Conservatism

Understand the nature of Long Essay Questions (LEQs) and Evidence Design Questions (EDQs) within the historical curriculum.
Focus on evaluation style questions; these require weighing evidence to determine the degree of success or impact of a historical movement.
Develop thesis-driven argumentative essays that utilize a clear roadmap and specific historical evidence to support defensive claims.

Evaluative Questioning: A typical prompt might be: "Evaluate the extent to which conservatism was successful in preserving the old order by 1870."
Consistency in Format: Ensure the structure remains stable across different prompts; only the specific ideologies (e.g., Liberalism, Nationalism) and timeframes change.
Essay Approach: Reflections on ideologies discussed in class must be synthesized into a cohesive, argumentative body of work rather than a simple narrative summary.

Ideologies in the 19^{th} century did not exist in isolation; they were deeply interrelated and often defined by their opposition to one another.
Generating Complexity: High-scoring essays address the interplay between:
- Conservatism: Stability, tradition, and organized religion.
- Liberalism: Individual rights, laissez-faire economics, and representative government.
- Nationalism: Sovereignty based on ethnic or national identity.
- Socialism: Economic equality and radical social restructuring.
Understanding these tensions is key to demonstrating historical complexity and the nuanced shifts in power during the 1800s.

The primary task for the first assessment focuses on the rise, implementation, and eventual erosion of Conservatism.
Essays will include contextualization to set the stage for discussions regarding how conservative leaders reacted to radical shifts in European politics.

Initial Step: Contextualize conservatism within the broader framework of the French Revolution (1789) and the subsequent chaos of the Napoleonic Wars.
Reactionary Roots: Conservatism is fundamentally understood as a systematic response to the revolutionary actions and Enlightenment rationalism seen in France.
The Old Order: A desire to return to the Ancien Régime (traditional monarchy, hereditary social hierarchy, and established church) post-1815.

Edmund Burke: The premier theorist of modern conservatism.
- In Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790), he argued that society is a contract between the living, the dead, and those yet to be born, necessitating gradual change rather than radical upheaval.
- He advocated for a return to pre-revolutionary stability and a rejection of the abstract "natural rights" associated with Enlightenment ideals.
Core Definition: At its simplest, conservatism prioritized traditional monarchic structures and societal norms to ensure security and order over individual liberty.

Established the framework for the conservative order in 1815 following the final defeat of Napoleon.
Led by Klemens von Metternich of Austria, who sought to restore the "legitimate" monarchs to their thrones.
Purpose: To restore the balance of power, create a buffer system around France, and ensure that no single nation could dominate Europe again.

Description of the Concert of Europe: An informal coalition system aimed at preserving the conservative status quo through collective security.
Key Nations: Austria, Russia, and Prussia (forming the Holy Alliance), often with the participation of Great Britain and later Bourbon France.
Principle of Intervention: A long-term framework established to combat revolutionary movements by allowing Great Powers to intervene in the internal affairs of other states to stop revolts.

Louis XVIII: Reinstated post-Napoleon. He adopted a moderate policy (the Charter of 1814) to balance royal authority with some revolutionary legal gains.
Charles X: A much more repressive ruler and leader of the "Ultra-royalists."
- His attempt to dissolve the legislature and restrict voting led to the July Revolution of 1830.
- Resulted in the introduction of Louis Philippe, known as the ‘Bourgeois King’ due to his support from the upper-middle class.

A massive wave of revolutions across Europe triggered by economic distress and dissatisfaction with Louis Philippe's government.
Geographic Spread: Revolutions erupted in Italy, Germany, and the Austrian Empire with varied outcomes.
Shift in Governance: While many of these revolts were eventually crushed by conservative militaries, they initiated a permanent national conversation on popular sovereignty and human rights that could not be fully silenced.

Conservatism faced ultimate failure because it could not permanently stifle the calls for change accelerated by the Industrial Revolution.
Critical Evaluation: By the late 1850s, the Concert of Europe weakened significantly, particularly after the Crimean War disrupted the cooperation between Russia and Austria.
Trend of Decline: The revolutions of 1848 demonstrated that the rigid Metternich system was unable to adapt to the 19th-century socio-political realities.

Discussion of the rise of Louis Napoleon (Napoleon III) in France following the collapse of the Second Republic in 1848.
Autocratic Rule: Though elected as a president, he staged a coup in 1851 to become Emperor, using plebiscites to validate his power.
Break from Ideas: His reign combined authoritarian control with industrial progress and urban renewal (Haussmannization), symbolizing a break from the traditionalism of the early conservative era towards a more pragmatic "Realpolitik."