ap euro unit 7

AP EUROPEAN HISTORY - UNIT 7: 19th-Century Perspectives and Political Developments

Impact of French Revolution

  • Nationalism:

    • Definition: "being part of a community that includes a common language, traditions, and costumes."

Congress of Vienna and Its Principles

  • Principles:

    1. Principle of Legitimacy: Only legitimate rulers should rule.

    2. Balance of Power: No single state should dominate the continent.

  • Impact of the Congress of Vienna:

    • Year: 1814

    • Formation of Quadruple Alliance: Included Great Britain, Russia, Prussia, and Austria.

    • Key Leader: Prince Klemens von Metternich

    • Established Polish Kingdom: Under the Romanov dynasty.

    • Restoration of Bourbon Family:

    • Beginning with the King of England, restored to the thrones of France and Spain.

    • Prussia and Italian States: Received lands back to their rulers.

    • Austria's Role: Gained control of Italian states, such as Lombardy.

  • Concert of Europe:

    • Purpose: To prevent revolutionary attempts.

    • Meetings: Met periodically (four meetings):

    1. Aix-la-Chapelle (1818): Added France to the Concert of Europe and withdrew military occupation from France.

    2. Troppau (1820): Addressed revolts in Italy and Spain, restored Bourbon Ferdinand I as king of Naples and Sicily.

      • Principle of Intervention: Great powers had the right to send arms to countries experiencing revolutions (Great Britain refused to participate).

    3. Laibach (1821): Only Austria, Prussia, and Russia attended; sent armed forces to Naples to suppress rebellion and restore Ferdinand I.

    4. Verona (1822): France invaded Spain to restore Ferdinand VIII.

Nationalist Movements: Failures of Conservatism

  1. Greek Revolution:

    • 1827: Great Britain and France sent fleets to defeat the Ottomans.

    • 1829: Treaty of Adrianople concluded, leading to Greek independence by 1830.

  2. Latin America:

    • Gradual liberation of territories such as Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru, and Colombia.

    • Causes for Conservative Failures in Spain:

      • Power vacuum.

      • Enlightenment ideas.

      • Hierarchical systems.

      • Century of oppression.

Success of Conservatism

  1. Great Britain:

    • Dominated by landowning classes in both houses of Parliament.

    • Monarchy's power was weak.

    • Political Parties:

      • Tories dominated the government; Whigs were the first to gain support from the economic class.

    • Corn Laws: Imposed high tariffs on foreign grain to protect British agriculture.

    • Peterloo Massacre: 11 protesters killed during a mass protest.

  2. France:

    • Restoration (1814): Bourbon family reinstated under Louis XVIII.

    • Accepted Napoleon's Civil Code and established a bicameral legislature comprising:

      • Chamber of Peers: Appointed by the king.

      • Chamber of Deputies: Elected by the electorate.

    • Ultra Royalists: Criticized the king’s willingness to compromise, returning the church to a more powerful position.

    • Charles X Era:

      • Granted indemnity to aristocrats.

      • Aimed to reestablish church control over education.

      • Had to accept Ministerial Responsibility, where ministers were accountable to the legislature, not the king.

      • Violated commitments in 1829, leading to revolts among deputies.

  3. Italian States:

    • Congress of Vienna established nine states in Italy, mainly dominated by Austrian powers.

    • Nationalist Societies: Planned revolts, such as the Carbonari group.

  4. Spain:

    • Reinstated Bourbon monarchy under Ferdinand VII.

    • Initially promised to review the liberal constitution of 1812 but eventually dissolved the Cortes and persecuted its members.

    • Revolutions led to his capture and promise to restore the Cortes; Metternich's intervention saved Ferdinand by sending in the French army.

  5. Germany:

    • The Vienna settlement recognized 38 sovereign states; Prussia and Austria were dominant.

    • Liberal Principles: Largely favored by Germans.

    • Formation of Burschenschaften: Student societies that sought a free and united Germany:

      • Used radical protest methods such as book burning and assassination.

      • Prompted Metternich to create the Carlsbad Decrees (1819) to suppress these movements.

  6. Austrian Empire:

    • Held together by the imperial civil service, the dynasty, and the Catholic Church.

    • Multinational Realm: Under the Habsburg Emperor.

    • Economic Status: German regions more advanced; opposition from Hungarians against the monarchy fueled tensions.

  7. Russia: Alexander I’s Era:

    • Relaxed censorship and freed political prisoners.

    • Educational system reforms but did not abolish serfdom.

    • Russia functioned as an autocracy, dominated by one ruler.

    • Post-Napoleonic War, gained considerable Polish territory at the Congress of Vienna.

    • Intelligentsia discontent grew among educated elites due to contrasting policies abroad and domestic restrictions.

    • Became increasingly religious and proposed the Holy Alliance among Christian kingdoms.

