does not want to be in internal disputes

Why was Congress of Vienna was unsuccessful?

• Brought order and stability up until WWI but was unsuccessful because it allowed for the internal disputes within states to go unworked due to its primary focus of international affairs.

Development of Countries in the 19th Century: Spain

• Did not industrialize like the major European countries

• Fell off when defeated by Napoleon

• by 1850, it was still a constitutional monarchy

Development of Countries in the 19th Century: Greece

• Gained independence

• 1830 — Treaty of Adrianople: The first successful independence movement in Europe

  • Gave Greece’s Independence

  • Was supported by France, Russia, and Great Britain

Development of Countries in the 19th Century: Belgium

• Second to gain Independence after Greece

• Rebelled against the Kingdom of Netherlands

• 1839 Treaty of London

  • Allowed Belgium to keep its independence by Britain if Belgium remained ‘Neutral’ and away from international conflicts/affairs

  • Belgium pledged neutrality

France’s July Revolution in 1898

• July monarchy and July Revolution: Monarchy (Luis Felipe) replaced with Napoleon III

• It was a period of a constitutional monarchy, marked by a shift in power towards the upper-middle class and significant political and social unrest.

Napoleon III

• Nephew of Napoleon

• Presidency: 1848-1852

• President of ‘Second French Republic’

  • Second French Republic ends with the “Second Empire”

• Believed that virtue > Corruption, unlike monarchists that wanted order over anarchy

The Second French Empire (1852 to 1870)

• Became Second French Empire after Napoleon III declared himself emperor in December of 1852, which was the government of France from 1852 to 1870

• Was under Napoleon III

  • Economy was prosperous

  • Legislative reforms

  • Boom in railroads and industrialization process in France

  • Beautified Paris

The French Reforms of 1860-1870

• Led to Napoleon III’s success during the Second French Republic

• Included:

  • Freedom of the press

  • de-influence of church

  • educational reforms

  • right to strike

  • freedom of press

The Franco-Prussian War — Effects on France

• Siege of Paris by the Prussians and Bismarck

• Were Crushed

• Divided France due to Nationalism

1830’s program of Russification

• Nicholas I

• forced non-Russians to be Russian

Pan-Slavism

• Russian influence over all Slavic people

The Crimean War — (1854-1856)

• Franco-Russian dispute over rights of Christian minorities in Holy Land

• The Treaty of Paris: Signed to resolve conflict over the Black Sea, resulting in it’s demilitarization

• Black sea ‘Neutralized’

  • Black Sea would be open to the merchant ships of all nations, but closed to warships, effectively demilitarizing the region.

• Russia = Losers (Politically), France = Winners

Significance of The Crimean War

• Showed the world that wars would be fought differently from that point

• One of the first wars to be documented extensively

• Was a sign for countries to industrialize (especially Russia)

• Marked the end of the period of peace established after the Congress of Vienna

• Was the beginning of a new era of shifting alliances and rising nationalism

Alexander II (1855-1881)

• Czar of Russia

• industrialization in the 1860s

  • railroad construction

  • growth of cities

  • new working class with poor conditions, low pay, no protection

• working class leaders look to Marxism

The Austrian Empire

• Austria was weakened by Nationalism

  • Their leader Metternich resigned

• The state began to have issues with Hungarians

  • they believed that they were similar so they decided to form a “Dual Monarchy”

  • Austria-Hungary Formed 8 February 1867

The Dual Monarchy

Austria-Hungary — 8 February 1867

• Led by Franz Joseph I

• Was good for the economy

• Have Hungary a form of Independence/ Internal Autonomy

• single foreign policy, one army, unified monetary system

The Balkans

• Resulted in Growth of Nationalism

• Called the “Powder Keg” by Bismarck due to its overlapping land between different powers

  • People wanted the Balkans and argued over it — He believed it would cause a war (and was right)

• Took interest from the Ottoman Empire, Russia, and Germany

  • Slavic nationalism a result of Russia

• The focus on the Balkans allows Austria—Hungary to get some land