    • Decembrist Revolt:

      • Involved upper nobility and soldiers against serfdom and aristocratic privilege, triggered by allegiance conflicts after Grand Duke Constantine was crowned secretly.

      • Nicholas I's response was severe, deploying military force against civilians.

  8. Nicholas I’s Rule:

    • Centralized power with extreme control; aristocracy firmly under his authority.

    • Acknowledged the need for industrialization, established secret police to maintain order, and neglected administration.

Philosophical Movements

Conservatism
  • Definition:

    • "The state is a partnership between the dead, the living, and the unborn."

    • Emphasizes gradual change, favoring absolute monarchy.

    • Edmund Burke: Influential conservative thinker.

Nationalism
  • Definition:

    • Being part of a community that emerged post-French Revolution, disrupting political stability.

    • Nationalists and liberals often allied for shared goals.

Socialism
  • Early Socialism:

    • Emphasizes societal needs over individual needs; advocates for social equality without competition, promoting cooperation.

  • Utopian Socialism:

    • Opposes private property and competition.

    • Charles Fourier:

    • Proposed Phalansteries: Cooperative communities for mutual benefit, but untested due to financial backing issues.

    • Robert Owen: Believed humans could reveal inherent goodness through social reforms.

    • Louis Blanc: Advocated for government intervention to solve social problems.

    • Flora Tristan: Promoted women's liberation across France.

Liberalism
  • Economic Liberalism:

    • Influenced by Thomas Malthus and David Ricardo.

    • Promotes laissez-faire: minimal government intervention in economics leads to greater benefits for society.

  • Political Liberalism:

    • Advocates for civil liberties (equality before the law, freedom of assembly, speech, and press).

    • Supports separation of church and state and peaceful opposition to government.

    • Pushes for ministerial responsibility and limited suffrage, excluding women from holding office.

    • John Stuart Mill: Supported women's rights in political spheres.

Impact of the Congress of Vienna

  • Overlooked liberal aspirations and the influence of nationalism across Europe.

  • Underestimated the enduring effects of the French Revolution on the legitimacy of monarchies.

Another French Revolution (1830)

  • July Ordinances: Issued by Charles X, enforcing strict censorship and diminishing electoral participation.

  • Results of the July Revolution:

    • Charles X fled to Britain, leading to the rise of constitutional monarch Louis Philippe (the "bourgeoisie monarch").

    • Established constitutional monarchy favoring the middle class while neglecting working class needs.

    • Increased industrial growth generated tension between classes.

Revolutionary Outbursts: Belgium, Poland, and Italy

  • Belgium: Successfully revolted for independence supported by Great Britain and France after being united with Holland at the Congress of Vienna.

  • Poland: Attempted to revolt against Russian control but failed; resultant military dictatorship established by Russia.

  • Italy: Revolts faced harsh suppression by Austrian forces, preventing unification efforts.

Reform in Britain

  • 1830: Whigs gained control; reform efforts initiated.

  • 1832: Election Reform Bill led to the Reform Act that expanded voting rights to the upper middle class but excluded lower-class citizens.

  • 1846: Anti-Corn Law League emerged to reduce bread prices for laborers.

Revolution of 1848 in France

  • Economic strife fueled social unrest; Louis Philippe’s administration resisted reforms.

  • Resulted in Philippe fleeing Britain; Provisional government formed by moderates and radicals.

  • National Assembly Composition:

    • 500 total seats, split between moderates and radical Republicans.

    • National workshops established but later closed due to rising unemployment.

    • Adopted a new constitution on November 4, 1848, creating a unicameral legislative house.

German States in the 1848 Revolutions

  • Frankfurt Assembly: Convened under King Ferdinand William IV, comprising educated delegates debating German unification.

    • Grossdeutsch vs. Kleindeutsch: Division over inclusion of Austria in the new Germany.

  • Although Austria withdrew, the assembly failed to establish a unified state.

Austrian Empire Revolts (1848)

  • Hungarian Legislation: Achieved independence by aligning with the Habsburg dynasty.

  • Czech Demands: Proposals for self-governance in Bohemia met repression.

  • General Alfred’s response was military suppression, leading to Russian intervention which ultimately crushed revolt attempts.

Attempts to Unify Italy

  • Giuseppe Mazzini's Young Italy Movement: Advocated for Italian unification.

  • Cristina Belgioioso: Promoted the cause through journalism abroad.

  • Lombardy and Venetia Revolts: Attempts to secede from Austrian rule failed; by 1849, Austria regained control.

Romanticism in Art and Literature

  • Core Themes:

    • Affection for nature, individualism, the heroic, and emotional expression; revival of Gothic architectural styles.

  • Notable Writers:

    • Edgar Allan Poe, Mary Shelley ("Frankenstein"): Explored human emotion and the consequences of scientific endeavor.

    • Poets like Percy Shelley (